Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
One witness is not enough to convict a man accused of any crime or offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.
If a malicious witness takes the stand to accuse a man of a crime, the two men involved in the dispute must stand in the presence of the Lord before the priests and the judges who are in office at the time. The judges must make a thorough investigation, and if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against his brother, then do to him as he intended to do to his brother. You must purge the evil from among you. The rest of the people will hear of this and be afraid, and never again will such an evil thing be done among you. Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. Deuteronomy 19:15-21
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Our passage from Deuteronomy, Chapter 19 continues the theme of justice as it applies to witnesses who might come forward and report crimes. We see where “one witness (was) not enough to convict a man accused of any crime or offense he may have committed”. Instead, the “matter (was to) be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses”. In other words, one person could not come forward and make a false claim against another with the malicious intent of them being harmed. So what happened if there was a conspiracy against someone? Couldn’t a person get others to say they witnessed the same thing he or she did in order to still get their way?
Well, that could happen but we see where there was a provision inserted to hopefully deter anyone from bearing false witness. Scripture tells us that “judges (were required to) make a thorough investigation, and if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against his brother” then they were to receive the penalty that would have been given to the one falsely accused. The hope was that the “rest of the people (would) hear of this and be afraid, and never again will such an evil thing be done among you”.
In the end, Israel was to “purge the evil from among (them)” and “show no pity…life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot”. The penalty was to match the crime. Nothing more, nothing less.
This mindset would last in the scriptures until Jesus came on the scene. During His first formal teachings during the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said:
"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Matthew 5:38-48
Why were these teachings important? Imagine if the “eye for an eye” principle had remained in place after Jesus was crucified. Anyone who falsely accused him would have been subject to the same fate He went through. In other words, there would have been a lot of crucifying going on. But Jesus didn’t come to destroy or avenge. No, Jesus came to forgive and He did so out of love…even love for His enemies. Jesus didn’t just preach these words from the Sermon on the Mount and then not back them up. He modeled them perfectly just as He modeled everything else in life. He did so to teach us how to deal with these matters ourselves.
Question: Have you been wronged by someone in life to where you feel the need to get even? Do you find yourself obsessed with making someone else feel the same level of pain and suffering that thy made you feel? Has anger consumed and blinded you, allowing Satan to step in and have his way in your life?
If your answer to any of these questions is yes, I ask you to turn to Jesus and see how He handled the greatest injustice of all mankind. He didn’t strike out and ask the Father to wage war on those who wrongly accused Him and then cried “Crucify”. No, Jesus said, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” So if Jesus…nailed to the cross…could do this, we can do it as well to anyone who has wronged us. And if we’re going to profess ourselves as Christian, then we need to live as Christ lived…including the way He forgave. Thanks be to Jesus for His life, His example, His forgiveness and His love. Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
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