DEVOTION – DAY 142

Genesis 9:6 “The Case For Death Penalty”

 

Gen.9:6 “Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind.”

 

When God made a covenant with Noah, God told Noah and his sons to be fruitful and multiply to populate the earth. God gave Noah and his descendants dominion over everything and that they could use it for food (Gen.9:1-3). God also told Noah that the life of a human being is precious. God demanded an accounting for the life of another human being in the above verse. The Bible teaches us that man is made in the image of God. So, God prohibits the intentional killing of another human being for that reason. God values human life because every human being has the capacity to be His child. Every human being can have a personal relationship with Him when they call upon the Lord Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior, and repent of their sins. So, when a person is killed intentionally, God commanded that the murderer’s life be taken as well. This command was given by God because God is just.

Today, there are many people who think that it is wrong to demand that murderers be executed because murderers can be rehabilitated back into society. Some argue that murderers are often victims themselves because of their upbringing and difficult circumstances. Consider the case of the murderer Lisa Marie Montgomery. She was the first woman to be executed in the US federal government in 67 years on 13 January 2021. She was amongst the last three convicted murderers to be signed off for execution by the outgoing US President Trump.

Lisa Marie was physically and sexually abused as a child. Her own mother forced her into prostitution at an early age. To escape her harsh family situation, she sought refuge by getting into two disastrous marriages. The men she married one after the other, physically abused her. The abuse affected her mentally and she suffered some brain damage from all the beatings on her. She became obsessed with having a child. She befriended a woman who was heavily pregnant. She strangled the woman and cut her open to remove her unborn baby. The baby survived and Lisa Marie tried to pass the baby off as her own. She was later arrested for murder and the Federal Court found her guilty. She was sentenced to death by lethal injection. There were many attempts to have her sentence changed to life imprisonment as it was argued that her terrible past had affected her mentally. It was argued that it was wrong to sentence a woman to death. Lisa Marie’s appeal against her conviction failed and Donald Trump approved her execution. She was executed on 13 Jan 2021. She surrendered her right to live because she had taken another person’s life. Justice was met.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, you are the giver of life. You have created us in Your image. Help each one of us to value life just as you do. May we live our lives for your glory. In the names of the Lord Jesus we pray. Amen.

 

Questions

  1. Why is it important for us to value life? Discuss.
  2. When someone intentionally kill another, should the death penalty be given? Discuss.
  3. Should the death penalty apply if someone accidentally kill another person? What does the Bible say? Discuss.
  4. God demands a life for a life. How does God’s justice and God’s mercy meet on the cross? Discuss.