Daily Devotional Betty Miller shares her daily devotionals which are based on the book of Proverbs in
the Bible.
The Wisdom of God
Verses for the Day:
Proverbs 28:17-18 (KJV): 17 A man that doeth violence
to the blood of any person shall flee to the pit; let no man stay him.
18 Whoso walketh uprightly shall be saved: but he that is perverse in his ways
shall fall at once.
Proverbs 28:17-18 (AMP): 17 If a man willfully sheds
the blood of a person (and keeps the guilt of murder upon his conscience), he is
fleeing to the pit (the grave) and hastening to his own destruction; let no man
stop him!
18 He who walks uprightly shall be safe, but he who willfully goes in double and
wrong ways shall fall in one of them.
Thoughts for the Day:
These verses
from Proverbs tell us there is a penalty for murder;
however, there is a way to be saved, even when someone is guilty of murder.
Verse 17 tells us that when a person sheds the blood of someone, they are on
their way to the pit (the grave and hell), as a man will reap what he sows. The
penalty in the Bible for murder was the death penalty. This verse tells us not
to try to stop that process. However, there is one way a man can be saved from
going to hell, even if he is guilty of murder. That way is to come to
Christ and ask for forgiveness and accept what the shed blood of Jesus did for
him on the cross.
Capital
punishment is a difficult subject to discuss, as there are many different
opinions that all contain some truth about this issue. Some believe it
is fair and just to administer the death penalty when criminals take a
life or lives, while others think that it is cruel and unusual
punishment for civilized societies. Many Christians are divided on this
issue as well, with some following the Old Testament law of capital
punishment and others choosing the seemingly gentler side of the
Bible--the New Testament--as the basis for their opposition to this
law. Are these two Testaments in opposition to each other? Since God
does not contradict Himself, perhaps we need a deeper understanding of
the Bible as a whole.
In many
nations murder, treason and other high crimes are punishable by death.
Usually the state or governments set the standards for carrying out this
punishment. However, before governments established this practice, the
idea of capital punishment was first instigated by God in the Old
Testament in the Bible.
Genesis 9:5-6:
5 And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of
every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of
every man's brother will I require the life of man.
6 Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the
image of God made he man.
Why did God institute
capital punishment?
Why would a loving God who is supposed to
love all of mankind issue these edicts? To answer this question, we
must understand the overall purpose of God. God knew when He created men
with free wills that not all would follow and obey Him. However, He also
knew that many would want to love and serve Him. In giving men free
will, He also had to establish laws for men to live by. When we look at
the Ten Commandments listed in Exodus 20:1-17, we can
see that these laws were given for the good of mankind. One of these
laws is in verse 13: "Thou shalt not kill." You may
wonder if God said "do not kill," why He would then decree that a
murderer should be put to death. The reason is that the Hebrew meaning
of the word translated as "kill" actually means "murder" or "to slay
someone in a violent manner unjustly." So, in the Ten Commandments God
is saying, "Thou shalt not murder."
God sanctioned
government authorities to enforce laws.
God set boundaries on mankind by establishing ruling authorities that
would make and enforce the laws He gave. The purpose for this was
because He knew unregenerate society, without any restraints, would seek
to destroy good men. God's desire is that all men would come to Him and
live by His laws. However, when Adam and Eve disobeyed God and broke His
law, sin entered into the world and was passed down to all of mankind
through Adam's seed. God, in His love for mankind, made a way for men
to come back to Him, through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus. Now those
who accept what Jesus did and repent of their sins can find their way,
through faith, to be reconciled to God. This sacrifice covers and
cleanses men even from the worst of sins, including murder. Now, through
Christ, even murderers can be forgiven and restored to a relationship
with God, so they can live forever with Him.
Where we
find most of our problems with the two sides of capital punishment is
that really both sides hold a truth of God. God's law of justice, for
the taking of a life, demands that life be taken; yet, God's spiritual
law of mercy and forgiveness grants that a murderer can be forgiven and
restored. How can we reconcile this? We must understand that God
instituted civil authorities to maintain order in the earth. God uses
them to restrain evil and they should be obeyed for this purpose.
Romans 13:1-5 (RSV):
1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is
no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted
by God.
2 Therefore he who resists the authorities resists what God has
appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.
3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you
have no fear of him who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you
will receive his approval,
4 for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid,
for he does not bear the sword in vain; he is the servant of God to
execute his wrath on the wrongdoer.
5 Therefore one must be subject, not only to avoid God's wrath but also
for the sake of conscience.
Prayer for the Day:
Dear Heavenly Father,
The sacrifice of Jesus shedding His blood on the cross so that mankind could be
saved is beyond our understanding. It is awesome to think that even a murderer,
who comes to You and repents of his sins, can find forgiveness and be made
whole. Thank You for forgiving us and fill our hearts with love and forgiveness
towards those that have hurt and abused us. May we extend mercy towards others,
so that when we need mercy, we will have some in our storehouse. I ask this in
the name of our merciful Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.
