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Writer's picturePistis Lau

Natural Law Theonomy: How Land Responds to the Sin of Her Inhabitants.

It is commonly noted by covenant theologians that natural law is moral law - the same law as expressly written on the stone tablets (Decalogue), was originally written on the hearts of Adam and Eve. What is fascinating - hence the reason for this paper - is that the earth/land exhibits a complementary cause and effect in regards to moral law.


Positively, we encounter this in God's cultural mandate to pre-fall Adam and Eve, "be fruitful... eat whatever you like (Gen 2:15), have dominion... etc (Gen 1:28-30)."


Negatively, we encounter this when Abel's innocent blood is shed by Cain (the guilty party). Abel's blood is received by the land, and the land cries out to God for justice (Gen 4:10). The resulting punishment - strangely enough, is not death (that was judged and thus in effect as of Gen 3:15), but fruitlessness and exile from the earth (general not particular to the promised land of Canaan) is re-iterated for Cain as it was for his father, Adam (Gen 4:12, c.f. Gen 3:17-19).


We get wind of this same law of the land in Deut 19 concerning cities of refuge. The reason for these cities was to prevent Israel from shedding innocent blood (God judged that the man in v.6 did not deserve to die). Should innocent blood be shed in the land that the LORD your God is giving you (inasmuch as He first gave the same to Adam) for an inheritance, and so the guilt of bloodshed be upon you - nation of Israel (Deut 19:10). Though the sentence for the guilty party is immediate death, the main subject here is the nation of Israel. The concern is that Israel as a nation would be guilty of blood-guilt in the land that God owns and has graciously given to them - resulting in fruitlessness (famine), and exile.


Fast-forward to the first advent, the Jews were guilty of shedding innocent blood - that of God's Son, and of false witness - punishable by the same sentence they would have for their brother (Israelite) (Deut 19:16-21).

Undoubtedly, the court was unjust, but the courts in heaven weren't. God upheld His law and met Caiaphas and his cronies of scribes and pharisees with judgment befitting of Deut 19:19 in the day of the Lord (70 AD). Interestingly enough, Jesus told Caiaphus as much (Mark 14:62). The Jews at Pilate's court were complicit, and even boldly asked that "His blood be on us and on our children." God could not have agreed more - in the execution of His own just and holy law, and judged them ever so severely in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. True to natural law, the holy land cried unto God for the blood of Christ and his saints. The land was cursed: The Jews experienced severe famine in between 68 AD - 70 AD and were annihilated in the Roman massacre that followed in the destruction of Jerusalem.


Present day, no one in their right mind can say God bless our land - how can we when we are complicit in the murder of innocent pre-borns. Our land cries out to God for justice - our proper response is to call our nations unto repentance, and bow the knee to Christ. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way (Psalm 2).

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