Daily Devotionals
Devotional: December 8th
“Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.”.
As I write this, there is a great wave of public indignation over the mounting crime rate in our country. People are calling for law and order. It seems that our laws and courts favor the criminal, while the victims of crime receive little or no redress. Court cases drag on endlessly and often a criminal lawyer can win his case through silly loopholes in the law.
Contributing to the general disorder are the pontifical utterances of liberal sociologists, psychiatrists and other “experts.” They insist that capital punishment is unreasonable and inhumane. They testify that the fear of punishment does not serve as a deterrent to criminals. They suggest that the solution lies in rehabilitating criminals, not in punishing them.
But they are wrong. The more a man is confident that he can “get away with it,” the more readily he will resort to crime. Or if he feels that the sentence will be light, he will be emboldened to take the risk of being caught. Or if he thinks that the trial will have countless continuations, he will be encouraged. And in spite of what they say, the death sentence does act as a deterrent.
In analyzing the increasing crime rate, a popular news magazine said mat “one of the reasons is the lack of a strong deterrent from America’s clanking criminal justice system. All authorities agree that if the threat of punishment is to be credible, it must be sure and quick. Because of the overload, the U.S. system is neither.”
“An expert on criminology recently declared that for every man who is virtuous because of the love of virtue, 10,000 are good because they are afraid of punishment. And Isaac Ehrlich of the University of Chicago said statistics show that the news about the execution of one murderer prevents 17 other murders.” Reform and rehabilitation are not the answer. They have consistently failed to change men. We know that only the new birth by the Spirit of God will transform a sinner into a saint. But unfortunately few of the authorities, relatively speaking, will agree to that, either for themselves or for their prisoners.
That being the case, the best thing they can do is take today’s verse seriously. “Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.” Not until punishment is meted out swiftly and fairly will we see a decline in the crime statistics. The solution is right there in the Bible—if men would only accept it.
Receive the newest devotional each week in your inbox by joining the "" subscription list. Enter your email address below, click "Go!" and we will send you a confirmation email. Follow the instructions in the email to confirm your addition to this list.