Day 414: Punishment and mercy – Deuteronomy 25 vs 1 – 4

1-2 “If there is a controversy between men, and they go to court, and the judges decide between them, and they judge in favour of the innocent and condemn the guilty, then it shall be that if the guilty man deserves to be beaten, the judge shall make him lie down and be beaten in his presence with a (certain) number of stripes in proportion to his offense. 3 He may have him beaten forty times, but no more. He is not to be beaten with more stripes than these and he is not to be degraded in your sight.” 4 “You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing.” Deuteronomy 25:1-4 From the Amplified Bible

These verses are very unpopular in today's world because they speak of someone who is guilty of a crime being punished. The thinking of modern educators is that punishment isn’t a civilized way of handling problems. The trend would probably be that guilt isn't 'being guilty' because of wrong behaviour, but rather 'feelings of guilt' because of a poor self image, an unhappy childhood, or due to social injustice. The conclusion would be that the culprit doesn't deserve punishment but needs help and understanding. But what do vs 1-2 actually imply.

They teach that if someone has harmed another person there needs to be a fair and just trial and, if the person is indeed guilty of a crime, there needs to be an appropriate punishment in proportion to the offense committed. Some will object and say that this was just an 'Old Testament' thing. But in the New Testament the apostle Paul said to Christians: “Everyone must submit to governing authorities, for all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished. The authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good. But if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for they have the power to punish you. They are God’s servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong.” (Romans 13:1-2, 4-5)

Punishment of those who do wrong was instituted by God to protect those who do right, and was especially needed in a world where exploitation and violence had become common. But vs 3 of Deuteronomy goes on to show that the aim of such punishment wasn't to vent our unlimited anger, or to degrade and humiliate the wrongdoer. They were not to take 'two eyes' in retribution for one eye that had been damaged. Punishment must never exceed the crime.

Verse 4 might seem odd to come just after what was being said about crime and punishment. The simple answer is that Moses has been setting out some general rules and some of then required less words and explanations than others. But it struck me that by setting a limit to how much punishment should be given to the wrongdoer we see something of God's mercy even in judgement. Psalm 103 says of God: “He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. He doesn't punish us for all our sins; He doesn't deal harshly with us, as we deserve. For His unfailing love toward those who fear Him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.” (vs 9-11) God calls us to a similar tenderness and mercy, not only to fellow human beings, but to animals as well.

In his letter to the Corinthians the apostle Paul used that verse for a wider principle of how we should be willing to support those who have dedicated their lives to serving God and don’t have a regular incomes that a secular job brings. He said: “Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink the milk? Do I say this merely on human authority? Doesn’t the Law say the same thing? For it is written in the Law of Moses: “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.” Is it about oxen that God is concerned? Surely he says this for us, doesn’t he? Yes, this was written for us, because whoever ploughs and threshes should be able to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you?” (1 Corinthians 9:7-12)

The Bible teaches that there are times when punishment is necessary and needed. But it also teaches us to be a people who remember mercy.