Book overview
The first codifications of law recorded in civilization acknowledged the importance of law to our human systems. Noah enjoined his sons to observe justice, to cover the shame of their flesh, to bless their Creator, to honor their father and mother, and to refrain from iniquity and uncleanness. These principles were later refined into the form in which we know them, the Ten Commandments. Man's very existence was predicated upon his obedience to the Law of God. Tradition maintains that this law was formulated as a verbal acknowledgement of the covenant between God and His People. It entailed consideration from both parties, and thus was a legal and binding contract according to the established principles of law. However, this Covenant did not encompass all of the known population of the world, but merely that group known as God's People, the People of Israel. As chronicled in Genesis, the first book of the Bible, Man, that is, Adam, was ruddy of complexion. This ruddiness was the conscious reminder of his dedication to upholding the Law of God. Whenever he transgressed this law, he would blush, in conscious acknowledgement that he had been disobedient. The blood would rush to his face, in a visible blush, as the mark of his disobedience and the reminder that he must fulfill the Law.
