Hope of Israel Ministries (Ecclesia of YEHOVAH):
YEHOVAH God and Capital Punishment
Capital punishment is ordained by YEHOVAH God. YEHOVAH God intends for the death penalty to occupy a permanent place in society for as long as the world stands. Opposing the death penalty is an act of defiance against YEHOVAH God, the nature of YEHOVAH God, and the will of YEHOVAH God. |
by Frank Chesser, MS
In 1984 leaders of 13 major denominational churches in Florida signed a joint document condemning capital punishment. They described the death penalty as being extremely harmful, immoral, an action that encourages violence and demonstrates disrespect for human life and is inconsistent with the love of God. [1] The conduct of these religious leaders is a classic example of refusing to think right about YEHOVAH God. Capital punishment is a principle that is divine in origin and permanent in nature. It embraces all of time. YEHOVAH God intends for the death penalty to be employed as an act of justice by duly authorized authorities for as long as man should inhabit the earth.
YEHOVAH God as Executioner
It is incomprehensible that anyone with even a superficial knowledge of the Bible would object to the death penalty. The Bible is replete with examples of capital punishment with YEHOVAH God as the executioner. Was YEHOVAH acting immorally, exhibiting disrespect for human life, and in defiance of His own nature when he destroyed the land of Noah’s day with a flood? Can a man descend to a depth of sin and evil that he no longer deserves to live? The mind is the axis of life. The minds of the objects of YEHOVAH’s wrath were incessantly evil. They were barren of a single good thought (Genesis 6:5). They feasted on vileness like vultures on the rot of dead flesh and filled the earth “with violence” (Genesis 6:11). Had they forfeited the right to life? Is not YEHOVAH God sovereign over all that is?
Is He not the
source of life? Does He not retain the right to decide when life should end? Is
it possible for YEHOVAH God to act in a manner inconsistent with His own nature?
Is a man thinking right about YEHOVAH God when, by implication, he accuses
YEHOVAH of acting immorally? “But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against
God?” (Romans 9:20). The flood alone is proof of the moral justice of capital
punishment and of its complete compatibility with the whole of YEHOVAH God’s
nature.
YEHOVAH God executed capital punishment against Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and
Zeboim (Genesis 19). The inhabitants of these wicked cities had perverted the
very core of man’s sexual being as designed by YEHOVAH God. They were sick with
sin. They coveted the unnatural and abnormal. They heaped dishonor upon “their
own bodies” (Romans 1:24). They yearned after “strange flesh” (Jude 7). Their
sexual passions were “vile” (Romans 1:26). They could not “cease from sin” (2
Peter 2:14). They had reached the point of no return. Did they deserve to live?
YEHOVAH utterly destroyed these cities with burning sulphur and emblazoned the
memory of them before the minds of men “for an example, suffering the vengeance
of eternal fire” (Jude 7).
Was YEHOVAH acting improperly when He slew Er, Judah’s firstborn, because he was
wicked (Genesis 38:7), killed his brother Onan, because he refused to submit to
the Levirate marriage law and perpetuate his brother’s name in Israel (Genesis
38:8-10), or when “it came to pass at midnight that the LORD struck all the
firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his
throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the
firstborn of livestock?” (Exodus 12:29). Does man have the right to call YEHOVAH
God into account for His actions? “Will the thing formed say to him who formed
it, ‘why have you made me like this?’” (Romans 9:20).
Who is weak, frail, puny,
sinful man to question the conduct of YEHOVAH God? YEHOVAH destroyed the army of
Egypt in the Red Sea (Exodus 14:26-28). He killed Nadab and Abihu because they
“offered profane fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them”
(Leviticus 10:1). He slew some in Israel who loathed the gift of manna, looked
backward with longing eyes to the food provisions in Egypt, and demanded a
change in diet (Numbers 11:4–34), and killed the ten spies who returned from
Canaan with an evil report (Numbers 14:37). Is a man spiritually rational when
he depicts such actions of YEHOVAH God as immoral and dishonoring to human life?
YEHOVAH destroyed the families of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram in the heart of the
earth and 250 princes with fire because they rebelled against the authority of
Moses and demanded access to the priesthood (Numbers 16:1-33). He then slew
14,700 in Israel who accused Moses and Aaron of killing “the people of the LORD”
(Numbers 16:41). He executed capital punishment upon a large number of
Israelites who expressed contempt for the leadership of Moses and YEHOVAH’s
provisions of grace in the wilderness (Numbers 21:5-6). He slew 23,000 in Israel
for fornication and idolatry (1 Corinthians 10:8), commanded an additional
thousand to be executed by the hands of judges (Numbers 25:1-9), and granted
Joshua a victory over a coalition of five armies by killing more soldiers with
hailstones than the army of Israel had slain in battle (Joshua 10:11).
YEHOVAH God executed a host of men in Bethshemesh because of their lack of
reverence for the Ark of the Covenant (1 Samuel 6:19), killed Nabal for his
wickedness (1 Samuel 25:38), and slew Uzzah for touching the ark (2 Samuel 6:7).
He killed 70,000 men of Israel as an act of judgment upon David and Israel
because of sin (2 Samuel 24:15), used a lion to slay a disobedient prophet from
Judah (1 Kings 13:24), and slew Jeroboam, the first king of the northern kingdom
(2 Chronicles 13:20). He executed 102 soldiers in Israel who refused to honor
His authority through Elijah (2 Kings 1:1-12), used an angel to kill 185,000
Assyrian soldiers in one night (2 Kings 19:35), and slew Jehoram, the fifth king
of Judah, with a bodily disease (2 Chronicles 21:18-19). YEHOVAH killed Ananias
and Sapphira for lying to the holy spirit (Acts 5:1-10) and slew Herod for
refusing to glorify YEHOVAH God (Acts 12:23). Is a man thinking right about
YEHOVAH God when he arrays YEHOVAH’s love against YEHOVAH’s holiness, justice,
and wrath and depicts capital punishment as harmful, immoral, and lacking in
respect for human life?
Man as YEHOVAH God’s Executioner
YEHOVAH often used man to administer judgment upon men and nations whose sin and rebellion called for the cessation of life. He used the sons of Levi to slay some three thousand men who had sinned in worshiping the golden calf (Exodus 32:27-28). He used Israel to stone a man who blasphemed the name of YEHOVAH God (Leviticus. 24:10-14) and a man who violated the Sabbath (Numbers 15:32-36) and to bring judgment on His enemies (Numbers 21), and He praised and blessed Phinehas for appeasing His wrath in slaying two adulterers (Numbers 25:6-14).
YEHOVAH’s statement to
Abraham, “for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete” (Genesis 15:16),
points to the inevitable judgment that would befall the inhabitants of Canaan
when their sin reached the full mark. At the close of his life, Moses reminded
Israel of the end of YEHOVAH’s grace, mercy, and forbearance with the seven
nations in Canaan, and said, “And when the LORD your God delivers them over to
you, you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant
with them nor show mercy to them” (Deuteronomy 7:2). YEHOVAH God used the nation
of Israel to execute judgment upon the people of Canaan for their longstanding
idolatry and sin (Joshua 1-12).
YEHOVAH God used Israel to administer capital punishment upon Achan and his
family (Joshua 7). The period of the judges was a spiritually tumultuous period
in Israel’s history as the people “did not cease from their own doings nor from
their stubborn way” (Judges 2:19). They adopted the idolatry and wicked ways of
the pagan nations. YEHOVAH utilized the king of Mesopotamia; Eglon, king of
Moab; Jabin, king of Canaan; the Midianites, Ammonites, and Philistines to bring
judgment upon them. As they manifested repentance, YEHOVAH would raise up judges
to lead Israel in freeing the nation from the oppression of these heathen rulers
and punishing them for their own idolatry and sin. Rivers of blood flowed across
the land during this chaotic period as YEHOVAH God used men to inflict capital
punishment upon other men because of their impenitent sin and rebellion.
The Ammonites were descendants of Lot. They were pagan, idolatrous, cruel, and
exceedingly corrupt. They refused to aid Israel in a time of great need and
joined Moab in hiring Balaam to curse them (Deuteronomy 23:4). In the early days
of Saul’s reign, they threatened to gouge out the right eyes of all the men in
the city of Jabesh (1 Samuel 11:2). And the “spirit of God came upon Saul” (1
Samuel 11:6), and YEHOVAH employed Saul and Israel to kill the Ammonites until
“it happened that those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were
left together” (1 Samuel 11:11). The Amalekites shared kinship with the
Ammonites in idolatry, cruelty, and wickedness. When Israel ascended out of
Egypt, the Amalekites attacked them from behind, killing the most vulnerable:
the elderly, weak, and feeble (Deuteronomy 25:17-18). YEHOVAH reminded Saul of
this act of inhumanness and said, “Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy
all that they have, and do not spare them” (1 Samuel 15:3).
David was a “man of war” (1 Chronicles 28:3). He was a sword of judgment in the
hand of YEHOVAH God to execute the penalty of death upon the enemies of YEHOVAH,
whose corruptness of life called for their destruction. He often inquired of the
LORD, seeking His will concerning battle engagements. He said of YEHOVAH God,
“He teaches my hands to make war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze” (2
Samuel 22:35). In a summary of some of his military victories, inspiration
asserts, “And the LORD preserved David wherever he went” (2 Samuel 8:14).
YEHOVAH’s role for David’s life was for him to function as a hammer of YEHOVAH’s
judgment upon heathen nations steeped in idolatry and iniquity and to secure and
bring peace to Israel, thus creating a tranquil environment for Solomon to
construct the Temple. It was this very point that David pressed upon the mind of
Solomon in the closing days of his life (1 Chronicles 22:6-19).
YEHOVAH used Abijah, the second king of Judah, to render judgment upon Jeroboam
and Israel because of their apostasy and idolatry. Five hundred thousand men of
Israel perished in this conflict. Judah was victorious because “they relied upon
the LORD God of their fathers” (2 Chronicles 13:18). Asa, the third king of
Judah, faced an Ethiopian army of a million soldiers, the largest army mentioned
in the Old Testament. He implored YEHOVAH God for divine aid. “So the LORD
struck the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah” (2 Chronicles 14:12). During
the reign of Jehoshaphat, the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Edom descended upon
Judah. In Jehoshaphat’s prayer before the congregation of Judah in Jerusalem, he
expressed the nation’s helpless state and their total dependence upon YEHOVAH
God. YEHOVAH executed judgment upon the wicked nations by turning their swords
against one another until “and there were their dead bodies, fallen on the
earth. No one had escaped” (2 Chronicles 20:24).
Idolaters and enemies of YEHOVAH God, the Syrians affirmed that YEHOVAH was only
a local Deity with limited power (1 Kings 20:28). YEHOVAH employed Israel to
punish Syria and they “killed one hundred thousand foot soldiers of the Syrians
in one day” (1 Kings 20:29). An additional 27 thousand were killed by the weight
of a wall that fell upon them in the city of Aphek (1 Kings 20:30). YEHOVAH
utilized Jehu to judge the wicked house of Ahab. “So Jehu killed all who
remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men and his close
acquaintances and his priests, until he left him none remaining” (2 Kings
10:11). He then killed all the worshipers of Baal until he had “destroyed Baal
out of Israel” (2 Kings 10:28).
Israel descended into such depths of sin that YEHOVAH God raised the sword of
Assyria against them and destroyed their national identity in Assyrian captivity
(2 Kings 17:5-23). Judah emulated Israel’s conduct and YEHOVAH utilized Babylon
to execute judgment upon them. He later used the Medes and Persians to judge
Babylon. Isaiah specifies ten pagan nations who suffered the judgment of YEHOVAH
God because of their grievous sin (cf. Isaiah 13-23). The New Testament closes
with YEHOVAH’s answer to the martyrs of the Messiah who cried, “How long, O
LORD, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on
the earth?” (Revelation 6:10). YEHOVAH God administered judgment upon the
enemies of His first-born Son and the church and declared, “Rejoice over her, O
heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets, for God has avenged you on her!”
(Revelation 18:20).
Is a man thinking right about YEHOVAH God when he sees all of these biblical
examples, yet still declares the death penalty to be harmful, immoral,
disrespectful to human life, and inconsistent with the nature of YEHOVAH God?
Divine Laws Demanding the Death Penalty
Following the Flood, YEHOVAH God
reiterated the need for the increase of the Adamic line (Genesis 9:1). Sin had
changed everything, and the tranquil co-existence between Adamic man and animal
had been supplanted with hostility (Genesis 9:2). The vegetarian status of both
Adamic man and animals prior to sin had now been changed to allow the line of
Adam to consume meat (Genesis 1:29-30; 9:3). [2] Divine permission to eat
meat was accompanied with a prohibition regarding the consumption of blood. “But
you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.” (Genesis 9:4),
because the “life of the flesh is in the blood” (Leviticus 17:11). Since human
life reflects the image of YEHOVAH God, the most severe possible penalty is
attached to the action of murder that brings it to an end. “Whoever sheds man’s
blood, by man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God He made man”
(Genesis 9:6).
This principle and penalty embraces all of time. Civil government is ordained of
YEHOVAH God (Romans 13:1). It is an expression of YEHOVAH’s concern for man’s
well-being, and when functioning faithfully, it discourages lawlessness and
promotes peace and serenity. Romans 13:4 describes authorized Israelite civil
authorities as ministers of YEHOVAH God, persons who do not bear “the sword in
vain,” and avengers divinely bound to execute “wrath on him who practices evil.”
The sword is a symbol of capital punishment and, when wielded by the state, is
an action authorized by YEHOVAH God. Any man who attempts to sheathe the
state’s sword is in rebellion to YEHOVAH God and His will. He is resisting
“the ordinance of God” (Romans 13:2). YEHOVAH God placed the sword in the hand
of the state, and no man has a right to remove it.
“He who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death” (Exodus
21:12). The willful taking of life demands the life of the perpetrator. In
ancient times, YEHOVAH granted the right of vengeance to the victim’s nearest
relative, designated as the “avenger of blood” who shall “put the murderer to
death” (Numbers 35:19). Cities of refuge were provided for accidental slayings,
allowing one to live in peace and safety whose act of killing was unintentional
(Numbers 35:6-15). Moreover, the taking of life for self-defense purposes is
not murder, and such action is not subject to the death penalty.
The need
and desire for self-preservation is divinely implanted. It is as natural and
inherent to life as food and drink. It would be wholly inconsistent with the
nature of YEHOVAH God to design man with such a potent need and then refuse him
the right to exercise it. Preserving one’s own life or the life of any innocent
victim from the murderous intent of evil doers is perfectly compatible with both
the nature of YEHOVAH God and the nature of Adamic man as designed by YEHOVAH
God. Exodus 22:2 envisions just such a case as a man kills a thief caught
breaking into his home at night in defense of himself and his family and is
rendered guiltless.
“And he who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death”
(Exodus 21:15). “And he who curses his father or mother shall surely be put
to death” (Exodus 21:17). Mothers descend into the depths of pain and anguish in
order to bring life into the world. YEHOVAH’s mothers and fathers are heaven’s
gift to children. Parents functioning according to YEHOVAH’s pattern for the
home are children’s first insight into the nature of YEHOVAH God. Parents are
god-like in a child’s eyes. Parents who love YEHOVAH God set the feet of
their children on the road to eternal bliss. To strike or curse such a
parent is an assault upon the heart. It inflicts mental and emotional pain that
far exceeds physical suffering. It undermines the peace and joy of the home, the
bedrock of society, and afflicts the heart of YEHOVAH God.
“He who kidnaps a man and sells him, or if he is found in his hand, shall
surely be put to death” (Exodus 21:16). Kidnapping was punishable by death.
Stealing a man for slave traffic invited the death penalty even when the
victim was yet in the thief’s possession. Robbing a man of his personal
freedom was a capital offense. Exodus 21:22-23 contemplates an expectant
mother’s losing her life or the life of her miscarried child as she endeavored
to shield her husband from an aggressor. The aggressor was to be put to death.
Exodus 21:29-30 envisions the death of a man or woman by an ox known to have a
violent nature. Unless the relatives of the victim agreed upon financial
compensation, the owner of the ox was to suffer the death penalty.
“You shall not permit a sorceress to live” (Exodus 22:18). Sorcery
strikes at the very heart of the sovereignty of YEHOVAH God. It is an attempt to
circumvent YEHOVAH and take charge of one’s own life. As are all efforts to rid
man’s mind and life of YEHOVAH God and His restraining influences, it appeals to
the lust of the flesh. It fosters defilement (Leviticus 19:31). The Canaanites
were engrossed in every form of sorcery and it was one of the reasons YEHOVAH
God removed them from the land (Deuteronomy 18:10-12). Saul’s consultation with
the witch of Endor is cited as one of the reasons YEHOVAH “killed him, and
turned the kingdom over to David” (1 Chronicles 10:13-14). Sorcerers were to be
put to death by stoning (Leviticus 20:27).
All forms of perverted sexual activity, such as incest (Leviticus
20:11-12,14), homosexuality (Leviticus 20:13), and bestiality (Leviticus 20:15)
were subject to the death penalty. There are complexities associated with
man’s sexual being as designed by YEHOVAH God that transcend human
comprehension. This truth is mightily reinforced by YEHOVAH’s law concerning
even the touching of a man’s genitals. Foolish indeed is the man who refuses to
perceive this truth and proceeds to tamper with this aspect of life.
Perverted
sexual conduct is an egregious assault upon the very core of a man’s being.
There is no action of man that calls for more intense judgment. The
homosexuality of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim incurred a judgment that
YEHOVAH God will not allow man to forget. It is a repetitive theme in both
Testaments, a sign-post from YEHOVAH God regarding His attitude toward this
grievous sin (Jude 7), and the last book in the Bible holds it up as the epitome
of sin (Revelation 11:8). A nation is doomed if it allows this sin to reach a
level of national acceptance.
“The man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, he who commits
adultery with his neighbor’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress, shall
surely be put to death” (Leviticus 20:10). Heterosexual relationships
outside of marriage were punishable by death. Adultery injures the marital
relationship like no other sin. There is something unique about the one-flesh
relationship in marriage, and there is something unique about the sin that
severs it. The stringent nature of Matthew 19:9 bears witness to this truth.
Relaxing the rigidity of YEHOVAH’s marital law is to man’s own peril. It is
senseless to tamper with the things of YEHOVAH God. Those who think right about
YEHOVAH God would never consider such conduct. There is nothing that creates
more excitement in the halls of hell than for man to attempt to modify YEHOVAH’s
marital laws intended to protect the sanctity of the home, the foundational unit
of society.
Idolatry was a capital
punishment offense (Deuteronomy 17:2-7). This grievous evil, the source of
so many sins, plagued Israel for almost the whole of their national life until
their return from Babylonian captivity. False prophets aiming to lure Israel
into idolatry were to be killed (Deuteronomy 13:1-5). Family members, such as
one’s wife, son, daughter, brother, or friend who endeavored to entice their
family “secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods” (Deuteronomy 13:6)
were not to be pitied, spared, or concealed but were to be stoned to death
(Deuteronomy 13:8-10). Rumors concerning a city’s involvement in idolatry were
to be thoroughly investigated, and if found to be true, the city in its entirety
was to be destroyed, and even the spoil of the city was to be burned
(Deuteronomy 13:12-17).
Acts of rebellion against decisions made by a tribunal of priests and judges
in execution of YEHOVAH’s law were subject to the death penalty (Deuteronomy
17:8-13). Prophets who dared to speak where YEHOVAH God had not spoken, or
who prophesied in the name of an idol were to be slain (Deuteronomy 18:20).
Harlotry by the daughter of a priest was punishable by death (Leviticus 21:9).
Child sacrifice to an idol was subject to death by stoning (Leviticus. 20:2).
Desecrating the Sabbath with work called for the death penalty (Exodus 35:2).
Capital punishment was to be administered to any non-priest who attempted to
usurp priestly functions (Numbers 3:10), to a non-Levite who encroached upon
Levitical responsibility in performing the services of the tabernacle (Numbers
18:22-23), to any Levite who neglected or refused to give his own tenth of the
tithe received from Israel (Numbers 18:25-32), and to any Kohathite charged with
transporting the sacred furniture of the tabernacle, if he looked upon or
touched any of it (Numbers 4:15, 20).
A man proven to be a false witness was to be put to death if such was his
intention regarding the accused (Deuteronomy 19:16-21). Capital
punishment was to be inflicted upon an incorrigible son (Deuteronomy 21:18-21),
a new bride who was verified to be guilty of fornication prior to marriage
(Deuteronomy 22:13-21), a man who raped an engaged or married woman (Deuteronomy
22:25-27), and one who blasphemed or cursed YEHOVAHGod (Leviticus 24:10-16).
Conclusion
Capital punishment is ordained by YEHOVAH God. YEHOVAH God intends for the death penalty to occupy a permanent place in society for as long as the world stands. Opposing the death penalty is an act of defiance against YEHOVAH God, the nature of YEHOVAH God, and the will of YEHOVAH God. Those who manifest aversion to capital punishment are refusing to think right about both YEHOVAH God and sin.
Endnotes:
[1] Jon Nordheimer (1984),
“Death Penalty Assailed By Florida Church Leaders,” New York Times,
http://www.nytimes.com/1984/11/27/us/death-penalty-assailed-by-florida-church-leaders.html,
November 27.
[2] Eric Lyons (2003), Were All Men Vegetarians Before the Flood?,
Apologetics Press,
https://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=11&article=1257
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