Execution Only
Then Laban and Bethuel replied, “The matter comes from the LORD; so we cannot speak to you bad or good.” Genesis 24:50
Cannot speak – “Judgment is not a matter of human decision, only its execution.” With this sentence, Hover-Johag sums up the entire judicial perspective of the Bible. It is worth some serious consideration.
God does not leave us in the dark when it comes to human actions and their consequences. He is absolutely clear about how we are to act and what we are to do about those who do not act according to His instructions. The Torah is filled with real-life specifics regarding judicial execution of violations of the moral code. In all of this, God does us an immense favor. We are not left with the task of deciding what to do about human behavior. There is no guess work, no case law, no gray area. What God says is the moral code, and what He says about violations of the code is the right, and only, action to take.
Hover-Johag is correct. Judging is not a human prerogative. We are to carry out God’s revealed judgments, not make up our own rules.
But human beings don’t like God’s rules. So, we take on the task of determining the moral code for ourselves. The result is catastrophe – exactly what we have in the judicial system today. We are no different than all those civilizations that tried this before us. We are the modern-day Medes and Persians, groping our way through an expanding complexity of regulations, laws and ineffectual sentences, wondering all the while why we can’t get a handle on criminal and immoral behavior. The answer is stupefyingly simple. We are not supposed to be the Judge. Once we depart from the law of God, we are left to flounder on our own. The result is always a huge mess.
Laban got it right. The matter comes before the Lord. Therefore, I am not allowed to voice my opinion on what is right or wrong, good or evil. I either accept what the Judge of all mankind says, or I do not (to my peril). If I accept the Judge’s decision, then I have only one task – to execute the decision according to His will. I am called to live by His code, not mine, not my community’s, nor my society’s.
Do you know the code? Do you know what God requires of those who break the code? Do you know what your duty is before the Lord regarding those who pay no attention to His code? Did you think you were exempt from such responsibility simply because you are “saved” or ignorant? Do your homework. Then execute.
