Life and Death

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The following article is in response to @sugartoes who wanted to know the difference between 'an eye for an eye' and 'Thou shalt not kill', which is the Sixth Commandment. I hope this answers the question. LIFE AND DEATH When it comes to life and death and how we are to sort out the right and wrong of it, where do we turn? Men have many ideas they made into laws about murder and justice, and those laws can get murky, especially when you see a crime committed and your idea of justice is to do the eye for an eye thing as mentioned in God’s Law. So, what is the right way to handle a situation when terrorists are gunning down people, exploding cars, and cutting off people’s heads? How do we find justice in all the actions we’ve seen in the news over the past several years which just worsens? God’s law, given to Moses on Mount Sinai shows two ways to handle a situation. One is the eye for an eye situation. In that law, a person could justify how they took care of the matter. They also had to let the person go free if it were a servant who was injured because they wouldn’t be able to fulfill their duties any longer and the person who did the injury had to make full restitution. God also said in the Ten Commandments, “Thou shalt not kill”. How is this commandment different from an eye for an eye? The following is the law for eye for eye. Exodus 21:22 If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman’s husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. 23 And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life, 24 Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. 26 And if a man smite the eye of his servant, or the eye of his maid, that it perish; he shall let him go free for his eye’s sake. 27 And if he smite out his manservant’s tooth, or his maidservant’s tooth; he shall let him go free for his tooth’s sake. (KJV) Here is the commandment. Exodus 20:13 Thou shalt not kill. (KJV) Both laws seem cut and dried. In the law regarding eye for eye, you will see restitution is called for. Full restitution, not partial. If someone died because of any kind of mischief, then the person responsible would also forfeit their life. Otherwise, the person responsible would lose that part of their person as what they took from the one they maimed, and the one they maimed would be set free because of the injury. In this law, there is also the matter of mischief, meaning it was not deliberate. The person doing the injury did not set out to hurt the person. It happened as a matter of course, and as such needed to be dealt with in the manner given. The Sixth Commandment is, ‘Thou shalt not kill’. In this case, this is deliberate murder, premeditated, thought out in every detail. This is the commandment the terrorists are committing when they set out with precision to kill a vast number of people at one time. They do not care how they commit the act of murder, just that they do it. By their holy law, found in the Quran, they justify the killing of anyone who does not worship God as they do. One might argue that God’s laws are just as violent as those found in the Quran. As I’ve read some of the laws found in the Quran, I find no mercy or grace, just outright murder for anyone who does not believe the way they do. I also understand that ISIS is a separate organization of Islam, and not all Muslims practice this butchery as we read about almost daily. God has taken the matter of an eye for an eye and thou shalt not kill, one step further. He said, vengeance belonged to him alone. Deuteronomy 32:35 To me belongs vengeance, and recompense; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste. Psalm 94:1 O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongs; O God, to whom vengeance belongs, show thyself. Romans 12:19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, says the Lord. Hebrews 10:30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongs unto me, I will recompense, says the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. God is no respecter of persons. He is the ultimate judge in every situation. You might want to take matters in your own hands, but that doesn’t make it right. God’s way is always the right way. Now just in case you thought you were doing all right in the life and death department, consider what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 5:21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: 22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. (KJV) So then, the only thing we can do is pray for God to take care of the situation, and he will. It might not happen as fast as we would like, but God’s justice system is better than yours, mine, or man’s laws. Copyright © 9 January 2017 by Valerie Routhieaux