The Death Penalty
As we read the commandments that God gave to Moses in the Old Testament, there are some sins which warrant the death penalty. Some of these may not even seem like crimes, but the fact that these things especially hurt the heart of God, tell us something of His heart. These commands were given specially to Israel. They were not intended for the nations around Israel. However, at least some of them were intuitive to the human heart.
Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you: (Lev 18:24)
Murder
This did not include self-defense or an accident. This is probably an actual “hate crime”, not like we hear today by people trying to weaponize and politicize the news.
Man (from Israel) that commits child sacrifice
The people were not necessarily to police people from other nations. If one of their own committed child sacrifice, everyone was to stone him to death. Even if the general attitude was one of indifference to the man committing child sacrifice, the people who were complicit or indifferent were to be punished. It seems there is to be a natural national consequence to shedding innocent blood. This is seen in many nations and empires throughout history,
Cursing father or mother
Instant stoning to death was the consequence.
Incest with close family members
Both of them are to be put to death.
Adultery
Both the man and woman are to be put to death.
Homosexual intercourse
Some translations have this crime as boy molesters. That gives an entirely different idea. However, the original languages painstakingly identify this as intercourse between two men. Both men are to receive the death penalty. Whether it is hetero- (outside of the marriage covenant) or homo- sex, both persons involved are to be put to death.
Bestiality
The person and the animal are to be put to death.
Violating the sabbath
There were some persons who went out on the first sabbath after manna was promised. They were looking for manna to gather. There was none, as God had said. They were scolded but were not put to death (Ex 16:26-28). The first time a man picked up sticks on the sabbath day, however, he was stoned to death (Num 15:32-36).
Being a medium or spiritist
They were to be stoned to death. The person who turns to spiritists would even be “cut off”.
To be "cut off" means to be expelled from the covenant community. It sometimes implies a death sentence, but not always. Moreover, a death sentence does not always carry the penalty of being cut off. (Dan Fefferman)
Kidnapping
This is a serious crime if you are the victim or his family. I do not know if many consider this a capital offense. God considered it deserving of death.
Blaspheming the Name
Everyone who heard someone dishonor God was to lay his hand on the accused. Then the entire congregation would stone him to death. Therefore, even accusing someone of anything evil was very serious.
Bellyaching and Complaining
Griping and whining sometimes resulted in death. In Numbers 16 we have the record of 14,700+ Israelites dying in a plague as a direct result from grumbling against Moses and Aaron.
We might be shocked if everyone who complained or was angry with their parents was killed. There would not be any people left. God deals with people today in grace. That is, He does not relate to us favorably because of how we have performed. However, anyone who is genuinely saved wants to please God and avoid any kind of sin. He who continues in known sin has not tasted the Grace of God.
In the New Testament, Paul makes a startling statement,
9 ¶ Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. (I Cor 6:9-10)
Here also, as in the Old Testament, some of the sins mentioned may not even be apparent to all that they are in a special subset of their own.* Sin is sin but not all disobedience has the same consequence. It is worth noting that some items in these two lists (OT and NT) are the same sins.
Fornicators
a man who indulges in unlawful sexual intercourse, a male prostitute
Idolaters
used of any one, even Christian, participant in any way in the worship of the heathen, esp. one who attends their sacrificial feasts and eats of the remains of offered victims, a covetous man as a worshipper of Mammon
Adulterers
one who has unlawful intercourse with the spouse of another, metaph. one who is faithless toward God, ungodly.
Effeminate
of a boy kept for homosexual relations with a man, of a male who submits his body to unnatural lewdness, of a male prostitute
Abusers of themselves with mankind
homosexuals, not the tendency but the act.
Thieves
an embezzler, pilferer, the name is transferred to false teachers, who do not care to instruct men, but abuse their confidence for their own gain
Covetous
one eager to have more, esp. what belongs to others, greedy of gain
Drunkards
Revilers
one who speaks reproachfully, rebuke or disapproval, blames, discredits, or disgraces
Extortioners
swindlers or robbers
* From Vine's Dictionary of New Testament Words
the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?
But hasn't Jesus forgiven me? He could, but these things indicate that we do not even want His help avoiding sin.
There are two ways to understand the “Kingdom”.
1. The Kingdom in an absolute, general sense.
This is the invisible, permanent, eternal, and heavenly rule of God. The Bible calls this the Kingdom of God.
OR
2. The Kingdom in a future sense.
This is the visible, temporary, earthly, and political rule of God. The Bible calls this the Kingdom of Heaven.
These two things are not the same. Many similarities among them have led many to mistakenly assume that they are two interchangeable names for the same thing. They are definitely not. We can be very glad they are not. Paul tells us in I Cor 6, verses 9 and 10 that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God. As Sons we are clothed with the righteousness of Christ. As servants, who lived in this temporary lifetime, we are to be rewarded for our obedience or “un-rewarded” for our blatant disobedience.
Permit the reading of the will. The following is typical, sadly, of many human family dynamics.
“...to my brother Bernard I leave my Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud which he admired constantly every moment he visited my home. To my great-nephew Robert I leave my estate house with its 10,000 acres of hunting grounds. To my nephew Hollingsworth I leave one nickel, which is all there would be left after the damage my property incurred at his carelessness.....”
Humanly speaking, an inheritance is a reward and it often is different among different family members. They are all still part of the family but according to the wishes of the deceased, different things are distributed to the various family members. We are Sons. As such, we are all clothed with the righteousness of Jesus and are the same as each other. As ones who serve, we are very different from each other. Some inherit great things and some...well, they are going to be rewarded with nothing, except eternal life. That's not too bad, is it? Except that this is not what God wants. It is what we want because of our selfishness. All believers remain part of God's family but some do not inherit what God intends for them.
Jesus treats us all equally as Sons of God. However, Jesus, the Righteousness Judge, will also evaluate us in our serving capacity. He will approve some for their work for Him. With others, He cannot approve of their temporary lifetime of service for Him, when it was characterized by defiant refusal of His will.
Jesus promises,
He that overcometh shall inherit all things;... (Rev 21:7)
Jesus is the One who inherits all things (Heb 1:2). He wants to share all things with His faithful servants. With His brothers, He has promised to share eternal life. He cannot reward the servant-mode, in each of us, for gross disobedience. Forgiveness, yes, but rewarding us for ignoring His wishes? No.
Paul says,
And such were some of you (unrighteous): but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. (I Cor 6:11)
To some of Paul's hearers, evil things described their lifestyle but they turned away from these things and turned to God. God does not save us in sin but He saves us from sin and its consequences.
June 12, 2024