Test 3: Pre-Mosaic Law Evidence

The Central Questions

How did God judge sin from Adam to Moses - a period spanning approximately 2,500 years? What law existed that made the actions of Cain, the antediluvian world, and Sodom sinful? Were there universal laws that all humanity was expected to know and follow before the formal codification at Sinai? These questions are crucial for establishing whether the Ten Commandments represent eternal moral law or temporary ethnic legislation introduced at Sinai.

The Legal Principle: No Judgment Without Law

The foundational legal principle that governs this entire analysis comes from Romans 4:15: "Where no law is, there is no transgression," and Romans 5:13: "Sin is not imputed when there is no law." This creates an absolute legal requirement: for God to judge actions as sinful and impose penalties, law must exist defining those actions as violations. Every divine judgment in the pre-Mosaic period therefore proves the existence of operative law.

God's character as revealed in Scripture includes perfect justice: "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (Genesis 18:25). "Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne" (Psalm 89:14). A just God cannot punish where no law exists to violate. Therefore, every instance of divine judgment before Sinai constitutes legal evidence of existing law.

The Case of Cain: The First Murder

The first recorded divine judgment after Eden involves Cain's murder of Abel. Genesis 4:9-11 records God's response: "And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper? And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. And now art thou cursed from the earth."

The critical question: by what law was Cain's action murder rather than merely killing? No explicit command "thou shalt not kill" appears in the Genesis record before this event. Yet God treats it as a violation deserving punishment. The only coherent explanation is that the moral law later codified as the sixth commandment was already known and operative.

Furthermore, when Cain fears retribution, saying "every one that findeth me shall slay me" (Genesis 4:14), he reveals a universal understanding that murder deserves death. How would "everyone" know to execute justice for murder unless universal law existed making murder punishable by death?

The Antediluvian Judgment: Universal Moral Corruption

The flood narrative provides compelling evidence of universal moral law. Genesis 6:5 states: "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." Verse 11 adds: "The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence."

The specific violations mentioned - wickedness, evil thoughts, corruption, and violence - correspond to commandments later codified at Sinai. Violence violates the sixth commandment. Corruption suggests violations of multiple moral principles. The evil imagination of thoughts connects to the tenth commandment against coveting.

Genesis 6:9 describes Noah as "just" and "perfect in his generations" who "walked with God." The Hebrew word for "just" (tsaddiq) means righteous according to a standard. By what standard was Noah righteous if no law existed? Noah's righteousness implies knowledge of and obedience to divine law.

The Judgment of Sodom: Sexual and Social Violations

The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah provides another pre-Mosaic example of divine judgment based on moral law. Genesis 18:20 records: "And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous."

Abraham's negotiation with God about sparing the city assumes a universal standard of righteousness that both God and Abraham recognize. Abraham doesn't ask God to explain what constitutes righteousness - both parties understand the standard.

The Case of Abimelech: Adultery Recognized by Pagans

Genesis 20 provides remarkable evidence that even pagan kings recognized moral law. When Abimelech takes Sarah, God warns him in a dream: "Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man's wife" (v. 3).

Abimelech, a Philistine king, immediately recognizes that taking another man's wife deserves death. He knew adultery was sin before any written law existed. God acknowledges Abimelech's integrity, confirming that moral standards were known and recognized even among non-Hebrews.

Joseph and Potiphar's Wife: Pre-Sinai Recognition of Sin

Joseph's response to Potiphar's wife provides explicit pre-Sinai acknowledgment of sin. When propositioned, Joseph responds: "How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" (Genesis 39:9). Joseph uses the word "sin" - the same word used throughout Scripture for law violation. He calls adultery "great wickedness" and recognizes it as "sin against God."

This occurred approximately 200 years before Sinai, while Joseph lived in Egypt among pagans. Yet he knew adultery was sin against God. By what standard? The only answer: the moral law that existed from creation and was known to all humanity.

The Testimony of Job: Ancient Recognition of Moral Law

The book of Job, set in the patriarchal period, provides extensive evidence of moral law knowledge. Job 31 contains Job's oath of innocence, where he lists actions he avoided because they were sinful:

Job explicitly calls idolatry "an iniquity to be punished by the judge" (v. 28) and adultery "a heinous crime; yea, it is an iniquity to be punished by the judges" (v. 11). His comprehensive moral understanding demonstrates detailed knowledge of the principles later codified in the Ten Commandments.

The Pattern of Sabbath Observance

While not explicitly mentioned in every pre-Mosaic account, evidence suggests Sabbath knowledge existed from creation. Genesis 2:2-3 states God "blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it" at creation. The Hebrew word "sanctified" (qadash) means to set apart as holy.

The Legal Framework Established

The cumulative evidence establishes beyond reasonable doubt that moral law existed and operated from creation to Sinai. This law was:

The Sinai Codification

When God gave the Ten Commandments at Sinai, He was not introducing new moral concepts but codifying in permanent form the eternal moral law that had operated since creation. The stone tablets provided a written record of what had been known to conscience but increasingly corrupted or forgotten due to sin's effects.

This explains why the Ten Commandments contain no surprises or radical new concepts for Israel. They recognized these principles as the ancient path of righteousness their fathers had known.