Bible Gateway Chapter 9 NIV link: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=1&chapter=9&version=31
A few important things that man was instructed not to do after the flood:
But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.
God gave man dominion over all other living creatures, yet he still found it important to point out that the animal must be dead. The life force must be removed. I believe the reason behind this is that while God put man at the top of the list, He wanted to ensure that all things he created would be dealt with humanely. For us to eat flesh with the life still in it would mean that the animal would still be alive. This is the first indication that all creatures are protected by God, and torture, or brutality towards any creature would not be acceptable in the eyes of God.
Perhaps one of the most important:
. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man. 6 "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.
Do not take the life of another human. If you live by the sword, you will die by the sword. We all are given free will by God; no man has dominion over another mans life. No one wants to be killed, it is one of the biggest fears that we carry with us, to be killed by another person. We all want to die of old age, in our beds, preferably in our sleep. That is the way God intended it. When we take another mans life, we are destroying the image of God. It cannot be justified, or excused. This brings forth many topics of discussion, war, the death sentence, one could even argue self-defense. I will not try to pick each one apart, but it should be a cause for some individual reflection, as we each monitor our own morality. We can rationalize many reasons to kill another man, and as we continue through the bible we will see many instances revealed where God even commands life to be taken. However we should all be careful when forming our personal viewpoints. I have found it to be a slippery slope, where justification comes much easier than forgiveness.
Peace,
Brian
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