#278 Your Scale or Mine

10 Now the son of an Israelite mother and an Egyptian father went out among the Israelites, and a fight broke out in the camp between him and an Israelite. 11 The son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Name with a curse; so they brought him to Moses. (His mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri the Danite.) 12 They put him in custody until the will of the Lord should be made clear to them.

13 Then the Lord said to Moses: 14 “Take the blasphemer outside the camp. All those who heard him are to lay their hands on his head, and the entire assembly is to stone him. 15 Say to the Israelites: ‘Anyone who curses their God will be held responsible; 16 anyone who blasphemes the name of the Lord is to be put to death. The entire assembly must stone them. Whether foreigner or native-born, when they blaspheme the Name they are to be put to death.

17 “‘Anyone who takes the life of a human being is to be put to death. 18 Anyone who takes the life of someone’s animal must make restitution—life for life.19 Anyone who injures their neighbor is to be injured in the same manner:20 fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. The one who has inflicted the injury must suffer the same injury. 21 Whoever kills an animal must make restitution, but whoever kills a human being is to be put to death. 22 You are to have the same law for the foreigner and the native-born. I am the Lord your God.’”

23 Then Moses spoke to the Israelites, and they took the blasphemer outside the camp and stoned him. The Israelites did as the Lord commanded Moses. Leviticus 24: 10-23 NIV

When we acknowledge that sin leads to death, it is usually with very shallow and loose conviction. Consider the wages for this young man here, and you may start to back peddle, "but God, this isn't fair. Why such a harsh punishment for something that people do so frequently in this dispensation of grace." Ah, twas grace that led you back to here. It's easy to forget that this God of the old Testament is the same and that such grace as you may now consider is not disproportionate to this justice. Remember, all sin is already judged. Was the flood so long ago in our reading or the demise of Sodom and Gomorrah? You will not change men's hearts though, so tell them of God's grace, tell them what He says, and pray for all men to be saved. Show men God's grace in that you are humble before Him, and that you wish no ill of your fellow man. Show them by forgiving all trespasses against yourself. Teach your children soberly, and read the whole of it. It wasn't a matter of knowing vs. not knowing, ignorance did not find such bliss here. 

All this is clear evidence of God’s righteous judgment. And so you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. 6After all, it is only right for God to repay with afflictionthose who afflict you, 7and to grant relief to you who are oppressed, and to us as well, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels…2 Thessalonians 1:5-7

because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead." Acts 17:31