The OT and the Death Penalty

Day 56

OT Reading: Numbers 14-15

NT Reading: Mark 6:1-32

If you have not been along from the beginning of this journey, I want to make you aware that I openly invite questions on the blog, Facebook, via email or even in person. I don't promise to always have the answer, but I'll give it my best shot to deal with the questions that are sent my way.

One of our blog readers asked me a question just this last week, and today's reading seems like a perfect time to deal with the topic. She asked, "Why is death the punishment for so many of these offenses?" Which is a great question. I mean, looking over the laws it's easy to see how that would apply to something like murder, but it seems to be popping up all over the place. Consider today's reading where a man was killed for gathering wood on the Sabbath (Numbers 15:32-36). I mean, isn't that a bit harsh? What's the reason for all this?

As far as I've been able to see, God does not explain why he chooses the death penalty for some of these offenses. However there is one important verse we do have, all the way in the New Testament about all this. The New Testament book of Romans tells us that the wages of sin, any sin, is nothing less than death. (Romans 6:23) So to be quite forthcoming, the first thing we must understand is that any sin we have committed really should be paid for with our own lives. But seeing as how all have sinned (Romans 3:23), that would not bode very well for the continuance of the human race would it? So God provided an alternate plan.

At first that plan came through the sacrificial system, with certain sins requiring certain sacrifices, and others requiring death. But why did God choose the death penalty for those he did? I wish there were reasoning for all the offenses the death penalty was to be carried out for, but we do not have that. But if you'll allow me, I'd like to conjecture what is entirely my own opinion (in other words you can disagree and we can still all go to heaven :-) ).

I think God instituted the death penalty in these instances, to demonstrate how serious he was. I mean, how seriously does God treat how we demonstrate our sexuality? He treats it very seriously (see Leviticus 18 for a reminder if you need). How seriously does God value the life of those made in His image? Very seriously. How serious is God about understanding that Holy things should not be treated as common things? Very serious. And by establishing the death penalty as the punishment for these offenses, God appeals to what we would often consider the ultimate punishment.

Is it a happy idea to think about? No, in fact it is not. Most of us would prefer to talk about the gracious, forgiving God rather than the God of justice and wrath. But as God establishes this new nation and for the first time communicates with man what it means to follow Him, God makes it painfully clear how serious He really is.