INTRODUCTION

Although some things have changed, the Old Testament Law declares and expresses the mind of God. It demonstrates God’s hatred for sin and His desire for just judgment. Under the Law, men would be put to death for things such as murder (Exodus 21:14But if a man come presumptuously upon his neighbour, to slay him with guile; thou shalt take him from mine altar, that he may die.
See All...), witchcraft (Exodus 22:18Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.
See All...), idolatry (Exodus 22:20He that sacrificeth unto any god, save unto the LORD only, he shall be utterly destroyed.
See All...), working on the Sabbath (Exodus 35:2Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the LORD: whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death.
See All...), adultery (Leviticus 20:10And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.
See All...), rebellion (Deuteronomy 21:18-21 [18] If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them: [19] Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place; [20] And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard. [21] And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear.
See All...), and sodomy (Leviticus 20:13If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
See All...). Although all of these examples are not repeated in the New Testament as grounds for capital punishment, man can still see the way God feels about sin, not only its wickedness, but also how sin must be purged.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS

• (For children): The Old Testament has many examples where God punished wickedness with death: Joshua 7:19-21 [19] And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me. [20] And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done: [21] When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.
  See All..., 25-26; 2 Samuel 1:13-16 [13] And David said unto the young man that told him, Whence art thou? And he answered, I am the son of a stranger, an Amalekite. [14] And David said unto him, How wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand to destroy the LORD's anointed? [15] And David called one of the young men, and said, Go near, and fall upon him. And he smote him that he died. [16] And David said unto him, Thy blood be upon thy head; for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain the LORD's anointed.
  See All...; 1 Kings 21:8-13 [8] So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto the elders and to the nobles that were in his city, dwelling with Naboth. [9] And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people: [10] And set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king. And then carry him out, and stone him, that he may die. [11] And the men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who were the inhabitants in his city, did as Jezebel had sent unto them, and as it was written in the letters which she had sent unto them. [12] They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people. [13] And there came in two men, children of Belial, and sat before him: and the men of Belial witnessed against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth did blaspheme God and the king. Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones, that he died.
  See All..., 17-19, 23. Even a pagan king recognized certain offences required death (Ezra 7:11-13 [11] Now this is the copy of the letter that the king Artaxerxes gave unto Ezra the priest, the scribe, even a scribe of the words of the commandments of the LORD, and of his statutes to Israel. [12] Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace, and at such a time. [13] I make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and of his priests and Levites, in my realm, which are minded of their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem, go with thee.
  See All...; 25-26).
• (For everyone): Are some of these sins mentioned again in the New Testament as grounds for capital punishment? If so, which ones can you find? How faithful are we as a nation to deal with these sins as God would have us to?
• The Lord no doubt changed some things in the New Testament. Why is it still profitable to study the Old Testament?

PRAYER NEEDS

• Thank the Lord for placing such high value on life.
• Ask the Lord to keep you from these sins.

HYMN

O! TO BE LIKE THEE

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