Why was the Sabbath-breaker stoned to death?

[skyblue888]

This thought came to my mind today but I don't

have much time today to study it out so I'm

sharing it here. Why did people have to be

stoned to death if the sacrificial system was

in place? My quick thoughts are that maybe

the sacrificial system was for those who were

in covenant with God and everyone else had no

way of paying for their sin.

Any thoughts?

M

_________________

Couldn't even begin to understand that---

except, just about any other way to enforce

the death penalty, would have to be done by

one person--with stoning, all are involved,

no one individual has to feel they alone

killed someone. It's a community decision,

done by people who probably knew the

individual, and would not come to that

decision flippantly. Having witnessed

and been a part of such a thing, I would

think it would be a deterent to others

doing anything that required such a

punishment. At the moment, that all I

can think of.

PB

_______________

I think you misunderstood my question. Why

would someone have to be stoned if the

sacrificial system was in place? In other

words, why not just offer up a lamb for

the sin rather than stoning the person?

M

_______________

Perhaps it is to show the Bible concept

that there are personal consequences for

disobeying God too? I can't look at God

the way you seem to be suggesting in your

comments here. Methinks you are asking

baited questions and not really interested

in cordial discussions here at the Adventist

forums. Trying to see how far you can go

without "breaking the rules" is pretty easy

to spot. If you hate us so much why do you

even bother with this forum?

C

__________________

Really? Not everything appears as you see it.

M

_________________

So I did!---oops!--Ok--how about this--it

doesn't say that they couldn't offer up a

sacrifice and be forgiven--however, being

forgiven doesn't mean you do not have to pay

the consequences for what you did. After all,

David fasted, prayed, was forgiven for having

murdered, comitted adultry and so forth (I'm

sure he also sacrificed)--his son still died.

One can spend a lifetime drinking and drugging

and worse, be forgiven, (even back at the time

of the sacrificial system), but still die of

cirrhosis of the liver. Moses was forgiven for

striking the rock--still had to pay the price,

not being able to enter into the Promised

Land--but he did have a better land ahead to

go to--but he didn't know it.

When we repent and come to God, (before or

after the sacrificial system)-we can be

forgiven for anything--but we still die, we

still pay for what we've done. Kill someone,

offer your sacrifice (if you can before being

stoned)--be forgiven, be genuinely sorry, but

your still going to be stoned. Today, we'd be

forgiven, but you're still going to jail.

(Unless you've got lots of money and a very

wiley lawyer)

And--are you really just trying to wreck

havoc, or are you really wondering??

PB

_______________

Why did people have to be stoned to death

if the sacrificial system was in place?

This is a very good question. It has been

on the minds of countless people in all

ages of the world, ever since that law came

to be.

Why was the Sabbath breaker stoned to death?

Was this really God's way? If it was God's

way, we could easily come to the conclusion

that God was the executioner of the sentence

against transgression.

However, in the book The Great Controversy,

p.36 we read that

"God does not stand toward

the sinner as an executioner of the sentence

against transgression, but He leaves the

rejectors of His mercy to themselves to reap

that which they have sown. The spirit of God,

persistently resisted is at last withdrawn

from the sinner and there is left no power

to control the evil passions of the soul and

no protection from the malice and enmity of

Satan."

So what is the explanation for God giving the

command to stone the Sabbath breaker then?

In those days, God was the Ruler of Israel in

both the civil and religious affairs. They

lived under a Theocracy. If God had had His way

there would never have been any such law. The

Gospel would have prevailed.

Here is what happened. After crossing the Red

Sea the Israelites were tempted to pick up the

weapons of the Egyptian soldiers that had washed

up to shore the next day. They fell under that

pressure and they carried the sword ever after.

They had left Egypt unarmed. God delivered them

in righteousness. They never had to fight against

the Egyptians. But the next day they are fighting

with the Amalekites armed with the swords of the

Egyptian soldiers. The Lord could have abandoned

them that day for choosing the sword but He did

not. He could have abandoned them when they chose

a man to be their king but He did not.

(1 Sam.8:6,7) He gave them the desire of their hearts

and in turn He gave them instructions as to how to

carry that sword and even how to make a clean kill

to minimize the evil consequences of their choice.

And the Lord waited for them to see the errors of

their way until they would return to His way but

they never did.

In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus said to Peter,

"Put your sword away.

He who lives by the sword will perish

by the sword."

In A.D.70 they perished by the sword!

Since they had chosen the sword, and God respected

their choice, God's instructions against the

transgressor and against their enemies were not

according to His way but according to the way they

had chosen.

The life and teachings of Jesus prove this beyond

any shadow of doubt.

sky

[ClubV12]

The sin of rebellion was punishable by death, just like witchcraft. The guy gathering sticks KNEW what he was doing, DID it on purpose to show off, and was unashamed to be in direct definace of the law.

Open, unquestioned, raw, rebellion.

Same law still applies, the judgment of death has only been postponed. Just like the guy who was in open rebellion, no doubt he was given plenty of opportunity to repent, to figure it out, but he wouldn't turn from his ways. He insisted on having it his way and open rebellion was the fruit.

The same fate awaits those in open rebellion against Gods Church, by the way.

[joeb]

Not only were Sabbath-breakers stoned, but also rapists of married women, those caught red-handed in adultery, murderers, etc.... The murderers were stoned because spilling blood(murderering someone) defiled the land of the COI's inheritance and only the blood of the murderer could cleanse the land of blood he spilled (Numbers 35:33). The rapist of a married woman was stoned because God said it was the equivalent of murder (Dueteronomy 22:26). The adulterers were stoned because God said evil had to be "put away" from the society of the Israelites(Dueteronomy 22:22). The rapist of an unmarried woman was required to marry her and could never divorce her (Dueteronomy 22:29). There was also a law concerning a hated wife and the children that came from that marriage. The husband could not withhold her children's rightful inheritance. Can't find the reference right now, but it's probably in Dueteronomy 20 to 25.

[Kevin H]

The Sabbath breaker had lived years in that system. He got sick and tired of it and was not some poor guy who happened to pick up some sticks, but was in outright rebellion saying he wanted nothing more to do with these people.

He had two choices, wander the desert by himself and most likely have a slow, painful death of starving, thirst, snakes etc. or have a quick, painless death. Stoning was the quickest and least painful death in the ancient world.