Proverbs 28:17

Murderers should be put to death immediately. Capital punishment for murder is holy, right, necessary, and wise. There is nothing to consider or debate. Any thought to the contrary is devilish folly, rebellion against God, and hatred for human life. Any accomplice, advocate, or pacifist that hinders the process should receive the same fate.

This proverb uses “blood” as synecdoche for life, for life depends on blood (Lev 17:11). The word “violence” excludes accidents, which God provided for differently (Num 35:9-34). The pit is a common metaphor, but a literal place, of burial and eternal punishment. Murderers are to be sent there quickly, without hesitation or hindrance, which the verb “flee” intends. No man should stay – or hinder or stop – the murderer’s quick death.

The proverb is simple and clear – murderers should be executed immediately. Murder is a violent act against human life and the God Who created and gave life. All men are to help the process of holy justice in sending the murderer quickly to his grave and eternal Judge. If you disagree with this proverb, you have the problem, for God and Solomon are right.

Abel’s blood cried out from the ground to the LORD God in the first generation of the human family (Gen 4:9-12). Though Abel could no longer cry out physically, his blood did it for him in the omniscient ears of Jehovah. He heard it clearly and loudly, and He cursed Cain. And He continues to hear the blood cry out from every murdered victim.

Where did Cain get the violent thought to murder his brother? From the devil, who had already murdered Adam and Eve (Gen 3:1-6; John 8:44; I John 3:12)! Any murderer, or opponent of capital punishment for them, is simply a stooge of the devil. Satan’s names are Abaddon (Hebrew) and Apollyon (Greek), for he is “the destroyer” (Rev 9:11). But the blessed Lord Jesus, Who is Life itself, has reserved him for everlasting torment.

God declared early in the new world, “And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man. Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man” (Gen 9:5-6). When murder occurs, the murderer is to be put to death; and if men will not do the job, the LORD will!

God declared this rule for the earth right after suffocating all men, women, and children in water, except for one family, for their wicked violence (Gen 6:11-13). The words were declared to Noah about 1000 years before the Law of Moses. And all nations have generally practiced it since then (Acts 28:4; Rom 13:4). Moses simply codified it in his law (Ex 20:13; 21:12-36; 22:2-3; Lev 24:17; Num 35:9-34; Deut 19:1-21; I Tim 1:9).

There is no protection for murderers in God’s religion. If they run to His altar, He wants them dragged away and bludgeoned to death with stones. Lethal injection and the electric chair are not humane, for they do not equal the human pain of the victim and his family. If murderers do not want to cooperate by leaving God’s altar and sanctuary voluntarily, they should be killed right there regardless of the mess (Ex 21:14; I Kgs 2:28-34)!

There is no civil pity or silly sentimentality for murderers in God’s religion, even if they are begging for mercy and claiming innocence (Deut 19:11-13; I Sam 15:32-33). God even approved of the victim’s family getting to do the righteous honors (II Sam 21:1-9). It would be much better today for the MTV generation to see some public executions rather than rap about violent murder as a legitimate expression of their youth culture.

There are no jury trials, appeals, mistrials, public defenders, stays of execution, pardons, Amnesty demonstrations, or other hindrances to quick justice for murderers in God’s religion. Two witnesses were all it took (Deut 19:15-21). No delays; no prison; no last meals; no visits from Mother Theresa; no phone calls from Jane Fonda; no papal prelates allowed; no Jerry Lewis telethons; no sob stories from momma about her “good boy.”

When Ahab and Jezebel murdered Naboth, the holy God read them their rights, “Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity, and will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel. And of Jezebel also spake the LORD, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel. Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat” (I Kgs 21:21-24). Glorious Jehu had Jezebel thrown from an upper window and trampled her under his horse, and the dogs ate her (II Kgs 9:30-37). Glory to God!

The commandment, “Thou shalt not kill,” has nothing against the civil obligation to put murderers to death. Reasoning this way is perverse. The prohibition is of murder, not the contradiction of other commandments or civil judgment. Capital punishment and war are the duties of the civil government. They are excluded from this general prohibition of taking life by personal vengeance. Personal, private murder is what is condemned.

The New Testament did not alter the punishment of murder at all. Jesus said, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil” (Matt 5:17). His revocation of an “eye for an eye” was only to correct its misapplication to personal revenge (Matt 5:38-42). Paul said the law was good in its condemnation of murderers (I Tim 1:8-11). He said the civil death penalty is God’s ordinance (Rom 13:1-7), and he even justified his own execution, if he was worthy of it (Acts 25:11).

Of course, all human justice is imperfect. But this does not alter the need for it. There will be rare exceptions when innocent persons are executed. But imperfect justice is infinitely superior to no justice at all. To protect the mere possibility of a few at the expense of many thousands is ridiculous. Let every man take precautions to avoid even the appearance of evil, lest he be falsely accused. If false witnesses and corrupt judges were quickly put to death, as the Bible strictly requires, wrongful deaths would be very rare.

It is a travesty of thought and language to call opposition to capital punishment, pacifism, peace, philanthropy, or pity. It is not pacifism, for the anger of God, the murdered, or his family has not been pacified. It is not peace, for there is no peace for the dead or his family. It is not philanthropy – the love of man – for it despises the murdered man and his family. It is not pity, for it has no pity for the innocent pleas of the murdered victim.

This generation approves murder. It starts by murdering babies and calling it abortion. It ends by murdering the elderly and calling it euthanasia. In between, Hollywood promotes it in violent productions and defends it with sob story dramas to end capital punishment; the educational machinery mollifies it by behavioral psychology and capital punishment “debates”; the media makes victims the culprits and murderers the victims; video games use it for entertainment; rap artists sing about it; and Johnnie Cochran profits from it.

Truth and wisdom have failed from the earth. The Pope profanes human life by protecting murderers. Educators lie about capital punishment as a deterrent. The government prosecutes mercy killing of unwanted snakes, but defends the violent killing of babies. The media rabidly sensationalizes the rare executions of innocent persons. And flunking college students are interviewed for their opinions about capital punishment!

Humans arrive absolutely helpless, needing to be spoon fed and wrapped in a giant sanitary cloth. They go to school to learn to color with crayons, that their ancestors were apes, that two men and a baby are normal, and that the Ten Commandments are illegal and stupid. After graduating, without a day’s experience at any aspect of real life, with their greatest accomplishment the securing of a drivers’ license, they inhale Cannabis sativa with their professor and declare against capital punishment. Amazing progress!

But God has spoken! The issue is settled! God said it; we believe it; that settles it! He alone has wisdom, and He has revealed it in the Bible. Murderers should be put to death immediately! No protection; no excuses; no pity; no jury; no pardon. Just get rid of them! If it were done speedily, in minutes or hours, the murder rate would plummet (Eccl 8:11).

The blood of 1,200,000 helpless babies a year cries to the LORD from American incinerators. This nation is murderous, and they are laughing themselves to hell. But God is not mocked. Blood defiles a nation, and the only satisfaction God will accept is the blood of the murderers (Num 35:33). Every murderer in this nation, and every person who promotes their protection, will face the great and dreadful God of heaven (Eccl 5:8).

The Jews screamed for the blood of Jesus of Nazareth. They exchanged the life of a seditious murderer, Barabbas, for the innocent life of the Lamb of God. When his trial before Herod and Pilate proved His innocence, they screamed, “Crucify him!” They said, “His blood be on us, and on our children” (Matt 27:25). It was! Big time! Jesus Christ slaughtered and starved 1,100,000 Jews by the Roman armies under Titus Caesar in 70 A.D. He had prophesied this just event as revenge for innocent blood (Matt 23:35-36).

Rome and her popes are also very guilty. Read about the Inquisition of Innocent III. There was nothing innocent about him or the other “Innocent” popes. Read John Foxe’s, “Book of Martyrs,” of 1563, or any of its later and updated editions. Read Samuel Morland’s, “The History of the Evangelical Churches of the Valleys of Piemont,” of 1658, which he wrote for Oliver Cromwell to justify Europe marching on Rome.

The current edition of the Man of Sin decries abortion and interferes in nations to protect murderers, but his church has a documented history of murder matching the brutality of Hitler and Stalin. Yet he is fleeing to the pit as well, for every day takes him closer to meeting God. The altar of God in heaven shelters the souls of the martyrs, who are still crying for blood vengeance (Rev 6:9-11; 13:7,15; 17:6; 18:24; Dan 7:21,25).

But now hear this, Christian reader. The blessed Lord took the sixth commandment, “Thou shalt not kill,” and applied it broadly to unjustified anger and name-calling (Matt 5:21-26). He also argued the thought of adultery was equal to the deed (Matt 5:27-32), as others had before Him (Pr 6:25; 24:9; Job 31:1-12; Mal 2:10-16). God’s law is exceeding broad (Ps 119:96). Are you a murderer? Have you repented in fear and trembling?

By clear and obvious implication, all serious personal offences against a man are murder. Anger, backbiting, false accusing, envy, hatred, malice, railing, reviling, slandering, strife, talebearing, and whispering are murder. The person that commits them is a murderer in the eyes of the only true Judge. Let God be true, but every man a murderer.

Can God forgive a murderer? Definitely! The precious blood of Christ can cleanse away the guilt and punishment of any sin. He forgave David, and He forgave Saul of Tarsus. Jesus died as the Substitute for many murderers, which will result in glorious praise through eternity. But His mercy in legal satisfaction to God does not modify your duty.

Where sin abounds, either in magnitude or multitude, grace abounds much more (Rom 5:20-21). Glory! Let every murderer, of any sort, flee to the only altar of forgiveness, where the murdered Saviour pleads, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” You will soon join the forgiven thief with Jesus in heaven (Luke 23:42-43).