Tag: murder
-
Well Being Instead of Welfare- Exodus 21:12-36
God provides laws that carry punishment based on damages incurred by victims. If one person kills another intentionally, that person is to be killed. If it is unintentional, there is a way for that person to remain alive but be sentenced to a form of exile. Striking or cursing parents, an adult abusing his parents,…
-
Basic Rules for Just and Prosperous Societies- Exodus 20:13-17
Verses 13-17, the last five commandments in the decalogue, carry the same spirit as the first five. Why does God instruct a society not to permit murder within its borders? A society where people are permitted to kill one another without just cause cannot survive or prosper. Instead, for any society to live long and…
-
Daily Devotional: Romans 1:18-32
Paul explains why he is unashamed of the gospel. “For” in the English translations can most often also be translated, “because.” Paul is unashamed of the gospel because the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. So, we cannot begin at verse…
-
Daily Devotional: Genesis 34:1-31
Jacob’s daughter is raped, and Jacob’s sons seek vengeance by killing all the males in Shechem and plundering their community. Moses is careful to explicitly state that rape is wrong (v. 7). It is evil and detestable. Though the response of Jacob’s sons seems an overreaction, Moses does not clarify explicitly whether it is right…
-
Thou Shalt Not Call Someone Empty-Headed
We spent the last couple of weeks walking through the first four commandments, discovering together the holiness of God and our own shortfalls as we strive to relate to God in holiness. The last six commands shift their attention slightly. The first four regard our relationship with God and the last six regard our relationship…