The Death Penalty for Sabbath-breaking
By G.
The Death Penalty for Sabbath-breaking.
THE enemies of the Lord's Sabbath think they have made a strong point against the observance of the seventh day when they cite the death penalty for its desecration. In Ex. 31:15 we read the Lord's command to Moses, "Whosoever doeth any work in the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death." To assume that Sabbath observance demands the summary execution of transgressors, by the judgment and at the hands of fallible men, is simply an effort to dodge the obligation to obey the Sabbath commandment. Sabbath-breaking is a transgression of the law of God, and therefore it is sin; "for sin is the transgression of the law." 1 John 3:4. And "the wages of sin is death." Rom. 6:23. Therefore, the penalty for Sabbath-breaking is death; but "because judgment against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil." Eccl. 8:11. But who has the right to execute the death penalty for sin? The Father has "committed all judgment to the Son" (John 5:22, 27), and He will execute judgment at His second advent. Jude 14, 15. And the Son expressly enjoins us not to judge any one. "Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again." Matt. 7:1, 2. Under the theocratic government of Israel God Himself was the ruler. He gave not only the moral law but the laws for temporal government. He had the right to order the summary punishment of sin, or to grant a stay of execution, according to the wisdom of His own good judgment. The only case on record in which the penalty of death for Sabbath-breaking was immediately executed may be taken as a sample. The incident is thus stated:— "And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the Sabbath day. And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation. And they put him in7ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him. And the Lord said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp. And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the Lord commanded Moses." Num. 15:32-36. It is noticeable here that Moses did not take it upon himself to put the man to death; and when the Lord ordered the execution, He did not designate any one individual to do it, but required all the congregation to participate. The man's offense was evidently an aggravated, presumptuous act, of which the Lord thought best to make a notable example, and it was no doubt a salutary one. But men having rejected the theocracy, and chosen rather to be governed by men, the Lord permitted men to govern in secular affairs, and to punish infringement of the rights of men; but He did not delegate the right to punish infractions of the first table of the law—the first four commandments, which pertain only to offenses against God. When the Son of God dwelt among men as a man, He kept the Sabbath day as it should be observed. There were many in His day who violated all of those four commandments, but there is no record of their being put to death. Roman law would not permit the execution of the death penalty for such offenses, and God did not interfere to have it done. In His own time He will attend to that. "He hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom He hath ordained." Acts 17:31. The Jews, in a fit of desperation, did take the law in their own hands and put to death, Stephen, on a false charge of blasphemy. But all such proceedings were simply the outbreak of lawlessness, as also was the arrest and condemnation of Jesus. One case, however, illustrates the Saviour's idea of men's taking the death penalty for sin in their own hands. Under the Mosaic law (given by the Lord), adultery was to be punished with death. So the scribes and Pharisees, desiring to tempt Jesus, brought to Him a woman taken in adultery. The case was a flagrant one, and there was no doubt of her guilt. Her accusers therefore had a very good test case, as they supposed, with which to tempt Jesus, and they put the question straight: "Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned; but what sayest Thou?" Jesus said nothing against the law, nor did He say that it had been repealed. In fact He indorsed it as being yet in full force, and gave permission for the execution. But He added a qualification that disqualified them as executors: "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." And they "being convicted by their own conscience," went away and left the woman with Jesus. Nor did Jesus Himself condemn the woman. Shall we say, then, that He condoned the sin of adultery?—Not at all; for He had given adultery a much finer definition than men had before attached to it, besides declaring that He had not come to destroy the law. See Matt. 5:17, 18, 27, 28. The position of Jesus at that time is made clear by His declaration that "the Son of Man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them." Luke 9:56. "The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which is lost." Ch. 19:10. He had come to save the adulterers and the Sabbath-breakers and the sinners of every class, and not to condemn them. He is long-suffering toward all classes, "not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9. And such is the mission and the spirit of all true disciples of Christ. Death is verily the penalty for sin, but the bearers of the Gospel of peace are not executioners. Even the Lord Himself will not execute vengeance on the ungodly until He leaves the mediatorial throne. The reason that Sabbath-breakers and all other sinners are not put to death summarily is because the love and grace and mercy of God are still held out as an olive branch of peace. "God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16. "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and had committed unto us the Word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as the God did beseech you by us, we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." 2 Cor. 5:19, 20. "The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly; even the Voice of the day of the Lord; the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation," etc. Zeph. 1:14, 15. In that day the Lord will execute the death penalty upon the Sabbath-breakers, and all other classes of law-breakers who have rejected His overtures of mercy. 2 Thess. 1:7-10; 2 Peter 3:9, 10; Jude 14, 15. G.