Swearing that is punishable by death

February 26, 2009

Today's Reading Leviticus 24-25 and Proverbs 17

As you know, I don’t really like reading the book of Leviticus because, unlike other books of the Old Testament, there is no “story”. Leviticus reads like a book on a lawyer’s shelf than the latest bestseller, but today, there was an interesting development.

Apparently, it began when someone started a fight, and during this fight, someone blasphemed the name of the Lord with a curse. I wonder what is it that he said that caused this controversy. Was it just a f__k you, or God d__n it. (By the way, have you ever noticed that when you are watching a movie that was originally meant for the television, and when someone says god d__n, they censor the God part? That just really bugs me.)

So you know what they do to this potty-mouthed boy? Eventually, they get everyone to stone him. Oddly enough, everyone who did it. You want to know what was said next? “If anyone takes the life of a human being, he must be put to death”. Did these stoners (the non-drug using kind) get put to death? I guess there are exceptions to the “eye for and eye and tooth for a tooth” rule.

I don’t know if there is any swear word worth putting someone to death for it. In all honesty, I don’t know how much swearing is truly wrong. I suppose I would never say God D__n unless I thought I really wanted God to truly damn it. That is pretty strong.

Oddly enough, I found a verse in the Proverbs reading that almost matches the Levitical situation. It says that “he who loves a quarrel loves sin; he who builds a high gate invites destruction”. I don’t really think that anyone who loves sin should be killed, but his love affair will probably end in death one way or another. Hopefully he won’t take too many people on the way.

Yes, so swearing or fighting could result in death. Is that the take away value from this example that this man was given? Maybe we should learn to watch our mouths and our actions.

I’m sure that I have talked about this before, but there are several cases in Scripture where I have seen people “get what was coming to them”, but sometimes I think they get a little more than what I believe is justly deserved.

Case in point, did this guy deserve to be put to death for fighting or swearing? If I had to judge, I would say no. The issue is, I am not the judge. If God is the one who sends someone to hell for an eternity, that is His prerogative as creator of the universe. That is the issue.

So, next time to say or do something, just picture the eternal consequences.