“law of retaliation”: A Mob’s Scapegoat

 

Passing judgement on others without the full measure of God’s

grace and mercy, is like many arrows into an innocent passerby goat. It is

shameful, sorrowful and only reveals the true intent of our hearts—only

wanting to get away with our own sin. Let us not pass poor judgements onto others making them our scapegoats.

What is a scapegoat? A scapegoat is a person or group made to bear the blame for others or to suffer in their place. A people who anger and seek vengeance prematurely and further in and of their own strength and incomplete knowledge look to pervert “what it says in the Bible” for their own kind of justice, in which is perverted and actually goes against God’s Word. With that said, I now invite you Into My HEART...

The only accurate measure of true justice is to view the “judgement seat” of God’s Word in its entirety concerning an act of violence whether it be severe or not; whether it result in death or afflicted pain resulting in cuts, bruises or body parts broken or dismembered. We should never pervert, that is, utilize God’s holy Word out of context to serve our sinful ways and say, “I was only doing what God says to do” in which the fool implicates himself with God and before God (Deuteronomy 18:18-20). Furthermore, any person who says they act on the behalf of God and has not revealed the full scope of the Law in such an instance we are not to ‘fear,’ (Deuteronomy 18:21) that is, show reverence for their words or actions, for they are not acting on His behalf, but on their own and they are not of God.

The Ways of Old: Archaic Justice

• “If a malicious witness comes forward and accuses someone of a crime, then both the accuser and accused must appear before the Lord by coming to the priests and judges in office at that time. The judges must investigate the case thoroughly. If the accuser has brought false charges against his fellow Israelite, you must impose on the accuser the sentence he intended for the other person. In this way, you will purge such evil from among you. Then the rest of the people will hear about it and be afraid to do such an evil thing. You must show no pity for the guilty! Your rule should be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot [that is, as they treated others they too, were treated]. (Deuteronomy 19:16-21 NLT emphasis added)

I read of such decrees to be the “law of retaliation.”

• fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. The one who has inflicted the injury must suffer the same injury. (Leviticus 24:31)

• “You must not convict anyone of a crime on the testimony of only one witness. The facts of the case must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. (Deuteronomy 19:15 NLT) 

• “If a malicious witness comes forward and accuses someone of a crime, then both the accuser and accused must appear before the Lord by coming to the priests and judges in office at that time. The judges must investigate the case thoroughly. If the accuser has brought false charges against his fellow Israelite, you must impose on the accuser the sentence he intended for the other person. In this way, you will purge such evil from among you. Then the rest of the people will hear about it and be afraid to do such an evil thing. You must show no pity for the guilty! Your rule should be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. (Deuteronomy 19:16-21 NLT) 

• They kept the man in custody until the Lord’s will in the matter should become clear to them. (Leviticus 24:12 NLT) 

• One day a man who had an Israelite mother and an Egyptian father came out of his tent and got into a fight with one of the Israelite men. During the fight, this son of an Israelite woman blasphemed the Name of the Lord with a curse. So the man was brought to Moses for judgment. His mother was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri of the tribe of Dan. They kept the man in custody until the Lord’s will in the matter should become clear to them. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Take the blasphemer outside the camp, and tell all those who heard the curse to lay their hands on his head. Then let the entire community stone him to death. Say to the people of Israel: Those who curse their God will be punished for their sin. Anyone who blasphemes the Name of the Lord must be stoned to death by the whole community of Israel. Any native-born Israelite or foreigner among you who blasphemes the Name of the Lord must be put to death. “Anyone who takes another person’s life must be put to death. “Anyone who kills another person’s animal must pay for it in full—a live animal for the animal that was killed. “Anyone who injures another person must be dealt with according to the injury inflicted— a fracture for a fracture, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Whatever anyone does to injure another person must be paid back in kind. “Whoever kills an animal must pay for it in full, but whoever kills another person must be put to death. “This same standard applies both to native-born Israelites and to the foreigners living among you. I am the Lord your God.” After Moses gave all these instructions to the Israelites, they took the blasphemer outside the camp and stoned him to death. The Israelites did just as the Lord had commanded Moses. (Leviticus 24:10-23)

We can thank God for His Son Jesus, who truly reveals the glory of God’s Law and what He meant by it. Jesus is the Light to the world and His purpose in this can never be more seen than when He illuminates God’s Word to us; that is, God is among us teaching us Himself. Halleluyah!

For you ignore God’s law and substitute your own tradition.” Then he [Jesus] said, “You skillfully sidestep God’s law in order to hold on to your own tradition. For instance, Moses gave you this law from God: ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and ‘Anyone who speaks disrespectfully of father or mother must be put to death.’  But you say it is all right for people to say to their parents, ‘Sorry, I can’t help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you.’ In this way, you let them disregard their needy parents. And so you cancel the word of God in order to hand down your own tradition. And this is only one example among many others.” Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. “All of you listen,” he said, “and try to understand. It’s not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart.” And then he added, “It is what comes from inside that defiles you. For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you.” (Mark 7:8-15, 20-23 NLT emphasis added)

So what are we consuming then? Are we eating the perversion of the commands of men or are we eating God’s Word in proper measure, that which is holy, blessed, never defiles and is true delicacy and nourishment for the soul?

For if we consume the filth and perversion of the commands of men that say, “well, it says it in the Bible” and yet they have not looked upon God and His will to establish the matter (Leviticus 24:12), then we eat of what is corrupt, having not sought the Lord our ourselves. However, if we dine on God and His Word who will never mislead us or corrupt us even in the slightest, we can rest assured, what He commands will be beneficial for all, and this too includes our soul and conscience. 

“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye?  Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye. (Matthew 7:1-5 NLT)

Beloved, Jesus speaking is prolific yet so simple the man who is considered to be the least in his cleverness can comprehend what the Lord Jesus is saying. Yet, how many of us fall victim of the ignorance and weakness of this saying, ‘Don’t judge me’ or ‘Don’t judge.’ We read, Do not judge others, and you will not be judged yet what was Jesus really saying here? Was He merely saying to not judge others and it be with a very fine point at the end and we stop there? Or is it, that He was showing us the intents of our wicked hearts that judge so many improperly and not by the standard of righteousness? Well, we need not look to far, as He further went onto say, For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. Therefore, it is not that we merely not judge each other, but if we do, this is the judging we ought to embody—treating others fairly, rightly and as we would treat ourselves. For who among us will intentionally treat themselves unfairly and seek to further harm themselves? None. So, the judgement that was brought to all men in Christ is that very judging we ought to judge with, in that, God demonstrated [His judgement and] His love for us, that while we were still sinners [living according to our own unfair standards and not God’s holy and more than fair standards], Christ died for us [showing that proper way to judge others; in grace, mercy, compassion and truth]. So if we judge, judge according to God’s grace and mercy. If we pass judgement let it be in the name of Christ, and His name has always and shall always be the love and compassion of God. Passing judgement in any other manner should be looked upon in the strictest of sense as not prohibited! But the judgement of Christ and Him crucified is that fine judgement and we would do well to judge others in that manner. Amen.

And so Jesus continues revealing the glory of God’s wonderful judgement to the unrighteous and to the righteous alike. How a people who disregard God will act and will be dealt with and how those who acknowledge Him and seek Him should act and will be blessed. Here the unrighteous are spoken to. “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. “But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven! “You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ But I say, if you are even angry [unchecked anger is the prerequisite that leads to murder] with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot [speaking of someone dishonorably and insultingly that can very well lead to greater acts of dishonor that lead to many troubles], you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell. (Matthew 5:17-22 NLT emphasis added).

Jesus now speaking of the righteousness men must uphold: “You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too. If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles. Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow. “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect [click the word perfect for insight into what Jesus meant by using that word], even as your Father in heaven is perfect. (Mathew 5:38-48 NLT emphasis added)

Beloved to heed the wise words of Jesus is to be known as a wise man. For only the truly wise shall look upon the Word of God and see Him for how wonderfully wonderful He is, and only the truly wise, will gaze upon the perfect Law of God and with immense joy, shout out to God: You alone O Lord are wise! You deal mercifully with all the inhabitants of the earth! May your Name, how sweet it is, be spoken of throughout the whole earth and may your ways, how perfect they are, be made known by all who look to you in earnestness and with all sincerity and genuineness of heart! Amen. 

“But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back. Do to others as you would like them to do to you. “If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them! And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit? Even sinners do that much! “Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate. “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” Then Jesus gave the following illustration: “Can one blind person lead another? Won’t they both fall into a ditch? Students are not greater than their teacher. But the student who is fully trained will become like the teacher. “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying, ‘Friend, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye. “A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. A tree is identified by its fruit. Figs are never gathered from thornbushes, and grapes are not picked from bramble bushes. A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart. “So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say? I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built. But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.” (Luke 6:27-33, 35-49 NLT)

Oh that we will be found to be a people of God, who have dug deep our lives into Him, laying down the foundations on the solid Rock, Christ the Lord. So when tough times and very tough times come our way for we do live in a fallen world that all sorts of sad and bad things happen, we will be found standing firm on our unshaken faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Amen.

As always...YOU ARE LOVED.