Dl – Religious Sins Deserving of Capital Punishment 20:1-8 and 27

Religious Sins Deserving of Capital Punishment
20:1-8 and 27

Religious sins deserving of capital punishment DIG: What was the Jewish form of capital punishment? When was it taken away and by whom? Why was the punishment against those who worshiped Molech so severe? What did it mean for someone to be cut off?

REFLECT: How do you feel about capital punishment? Do you think it is unfair or justified? When you read that “The wages of sin is death,” do you think of it in terms of spiritual death or physical death? Is the death penalty a deterrent to wrong behavior or punishment?

God’s people must shun pagan beliefs and develop lives of holiness to the LORD.

The transgression of certain commandments carried the death penalty. For the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Virtually all these sins have been described before. The new aspect is the punishment. Though capital crimes have previously appeared, here, the Bible introduces the punishment of stoning for the first time. The whole community participated, and therefore, symbolically made a statement that it had removed the uncleanness from its midst.³⁴⁵ The methods of execution are described in the Oral Law (see the commentary on The Life of Christ, to see link click Ei – The Oral Law). None of them are pleasant. Only the Great Sanhedrin (see The Life of Christ Lg – The Great Sanhedrin), the Jewish Supreme Court, had the authority to issue the death sentence.³⁴⁶

God’s people must avoid false religion (20:1-6): ADONAI said to Moshe, “Say to the people of Isra’el, ‘If someone from the people of Isra’el or one of the foreigners living in Isra’el sacrifices one of his children to Molech, he must be put to death (20:1-2a). The offering of children to Molech was previously mentioned (see Dd – Incest and Other Uncleanness: Molech). There, the offense was equated with profaning God’s name. Here, the punishment for this crime is given. Any Israelite or stranger living in the Land who offered his child up to Molech, trying to gain favor with the deity, was to be put to death. Offering children to Molech not only involved horrendous treatment of one’s offspring but also constituted idolatry in that the offering was a sacrifice being made to a pagan god (Deuteronomy 18:21; Second kings 23:10).³⁴⁷

The people of the Land are to stone him to death (20:2b). The hofal form of the verb yummat, meaning he shall be put to death, points to execution by human hand (Exodus 21:15-17 and 29). The Hebrew verb r-g-m is used specifically to describe what is done with stones. They are to be thrown or hurled (Leviticus 24:14; Numbers 15:35-36 and 21:21). The question arises as to how the sentence was to be carried out (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Dg – Judges: Crime against the covenant). Witnesses for the prosecution threw the first stones, then they were followed by others of the covenant community.³⁴⁸ In most circumstances the stoning would be performed outside the camp (Leviticus 24:14; Deuteronomy 22:24; First Kings 21:13). Stoning was still carried out during New Covenant times (John 10:31; Acts 7:59-60, 14:5).³⁴⁹

There are those today to say that capital punishment should be abolished because it has been proven that it does not discourage people from committing horrific crimes. But that is a worldly view because the Bible teaches just the opposite. Capital punishment is not meant to be a deterrent for other crimes, it is meant to be a punishment for the crime committed.

Additionally, Ha’Shem said: I too will set myself against him and cut him off from his people, because he has sacrificed his child to Molech, defiling my Sanctuary and profaning My holy name (20:3). Impurities pollute. The holy and the impure are contagious states that don’t mix.³⁵⁰ Being cut off was the punishment for mixing unclean and common (see Bj – The Mitzvot of Purification) with that which is holy. In rabbinic literature the penalty is called karet, or “cutting off.” In priestly literature, the penalty of karet was understood to include a series of related punishments at the hand of God, ranging from the immediate death of an offender, as in 20:17, to his premature death at a later time, and even to the death of his descendants. In Mishnah Sanhedrin 9:6 and Mishnah Keritot 1:2, this penalty was characterized as mitah biydei shamayim, or “death at the hands of heaven.” Since in 7:20-21 karet is mentioned in the context as childlessness, there is the implication that it took that course as well.³⁵¹

The death penalty of Torah functions on two levels. When a sin was charged against someone, the Great Sanhedrin was to investigate the matter, hold a trial, examine the witnesses and arrive at a verdict. If the person accused was found guilty, the Human Court was to carry out the verdict. If, however, there were no witnesses or there was not adequate evidence to convict, then the sentence was thought to be administered by the Heavenly Court.³⁵² In other words, Ha’Shem had to punish those who were truly guilty.

Ha’Shem held the community responsible if they did not punish the offender. This theme of corporate responsibility came from the nature of the community as the holy people of God. When there was sin, the community no longer enjoyed the fellowship with YHVH because its holiness had been compromised. In the B’rit Chadashah, the people of God are the sanctuary and its holiness. The uncleanness of idolatry receives mention by the apostle Paul because he advocated faithfulness and resistance to sin (see the commentary on Second Corinthians Bi – Do Not be Unequally Yoked with Unbelievers).³⁵³

They too faced the sentence of being cut off from YHVH (see the commentary on Jeremiah Fb – The Destruction of Babylon and the Restoration of Isra’el: three degrees of excommunication). If the people of the land look the other way in negligence when that man sacrifices his child to Molech, and fail to put him to death, then God Himself will set myself against him, his family members who are equally to blame should they hide their eyes, and everyone who follows him to go fornicating after Molech, and cut them off from their people (20:4-5). If the people would turn a blind eye toward the sin, so to speak, and look the other way, and allowing it to go unchecked, God warns that He Himself would intervene and administer justice.

When the Bible talks about fornicating after Molech, it is speaking of spiritual adultery. Isra’el is pictured as the wife of ADONAI. For your husband is your Maker, ADONAI-Tzva’ot is His name. The Holy One of Isra’el is your Redeemer. He will be called the God of all the earth (Isaiah 54:5). Isra’el would constantly go lusting after idols, as if committing spiritual adultery (Ezeki’el 23:1-21). YHVH said: I supplied all their needs, yet they ran to the houses of prostitutes, or the shrines of other gods (Isaiah 5:7).

The death penalty was also punishment for consulting spirit-mediums and sorcerers. By seeking them out, the Israelites would be committing spiritual adultery and violating her covenant with her husband, ADONAI. The person who turns to spirit-mediums and sorcerers to go fornicating after them – I will set Myself against him and cut him off from his people. A man or woman who is a spirit-medium or sorcerer must be put to death; they are to be stoned to death; their blood will be on them (20:6 and 27). The phrase blood will be on them draws attention to the seriousness of the offense and is to be equated with the death penalty, which is the stated punishment for these offenses.

God’s people are called to holiness (20:7-8): Safeguarding the holiness of the Tabernacle, God’s house, dominates the world of Leviticus. Isra’el needed to purify its House, because a holy God demands a holy House.³⁵⁴ Therefore consecrate yourselves – you people must be holy, because I am ADONAI your God. Observe my mitzvot, and obey them; I am ADONAI, who sets you apart to be holy (20:7-8). ADONAI commands the Israelites to make themselves holy. The only other place in the book where YHVH commands Isra’el, “consecrate yourselves,” is 11:44, which concerns eating kosher. Leviticus 20:7 repeats this because, as with the clean and unclean animals, Isra’el’s holiness required distinction from the practices of the Gentile nations and adherence to a separate way of life, whether in diet, worship, or sexual practices. By avoiding activities that would tie Isra’el with the deities of other peoples, they would be recognizing that ADONAI was their God alone.³⁵⁵

Dear Heavenly Father, Praise You that in Your great wisdom You are completely holy and completely loving. We so enjoy thinking about Your love, but the truth is that in order to be loving, You must also hate evil. It is such a comfort that when You discipline, because God disciplines the one He loves (Hebrews 12:5-6). Your holiness demands discipline for wayward believers; but You keep calling them so tenderly to repent and to come back to You.

How it grieves my heart and your heart that some people think they do not need You. They think they can live life for themselves, but what a lie it is to think that eternal happiness can be found anywhere other than in trusting Your grace and loving You with our whole heart (Matthew 22:37-40).

Some of my friends and family know in their heads that You are the one true God; but they have no fear of You and no love for You. Dear heavenly Father, praise You for being the Awesome Almighty King of the Universe! Please touch the hearts of my friends and family. Open the eyes of their hearts to see that they will get the death penalty of eternity in hell if they do not choose to love you. He who trusts in the Son has eternal life. He who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him (John 3:36). In Yeshua’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen