Genesis 9:5-6 "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. Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of GOD made HE man."
While politicians and human rights activists continue debating the issue of the death penalty, GOD leaves no doubt where HE stands. Today's text spells out our LORD's command: namely, capital punishment for capital offenses. HE has never changed or rescinded this mandate. In fact, the LORD repeats HIS command in later Scripture texts. This is a very serious matter and one that is of utmost importance in today's political and religious climate. If a person murders someone -- intentionally, deliberately, and apart from self-defense -- that person is to pay for the crime with his or her own life. The reason for such punishment is because every human bears the image of GOD (Genesis 1:26-27 pictured above). To murder someone is to destroy the LORD's special, singular creation.
Prior to this mandate, no mechanism was in place for the punishment of murderers; thus, neither Cain nor Lamech received the death penalty. It seems that one result of their crimes was the furtherance of wickedness, culminating in the horrible conditions described in Genesis 6 (Genesis 6:5 pictured above). The earth must have been a terrible place by that time, filled with untold violence and lawlessness. But following the flood, GOD mandated that man govern himself to protect potential victims from predators. The death penalty is not merely about getting vengeance on someone; rather, it is a reflection of GOD's justice and a recognition of the sacredness of human life due to the image of GOD within man. These verses establish what we now call human government --"by man shall his blood be shed" (v.6 pictured at top of post); that is, by people acting on behalf of others to protect and maintain order shall the death penalty be carried out. In this we see the righteousness of GOD. GDF
Your servant in CHRIST,
Julie
Copyright, FEATURE: A Daily Bible Study Guide.
Used with permission. www.featoday.org
No comments:
Post a Comment