Leviticus 24:17 And he that killeth any man shall surely be put to death.
Numbers 35:30-31 Whoso killeth any person, the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall not testify against any person to cause him to die. Moreover ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is guilty of death: but he shall be surely put to death.
There is really no exposition needed on these verses is there? They are very clear in what God is saying. It can’t be any clearer than, “Whoso sheds man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed.”
The principle, which God codified into law, is this, if you intentional take an innocent human life then your life is forfeit. You might think, well this is universal, all societies and civilizations understand this, but you would be wrong. Among ancient people and especially today, you’d be very wrong.
This was often not the case with pagan people, people who did not acknowledge the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Often among those people, murder was compensated by a blood price. The family of the victim would be paid off. This was acceptable because human life was not a gift from God, but instead was cheap, inconsequential, and random. Sure, it would be nice to see your dead relative alive, but a little silver, gold or some cattle meant a better life for you.
Why was it different for God’s people? Why did it become the law in the nations that looked to the Word of God for how to live? It the principle we are talking about is the Sanctity of Life. It is the understanding that the penalty for murder was life for life. Because humans were created in the image of God their life had infinite value. Since God set this spiritual value it could not be satisfied with a material payoff. God places his highest value on His highest creation and when one created in His image is murdered then the only just penalty is the life of the one who destroyed that God breathed, made in the image of its Creator's life.
This aspect of the Sanctity of life is no longer a part of our society. Our civilized world kills babies but protects murderers. Today, there are only 26 states with the death penalty, the others have outlawed it or placed a moratorium on it. Only 26 states now that believe life is sacred and a life taken means the life of the taker is forfeit.
