March 22
Num 33:40-35:34 | PS 65:1-13| Prov 11:23 | Luke 5:12-28
We as a nation and as a people have not evolved, but devolved. In arrogance, we establish laws different from God's laws. Those in power deem themselves fairer, more logical, etc. than the God of the universe. In every city throughout the nation, murders are caught by witnesses, often even being recorded by cameras. Despite overwhelming evidence, swift justice is not enacted. Imprisonment, "fair" trials, followed by longer imprisonment, sometimes for the life of the murderer, or over some fixed time until the murderer can be released into the public because of "good" behavior. In the trials, we will hear about the upbringing of the murderer, perhaps bad parenting, maybe getting involved with the wrong crowd, perhaps getting bullied, being misunderstood. Other times the murderer will be attempted to be justified based on being part of an under-privileged group, or living in a difficult section of town. In the case of murderers who purposely kill police officers, this will attempt to be explained away by police brutality. If it were your spouse, your child, your parent, you would not care about the psychology of the murderer. But these murderers are allowed to influence other criminals in prison, influence others who visit them in prison, and often influence their community when they are released. You might think, who do I think that I am, speaking like this. I am nothing. I am a child of God. Plain and simple. My views really aren't even important. When God weighs in on a topic, His views and His views only are relevant. Anyone who seeks a better justice, a more fair law or system, is playing god, and the results, which are rampant in our society are obvious.
God is clear about what should happen to a murderer in Numbers 35:29-33, "‘And these things shall be a statute of judgment to you throughout your generations in all your dwellings. Whoever kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the testimony of witnesses; but one witness is not sufficient testimony against a person for the death penalty. Moreover you shall take no ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death, but he shall surely be put to death. And you shall take no ransom for him who has fled to his city of refuge, that he may return to dwell in the land before the death of the priest. So you shall not pollute the land where you are; for blood defiles the land, and no atonement can be made for the land, for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it." God, in His perfect law, allowed for accidental deaths, self-defense, etc. He is perfect. His law is perfect. It is only our arrogance which makes a society believe they can be more fair and more just than God.
The movie industry and television is rampant with the stories behind murderers. The psychology, the why, the how, etc. This should not be the fodder for our enjoyment. Murder is evil. It should not be toyed with, sensationalized, romanticized, etc. We, as a society, have allowed evil to permeate every fiber of our culture. We look at the state we are in. Many will point to this or that. If I could be so simple, it is because we have removed God from our society. We might place Him in little safe places of worship. but we have removed Him from society, from our laws, from our day to day decision making, from our government. God will not allow godless societies to remain for very long. Our nation is not moving in a direction of repentance. It gets more emboldened in its sinfulness. How do you think that stance will work out?
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: