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No

Only Judeism

Only Islam

Yes to both Judeism and Islam

[Orange Wizard]

I've never heard that one before.

[Arcvasti]

Song of Solomon is the best. Ecclesiastes and, to a lesser extent, Job are both pretty interesting. Haven't read them in about a year.

[Bouchart]

Judges is a book you don't hear preached a lot, and it's not too hard to understand why.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

12 Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and because they did this evil the Lord gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel. 13 Getting the Ammonites and Amalekites to join him, Eglon came and attacked Israel, and they took possession of the City of Palms. 14 The Israelites were subject to Eglon king of Moab for eighteen years.

15 Again the Israelites cried out to the Lord, and he gave them a deliverer—Ehud, a left-handed man, the son of Gera the Benjamite. The Israelites sent him with tribute to Eglon king of Moab. 16 Now Ehud had made a double-edged sword about a cubit  long, which he strapped to his right thigh under his clothing. 17 He presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab, who was a very fat man. 18 After Ehud had presented the tribute, he sent on their way those who had carried it. 19 But on reaching the stone images near Gilgal he himself went back to Eglon and said, “Your Majesty, I have a secret message for you.”

The king said to his attendants, “Leave us!” And they all left.

20 Ehud then approached him while he was sitting alone in the upper room of his palace and said, “I have a message from God for you.” As the king rose from his seat, 21 Ehud reached with his left hand, drew the sword from his right thigh and plunged it into the king’s belly. 22 Even the handle sank in after the blade, and his bowels discharged. Ehud did not pull the sword out, and the fat closed in over it. 23 Then Ehud went out to the porch; he shut the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them.

24 After he had gone, the servants came and found the doors of the upper room locked. They said, “He must be relieving himself in the inner room of the palace.” 25 They waited to the point of embarrassment, but when he did not open the doors of the room, they took a key and unlocked them. There they saw their lord fallen to the floor, dead.

26 While they waited, Ehud got away. He passed by the stone images and escaped to Seirah. 27 When he arrived there, he blew a trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went down with him from the hills, with him leading them.

28 “Follow me,” he ordered, “for the Lord has given Moab, your enemy, into your hands.” So they followed him down and took possession of the fords of the Jordan that led to Moab; they allowed no one to cross over.

[Frumple]

... so... assassination doesn't count as murder? Or did the ten Cs come after or somethin'?

[freeformschooler]

Ecclesiastes is actually about Solomon (I think, might be someone else) and his view of the world when he rejected God. Or rather, he rejected God, did all the Ecclesiastes nonsense, then came back and wrote the book.

I don't think I've encountered that explanation as such. Though I do recall reading that some people interpret the book as having two narrators of opposing opinions.

That would make it surprisingly like Either/or.

[Graknorke]

... so... assassination doesn't count as murder? Or did the ten Cs come after or somethin'?

No because YHWH wanted it to happen. Therefore it's not murder.

[Orange Wizard]

... so... assassination doesn't count as murder? Or did the ten Cs come after or somethin'?

No because YHWH wanted it to happen. Therefore it's not murder.

lolwut

...

Anyway, the last verse in Judges goes along the lines of "in those days there was no law in the land, everyone did as he saw fit". Basically, the events in that book are not a guide for holy living.

[Graknorke]

... so... assassination doesn't count as murder? Or did the ten Cs come after or somethin'?

No because YHWH wanted it to happen. Therefore it's not murder.

lolwut

Ehud was sent by God, wasn't he?

[Orange Wizard]

Well, yeah? Being called by God doesn't mean you never do evil.

[Graknorke]

Well, yeah? Being called by God doesn't mean you never do evil.

But it does mean that the things you do are sanctioned. At least, to a degree.
Otherwise, why would being a prophet even matter?

[Orange Wizard]

No? You're still responsible for your own sin. God isn't going to command someone to do something he finds reprehensible, either.
And Ehud wasn't a prophet. But being a prophet (or priest, or king, or whatever) is important because they're leaders. They guide other people to what God wants from them. In Ehud's case, it was (presumably) to free the people from Moab ruling over them.
This doesn't mean that the assassination was sanctioned by God (although there's another theological argument there that I won't go into) and Ehud would be held responsible for that. It did, however, give Israel a chance to drive out the Moabites.

[Cheeetar]

God isn't going to command someone to do something he finds reprehensible, either.

Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, whom you love--Isaac--and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you."

[TheDarkStar]

Judges is a book you don't hear preached a lot, and it's not too hard to understand why.

-snip-

I prefer the story of the woman who impales another enemy leader with a tent stake while he's asleep that's about a chapter before or after that one. Anyway, though, Judges isn't the best place to look for a lot of things. I have seen a few (or at least one) lessons based off of it, though.

God isn't going to command someone to do something he finds reprehensible, either.

Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, whom you love--Isaac--and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you."

God did send an angel to stop Abraham in the end, though. It was a test to see whether Abraham would value God over his own son.

[TD1]

Granted, God didn't make him kill the son, just a sick test of faith...for Satan, I think?

I have seen a few (or at least one) lessons based off of it, though.

It's just as well people pick what they preach, else ministers everywhere would be saying assassination is a perfectly acceptable way to work things out, though supposedly only if you're our all loving God's Chosen.

[Cheeetar]

God isn't going to command someone to do something he finds reprehensible, either.

Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, whom you love--Isaac--and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you."

God did send an angel to stop Abraham in the end, though. It was a test to see whether Abraham would value God over his own son.

What kind of sick, abusive monster would do that to someone?