Genesis 9-11 (Part 10) Life of Abraham (also The Responsibility of Capital Punishment)

The responsibility of capital punishment (from Wednesday night)

• Compare/contrast

o Genesis 4: God takes direct vengeance

o Genesis 9:6: God takes indirect vengeance

• Psalm 82

o The leaders are to govern, but they are not governing fairly, vv. 1-2

o They are called “gods” as they carry out God’s assigned responsibility, v. 6

• Carefully considered justice

o Lots of case law, Numbers 35:10-34

• New Testament teaching on government, Romans 13

o Good government has the responsibility to produce fear among the criminal element, v. 3

o They are to execute punishment, v. 4

Abraham

• Referred to more in the New Testament than any other, other than Christ (230 Old Testament and 75 New Testament)

• He is the supreme example of how to have a relationship to God

Four vital issues that enter in the life of Abraham

1. He had to deal with the promises made by God

• Posterity

• Land

2. He had to deal with the presence of pressures

3. Abraham had to give a response

• Pressure makes promise fade

• At times he sees nothing but the promise

• Set of results