Cut off her hand...

Verses like this in the OT make me think if they are inspired by God or just allowed by Moses (like divorce, as Jesus said).

I would guess the second.

And going back to the hand, surely this is a terrible commandment. If you think about it, in a time of no anaesthetics, to cut off a poor woman’s hand for so trivial an offence. I cannot get my head around it.

I believe the "apparent" cruelty of God in these matters, as well the Flood, and the Multiple decrees to slaughter EVERY man, woman, child, and infant, and in some cases animals, of certain people groups, makes no sense, and can actually trip up Christians, UNLESS we view them in light of Genesis 6.

In Genesis 6 we see fallen angels mating with human women creating a hybrid race of people. In extra-Biblical texts, that ARE mentioned in the Bible, we see that animals ALSO were "mixed" creating unnatural hybrid animals.

The DNA of these abominations continued in some of these people groups. Thus God ensured that this particular sin, carried forth by DNA, was not mixed with the people that would bring forth the Messiah.

God took incredible seriousness ANY attempt to either destroy, like in the case of the woman grabbing the man's genitals, or CORRUPT the seed by which His Son would come.

In Deuteronomy 25 we have the following:
11 If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to rescue her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, 12 you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity.

When reading the OT law, it is important to realise that although, by our standards, the events are pretty barbaric, we are dealing with divine judgment and being educated to understand the deadliness of sin and God’s attitude towards it. Genocide is a last resort and the means by which God judges the nations of the middle east. There are indications, Gen 15:16 that God waits generations before judging in this way. We are, in fact, instructed to love the law and to dwell on it night and day Ps 1:2.
It seems to me that the law is an imperfect means of structuring a society along godly lines, but in spite of all this, the above command strikes me as utterly disgusting.
I am appalled too, at commands to stone animals, like bulls who gore people to death. Stoning is a means of killing so painful, slow and disgusting, that surely no merciful God could condone it. Why the cruelty?
I have to say such things really upset my faith.
Does anyone have a view on this?

In Deuteronomy 25 we have the following:
11 If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to rescue her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, 12 you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity.

When reading the OT law, it is important to realise that although, by our standards, the events are pretty barbaric, we are dealing with divine judgment and being educated to understand the deadliness of sin and God’s attitude towards it. Genocide is a last resort and the means by which God judges the nations of the middle east. There are indications, Gen 15:16 that God waits generations before judging in this way. We are, in fact, instructed to love the law and to dwell on it night and day Ps 1:2.
It seems to me that the law is an imperfect means of structuring a society along godly lines, but in spite of all this, the above command strikes me as utterly disgusting.
I am appalled too, at commands to stone animals, like bulls who gore people to death. Stoning is a means of killing so painful, slow and disgusting, that surely no merciful God could condone it. Why the cruelty?
I have to say such things really upset my faith.
Does anyone have a view on this?

My ways are so much higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts--->Isaiah

Take for example your sited reference to genocide.....God commanded Joshua to kill everyone (men, women and CHILDREN) in Jericho.....and other cities.....we might look at that and be highly offended or think that this was and is barbaric....but in essence it shows great MERCY and love towards the Children....You might think that last statement = me out of my mind....

Why would I think the above......simple....Had the children grown up with the backgrounds of complete Idolatry that they had been ingrained with, they obviously would have been lost forever.....it is obvious that the bible teaches some sort of "safe under the blood" for children that have not reached the age where they are aware of sin and placed under the condemnation of God "David and his first born with Bathsheba" that died.....God, by instructing Joshua to kill even the children accomplished numerous things....

a. In all probability spared some from hell
b. In all probability spared Israel from revenge at a later time
c. In all probability kept idolatry from corrupting the truth at a time when it needed to flourish in the land
d. Etc.

The truth is...there are numerous truths, events etc. in the bible that are hard for us to grasp the reasoning behind such things, yet at the end of the day....we cannot even begin to second guess God because we are not qualified to do such, nor do we have that right...........

If the bull gores people then stoning may be the only safe way to kill it. They didn't have guns back then and getting close with a spear may just enrage it.

As for the above verse....the woman is grabbing the other guys private parts, I find that disturbing.

Jesus didn't let people to stone an adultress to death, I doubt he would condone having a woman's hand cut off.

The law in it's entirety was a prophesy of what is to happen spiritually to God's people in the end times.

Physical annihilation of nations that surrounded Israel represent spiritual annihilation of spiritual gentiles (ungodly people).

Physical punishment dished to unruly Israelites represent spiritual chastisement which eventually results to death given to those that believe in God but are also deceived by satan.

At the end of the day, physical is nothing compared to spiritual because all those men annihilated in the OT were saved by Christ. It is only the people in the end times with real choice and real consequences, the others were just educational toys.

Good answer!
Jesus said the law allowed divorce because if the hardness of the people’s hearts. So your answer is of some comfort to me.
But Moses was in close touch with God. I would have hoped that God would curb the wilder excesses of the people. God is responsible for the bible after all. I am also hoping that God opposes cruelty and has regard for animals. I love animals. The sacrificial system, to me, has such power, because it demands the lives of innocent animals. These poor things are killed because of sin. This is what makes sin so heinous.
And going back to the hand, surely this is a terrible commandment. If you think about it, in a time of no anaesthetics, to cut off a poor woman’s hand for so trivial an offence. I cannot get my head around it.

I think and I could be wrong but that when we think on the heart of God with regards to animal sacrifice, we should remember that He Himself knows the loss. He is asking when a person sins, which leads to death, which is the significance of the showing that in the sacrifice, but also, He sacrifices that life too life, because all life is His. He loves all His creation, and I think He tried to get ppl to get the significance of how important not sinning is. He was helping us individually and as a people. It was also necessary to point to sacrifice to show His Son and the value of His sacrifice, giving of Himself to death. Still, I believe that there is never any indifference in our God with regards to the loss of any life. I think He values the lives of animals.

In Deuteronomy 25 we have the following:
11 If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to rescue her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, 12 you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity.

When reading the OT law, it is important to realise that although, by our standards, the events are pretty barbaric, we are dealing with divine judgment and being educated to understand the deadliness of sin and God’s attitude towards it. Genocide is a last resort and the means by which God judges the nations of the middle east. There are indications, Gen 15:16 that God waits generations before judging in this way. We are, in fact, instructed to love the law and to dwell on it night and day Ps 1:2.
It seems to me that the law is an imperfect means of structuring a society along godly lines, but in spite of all this, the above command strikes me as utterly disgusting.
I am appalled too, at commands to stone animals, like bulls who gore people to death. Stoning is a means of killing so painful, slow and disgusting, that surely no merciful God could condone it. Why the cruelty?
I have to say such things really upset my faith.
Does anyone have a view on this?

In Deuteronomy 25 we have the following:
11 If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to rescue her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, 12 you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity.

When reading the OT law, it is important to realise that although, by our standards, the events are pretty barbaric, we are dealing with divine judgment and being educated to understand the deadliness of sin and God’s attitude towards it. Genocide is a last resort and the means by which God judges the nations of the middle east. There are indications, Gen 15:16 that God waits generations before judging in this way. We are, in fact, instructed to love the law and to dwell on it night and day Ps 1:2.
It seems to me that the law is an imperfect means of structuring a society along godly lines, but in spite of all this, the above command strikes me as utterly disgusting.
I am appalled too, at commands to stone animals, like bulls who gore people to death. Stoning is a means of killing so painful, slow and disgusting, that surely no merciful God could condone it. Why the cruelty?
I have to say such things really upset my faith.
Does anyone have a view on this?

To grab the man by his private parts may indicate the woman being fully aware of her incapacitating the man, thereby giving her husband the advantage over his adversary. Unfair to say the least.