Ecclesiastes
8:11
Solomon
on Crime and
Punishment
-
- 8:11
When the sentence for a crime is not
quickly carried out, the hearts of
the people are filled with schemes
to do wrong.
This
is the Word of the Lord ... It is meant to
change the way that we think, and the way
that we live.
Commentary
by Bob Pardue
Crime is rampant
in these times
People commit
multiple offenses against men, women, and
children. The most recent crime of choice
seems to be home invasion which is many
times an uncommonly violent crime because
people are at home and their basic safety
violated. And, it seems that the criminals
are seldom punished for their
actions.
Drug dealers line
the streets of America along with the
streets of foreign countries. Illegal
drugs are pouring into this country at an
alarming rate.
The drug lords are
getting richer from their crimes without
punishment while the addicts suffer. Is
this justice?
What does this
have to do with crime and punishment in
the Bible?
According to
Ecclesiastes crime should be punished and
sentences carried out quickly as a
deterrent.
An example is that,
if a small child does something wrong and
is not caught, the next "crime" will come
much easier to him.
Crime and the
punishment of God
We commit "crimes"
against God every day and most of the time
receive no immediate punishment. These
crimes are called sin.
Sin is anything we
do or say or think that displeases God so
there is not a day that passes in our
lives that we do not sin.
We may think that we
are getting away with these sins because
we receive no retribution but God knows
everything that we do and
think.
When the time comes,
we will have to stand before God in
judgment of these sins and answer for
everything we have done in this
life.
Will we be
punished for our crimes?
When it comes to the
crimes or sins we have committed against
God, we have but one defense -- Jesus
Christ.
Jesus has already
cleansed us from the crime and defended us
from the punishment of God if we have
accepted Him and admitted our
shortcomings.
Love in
Christ
- Bob
P.S.
If you would like to go to the beginning
of Ecclesiastes and read the entire book
along with comments just go to
http://www.makingchristknown.com/daily-verse/past/
If you have never made
the commitment to receive the love and
life-changing experience of Jesus Christ,
please take a moment to go
here and
take the first
steps to
salvation.
Verses are from Life Application
Study Bible: New International
Version
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