Bible RECAP:
(Gen 1) God created everything Good(Gen 3) Man sinned, messing the perfection up
(Gen 3-50) God wants to reconcile man to Himself, works the men - Noah, Abraham, Jacob
(Ex 2-19) Through Moses God frees the Iraelites from Slavery in Egypt.
(Ex 19 - Deu 34) God Makes a Covenant with his people, he will bless them if they please him.
The Book of Joshua begins with the Israelites crossing over into the Promised land (Ch 3), and the Fall of Jericho (Ch 5-6). This is Israel's first victory.
Story of Achan
Before destroying Jericho, Joshua commands them:Joshua 6:
18 “Do not take any of the things set apart for destruction, or you yourselves will be completely destroyed, and you will bring trouble on the camp of Israel. 19 Everything made from silver, gold, bronze, or iron is sacred to the Lord and must be brought into his treasury.”Joshua 7
1 But Israel violated the instructions about the things set apart for the Lord. A man named Achan had stolen some of these dedicated things, so the Lord was very angry with the Israelites.
11 Israel has sinned and broken my covenant! They have stolen some of the things that I commanded must be set apart for me. And they have not only stolen them but have lied about it and hidden the things among their own belongings. 12 That is why the Israelites are running from their enemies in defeat. For now Israel itself has been set apart for destruction. I will not remain with you any longer unless you destroy the things among you that were set apart for destruction.
15 The one who has stolen what was set apart for destruction will himself be burned with fire, along with everything he has, for he has broken the covenant of the Lord and has done a horrible thing in Israel.”Achan is found as guilty. He stole a babylonian Robe (set apart for destruction), and silver and gold (set apart for the Lord). Achan confesses his sin is taken with everything he ownes and his family. They were stoned and their bodies burned.
So Death Penalty is it right or wrong?
God cares so much about life, that he demands a murderer's life -
Gen 9
“Whoever sheds the blood of man,by man shall his blood be shed,for God made man in his own image.
17 “Whoever takes a human life shall surely be put to death.Numbers 35
“But if he struck him down with an iron object, so that he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall be put to death. 17 And if he struck him down with a stone tool that could cause death, and he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall be put to death. 18 Or if he struck him down with a wooden tool that could cause death, and he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall be put to death. 19 The avenger of blood shall himself put the murderer to death; when he meets him, he shall put him to death. 20 And if he pushed him out of hatred or hurled something at him, lying in wait, so that he died, 21 or in enmity struck him down with his hand, so that he died, then he who struck the blow shall be put to death. He is a murderer. The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when he meets him.22 “But if he pushed him suddenly without enmity, or hurled anything on him without lying in wait 23 or used a stone that could cause death, and without seeing him dropped it on him, so that he died, though he was not his enemy and did not seek his harm, 24 then the congregation shall judge between the manslayer and the avenger of blood, in accordance with these rules. 25 And the congregation shall rescue the manslayer from the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge to which he had fled, and he shall live in it until the death of the high priestwho was anointed with the holy oil. 26 But if the manslayer shall at any time go beyond the boundaries of his city of refuge to which he fled, 27 and the avenger of blood finds him outside the boundaries of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood kills the manslayer, he shall not be guilty of blood.28 For he must remain in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest, but after the death of the high priest the manslayer may return to the land of his possession. 29 And these things shall be for a statute and rule for you throughout your generations in all your dwelling places.30 “If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on theevidence of witnesses. But no person shall be put to death on the testimony of one witness. 31 Moreover, you shall accept no ransom for the life of a murderer, who is guilty of death, but he shall be put to death. 32 And you shall accept no ransom for him who has fled to his city of refuge, that he may return to dwell in the land before the death of the high priest. 33 You shall not pollute the land in which you live, for blood pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land for the blood that is shed in it, except by the blood of the one who shed it. 34 You shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I dwell, for I the Lord dwell in the midst of the people of Israel.”
In Norway - for killing Anders Behring Breivik has been sentenced to 21 years of prison for killing 77 people. That's about 3 months per life he's taken.
A 17 year old punched a soccer referee which led to his death. He's got 3 years of prison.
I'm not saying these decisions are right or wrong, because it depends what you are striving for. If we were shown justice for everything we had done, we would probably all be dead!
So I want to argue that the only 'Just' punishment for death is death! But it is okay to show mercy and grace. One thing that bothers me a little, is that people confuse mercy with justice - like going to prison for 5 years for killing someone is Justice. They don't see that murderers deserve death, and 5 years in prison is Mercy (not getting what you deserve!).
I think that the death penalty shows the importance of life. "I care so much for life that I will not tolerate anyone taking someone else's life". I hate murder but I want the murderer to get what he deserves.
And then you'll say, yeah, so if you care so much about life why do you want to take someone else's by practicing the death penalty. My opinion and you can disagree is that it is different when a person murders, and when a government chooses to exercise capital punishment
I believe the death penalty has its place but I tend against it (putting it in practice):
- Mistakes! It's horrible that innocent men and women get executed
- Mercy! I feel like God calls us to mercy - "I desire mercy, not sacrifice".
Death Penalty Irony
I would be curious to see how many people who are against the death penalty, would be okay with people getting abortions on demand?
They want to save the guilty, and kill the innocent?!?!
The GOSPEL
The Good News about Jesus Christ is that - even though we are sinners (we could not stop sinning to save our life!) Jesus Christ has died for all sinners - whether you've lied once or started a genocide, Jesus Christ has paid the price, the punishment for your sins in God's eyes, allowing you to be reconciled to God today if you believe in Him, and allow Him to be Lord of your Life! So I've you've murdered, committed adultery, lied, gossiped, whatever it is you've done, because of what Jesus did, nothing can disqualify you, if you want to be reconciled! If your sins were too big for God, he would not have bothered to send Jesus to die for you! I'm making sure to write this, because just because I think abortion is murder I don't want anyone to feel like I'm condemning anyone! It is murder! But God wants all to be reconciled to Him! So that's what I want too!
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