Justice

Read Deuteronomy 19
 
Deuteronommy19:10, 13 Do this so that innocent blood will not be shed in your land, which the Lord your God is giving you as your inheritance, and so that you will not be guilty of bloodshed…13 Show him no pity. You must purge from Israel the guilt of shedding innocent blood, so that it may go well with you.
 
OUR LORD is a gracious God. He protects the innocent and punishes the guilty. Yes, this is evidence of his grace. To live in Christ, is to know sin’s penalty and our Lord’s forgiveness.  
    In this chapter, the heavenly Father first commands refuge cities must be easily accessible to protect the innocent involved in an accidental death. The elders of such cities are to affirm the persons’ innocence, then protect them throughout their lives.
    This law graciously shields the deceased’s family, too. If, for example, someone angrily killed one whose actions resulted in his brother’s death, that would be capital murder. The guilt must be purged. A just law defends the innocent and shelters others from breaking the law.
    Is capital punishment difficult for you to accept? Let’s consider this: Life is God’s will; yet, death has defiled his creation. He warned Adam of sin’s death sentence in Genesis 2:16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”  Some have said, “Adam didn’t die when he disobeyed.” But he did. Do you see him anywhere? Even worse, mankind died that day, causing us to be born dead in our transgressions (Eph 2:10) in Adam’s penalty.
    God’s laws are a response to our sin nature. Sure and true justice is God’s way. We can know he is our refuge and our strength (Psalm 46), trusting in his eternal care.
 
Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.