Sunday, February 14, 2010

Title: When Can Kindness Be Cruel? / Topic: God's Perspective

Today’s Reading: Leviticus 23; Leviticus 24; Psalm 24; Acts 21


Scripture: Leviticus 24:10-23

10 Now the son of an Israelite mother and an Egyptian father went out among the Israelites, and a fight broke out in the camp between him and an Israelite. 11 The son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Name with a curse; so they brought him to Moses... 12 They put him in custody until the will of the LORD should be made clear to them.

13 Then the LORD said to Moses: 14 "Take the blasphemer outside the camp. All those who heard him are to lay their hands on his head, and the entire assembly is to stone him. 15 Say to the Israelites: 'If anyone curses his God, he will be held responsible; 16 anyone who blasphemes the name of the LORD must be put to death. The entire assembly must stone him. Whether an alien or native-born, when he blasphemes the Name, he must be put to death...

23 Then Moses spoke to the Israelites, and they took the blasphemer outside the camp and stoned him. The Israelites did as the LORD commanded Moses.


Observation: What a tough passage! My bride and I listened to today's reading, including this passage, with my mother-in-law, who we are visiting this weekend. She is a fairly new Christian and I felt a bit awkward as we listened with her to the story of the stoning of the blasphemer. If these are difficult passages for mature Christians, how much more are they for newbies? So my wife and I made a few comments about the fact that this is a difficult story but that God's plan was for His people to be holy and that meant ridding themselves of polluting influences. But even that was not thoroughly satisfying.

I am reminded of a phrase from Proverbs: "the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel." (Proverbs 12:10) A good example of this is those who have sympathy for terrorists and want them accorded the rights of American criminals. By trying to be so kind to these evil killers, they risk the lives of many innocents. Rather than being willing to give any discomfort to the terrorists (I am not talking about torture -- burning with hot irons or pulling out fingernails or shocking sensitive areas), they become willing to allow innocent men, women, and children suffer the cruelest kinds of pain as the result of terrorist acts that might have been prevented. Good-headed people understand the difference between unallowable torture and the wise, limited methods of maximizing the potential of getting the terrorist to divulge information that could save lives. One has to keep this difference in mind and maintain a long-range view.


Application: And that is what God, our Heavenly Father, has -- a long-range view. He saw that if this blasphemer was spared, significant damage to His people would be unavoidable. The message would be loud and clear that God could be blasphemed without consequence. The fear of the Lord, a vital factor to be maintained, would be effectively neutralized. (And remember, that this was a day where Moses had been communicating the instructions about "solemn assemblies unto the Lord.") God's kindness and mercy for "the innocents" required this man's death. Do I like it? No -- and neither did God, I believe. But it was right, and necessary, and ultimately the kindest thing God could have done for everybody.


Prayer: Lord, thank You for who You are -- that You have great wisdom that transcends ours and that You allow us to grapple with these things by including the difficult stuff in Your word. I am grateful that You have such great love for Your people that You are willing to make the tough calls. Help us to embrace Your wisdom and to humbly accept the limitations on our understanding and the subsequent "not fully knowing" that results. Keep me close to You, Lord.

This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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