THE SANCTITY OF DEATH

Proverbs 6:16-19 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: (17) A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, (18) An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, (19) A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

The wise king now lists the things that God hates. Today we are appalled by random murder, sexual perversions and generally ungodly lifestyles. Most of us are not guilty of these things, but what we find on this list is a litany of attitudes that we tolerate in our lives whether at home, in the work place or in Church. Let us now elaborate on each of them.

Hands that shed innocent blood: From the beginning of creation Satan hates mankind. Satan hates mankind because mankind is made in the image of God and Satan hates God. His main weapon to get rid of mankind has always been the same: murder; and not just murder, but murder of the righteous ones whose character is shaped according to the image of God. Satan started his dirty work right with the murder of righteous Abel. All the elements of modern-day murder and shedding of innocent blood are found in this Genesis story.

When commenting on the commandment against murder, Jesus pointed us to one of the main reasons for murder: anger; anger in our hearts. Anger in our heart also stems from, self-righteousness, pride, jealousy, grudges, and a basic unwillingness to be defrauded in times of injustice. Our verse today implies that God hates these things.

In the Old Testament, killings, even of whole nations were done under the command of God. These were for the sole purpose of eradicating sin and idolatry, not out of vengeance, hatred, or personal interest. Another option for law-breakers was excommunication from the congregation. Whole cities were dedicated for the protection of people who were accused of involuntary murder.

How devil-like is one who can thoughtlessly think he can justifiably kill another human being made according to the image of God. The God who gives life to the righteous ones made according to His character is also the only One who can take it away. And who are we to truly know who is righteous and who is not? At times of church apostasy, God has even called its persecutors His ‘servants’ doing His will. We speak of the sanctity of life, but we may need to also address the sanctity of death.

The devil is responsible for the killing of all righteous people throughout history. He started with righteous Abel, and his illustrious career culminated with the killing of the Righteous Jesus-Christ. If that was not enough, Satan added insult to injury by killing righteous people all throughout modern-day history, but oh, oh, how it is going to lash back on him. As soon as the resurrected Jesus, who came first as the lamb of God, the Suffering servant to voluntary give His life for His people on the altar of sacrifice returns as the Lion of Judah, the earthly king ordained by God to rule humanity in justice, honor and beauty, Satan will meet His final everlasting punishment in the lake of fire.