Daily Scripture Reading Genesis 8:20 - 9:19
One hundred years ago, it was common to use the death penalty against murderers. Over the past century, the mentality of capital punishment has reversed, and today very few people are put to death, no matter how heinous their crimes. Some murderers are even released back into society.
The Bible is not silent on this topic. In fact, as we will see in today’s reading, it is abundantly clear that 21st century western society has the wrong attitude about the death penalty.
Noah and his family were on the ark for one year during the flood. When the ground finally dried out, Noah brought his family and all the animals off the ark.
Gen. 8:20 ¶ Then Noah built an altar to Yahweh and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
Noah sacrificed one of every clean animal and one of every clean bird. He was able to do this because, according to Genesis 7:2-3, he had taken 7 pairs of each clean animal and bird onto the ark with him.
Gen. 8:21 And Yahweh smelled the soothing aroma; and Yahweh said to Himself, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth; and I will never again strike down every living thing as I have done.
Look at the word “never”. Yahweh promised He would never again curse the ground and destroy every living thing.
Note also that man is to blame for the flood because of his evil heart.
The phrase “evil from his youth” tells us that humans are inherently evil. Some people think people are born good and only become evil due to the influence of other people. However, God declared that humans are inherently evil, meaning the only reason people become good is because they are trained to be good.
This has implications for parenting. A primary job of parents is to discipline their children and train them to be good.
Gen. 8:22 While all the days of the earth remain,
Seedtime and harvest,
And cold and heat,
And summer and winter,
And day and night
Shall not cease.”
Gen. 9:1 ¶ And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.
Look at the command to “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.” This is the same exact command God issued when He created man (see Gen. 1:28). When I was growing up, world population was growing and the consensus was that it would never stop growing. Many were afraid humans were overpopulating the earth. The joke was that this is the only command from God that humans have never disobeyed.
The reality is there has been a huge shift over the past 100 years. The birth rates on all continents except Africa are below replacement rate and dropping. It is expected that world population will begin declining around 2050. Humans are no longer obeying the command to be fruitful and multiply.
Gen. 9:2 And the fear of you and the terror of you will be on every beast of the earth and on every bird of the sky; with everything that creeps on the ground, and all the fish of the sea, into your hand they are given.
Notice the word “fear”. This is the first time this word appears in the Bible. This means animals did not fear people before the flood. Fear is the reason wild animals run, swim, or fly away when they see humans. Fear is also the reason some animals like tigers, bears, sharks, or snakes attack people. Since animals did not fear people before the flood, wild animals would not have run away, nor attacked humans, before the flood.
Gen. 9:3 Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; as with the green plant, I give all to you.
When God created man, he gave them plants to eat (see Gen. 1:29), meaning before the flood they were vegetarians. After the flood, God gave humans permission to eat meat. Humans are not required to eat meat, but it is not sinful to do so.
Some people claim that since humans were vegetarians before the flood, that means vegetarianism is the ideal and humans should strive to be vegetarian. The Bible does not say that, and that philosophy should not be taught.
Gen. 9:4 However, flesh with its life, that is, its blood, you shall not eat.
Gen. 9:5 Surely I will require your lifeblood; from every living thing I will require it. And from every man, from each man’s brother I will require the life of man.
Gen. 9:6 Whoever sheds man’s blood,
By man his blood shall be shed,
For in the image of God
He made man.
Don’t miss the requirement in this verse. If a human murders another human, the murderer is supposed to be put to death.
One hundred years ago the death penalty was commonly used, particularly for people who were guilty of murder. Over the past century, society has reversed its mentality about the death penalty to the point where it is rarely used today. Many murderers are not only allowed to live, they are actually released back into society.
God has never rescinded this requirement. Therefore, we should practice the death penalty today.
Gen. 9:7 As for you, be fruitful and multiply;
Swarm on the earth and multiply in it.”
Gen. 9:8 ¶ Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying,
Gen. 9:9 “As for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your seed after you;
Gen. 9:10 and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you; of all that comes out of the ark, even every beast of the earth.
Gen. 9:11 Indeed I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall never again be cut off by the water of the flood, and there shall never again be a flood to destroy the earth.”
Take note of the word “covenant”. God made a formal agreement to never again destroy the world with a flood.
Gen. 9:12 Then God said, “This is the sign of the covenant which I am giving to be between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all successive generations;
Gen. 9:13 I put My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth.
In recent decades the LGBTQ community has adopted the rainbow as their symbol. That is unfortunate because it distorts the true meaning of the rainbow, which is that the rainbow is a sign of the covenant between God and all the earth to never again destroy the world with a flood.
Christians should have a desire to see the world recognize the true meaning of the rainbow. I don’t know how to make that happen, other than pray that it happens.
Gen. 9:14 And it will be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow will be seen in the cloud,
Gen. 9:15 and I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh.
Gen. 9:16 So the bow shall be in the cloud, and I will look upon it, to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”
Gen. 9:17 And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.”
Gen. 9:18 ¶ Now the sons of Noah who went out of the ark were Shem and Ham and Japheth; and Ham was the father of Canaan.
Gen. 9:19 These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was scattered abroad.
The death penalty is rarely used in 21st century western society. However, God gave a command that anyone who commits murder should be put to death. That command has never been rescinded; therefore, capital punishment as a punishment for murderers is something that should be employed in the 21st century.
How should today’s passage change your attitude towards the death penalty?
What would it take to get society back to a Biblical mindset regarding the punishment of murderers?
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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”