Originally posted by ska57
The "penalty" probably refers to I Corinthians 6:9-10, "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor theives nor the greedy or drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."
Noah....a drunk.
Lot......did it with his daughters.
Israel.....always were idolaters.
And then there's Tamar who slept with her father-in law.
After 'a long time passed' (38:12) Judah's wife died. During this long time Judah had not sent Shelah to marry Tamar. She became concerned that Judah did not intend to fulfill his requirement to give her a husband to father a child, his grandchild. Does Judah consider her a black widow? Will she accept being a barren woman, powerless in a patriarchal society? Tamar masqueraded as a prostitute stands in a place called ‘enaim’, the opening of the eyes. Judah does not see that it is Tamar. She seduces him. Judah said he did not have the money to pay her and gave her his seal, cord and staff (the equivalent of his credit card) as ransom until he would return to pay for her services. As Gunn and Fewell note the Hebrew words are all wordplays; ‘hotamka coming from ‘father-in-law, ‘petileka’ coming from ‘peti’ a simpleton and ‘matteh’ staff, in many languages a sexual euphemism. (3) Later he sent his friend to retrieve his seal, cord and staff, but the woman had disappeared.