# 87 God Institutes Capital Punishment

The Book of Genesis Day 87 Ge 9:4 "But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. 5 "Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of every beast I will require it, and from the hand of man. From the hand of every man's brother I will require the life of man. Blood. It is a very precious commodity to God. He likens it to life itself! After Cain slew Abel, what cried out from the ground? Abel’s blood! Why did God destroy the earth? Because it was filled with violence, and violence speaks of spilled blood. But things are going to be a little different in Noah’s world as compared to Adam’s. God says, “I am not going to curse the ground for man’s sake as I did with Cain (Gen 4:11) and I’m not going to destroy every living thing as I did with the flood. However, don’t think I will allow violence against each other go unpunished! Noah, if someone or something kills you, they are going to have to answer for it, and they will have to answer for it with their own life! If a beast kills a man, it will have to be put to death. If a man kills another man, he will have to be put to death. With these verses, God has instituted capital punishment. Is it still in effect today? What did the Holy Spirit say speaking through the Apostle Paul in Ro 13:3,4, “For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. 4 For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.” Without fear of reckoning in a sinful world, violence would go unchecked. It happened before the flood, and it will happen, indeed it is happening in our world today. Capital punishment is meant to be a just restraint on violence in our world. It lets people know that the taking of another life, which has been created in the image of God will not be tolerated. Of course, capital punishment should never be carried out as an act of swift vengeance. It should be carried out with careful attention to truth and justice. To put to death an innocent man would be a terrible thing! But know this, God says if you mess with life he has created, be prepared to pay, because you have messed with something sacred, something made in His image. Yet, even those who have spilled the blood of others can be forgiven when they turn to God in true repentance! You see, there once was a man, (Jesus) who was innocent and took the punishment of death that we all deserve, and there is no sin that Jesus did not pay for on that cross! Ask David who murdered Uriah. Ask Paul, who before his conversion murdered many for their faith in Christ. Never forget, God forgives and God heals! Reflect: What does this portion of Scripture tell you about the value of life in the eyes of God? Pray: Lord, help us to cherish all life from conception to the grave, in Jesus name, Amen