Well, this morning I've spent time on a FB thread that had more than 80 responses about taxes, Obamacare, and the Catholic response to the President's mandate. Then we swerved into capital punishment and I couldn't fit all these words into the box.
If any of you "postees" are listening, here is another take on capital punishment.
Scripture has four voices on this issue. We can consider God's covenant with Noah, the law as given to Moses, Jesus, and the Apostles.
NOAH
Everyone can probably remember the first murder in the Bible when Cain killed his brother. Did God require Cain's life? No. He was punished, but God did not take a life for a life. What were God's words to Cain? "The voice of your brother's blood is crying out to Me from the ground." (Genesis 4:10) Now we begin to pick up on the concept of blood demanding justice.
Fast forward five generations to a man named Lamech who was bragging to (or threatening) his wives. "Listen to my voice and give heed to my speech. For I have killed a man for wounding me; and a boy for striking me. If Cain is avenged sevenfold, then I'm seventy-seven fold." (Genesis 4:23) That seems like Lamech wanted his women to know that Cain may have been a bad dude, but he was badder. That illustrates how when murder goes unpunished, the criminal flaunts. Ecclesiastes 8:11 says "Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly, therefore the hearts of the sons of men are given full to do evil."
Know who Lamech's son was? Noah. By Noah's time, mankind was so corrupt, God incorporated capital punishment BIGTIME. He took out everyone but the eight in Noah's family. If we start with the premise that God can do no wrong/cannot sin...we can surmise that He wanted to start all over with the human race. So guess what principal He left with Noah after they got off the boat and began civilization anew? "Whoever sheds man's blood by man, his blood SHALL BE SHED for in the image of God He made man." (Genesis 9:6) God is saying to Noah:
*put some structure in place to deal with murder
(Why? Just as when someone burns a flag, they are disrespecting our country...when someone murders, they destroy something made in God's image and are therefore disrespecting Him.)
*notice the phrase "shall be shed"...that is a command
*for any society to function, there must be protection of life
*the command is timeless and for every society
Capital punishment is foundational to society because it restrains evil (the killer is removed), it prevents personal revenge (my desire for revenge won't lead me into sin because the government acts on my behalf), it fulfills justice (the government makes sure the punishment exactly fits the crime), it preserves society (murder leads to more violence), it elevates man's dignity (because man was designed to be the crown of God's creation and capital punishment is a value statement for life).
MOSES
Before sending His people into the Promised Land, God gave them a way to prosper. He gave divine law in three parts: the moral law (Ten Commandments), the civil law (how government should be carried out), and the ceremonial law (how they should worship).
Think on those three. Are these same moral imperatives still in effect for us? How about our legal system. Are the Ten Commandments still in play? Except for sacrifices, do the Jews still practice the ceremonial law? Yes, uh huh, and yes.
The first five of the commandments showed how to prosper vertically/relate to God/initiate spiritual life. The second five explain how to relate horizontally. The first of that tablet (#6) is foundational to building civilization. In the Hebrew it says "no killing". Our King James translates "thou shalt not kill" and the NAS version says "thou shalt not murder". What's the difference? There are two Hebrew words for "kill". One means to slay and the other involves malice.
WHAT GOD DID NOT MEAN WHEN HE SAID 'NO KILLING'
1. killing of animals (only four chapters back God had provided quail, God required animal sacrifices, Jesus ate fish, and Paul wrote about what kind of meat to eat (not the kind sacrificed to idols)
2. self defense (Exodus 22:2) this is where the laws on our books get the distinction of acting to protect yourself
3. accidental (Numbers 35:9) God provided cities of refuge and if you murdered accidentally, you could move there (part of the penalty) but at least you were protected from the victim's relatives
4. killing in a 'just' war (historically called a 'righteous war') in WW1 and WW2 we were a defender nation, not the aggressor nation. Think back to what would have happened if we had not "gone in". Also consider that God sent Israel into war and ordered them to kill.
5. capital punishment (there are people who stand outside our Cummins Prison on the night of an execution with a sign "thou shalt not kill" as though they have researched and found biblically no contradictions. But they need to know that if they turned one page over from Exodus 20:13 to Exodus 21:12, it says "he who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death". There are a number of Scriptures to consider (Numbers 35:33, Deuteronomy 19:13, and that eye for an eye Leviticus 24:17).
WHAT GOD DID MEAN WHEN HE SAID 'NO KILLING'
1. homicide
2. suicide
3. infanticide
JESUS
Perhaps you are thinking that God was bloody in the OT, but the NT is different. Well, God didn't grow up and become someone else. Jesus said "don't think I came to abolish the law and prophets, I came to fulfill them." And in two different places in Matthew 5, Jesus had this to say:
(verse 21) "You have heard that the ancients were told 'you shall not murder'...but I say to you everyone who is angry with his brother is guilty." He is saying 'you guys think you're OK because you've never murdered anyone. But you are guilty before God of sin if you've even been angry in your heart.'
(verse 38) "You have heard it said 'an eye for an eye'...but I say to you, do not resist him who is evil; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him on the other." Again, this is not a structure issue, but one of personal relationships. He asks us not to seek personal revenge (which would make them judge and jury and executioner). But they took that verse as license. Governmental structure negates the need for personal retaliation.
Think of times when Jesus dealt with a situation that might relate to capital punishment. What about when Peter whacked off the soldier's ear? Remember what Jesus said? "Peter, put your sword up. If you live by the sword, you die by the sword." In other words, the system (capital punishment) is in effect and if you shed blood, your blood will be required.
Think about when Jesus intervened in the stoning of the woman caught in adultery. He didn't say "no one should be stoned". He said "he who is without sin, let him throw the first stone". Again, Jesus is convicting of sin as He sees their hypocrisy. But He is NOT negating their system of law.
APOSTLES
As Paul was writing Romans 12, he is setting out how we are not to seek personal revenge or retaliation, but we are to let the government do it on our behalf. That flows into Romans 13 as he fleshes out the governmental structure. Paul says all authority comes through God (there are no maverick molecules in the universe). Sometimes God chooses to govern corrupt people with corrupt authority. Still, if you disobey the law of the land (so long as you are not contradicting God's law) you are still rebelling against God. Obedience to the law equals obedience to God. He says "want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good." And in Romans 13:4 Paul writes "authority is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing. It is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath upon the one who practices evil."
There are words that light up in that verse. SWORD (the government is to use the sword, which is an euphemism for 'take a life'. There is no mention of parole or jail.) FOR NOTHING (government is to use the sword, not to have it for nothing). AVENGER (seeks retaliation and administers God's wrath. God executes vengeance upon citizens who murder and government is His minister). WRATH (a stronger word than 'disciple' or 'condemnation'. This is the boiling anger of God against those who murder.)
So that is Paul. What did Peter say? "Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether to the king as one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right." 1Peter 2:13,14 Governors are given the task of punishing evildoers.
SO WHAT?
Scripture is in one accord on this issue. Through Noah, God said if you take someone's life, your life is required. Through Moses, we heard it was a life for a life. Through Jesus, if you live by the sword, you die by the sword. And through the apostles, we heard government is to use the sword.
But when government does not do its job...when they get soft...we see the effects. Violence follows violence. There is an increase in personal vengeance. And what you and I might feel as we glance behind us @the ATM....FEAR.
God is just and that is our place of safety. But in that justice is a responsibility to set in place the government's sword.
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