Civil Government: Magistracy, Authority, and Romans 13: Authority

The Bible and Law Enforcement - Part 3

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Civil Government

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2021-01-24

Synopsis: In this third and final lesson on the Bible and law enforcement, John Weaver reviews the distinction between law enforcement and regulation enforcement, emphasizing that God's law must be primary. He develops the biblical concept of the kinsman-redeemer-avenger, showing from Numbers 35 and Deuteronomy 21 that executing justice was required to cleanse the land from defilement. Because the civil magistrate today often fails to execute God's justice, believers must take personal responsibility for self-defense and church discipline. Ultimately, Jesus Christ is the true Kinsman-Redeemer-Avenger who will perfectly avenge His people, and Christians should engage in imprecatory prayer, asking God to enforce His law on earth.

[John Weaver] Alright, let's open our Bibles today to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 and verse 6. I'm not going to be expounding this verse, but I will be coming back to this verse because I think you'll see by the time that we end how applicable this verse will be. So 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, if you look at verse 6, the Bible says this, that no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter or the matter, because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified." Now, this is going to be the third lesson on the Bible and law enforcement.

[John Weaver] It would be the last lesson, but I want to just take a few minutes and review and refresh as well as go a little bit further. Last week, of course, and even in the first message, I mentioned the fact that there was a vast difference between law enforcement and regulation enforcement. And, of course, I said the very first question you should ask when you hear the term law enforcement, whose law is to be enforced? And, of course, certainly we want God's law to be enforced first and primarily. But even when you consider man's law, you want to understand that there is still a difference between law and regulation as such.

[John Weaver] And I pointed out how that Chief Mumbo was fired simply because he was actually solving crimes rather than trying to enhance the revenue of the city by enforcing certain regulations. Well, I came across this this week and I just wanted to read part of it. I do have the whole article here. So here is the article, at least parts of it. The most recent ticket writing in a risk scheme to be exposed comes out of Chicago, Illinois. The Chicago Police Department is one of the most notoriously corrupt departments in the country, which is why it should come as no surprise the cop who exposed the illegal quota system was retaliated against. Chicago Police Lieutenant Franklin Paz, Jr., 48, has since filed a lawsuit against the department after he was demoted and reassigned to an entry-level position for exposing the department's illegal arrest quota.

[John Weaver] Paz was in charge of a platoon of cops in a special unit called the Community Safety Team. As the lawsuit illustrates, however, the team was not at all concerned with safety, nor did they care about community. The quota system, according to the lawsuit, was run by Deputy Chief Michael Bars, who urged Paws and other lieutenants to increase the number of arrests, traffic stops, and tickets regardless of actual criminal activity. In other words, cops were told to act like mafia goons and constantly shake down and harass citizens within the community. The use of numbers and statistics, particularly traffic stops, becomes the primary basis that PARs use to evaluate the work that the officers under its command were doing, the lawsuit said. The lawsuit also said BARs expected officers assigned to the new team to generate specific amounts of police activity per shift they worked. According to CBS2, There are more than 1,000 officers assigned to CST, Community Safety Team, which means tens of thousands of citizens were harassed by them on a daily basis. In other words, the lawsuit said regardless of the criminal activity occurring that day, his officers were required to make the same number of stops.

[John Weaver] As CBS 2 points out, because police quotas are illegal in Illinois, Paz believed Bars was pressuring officers to engage in illegal activity that could lead to the profiling of the residents. State statutes say a police agency cannot require an officer to issue a specific number of citations within a certain period of time. Anyhow, when Bars was confronted by Paz, He cursed and he said he didn't care anything about community policing. He said, I need activity.

[John Weaver] And then he said, on another occasion, he threatened to blow up the entire platoon and dump everyone from the unit if they did not comply. So that is what I'm talking about when I'm talking about regulations instead of enforcing law. The interesting thing is, when we come to talking about law, of course, we certainly want to understand that God's law is first. And secondly, in the second message particularly, I dealt with the Kinsman, Redeemer, Avenger.

[John Weaver] And we're going to pick up on some of that also today as well. I want you to understand that according to the Scripture, we do have a right not only to protect life, but also to preserve life as well. We must protect our lives as well as the lives of others.

[John Weaver] Now, in the Bible, there is that which is known as arguing from the less to the greater. There's also instances where you argue from the greater to the less, but the point I'm trying to make right now is very simple. If something is true in the least, It is more true and more applicable in that which is greater. So I want you to turn in your Bibles very quickly to Deuteronomy 22 and then Exodus chapter 23, and I will show you exactly what I'm talking about. So first of all, Deuteronomy chapter 22, we'll look at verses 1 and 2, and then we'll go to the book of Exodus chapter 23. So notice if you would please, first of all, Deuteronomy 22, verse 1, God says, Thou shalt not see thy brother's ox or his sheep go astray, and hide thyself from them. Thou shalt in any case bring them again to thy brother. And if thy brother be not nigh unto thee, or if thou knowest not, Then thou shalt bring it into thine own house, and it shall be with thee until thy brother seek after it, and thou shalt restore it to him again."

[John Weaver] So God says if you happen to see your brother or your neighbor's animal going astray, He said you can't hide yourself, you can't pretend like you don't see it. You must do everything within your power to rescue that animal and get that animal back to safety. And then he said, if you don't know to whom the animal belongs, you take that animal to your house. You take care of that animal until your brother seeks after it.

[John Weaver] And then, of course, you deliver it unto him. So God is telling us, then, that we have the duty, we have the obligation, we have the responsibility to preserve the lives of animals. So the greater is, if we have that duty and responsibility to preserve the lives of the animals that belong to our brother, how much more do we have the duty and obligation and responsibility to help preserve the life of our brother? OK, so if you look at it again in Exodus chapter 23, you're going to say, well, I don't mind helping my brother. I don't mind helping my neighbor. Well, let me be a little more blunt and a little more specific, because in Exodus chapter 23, beginning there with verse four, God says this.

[John Weaver] If thou meet thy enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again. If thou see the ass of him that hated thee lying under his burden, and wouldst forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him." So God said even if you consider someone your enemy and you see his animal going astray, you must return that animal to your enemy. If you see his ass or his cow lying under burden, that is having a baby and they're in difficulty, God says you must help. You cannot hide yourself. So if you're required then to help the and preserve the lives of the animals of your enemy, how much more than are you required to help preserve the life even of your enemy?

[John Weaver] So this is known as an argument then from the lesser to the greater. Now, when we talk about the kinsman redeemer, avenger in the Bible, you remember I pointed out that there were qualifications. First of all, he must be a near kinsman, according to Leviticus 25, verses 48 and 49. Secondly, he must be able to redeem, that is, he must have the means to do so in Leviticus 25, verses 50 through 53. And third, he must be willing to redeem, according to Ruth chapter 4, verses 1 through 7. Because when Boaz wanted to redeem that which belonged to Limelech, And then, of course, Mary Ruth, there was someone ahead of him. And so when his brother then declined to do so, Boaz said, well, I will certainly do it. So there must be a willingness to redeem as well. So in the last message, I taught about this kinsman, redeemer, avenger.

[John Weaver] And so evidently in Israel, in the Old Testament, each family had a such person. Usually, it was the closest male kin. He enforced God's law in the sense that if a member of his family was murdered, it was his solemn duty to track the murderer down and take his life. In other words, this office then of the kinsman, redeemer, avenger included what you and I would simply call justice. Now, if a man happened to be smitten so that he died, it would be then the solemn obligation and the solemn duty of that kinsman, redeemer, avenger to track him down and kill him. It would be what you and I would call a blood feud.

[John Weaver] However, it was not the Hatfield-McCoy feuding, OK? Moreover, Scripture was very plain. that you can only take the life of the murderer. You could not take the lives of the murderer's family or children. I want you to look very quickly in 2 Kings 14, and as you turn to 2 Kings 14, I will quote from Deuteronomy 24 and verse 16, where God says, very plainly, that the father shall not die for the son, nor the son for the father, but every man shall die for his own sin. And when you get to 2 Kings chapter 14, you're going to find that Joash, the son of Jehoihaz, the king of Judah, reigned. And Amaziah, the son of Joash, reigned the king of Judah as well. Well, Joash was murdered. And so if you skip down to verse 6, Well, let's read verse 5. And it came to pass, as soon as the kingdom was confirmed in his hand, that he slew his servants, which had slain his king, the father. But the children of the murderers he slew not, according unto the law which was written in the book of the law of Moses, where the Lord commanded Moses, saying, The father shall not be put to death for the children, nor the children to be put to death for the fathers, but every man

[John Weaver] shall be put to death for his own sin. We tend to think that somehow that this is just simply a blood feud. It was far more than a blood feud. It was indeed a solemn duty and obligation to track down the murderer because there was more involved than just simply executing the murderer. It was also involved the justice of God, and listen carefully, cleansing the land from defilement and pollution.

[John Weaver] So if you look in your Bibles to the book of Numbers chapter 35, I want us to begin reading there with verse 15, and we will read through verse 34. And I want to point out something very specific. I want you to look, if you would please, Numbers chapter 35, and we will begin reading there with verse 15. Look what God says. Numbers 35, verse 15. These six cities shall be a refuge, and I spoke of those last week. These six cities shall be a refuge both for the children of Israel and for the stranger and for the sojourner among them, that every one that killeth any person unawares may flee thither.

[John Weaver] And if he smite him with an instrument of iron so that he die, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death. And if he smite him with throwing a stone wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death. Or if he smite him with a hand weapon of wood, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death. The revenger of blood himself shall slay the murderer when he meeteth him. He shall slay him. Now, so there's the avenger of blood. When he meets the murderer, he's to take him out. Now watch verse 20. But if he thrust him of hatred, or hurled him by lying of weight, that he die, or in enmity smite him with his hand, that he die, he that smote him shall surely be put to death, for he is a murderer. The revenger of blood shall slay the murderer when he meeteth him. But if he thrust him suddenly without enmity, or have cast upon him anything without laying of weight, or with any stone wherewith the man may die, seeing him not, and cast it upon him that he die, and was not his enemy, neither so in his arm, it would be accidental, then the congregation

[John Weaver] shall judge between the slayer and the revenger of blood, according to these judgments. And the congregation shall deliver the slayer out of the hand of the revenger of blood, that is, if it was accidental, and the congregation shall restore him to the city of his refuge, whether he had fled, and he shall abide in it until the death of the high priest, which was anointed with the holy oil. But if the slayer shall at any time come without the border of the city of his refuge, whether he was fled, and the revenger of blood find him without the borders of the city of his refuge, and the revenger of blood kill the slayer, he shall not be guilty of blood, because he should have remained in the city of his refuge until the death of the high priest. But after the death of the high priest, the slayer shall return into the land of his possession.

[John Weaver] So these things shall be for statute of judgment unto you throughout your generations and all your dwellings. 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. You shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is guilty of death, but he shall surely be put to death. And you shall take no satisfaction for him that is fled to the city of his refuge, that he should come again to the dwelling land until the death of the high priest. Now watch. So you shall not pollute the land wherein you are. For blood, it defiled the land. And the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it. Defile not therefore the land which you inhabit wherein I dwell, for I the Lord dwell among the children of Israel." Note if you would what he said, you shall not pollute the land wherein you are.

[John Weaver] For blood it defileth the land." And then in verse 34 again, he says, defile not the land. The word defile in the Hebrew means to profane. It means to defile, to pollute, and to become godless. So what God is saying is if the murderer is not executed, it is not just simply injustice. It is that the land itself is defiled and profaned and becomes godless. So the kinsman, redeemer, avenger was not just simply providing justice, he was doing that, but he was also cleansing the land from becoming godless, thus keeping the judgment of God from off the land.

[John Weaver] Now, I want to show you how fastidious God was concerning this principle. Before I give you the scripture, I want to give you the quote from John Calvin on this subject. I want you to listen well, and then I'm going to show it to you from scripture. Calvin said it like this. He again reminds them that unless they should exercise severe justice against murderers, that they would be guilty of sin against God because the land stained with human blood is polluted and lying under his curse until expiation has been made. Again, since God dwells in the land of Canaan, having chosen his abode among the children of Israel, his sanctity is also profaned. The sum is that in every respect care should be taken lest the land which is sacred to God should be contaminated by blood.

[John Weaver] If you shall spare the murderer or take any satisfaction for him, You do together with yourselves involve your land and people in guilt and will certainly bring down God's vengeance upon yourselves and them. So according to the scripture then, the very land itself was defiled and polluted until the murderer was executed. So to show you how fastidious God was, I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 21. Look at this. Deuteronomy 21 and we'll begin reading there with verse 1. Deuteronomy 21 and verse 1. Watch carefully. God says, If one be found slain in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee to possess it, lying in the field, And it be not known who has slain him."

[John Weaver] In other words, you just come upon a man who has been murdered. You don't have any idea who did it. What is to be done? Verse 2, then the elders, thy elders and thy judges, shall come forth and they shall measure unto the cities which are round about him that is slain. And it shall be that the city which is next or closest to the slain man, even the elders of that city shall take an heifer, one that hath not been wrought with, and one which hath not grown in the yoke. And the elders of that city shall bring down the heifer into a rough valley which is neither eared nor sewn, and shall strike off the heifer's neck there in the valley." And the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come near, for them the Lord thy God hath chosen to minister unto him, and to bless in the name of the Lord.

[John Weaver] And by their word shall every controversy and every stroke be tried. And all the elders of that city that are next unto the slain man shall wash their hands over the heifer that is beheaded in the valley, and they shall answer and say, Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have I seen it. Be merciful, O LORD, unto thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, and lay not innocent blood unto thy people of Israel's charge, and the blood shall be forgiven them. So shalt thou put away the guilt of innocent blood from among you, when thou shalt do that which is right in the sight of the LORD."

[John Weaver] So, murder had to be dealt with, justice had to prevail, And the land had to be cleansed. And so they measured from the murdered man to the closest city. And once they determined the closest city, the elders came out with a heifer that had never been broken to yoke, never been worked with. They took that heifer to a rough valley that had never been plowed or sown.

[John Weaver] And they struck the heifer's neck off. They cut the head off. And then they had to wash their hands, and they say, Our eyes have not seen who did this. Our hands have not done this. Be merciful unto thy people, O Lord. It's interesting that they were saying, Our hands have not done it. Our eyes have not seen it. If their eyes had seen it, it would not be a heifer lying there dead.

[John Weaver] It would be the murderer. And so God is saying, look, this is the only way the land could be purged if something happened that no one knew who the murderer actually was. So God was very fastidious and still is concerning the defilement of the land. Now, if you wish to consider the defilement in America. First of all, you need to consider all the murderers that have been sitting on death row for years, and being fed and kept up at taxpayer expense.

[John Weaver] And some who claim they're the wrong gender, you even have to pay for their gender surgery to change their... It's absolutely insane. And moreover, you need to consider all the murderers who have murdered and gotten away with it, seemingly. I mean, they haven't been captured. I read the other day where they were still working on one murder that happened 30, 40 years ago. I mean, the murderer is just simply vanished, seemingly. So when you begin to think of all the murderers who are alive and well and have been for years sitting on death row and all the murderers who have escaped, don't let that stop you. And don't stop there. You consider the 60 million babies that have been aborted and murdered in this country, and no one basically has really lifted a finger. And when you stop and think that God is immutable, that is God is unchangeable, God did not spare Israel and Samaria. God did not spare Judah and Jerusalem. If God did not spare those countries when they sinned, obviously He's not going to spare us.

[John Weaver] I want you to look in your Bibles to 2 Kings chapter 24. 2 Kings chapter 24, and you're going to read about Manasseh. He was a very, very wicked king. But note, if you would, in 2 Kings chapter 24, beginning there with verse 3. And here we're reading about the judgment of God upon Judah and Jerusalem. And of course, Nebuchadnezzar is being sent against them. But notice verse 3. Surely at the commandment of the Lord came this upon Judah to remove them out of his sight for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did. And also for the innocent blood that he shed, for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, which the Lord would not pardon. The avenger of blood was necessary, not only to execute justice, but also to make sure the land was not defiled by injustice and blood that was needlessly shed by idolatry and child sacrifice.

[John Weaver] was to be righted as well. Now, when we think of the injustice today, and there is so much going on in this country, we long for what would be known as a kinsman redeemer avenger. We see injustice on every hand. Murderers are allowed to live, rapists, kidnappers, and many others who commit violent crimes are just simply let go with a slap on the wrist. We understand that the family does not have the authority to execute anyone. It is true we may defend our lives, the lives of our family members, and even the lives of the others, but we do not have in each family a kinsman, redeemer, avenger, just like they did in the Old Testament. The power to execute has been given to the civil magistrate.

[John Weaver] I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 13. Romans chapter 13, and look, if you would please, just simply at the first four verses. Romans chapter 13, and of course, I preached on this passage and written books on this passage, but I want you to look at it. In Romans chapter 13, just dealing with the first four verses momentarily, look what the Bible says.

[John Weaver] Beginning there with verse one. Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. And by the way, no matter how high you are in authority, there's always someone higher than you. And certainly the highest of the highest is God himself. He says, for there is no power, no authority, no jurisdiction, but of God. The jurisdictions or powers or authorities that be are ordained of God. So anyone who has any authority, power, jurisdiction, God put them in that place. Therefore, he says in verse 2, whosoever therefore resists of the power, resists of the ordinance of God, and they that resist shall receive for themselves damnation or condemnation. Now, look in verse 3.

[John Weaver] For rulers, we're talking about civil rulers, magistrates. For civil rulers or rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. That's why God ordained them. Will thou then not be afraid of the power? Do that which is good, And thou shalt have praise of the same. For he, the civil magistrate, the civil ruler, for he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid.

[John Weaver] For he beareth not the sword in vain. For he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. Now, I want you to note in verse four, The civil magistrate is called a minister of God. In fact, he's called minister twice in verse four. And the Greek word there is deikonos, it's where we get our English word deacon from, and it literally means a servant. So it says the civil ruler is to be the deacon or the servant of God. Moreover, he is called there a revenger. And the word revenger is from the Greek word ekdikos, ek, which means out of, and dikos, righteousness. So he is to be the one who exacts righteousness out of. And in other words, he is to be executing God's righteousness, is what it amounts to. So here is the civil ruler that God has given the power to execute. That's why the Bible said, he beareth not the sword in vain. He is a minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.

[John Weaver] And I hope that you understand, according to Romans chapter 13, the civil magistrate basically only has two items to deal with. He has to punish the wicked and protect the righteous. And one of the ways you protect the righteous is by punishing the wicked. When you fail to punish the wicked, you're failing also to protect the righteous as well. So the magistrate is to do God's righteousness, to exude God's righteousness.

[John Weaver] Let me just quote a verse for you. You'll find it in 2 Chronicles 19, verse 6, where the Bible says this, Then He said to the judges, take heed what you do, for you judge not for man, but for the Lord who is with you in the judgment. So the judges then were not to be judging for man, but they were to be judging for the Lord.

[John Weaver] The problem that we are experiencing today with our rulers, with our civil magistrates, is they do not consider themselves the deacons or servants of God. In fact, they don't even consider themselves as bound by the Constitution. They believe that they are autonomous, they're independent of God, they're independent of the Bible, they're independent of the Constitution, and each one basically becomes a law unto himself. They're much like the unjust judge that our Lord spoke of in Luke chapter 18.

[John Weaver] They will not give justice and will not do that which is right until they are absolutely forced to. And in such an instance, you see how the world is turned upside down. Look at the confusion and the chaos just based upon the fact that the Supreme Court would not rule on cases in which it was constitutionally bound to rule upon. Let me show you, I want you to look in your Bible, Psalm 82. Look in Psalm 82. Psalm 82 is a psalm actually against the civil magistrate. So, in Psalm 82, you'll find our Lord quoting part of this in the New Testament as well.

[John Weaver] I think it's John 10, if I'm not mistaken. But in Psalm 82, the Bible says, God standeth in the congregation of the mighty, he judgeth among the gods. And the word gods there refers to The civil magistrates. Those to whom God has entrusted authority and power and placed them in that position to execute His judgment. So, look at verse 2. Here's the question to them. How long will you judge unjustly and accept the persons of the wicked? Now, here's what they should be doing. Look in verse 3.

[John Weaver] Defend the poor and the fatherless. Do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy. Rip them out of the hand of the wicked.

[John Weaver] Now look what he says about these magistrates. They know not. Neither will they understand. They walk on in darkness. All the foundations of the earth are out of course. I have said you are gods and all of your children are the most high. That's quoted in the New Testament by our Lord. Then he says, but you shall die like men. and fall like one of the princes. Arise, O God, judge the earth, for thou shalt inherit all nations." In other words, God said, I've put you here to execute my judgment and to execute my righteousness.

[John Weaver] You're failing to do so. I put you in this position of honor and power and authority.

[John Weaver] Now, says God, you will die like men. I will judge you. I will execute you for your failure.

[John Weaver] Now, in light of this fact, That we don't have any magistrates in our land today that are biblical. We don't even have any that are constitutional. Who will act upon it? So the question is, what are we going to do? Obviously, we cannot control the wicked. We cannot make them do which is right according to God's law. So where are we? What are the answers? Well, I can answer those questions in two ways. First of all, we must consider an answer based upon law and responsibility. We must give a first answer based upon law, listen carefully, and responsibility. You remember I told you last week that Article 6, paragraph 2 of the United States Constitution says that the Constitution is supposed to be the supreme law of the land.

[John Weaver] And every judge and every officer is bound thereto. So let me give you an article right out of the Constitution. Here it is. U.S. Constitution, Article 1, Section 8, Clause 15. Listen. Militia. What is the militia to do? Militia to execute the laws of the Union suppress insurrections and repel invasions. To execute the laws of the Union. Without me getting involved to a great extent historically, let me just give you two quotes by founding fathers.

[John Weaver] The first one is Richard Henry Lee. He says, a militia when properly formed are in fact the people themselves, and include all men capable of bearing arms, to preserve liberty it is essential that the whole body of people always possess arms." And then George Mason, who was also one of the authors of the Fairfax Resolves, said this, that the people have a right to masks and to bear arms that a well-regulated militia composed of the body of the people, trained to arms, is the proper, natural, and safe defense of a free state, that standing armies in the time of peace are dangerous to liberty and therefore ought to be avoided.

[John Weaver] Now, I'm going to continue with Title 10. of the United States Code, Section 311, on the militia. I want you to listen to what the United States Code says. Militia. Composition and classes. The militia of the United States consists of all able-bodied males at least 17 years of age, and except as provided in Section 313 of Title 32, under 45 years of age, who are, or who have made a declaration of intention to become citizens of the United States, and a female citizen of the United States who are members of the National Guard.

[John Weaver] Now, so far it has just said that everyone who's between 17 and 45 is automatically in the militia. Okay?

[John Weaver] Now, they mention National Guard as well. But listen, here's the next subject. The classes of the militia are, number one, The organized militia, which consists of the National Guard and the naval militia. And number two, the unorganized militia, which consists of the members of the militia who are not members of the National Guard or the naval militia. So, there is an organized militia, there is an unorganized militia, and the unorganized militia is every individual who's capable of bearing arms. Isn't that amazing? Now, here's what someone's going to object and say, well, we don't need the militia, we've got the police. Well, here's a quote from Darren L.

[John Weaver] Hutchinson, a professor and associate dean at the University of Florida School of Law. Here's what Professor Hutchinson said, quote, neither the Constitution nor state law imposes a general duty upon police officers or other governmental officials to protect individuals from harm, even when they know that harm will occur. Police can watch someone attack you and refuse to intervene and not violate the Constitution. The Supreme Court has repeatedly held that the government has only a duty to protect persons who are in custody. If I'm arrested, they have a duty to protect me.

[John Weaver] But if they see four thugs beating me mercilessly on the street. They can stand there with their arms folded and not intervene and not save me, not protect me. And there's nothing can be done about it constitutionally. It may be immoral. It may not be right. But I'm just simply saying when it comes to that, they have no duty to protect. Which is why I'm pointing out the fact The first answer was based upon law and responsibility. You see, the truth of the matter is today, most people do not want to accept responsibility for themselves. Most people are not interested in protecting themselves. They're not interested in obtaining weapons. They're not interested in training with those weapons. They're not interested in even taking care of their health. They're not interested even in working.

[John Weaver] And if you get a universal basic income, you're talking about soreness. Why in the world is anybody going to work when you have money handed to you? I'm just simply saying, it's a slap in the face of personal responsibility. God never entrusted the police to protect us. He gave us the responsibility to protect ourselves and our families. So the very first answer, of course, is based upon law and responsibility.

[John Weaver] Now, I want to continue with that. I want you to look in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 5. Because here's something that may not have entered in your mind before, but I want to share it with you now and make you think about this. First Corinthians chapter five. Do you realize that church discipline is actually an enforcement of God's law as well? We're talking about law and personal responsibility. Look in verse one of first Corinthians five. It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication is not so much as even named among the Gentiles, the unsaved, that one should have his father's wife.

[John Weaver] Now, this was not necessarily his mother, it was probably his stepmother. And he said, and you are puffed up and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that it so done this deed. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, to deliver such as one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh. that the spirit may be saved in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

[John Weaver] So here's a man that is guilty not only of adultery, fornication, covetousness, wickedness. And the apostle said, this sin is not even reported among the wicked, the ungodly. It's so awful. It's so terrible. And he said, and you haven't even mourned about it. You haven't done one thing about it. He said, here's what you do. You judge this man. You have church discipline. You put him out.

[John Weaver] You deliver him over to Satan to the destruction of the flesh. In other words, excommunicate him. Put him out under the judgment of God. So. Do you understand this is also a violation of Amos 2 and verse 7, where God says they pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and turn aside the way of the meek, and a man and his father will go into the same maid to profane my holy name." God said it's a profanation.

[John Weaver] Now the church does not have the power to execute anyone. I can't execute anyone. You can't execute anyone. But the church does have the power and does have the authority to discipline someone and to put him out and set him out under the judgment of God as well. Unhappily, most people are not willing to fulfill their responsibility to protect themselves and others, whether it is physical or whether it is spiritual.

[John Weaver] You know, one time in my entire life, one time, one time, I had a deacon come to me. and say to me, Pastor, we have a matter for church discipline. And I was kind of shocked because I didn't know of anything like that. And I said, well, please tell me what it is. And it was his own daughter. It was his own daughter. And yes, we did exercise church discipline upon her. And yes, thankfully, by the grace of God, she repented. But I'm just simply saying one time in my entire life, I've had someone who is a Christian come to me and say, we have a matter for church discipline. And it had to be his own daughter that he understood needed to be disciplined by the church. Do you understand that church discipline is nothing less than enforcement of God's law? That's what it is. Now, there's another answer. I'm going to give it to you.

[John Weaver] It is true that each family does not have a kinsman, redeemer, avenger the way they did in the Old Testament. But that does not mean that we do not have a kinsman, redeemer, avenger. Do you remember the passage in Romans 8 and verse 29 where Jesus Christ is our elder brother? He is the firstborn among many brethren. So, He is our head. We're His body. So He is our next of kin.

[John Weaver] He not only has the ability to redeem, He has already willingly redeemed. That's why Ephesians 1 and verse 7 says, in whom we have redemption through His blood. So Jesus Christ is basically our kinsman, redeemer, avenger.

[John Weaver] Now, if you will go back in your Bibles and look, please, at First Thessalonians, chapter four and verse six, and then I'm going to show you a number of other passages very quickly. But look at this. And here in the same instance, it is talking about fornication. It's talking about adultery. It's talking about uncleanness. He says in verse six, that no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter or the matter, because he's talking about fornication. Look back in verse three, for this is the will of God. Even your sanctification, you should have stained from fornication, that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel and sanctification and honor. Verse five, not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles, which know not God, that no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter.

[John Weaver] because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we have also forewarned you and testified." Note, if you would, the Lord is the avenger. Do you realize the same Greek word in Romans 13 in verse 4 is the same word In 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 and verse 6, he is the one that exacts righteousness out of.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to turn with me very quickly to a number of passages. The first one is Deuteronomy chapter 32. I want to just show you that God himself is indeed our kinsman, redeemer, avenger. So in Deuteronomy chapter 32, begin there with verse 39. Deuteronomy 32 and verse 39.

[John Weaver] Watch what God says. See now that I, even I am He, and there is no God with me. I kill and I make a life. I wound and I heal. Neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand. For I lift up mine hand to heaven and I say, I live forever. Now watch verse 41. If I wet my glittering sword and mine hand take hold on judgment, I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me. I will make mine errors drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh, and that with the blood of the slain and of the captives, from the beginning of the revengeance upon the enemy." God said, if I lift up my hand, if I wet my glittering sword, if I start, I will finish it.

[John Weaver] Look in your Bibles to Psalm 58 very quickly. Psalm 58. And notice, if you would, beginning there with verse 10. And when you get home, you should read all of Psalm 58. But look, if you would, in Psalm 58, verses 10 and 11. The Bible says the righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance. Oh, we will see something happening. The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance. He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked so that a man shall say, verily, There is a reward for the righteous. Verily, He is a God that judges in the earth. What does it say? God will be our avenger. Look in your Bibles to Isaiah 49. Isaiah 49. And let's begin reading there with verse 25. Isaiah 49 and verse 25.

[John Weaver] Isaiah 49 verse 25. But thus said the Lord, even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered, for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children. So God said, I will fight against him that fights against you, and I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh. And they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine, and all flesh shall know that I, the Lord, am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob." God said, I'll make them eat their own flesh, drink their own blood.

[John Weaver] Turn in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Revelation chapter 6. Revelation chapter 6, I'm sure that you are familiar with this passage. But look, if you would, beginning there with verse 9. Revelation 6 and verse 9. And I want you to understand the answer to this question. Revelation 6, verse 9. And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held.

[John Weaver] In other words, they were martyred. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? Lord, they murdered us. How long, O Lord, wilt thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them, and it was said unto them that they should rest yet a little while for a little season, until their fellow servants, also their brethren, that should be killed, as they were, should be fulfilled. Note if you would, and white robes were given unto them, and it was said unto them that they should rest yet for a little while. In other words, God said it's not quite yet time. But when it is time, when all of those who die for the faith as you did, I will take care."

[John Weaver] Now, if you would turn back in your Bibles to 2 Thessalonians chapter 1. 2 Thessalonians chapter 1. Here it is, and I do not see how it could be misinterpreted. It is very, very plain. 2 Thessalonians chapter 1, beginning there with verse 6. 2 Thessalonians 1 and verse 6. Note what the Bible says, seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you. And the word recompense means to pay back. Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to pay back tribulation to them that trouble you.

[John Weaver] And to you who are troubled Rest with us. For the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power, when he shall come to be glorified in his saints and to be admired in all them that believe.

[John Weaver] because our testimony among you was believed in that day. Now, note, if you would, in verse 7, and you who are troubled, rest with us. When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, taking what? Vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. May I remind you of something? All of the Old Testament kinsmen, redeemer, avengers were just pictures and types of the one true kinsmen, redeemer, avenger, the Lord Jesus Christ. Because the Lord Jesus Christ is the one who completely and totally satisfied the justice of God. And therefore, he is the only one who can exact a perfect justice. He is the true punisher of evildoers. That is what the Apostle Paul said in Romans 2 and verse 2. But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth.

[John Weaver] against all such who commit such things. So God will judge in truth. So, I can assure you, our kinsman, Redeemer, Avenger, will act in His time, in His way. It is a truth of Scripture where our Lord said, He that toucheth Thee, toucheth the apple of My eye. And clearly, Whatever is done to the body is done to the head. And Jesus Christ is our head, and we are His body.

[John Weaver] Now, let me try to make some applications. We've had three messages now on the Bible and law enforcement. I want you to understand, first of all, that each Christian is to be engaged in law enforcement, first of all, by self-discipline and self-restraint. It has to begin with us. We have to discipline ourselves. We have to learn to restrain ourselves. We have to learn to live and to act according to God's law. Each Christian should be engaged in law enforcement by protecting his own life, and the life of his family, and the life of his neighbors, and the life of his friends. Each church should be engaged in law enforcement when it exercises church discipline, when it is needed and necessary. And each Christian should also be engaged in law enforcement by imprecatory praying and intercession.

[John Weaver] Now, I've already mentioned the unjust judge in Luke chapter 18. You remember how the widow woman came to this unjust judge and said, avenge me, my adversary. And he would not. The Bible said he was an unjust judge. He feared not God nor regarded man. And this little woman just kept coming and coming and coming. And finally, the unjust judge said to himself, though I fear not God nor regard man, yet I don't give this woman what she wants just to get her off my back, you know. And then you get verses 7 and 8 where our Lord makes the application to what He just said. And then He says this, And shall not God avenge His own elect who crime Him day and night, though He bear long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily.

[John Weaver] I think one of our problems is we've not been asking God to intervene. We've not been praying that God will make things right. We've not been praying, Arise, O Lord, and make bare Thine arm. We've not been praying, Lord, do something. Even if you are a gentle soul and certainly do not even want to think about divine vengeance, at least you could pray what the psalmist said in Psalm 9, Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish thou the just. Surely, That's an easy prayer to pray. Here's another one.

[John Weaver] I hope you understand this. Everyone in this room knows what is known as the Lord's Prayer or the model prayer, and everyone can pray it. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Now listen. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Do you realize, when you pray that prayer, and you pray that request, you're asking God to enforce His law on this earth. For His law is His will. That's why the Bible says in Deuteronomy 29, 29, the secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things which are revealed belong to us and our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law. So when we pray, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, we're saying, Lord God, enforce your will, enforce your law. upon the inhabitants of this earth.

[John Weaver] We as Christians are to be law enforcement officers in the sense that we enforce God's law in our lives and in the lives of others by teaching and instruction and by giving counsel and direction. Whose law will we enforce? Whose law will we have in our life, in our family, in our society, in our neighborhood? Those who refuse to be ruled by God condemn themselves to be ruled by man.

[John Weaver] Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow before Thee. We ask You for Your grace, Your mercy, Your goodness, Your kindness, to help us, Lord, to understand these principles and help us, Lord, to apply them to our lives and teach us, Lord, self-discipline and restraint and how to govern our lives according to your word and to your truth. We do pray, Father, for your people in this nation. Lord, God, open our eyes and open our ears and open our hearts. Turn us, O God, and we shall be turned. Quicken us, and we shall call upon Thy name.

[John Weaver] Give us repentance and give us faith. In the name of Jesus Christ we ask and pray. Amen.

The Bible and Law Enforcement - Part 3

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	125211831447571
Subject	Civil Government
Course	Civil Government: Magistracy, Authority, and Romans 13: Authority
Genre	Sermon
Date	2021-01-24
Dictation Name
Book	Book 012: The Bible and Law Enforcement — Chapter 3
Source Timed Segments	79

Formatted Transcript

Introduction and Review

Weaver opens with 1 Thessalonians 4:6 and reviews the difference between law enforcement and regulation enforcement, citing examples of corrupt quota systems in Chicago.

Alright, let's open our Bibles today to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 and verse 6. I'm not going to be expounding this verse, but I will be coming back to this verse because I think you'll see by the time that we end how applicable this verse will be. So 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, if you look at verse 6, the Bible says this,

Scripture Reading — 1 Thessalonians 4:6

"that no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter or the matter, because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified."

Now, this is going to be the third lesson on the Bible and law enforcement. It would be the last lesson, but I want to just take a few minutes and review and refresh as well as go a little bit further. Last week, of course, and even in the first message, I mentioned the fact that there was a vast difference between law enforcement and regulation enforcement. And, of course, I said the very first question you should ask when you hear the term law enforcement, whose law is to be enforced? And, of course, certainly we want God's law to be enforced first and primarily. But even when you consider man's law, you want to understand that there is still a difference between law and regulation as such.

And I pointed out how that Chief Mumbo was fired simply because he was actually solving crimes rather than trying to enhance the revenue of the city by enforcing certain regulations. Well, I came across this this week and I just wanted to read part of it. I do have the whole article here. So here is the article, at least parts of it. The most recent ticket writing in a risk scheme to be exposed comes out of Chicago, Illinois. The Chicago Police Department is one of the most notoriously corrupt departments in the country, which is why it should come as no surprise the cop who exposed the illegal quota system was retaliated against. Chicago Police Lieutenant Franklin Paz, Jr., 48, has since filed a lawsuit against the department after he was demoted and reassigned to an entry-level position for exposing the department's illegal arrest quota.

Paz was in charge of a platoon of cops in a special unit called the Community Safety Team. As the lawsuit illustrates, however, the team was not at all concerned with safety, nor did they care about community. The quota system, according to the lawsuit, was run by Deputy Chief Michael Bars, who urged Paz and other lieutenants to increase the number of arrests, traffic stops, and tickets regardless of actual criminal activity. In other words, cops were told to act like mafia goons and constantly shake down and harass citizens within the community. The use of numbers and statistics, particularly traffic stops, becomes the primary basis that Bars use to evaluate the work that the officers under its command were doing, the lawsuit said. The lawsuit also said Bars expected officers assigned to the new team to generate specific amounts of police activity per shift they worked. According to CBS2, there are more than 1,000 officers assigned to CST, Community Safety Team, which means tens of thousands of citizens were harassed by them on a daily basis. In other words, the lawsuit said regardless of the criminal activity occurring that day, his officers were required to make the same number of stops.

As CBS 2 points out, because police quotas are illegal in Illinois, Paz believed Bars was pressuring officers to engage in illegal activity that could lead to the profiling of the residents. State statutes say a police agency cannot require an officer to issue a specific number of citations within a certain period of time. Anyhow, when Bars was confronted by Paz, he cursed and he said he didn't care anything about community policing. He said, "I need activity." And then he said, on another occasion, he threatened to blow up the entire platoon and dump everyone from the unit if they did not comply. So that is what I'm talking about when I'm talking about regulations instead of enforcing law. The interesting thing is, when we come to talking about law, of course, we certainly want to understand that God's law is first. And secondly, in the second message particularly, I dealt with the Kinsman, Redeemer, Avenger.

The Argument from the Lesser to the Greater

Using Deuteronomy 22 and Exodus 23, Weaver argues that if God requires us to preserve the lives of animals, even those of our enemies, how much more are we obligated to preserve human life.

Now, in the Bible, there is that which is known as arguing from the less to the greater. There's also instances where you argue from the greater to the less, but the point I'm trying to make right now is very simple. If something is true in the least, it is more true and more applicable in that which is greater. So I want you to turn in your Bibles very quickly to Deuteronomy 22 and then Exodus chapter 23, and I will show you exactly what I'm talking about. So first of all, Deuteronomy chapter 22, we'll look at verses 1 and 2, and then we'll go to the book of Exodus chapter 23. So notice if you would please, first of all, Deuteronomy 22, verse 1, God says, "Thou shalt not see thy brother's ox or his sheep go astray, and hide thyself from them. Thou shalt in any case bring them again to thy brother. And if thy brother be not nigh unto thee, or if thou knowest not, then thou shalt bring it into thine own house, and it shall be with thee until thy brother seek after it, and thou shalt restore it to him again."

So God says if you happen to see your brother or your neighbor's animal going astray, He said you can't hide yourself, you can't pretend like you don't see it. You must do everything within your power to rescue that animal and get that animal back to safety. And then he said, if you don't know to whom the animal belongs, you take that animal to your house. You take care of that animal until your brother seeks after it. And then, of course, you deliver it unto him. So God is telling us, then, that we have the duty, we have the obligation, we have the responsibility to preserve the lives of animals. So the greater is, if we have that duty and responsibility to preserve the lives of the animals that belong to our brother, how much more do we have the duty and obligation and responsibility to help preserve the life of our brother? OK, so if you look at it again in Exodus chapter 23, you're going to say, well, I don't mind helping my brother. I don't mind helping my neighbor. Well, let me be a little more blunt and a little more specific, because in Exodus chapter 23, beginning there with verse four, God says this.

"If thou meet thy enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again. If thou see the ass of him that hated thee lying under his burden, and wouldst forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him." So God said even if you consider someone your enemy and you see his animal going astray, you must return that animal to your enemy. If you see his ass or his cow lying under burden, that is having a baby and they're in difficulty, God says you must help. You cannot hide yourself. So if you're required then to help and preserve the lives of the animals of your enemy, how much more then are you required to help preserve the life even of your enemy?

So this is known as an argument then from the lesser to the greater. Now, when we talk about the kinsman redeemer, avenger in the Bible, you remember I pointed out that there were qualifications. First of all, he must be a near kinsman, according to Leviticus 25, verses 48 and 49. Secondly, he must be able to redeem, that is, he must have the means to do so in Leviticus 25, verses 50 through 53. And third, he must be willing to redeem, according to Ruth chapter 4, verses 1 through 7. Because when Boaz wanted to redeem that which belonged to Elimelech, and then, of course, marry Ruth, there was someone ahead of him. And so when his brother then declined to do so, Boaz said, well, I will certainly do it. So there must be a willingness to redeem as well. So in the last message, I taught about this kinsman, redeemer, avenger.

The Kinsman-Redeemer-Avenger in the Old Testament

Weaver reviews the qualifications of the kinsman-redeemer-avenger and explains that this office was responsible for executing justice and cleansing the land from bloodguilt.

And so evidently in Israel, in the Old Testament, each family had such a person. Usually, it was the closest male kin. He enforced God's law in the sense that if a member of his family was murdered, it was his solemn duty to track the murderer down and take his life. In other words, this office then of the kinsman, redeemer, avenger included what you and I would simply call justice. Now, if a man happened to be smitten so that he died, it would be then the solemn obligation and the solemn duty of that kinsman, redeemer, avenger to track him down and kill him. It would be what you and I would call a blood feud. However, it was not the Hatfield-McCoy feuding, OK? Moreover, Scripture was very plain that you can only take the life of the murderer. You could not take the lives of the murderer's family or children. I want you to look very quickly in 2 Kings 14, and as you turn to 2 Kings 14, I will quote from Deuteronomy 24 and verse 16, where God says, very plainly, that the father shall not die for the son, nor the son for the father, but every man shall die for his own sin. And when you get to 2 Kings chapter 14, you're going to find that Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, the king of Judah, reigned. And Amaziah, the son of Joash, reigned the king of Judah as well. Well, Joash was murdered. And so if you skip down to verse 6, well, let's read verse 5.

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 24:16

"And it came to pass, as soon as the kingdom was confirmed in his hand, that he slew his servants, which had slain his king, the father. But the children of the murderers he slew not, according unto the law which was written in the book of the law of Moses, where the Lord commanded Moses, saying, The father shall not be put to death for the children, nor the children to be put to death for the fathers, but every man

shall be put to death for his own sin." We tend to think that somehow that this is just simply a blood feud. It was far more than a blood feud. It was indeed a solemn duty and obligation to track down the murderer because there was more involved than just simply executing the murderer. It was also involved the justice of God, and listen carefully, cleansing the land from defilement and pollution.

So if you look in your Bibles to the book of Numbers chapter 35, I want us to begin reading there with verse 15, and we will read through verse 34. And I want to point out something very specific. I want you to look, if you would please, Numbers chapter 35, and we will begin reading there with verse 15. Look what God says. Numbers 35, verse 15. "These six cities shall be a refuge," and I spoke of those last week. "These six cities shall be a refuge both for the children of Israel and for the stranger and for the sojourner among them, that every one that killeth any person unawares may flee thither."

The Defilement of the Land by Unpunished Murder

From Numbers 35 and Deuteronomy 21, Weaver demonstrates that unpunished murder defiles the land, and God required even unsolved murders to be atoned for by a heifer sacrifice.

"And if he smite him with an instrument of iron so that he die, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death. And if he smite him with throwing a stone wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death. Or if he smite him with a hand weapon of wood, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death. The revenger of blood himself shall slay the murderer when he meeteth him. He shall slay him." Now, so there's the avenger of blood. When he meets the murderer, he's to take him out. Now watch verse 20. "But if he thrust him of hatred, or hurled him by lying of weight, that he die, or in enmity smite him with his hand, that he die, he that smote him shall surely be put to death, for he is a murderer. The revenger of blood shall slay the murderer when he meeteth him. But if he thrust him suddenly without enmity, or have cast upon him anything without laying of weight, or with any stone wherewith the man may die, seeing him not, and cast it upon him that he die, and was not his enemy, neither so in his arm," it would be accidental, "then the congregation

shall judge between the slayer and the revenger of blood, according to these judgments. And the congregation shall deliver the slayer out of the hand of the revenger of blood," that is, if it was accidental, "and the congregation shall restore him to the city of his refuge, whither he had fled, and he shall abide in it until the death of the high priest, which was anointed with the holy oil. But if the slayer shall at any time come without the border of the city of his refuge, whither he was fled, and the revenger of blood find him without the borders of the city of his refuge, and the revenger of blood kill the slayer, he shall not be guilty of blood, because he should have remained in the city of his refuge until the death of the high priest. But after the death of the high priest, the slayer shall return into the land of his possession."

"So these things shall be for statute of judgment unto you throughout your generations and all your dwellings. 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. You shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is guilty of death, but he shall surely be put to death. And you shall take no satisfaction for him that is fled to the city of his refuge, that he should come again to the dwelling land until the death of the high priest." Now watch. "So you shall not pollute the land wherein you are. For blood, it defiled the land. And the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it. Defile not therefore the land which you inhabit wherein I dwell, for I the Lord dwell among the children of Israel." Note if you would what he said, "you shall not pollute the land wherein you are.

For blood it defileth the land." And then in verse 34 again, he says, "defile not the land." The word defile in the Hebrew means to profane. It means to defile, to pollute, and to become godless. So what God is saying is if the murderer is not executed, it is not just simply injustice. It is that the land itself is defiled and profaned and becomes godless. So the kinsman, redeemer, avenger was not just simply providing justice, he was doing that, but he was also cleansing the land from becoming godless, thus keeping the judgment of God from off the land.

Now, I want to show you how fastidious God was concerning this principle. Before I give you the scripture, I want to give you the quote from John Calvin on this subject. I want you to listen well, and then I'm going to show it to you from scripture. Calvin said it like this. He again reminds them that unless they should exercise severe justice against murderers, that they would be guilty of sin against God because the land stained with human blood is polluted and lying under his curse until expiation has been made. Again, since God dwells in the land of Canaan, having chosen his abode among the children of Israel, his sanctity is also profaned. The sum is that in every respect care should be taken lest the land which is sacred to God should be contaminated by blood.

If you shall spare the murderer or take any satisfaction for him, you do together with yourselves involve your land and people in guilt and will certainly bring down God's vengeance upon yourselves and them. So according to the scripture then, the very land itself was defiled and polluted until the murderer was executed. So to show you how fastidious God was, I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 21. Look at this. Deuteronomy 21 and we'll begin reading there with verse 1. Deuteronomy 21 and verse 1. Watch carefully. God says, "If one be found slain in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee to possess it, lying in the field, and it be not known who has slain him."

In other words, you just come upon a man who has been murdered. You don't have any idea who did it. What is to be done? Verse 2, "then the elders, thy elders and thy judges, shall come forth and they shall measure unto the cities which are round about him that is slain. And it shall be that the city which is next or closest to the slain man, even the elders of that city shall take an heifer, one that hath not been wrought with, and one which hath not grown in the yoke. And the elders of that city shall bring down the heifer into a rough valley which is neither eared nor sown, and shall strike off the heifer's neck there in the valley." And the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come near, for them the Lord thy God hath chosen to minister unto him, and to bless in the name of the Lord.

"And by their word shall every controversy and every stroke be tried. And all the elders of that city that are next unto the slain man shall wash their hands over the heifer that is beheaded in the valley, and they shall answer and say, Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have I seen it. Be merciful, O LORD, unto thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, and lay not innocent blood unto thy people of Israel's charge, and the blood shall be forgiven them. So shalt thou put away the guilt of innocent blood from among you, when thou shalt do that which is right in the sight of the LORD."

So, murder had to be dealt with, justice had to prevail, and the land had to be cleansed. And so they measured from the murdered man to the closest city. And once they determined the closest city, the elders came out with a heifer that had never been broken to yoke, never been worked with. They took that heifer to a rough valley that had never been plowed or sown. And they struck the heifer's neck off. They cut the head off. And then they had to wash their hands, and they say, "Our eyes have not seen who did this. Our hands have not done this. Be merciful unto thy people, O Lord." It's interesting that they were saying, "Our hands have not done it. Our eyes have not seen it." If their eyes had seen it, it would not be a heifer lying there dead.

It would be the murderer. And so God is saying, look, this is the only way the land could be purged if something happened that no one knew who the murderer actually was. So God was very fastidious and still is concerning the defilement of the land. Now, if you wish to consider the defilement in America. First of all, you need to consider all the murderers that have been sitting on death row for years, and being fed and kept up at taxpayer expense.

The Failure of Modern Civil Magistrates

Weaver laments that modern rulers do not see themselves as God's ministers, leading to injustice, and cites Psalm 82 as God's indictment against unjust judges.

And some who claim they're the wrong gender, you even have to pay for their gender surgery to change their... It's absolutely insane. And moreover, you need to consider all the murderers who have murdered and gotten away with it, seemingly. I mean, they haven't been captured. I read the other day where they were still working on one murder that happened 30, 40 years ago. I mean, the murderer is just simply vanished, seemingly. So when you begin to think of all the murderers who are alive and well and have been for years sitting on death row and all the murderers who have escaped, don't let that stop you. And don't stop there. You consider the 60 million babies that have been aborted and murdered in this country, and no one basically has really lifted a finger. And when you stop and think that God is immutable, that is God is unchangeable, God did not spare Israel and Samaria. God did not spare Judah and Jerusalem. If God did not spare those countries when they sinned, obviously He's not going to spare us.

I want you to look in your Bibles to 2 Kings chapter 24. 2 Kings chapter 24, and you're going to read about Manasseh. He was a very, very wicked king. But note, if you would, in 2 Kings chapter 24, beginning there with verse 3. And here we're reading about the judgment of God upon Judah and Jerusalem. And of course, Nebuchadnezzar is being sent against them. But notice verse 3.

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 24:3-4

"Surely at the commandment of the Lord came this upon Judah to remove them out of his sight for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did. And also for the innocent blood that he shed, for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, which the Lord would not pardon."

The avenger of blood was necessary, not only to execute justice, but also to make sure the land was not defiled by injustice and blood that was needlessly shed by idolatry and child sacrifice.

was to be righted as well. Now, when we think of the injustice today, and there is so much going on in this country, we long for what would be known as a kinsman redeemer avenger. We see injustice on every hand. Murderers are allowed to live, rapists, kidnappers, and many others who commit violent crimes are just simply let go with a slap on the wrist. We understand that the family does not have the authority to execute anyone. It is true we may defend our lives, the lives of our family members, and even the lives of the others, but we do not have in each family a kinsman, redeemer, avenger, just like they did in the Old Testament. The power to execute has been given to the civil magistrate.

I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 13. Romans chapter 13, and look, if you would please, just simply at the first four verses. Romans chapter 13, and of course, I preached on this passage and written books on this passage, but I want you to look at it. In Romans chapter 13, just dealing with the first four verses momentarily, look what the Bible says. Beginning there with verse one.

Scripture Reading — Romans 13:1-4

"Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers."

And by the way, no matter how high you are in authority, there's always someone higher than you. And certainly the highest of the highest is God himself. He says,

Scripture Reading — Romans 13:1-4

"for there is no power, no authority, no jurisdiction, but of God. The jurisdictions or powers or authorities that be are ordained of God."

So anyone who has any authority, power, jurisdiction, God put them in that place. Therefore, he says in verse 2,

Scripture Reading — Romans 13:1-4

"whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God, and they that resist shall receive for themselves damnation or condemnation."

Now, look in verse 3.

"For rulers," we're talking about civil rulers, magistrates. "For civil rulers or rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil." That's why God ordained them. "Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? Do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same. For he," the civil magistrate, the civil ruler, "for he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid." "For he beareth not the sword in vain. For he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil." Now, I want you to note in verse four, the civil magistrate is called a minister of God. In fact, he's called minister twice in verse four. And the Greek word there is diakonos, it's where we get our English word deacon from, and it literally means a servant. So it says the civil ruler is to be the deacon or the servant of God. Moreover, he is called there a revenger. And the word revenger is from the Greek word ekdikos, ek, which means out of, and dikos, righteousness. So he is to be the one who exacts righteousness out of. And in other words, he is to be executing God's righteousness, is what it amounts to. So here is the civil ruler that God has given the power to execute. That's why the Bible said, "he beareth not the sword in vain. He is a minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil."

And I hope that you understand, according to Romans chapter 13, the civil magistrate basically only has two items to deal with. He has to punish the wicked and protect the righteous. And one of the ways you protect the righteous is by punishing the wicked. When you fail to punish the wicked, you're failing also to protect the righteous as well. So the magistrate is to do God's righteousness, to exude God's righteousness. Let me just quote a verse for you. You'll find it in 2 Chronicles 19, verse 6, where the Bible says this,

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 19:6

"Then He said to the judges, take heed what you do, for you judge not for man, but for the Lord who is with you in the judgment."

So the judges then were not to be judging for man, but they were to be judging for the Lord.

The problem that we are experiencing today with our rulers, with our civil magistrates, is they do not consider themselves the deacons or servants of God. In fact, they don't even consider themselves as bound by the Constitution. They believe that they are autonomous, they're independent of God, they're independent of the Bible, they're independent of the Constitution, and each one basically becomes a law unto himself. They're much like the unjust judge that our Lord spoke of in Luke chapter 18. They will not give justice and will not do that which is right until they are absolutely forced to. And in such an instance, you see how the world is turned upside down. Look at the confusion and the chaos just based upon the fact that the Supreme Court would not rule on cases in which it was constitutionally bound to rule upon. Let me show you, I want you to look in your Bible, Psalm 82. Look in Psalm 82. Psalm 82 is a psalm actually against the civil magistrate. So, in Psalm 82, you'll find our Lord quoting part of this in the New Testament as well.

I think it's John 10, if I'm not mistaken. But in Psalm 82, the Bible says,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 82:1-8

"God standeth in the congregation of the mighty, he judgeth among the gods."

And the word gods there refers to the civil magistrates. Those to whom God has entrusted authority and power and placed them in that position to execute His judgment. So, look at verse 2. Here's the question to them.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 82:1-8

"How long will you judge unjustly and accept the persons of the wicked?"

Now, here's what they should be doing. Look in verse 3.

"Defend the poor and the fatherless. Do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy. Rip them out of the hand of the wicked."

Now look what he says about these magistrates. "They know not. Neither will they understand. They walk on in darkness. All the foundations of the earth are out of course. I have said you are gods and all of your children are the most high." That's quoted in the New Testament by our Lord. Then he says, "but you shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes. Arise, O God, judge the earth, for thou shalt inherit all nations." In other words, God said, I've put you here to execute my judgment and to execute my righteousness.

You're failing to do so. I put you in this position of honor and power and authority. Now, says God, you will die like men. I will judge you. I will execute you for your failure.

Now, in light of this fact, that we don't have any magistrates in our land today that are biblical. We don't even have any that are constitutional. Who will act upon it? So the question is, what are we going to do? Obviously, we cannot control the wicked. We cannot make them do which is right according to God's law. So where are we? What are the answers? Well, I can answer those questions in two ways. First of all, we must consider an answer based upon law and responsibility. We must give a first answer based upon law, listen carefully, and responsibility. You remember I told you last week that Article 6, paragraph 2 of the United States Constitution says that the Constitution is supposed to be the supreme law of the land.

Personal Responsibility and the Militia

Weaver argues from the U.S. Constitution and federal code that the militia is the people themselves, and that police have no constitutional duty to protect individuals, so citizens must take responsibility for self-defense.

And every judge and every officer is bound thereto. So let me give you an article right out of the Constitution. Here it is. U.S. Constitution, Article 1, Section 8, Clause 15. Listen. Militia. What is the militia to do? Militia to execute the laws of the Union suppress insurrections and repel invasions. To execute the laws of the Union. Without me getting involved to a great extent historically, let me just give you two quotes by founding fathers.

The first one is Richard Henry Lee. He says, "a militia when properly formed are in fact the people themselves, and include all men capable of bearing arms, to preserve liberty it is essential that the whole body of people always possess arms." And then George Mason, who was also one of the authors of the Fairfax Resolves, said this, "that the people have a right to masks and to bear arms that a well-regulated militia composed of the body of the people, trained to arms, is the proper, natural, and safe defense of a free state, that standing armies in the time of peace are dangerous to liberty and therefore ought to be avoided." Now, I'm going to continue with Title 10 of the United States Code, Section 311, on the militia. I want you to listen to what the United States Code says. Militia. Composition and classes. The militia of the United States consists of all able-bodied males at least 17 years of age, and except as provided in Section 313 of Title 32, under 45 years of age, who are, or who have made a declaration of intention to become citizens of the United States, and a female citizen of the United States who are members of the National Guard.

Now, so far it has just said that everyone who's between 17 and 45 is automatically in the militia. Okay? Now, they mention National Guard as well. But listen, here's the next subject. The classes of the militia are, number one, the organized militia, which consists of the National Guard and the naval militia. And number two, the unorganized militia, which consists of the members of the militia who are not members of the National Guard or the naval militia. So, there is an organized militia, there is an unorganized militia, and the unorganized militia is every individual who's capable of bearing arms. Isn't that amazing? Now, here's what someone's going to object and say, well, we don't need the militia, we've got the police. Well, here's a quote from Darren L.

Hutchinson, a professor and associate dean at the University of Florida School of Law. Here's what Professor Hutchinson said, quote, "neither the Constitution nor state law imposes a general duty upon police officers or other governmental officials to protect individuals from harm, even when they know that harm will occur. Police can watch someone attack you and refuse to intervene and not violate the Constitution. The Supreme Court has repeatedly held that the government has only a duty to protect persons who are in custody. If I'm arrested, they have a duty to protect me.

But if they see four thugs beating me mercilessly on the street. They can stand there with their arms folded and not intervene and not save me, not protect me. And there's nothing can be done about it constitutionally. It may be immoral. It may not be right. But I'm just simply saying when it comes to that, they have no duty to protect. Which is why I'm pointing out the fact the first answer was based upon law and responsibility. You see, the truth of the matter is today, most people do not want to accept responsibility for themselves. Most people are not interested in protecting themselves. They're not interested in obtaining weapons. They're not interested in training with those weapons. They're not interested in even taking care of their health. They're not interested even in working.

And if you get a universal basic income, you're talking about soreness. Why in the world is anybody going to work when you have money handed to you? I'm just simply saying, it's a slap in the face of personal responsibility. God never entrusted the police to protect us. He gave us the responsibility to protect ourselves and our families. So the very first answer, of course, is based upon law and responsibility.

Church Discipline as Law Enforcement

Using 1 Corinthians 5, Weaver teaches that church discipline is a form of enforcing God's law, though the church does not have the power of execution.

Now, I want to continue with that. I want you to look in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 5. Because here's something that may not have entered in your mind before, but I want to share it with you now and make you think about this. First Corinthians chapter five. Do you realize that church discipline is actually an enforcement of God's law as well? We're talking about law and personal responsibility. Look in verse one of first Corinthians five. "It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication is not so much as even named among the Gentiles," the unsaved, "that one should have his father's wife."

Now, this was not necessarily his mother, it was probably his stepmother. And he said, "and you are puffed up and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, to deliver such as one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ."

So here's a man that is guilty not only of adultery, fornication, covetousness, wickedness. And the apostle said, this sin is not even reported among the wicked, the ungodly. It's so awful. It's so terrible. And he said, and you haven't even mourned about it. You haven't done one thing about it. He said, here's what you do. You judge this man. You have church discipline. You put him out.

You deliver him over to Satan to the destruction of the flesh. In other words, excommunicate him. Put him out under the judgment of God. So. Do you understand this is also a violation of Amos 2 and verse 7, where God says "they pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and turn aside the way of the meek, and a man and his father will go into the same maid to profane my holy name." God said it's a profanation.

Now the church does not have the power to execute anyone. I can't execute anyone. You can't execute anyone. But the church does have the power and does have the authority to discipline someone and to put him out and set him out under the judgment of God as well. Unhappily, most people are not willing to fulfill their responsibility to protect themselves and others, whether it is physical or whether it is spiritual. You know, one time in my entire life, one time, one time, I had a deacon come to me and say to me, "Pastor, we have a matter for church discipline." And I was kind of shocked because I didn't know of anything like that. And I said, "well, please tell me what it is." And it was his own daughter. It was his own daughter. And yes, we did exercise church discipline upon her. And yes, thankfully, by the grace of God, she repented. But I'm just simply saying one time in my entire life, I've had someone who is a Christian come to me and say, "we have a matter for church discipline." And it had to be his own daughter that he understood needed to be disciplined by the church. Do you understand that church discipline is nothing less than enforcement of God's law? That's what it is. Now, there's another answer. I'm going to give it to you.

Jesus Christ as the Ultimate Kinsman-Redeemer-Avenger

Weaver shows from multiple Scriptures that Jesus is our elder brother and the true avenger who will execute perfect justice, and believers should pray for God's vengeance and the coming of His kingdom.

It is true that each family does not have a kinsman, redeemer, avenger the way they did in the Old Testament. But that does not mean that we do not have a kinsman, redeemer, avenger. Do you remember the passage in Romans 8 and verse 29 where Jesus Christ is our elder brother? He is the firstborn among many brethren. So, He is our head. We're His body. So He is our next of kin.

He not only has the ability to redeem, He has already willingly redeemed. That's why Ephesians 1 and verse 7 says, "in whom we have redemption through His blood." So Jesus Christ is basically our kinsman, redeemer, avenger. Now, if you will go back in your Bibles and look, please, at First Thessalonians, chapter four and verse six, and then I'm going to show you a number of other passages very quickly. But look at this. And here in the same instance, it is talking about fornication. It's talking about adultery. It's talking about uncleanness. He says in verse six, "that no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter or the matter," because he's talking about fornication. Look back in verse three, "for this is the will of God. Even your sanctification, you should have stained from fornication, that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel and sanctification and honor." Verse five, "not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles, which know not God, that no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter."

"because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we have also forewarned you and testified." Note, if you would, the Lord is the avenger. Do you realize the same Greek word in Romans 13 in verse 4 is the same word in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 and verse 6, he is the one that exacts righteousness out of. Now, I want you to turn with me very quickly to a number of passages. The first one is Deuteronomy chapter 32. I want to just show you that God himself is indeed our kinsman, redeemer, avenger. So in Deuteronomy chapter 32, begin there with verse 39. Deuteronomy 32 and verse 39.

Watch what God says. "See now that I, even I am He, and there is no God with me. I kill and I make a life. I wound and I heal. Neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand. For I lift up mine hand to heaven and I say, I live forever." Now watch verse 41. "If I wet my glittering sword and mine hand take hold on judgment, I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me. I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh, and that with the blood of the slain and of the captives, from the beginning of the revengeances upon the enemy." God said, if I lift up my hand, if I wet my glittering sword, if I start, I will finish it.

Look in your Bibles to Psalm 58 very quickly. Psalm 58. And notice, if you would, beginning there with verse 10. And when you get home, you should read all of Psalm 58. But look, if you would, in Psalm 58, verses 10 and 11. The Bible says

Scripture Reading — Psalm 58:10-11

"the righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance."

Oh, we will see something happening.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 58:10-11

"The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance. He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked so that a man shall say, verily, there is a reward for the righteous. Verily, He is a God that judges in the earth."

What does it say? God will be our avenger. Look in your Bibles to Isaiah 49. Isaiah 49. And let's begin reading there with verse 25. Isaiah 49 and verse 25.

Isaiah 49 verse 25. "But thus said the Lord, even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered, for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children." So God said, I will fight against him that fights against you, "and I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh. And they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine, and all flesh shall know that I, the Lord, am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob." God said, I'll make them eat their own flesh, drink their own blood. Turn in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Revelation chapter 6. Revelation chapter 6, I'm sure that you are familiar with this passage. But look, if you would, beginning there with verse 9. Revelation 6 and verse 9. And I want you to understand the answer to this question. Revelation 6, verse 9. "And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held."

In other words, they were martyred. "And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?" Lord, they murdered us. How long, O Lord, wilt thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? "And white robes were given unto every one of them, and it was said unto them that they should rest yet a little while for a little season, until their fellow servants, also their brethren, that should be killed, as they were, should be fulfilled." Note if you would, "and white robes were given unto them, and it was said unto them that they should rest yet for a little while." In other words, God said it's not quite yet time. But when it is time, when all of those who die for the faith as you did, I will take care.

Now, if you would turn back in your Bibles to 2 Thessalonians chapter 1. 2 Thessalonians chapter 1. Here it is, and I do not see how it could be misinterpreted. It is very, very plain. 2 Thessalonians chapter 1, beginning there with verse 6. 2 Thessalonians 1 and verse 6. Note what the Bible says, "seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you." And the word recompense means to pay back. Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to pay back tribulation to them that trouble you.

"And to you who are troubled rest with us. For the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power, when he shall come to be glorified in his saints and to be admired in all them that believe." "because our testimony among you was believed in that day." Now, note, if you would, in verse 7, "and you who are troubled, rest with us. When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, taking what? Vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." May I remind you of something? All of the Old Testament kinsmen, redeemer, avengers were just pictures and types of the one true kinsmen, redeemer, avenger, the Lord Jesus Christ. Because the Lord Jesus Christ is the one who completely and totally satisfied the justice of God. And therefore, he is the only one who can exact a perfect justice. He is the true punisher of evildoers. That is what the Apostle Paul said in Romans 2 and verse 2. "But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth.

against all such who commit such things." So God will judge in truth. So, I can assure you, our kinsman, Redeemer, Avenger, will act in His time, in His way. It is a truth of Scripture where our Lord said, "He that toucheth Thee, toucheth the apple of My eye." And clearly, whatever is done to the body is done to the head. And Jesus Christ is our head, and we are His body.

Now, let me try to make some applications. We've had three messages now on the Bible and law enforcement. I want you to understand, first of all, that each Christian is to be engaged in law enforcement, first of all, by self-discipline and self-restraint. It has to begin with us. We have to discipline ourselves. We have to learn to restrain ourselves. We have to learn to live and to act according to God's law. Each Christian should be engaged in law enforcement by protecting his own life, and the life of his family, and the life of his neighbors, and the life of his friends. Each church should be engaged in law enforcement when it exercises church discipline, when it is needed and necessary. And each Christian should also be engaged in law enforcement by imprecatory praying and intercession.

Now, I've already mentioned the unjust judge in Luke chapter 18. You remember how the widow woman came to this unjust judge and said, "avenge me, my adversary." And he would not. The Bible said he was an unjust judge. He feared not God nor regarded man. And this little woman just kept coming and coming and coming. And finally, the unjust judge said to himself, "though I fear not God nor regard man, yet I don't give this woman what she wants just to get her off my back," you know. And then you get verses 7 and 8 where our Lord makes the application to what He just said. And then He says this, "And shall not God avenge His own elect who cry unto Him day and night, though He bear long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily."

I think one of our problems is we've not been asking God to intervene. We've not been praying that God will make things right. We've not been praying, "Arise, O Lord, and make bare Thine arm." We've not been praying, "Lord, do something." Even if you are a gentle soul and certainly do not even want to think about divine vengeance, at least you could pray what the psalmist said in Psalm 9, "Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish thou the just." Surely, that's an easy prayer to pray. Here's another one. I hope you understand this. Everyone in this room knows what is known as the Lord's Prayer or the model prayer, and everyone can pray it. "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come." Now listen. "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Do you realize, when you pray that prayer, and you pray that request, you're asking God to enforce His law on this earth. For His law is His will. That's why the Bible says in Deuteronomy 29, 29, "the secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things which are revealed belong to us and our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law." So when we pray, "thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven," we're saying, "Lord God, enforce your will, enforce your law upon the inhabitants of this earth."

We as Christians are to be law enforcement officers in the sense that we enforce God's law in our lives and in the lives of others by teaching and instruction and by giving counsel and direction. Whose law will we enforce? Whose law will we have in our life, in our family, in our society, in our neighborhood? Those who refuse to be ruled by God condemn themselves to be ruled by man.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Distinction between law enforcement and regulation enforcement

Summary: God's law must be enforced first; man-made regulations often serve corrupt purposes like revenue generation rather than justice.

Evidence: Weaver cites the firing of Chief Mumbo for solving crimes instead of enforcing revenue regulations, and the Chicago Police Department's illegal quota system.

The duty to preserve life

Summary: Scripture commands the preservation of life, even of enemies, arguing from the lesser (animals) to the greater (humans).

Evidence: Deuteronomy 22:1-2 and Exodus 23:4-5 are used to show that if we must help an enemy's animal, we must certainly help preserve human life.

The kinsman-redeemer-avenger and land defilement

Summary: The Old Testament avenger of blood was required to execute murderers to cleanse the land from defilement, a principle God still holds.

Evidence: Numbers 35 and Deuteronomy 21 are expounded to show that unpunished murder pollutes the land, and even unsolved murders required atonement.

Failure of civil magistrates to execute God's justice

Summary: Modern rulers reject their role as God's ministers, leading to widespread injustice and defilement of the land.

Evidence: Romans 13:1-4 and Psalm 82 are cited to show that magistrates are to be God's servants for justice, but they judge unjustly.

Personal responsibility for self-defense

Summary: Because police have no constitutional duty to protect individuals, citizens must take responsibility for their own protection and that of their families.

Evidence: Weaver quotes the U.S. Constitution, Title 10 U.S. Code on the militia, and a law professor stating police have no duty to protect.

Church discipline as enforcement of God's law

Summary: The church exercises law enforcement through discipline, putting unrepentant sinners out of the fellowship.

Evidence: 1 Corinthians 5 is used to show that the church must judge and excommunicate those in gross sin.

Jesus Christ as the ultimate avenger

Summary: Jesus is the true Kinsman-Redeemer-Avenger who will perfectly execute vengeance on evildoers, and believers should pray for His intervention.

Evidence: 1 Thessalonians 4:6, Deuteronomy 32, Psalm 58, Isaiah 49, Revelation 6, and 2 Thessalonians 1 are cited to show God's vengeance.

Imprecatory prayer and longing for God's justice

Summary: Christians should pray for God to enforce His law, avenge His elect, and bring His kingdom, which is a prayer for His will to be done on earth.

Evidence: Luke 18:1-8 and the Lord's Prayer are referenced as models for praying for divine justice.

Key Arguments

If we must preserve animals, we must preserve human life

Summary: God's law requiring the rescue of a neighbor's or enemy's animal implies a greater obligation to preserve human life.

Evidence: Deuteronomy 22:1-2 and Exodus 23:4-5 command helping animals; the argument from the lesser to the greater applies this to human life.

Unpunished murder defiles the land

Summary: Numbers 35 teaches that bloodshed pollutes the land, and only the execution of the murderer can cleanse it; this principle remains because God is immutable.

Evidence: Numbers 35:33-34 states the land is defiled by blood and must be cleansed by the blood of the murderer.

Civil magistrates are God's ministers for justice

Summary: Romans 13 designates rulers as God's deacons to punish evildoers and protect the righteous, but modern magistrates fail in this duty.

Evidence: Romans 13:1-4 calls the ruler a minister of God and a revenger to execute wrath.

Police have no duty to protect individuals

Summary: Constitutional law does not require police to protect citizens from harm, so individuals must take responsibility for self-defense.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Professor Darren L. Hutchinson stating police can watch an attack and refuse to intervene without violating the Constitution.

The militia is the people themselves

Summary: The U.S. Constitution and federal law define the militia as all able-bodied citizens, who are responsible to execute the laws and defend liberty.

Evidence: Article 1, Section 8, Clause 15 and Title 10 U.S. Code Section 311 are cited, along with quotes from Richard Henry Lee and George Mason.

Church discipline enforces God's law

Summary: The church has authority to excommunicate unrepentant sinners, which is a form of law enforcement within the body of Christ.

Evidence: 1 Corinthians 5 commands the church to deliver the fornicator to Satan for the destruction of the flesh.

Jesus is the true Kinsman-Redeemer-Avenger

Summary: All Old Testament avengers were types of Christ, who as our elder brother has redeemed us and will execute perfect vengeance.

Evidence: Romans 8:29, Ephesians 1:7, and 1 Thessalonians 4:6 are used to show Christ as our kinsman and avenger.

Christians should pray for God's vengeance

Summary: Believers are to pray imprecatory prayers, asking God to avenge His elect and enforce His law, as taught in Luke 18 and the Lord's Prayer.

Evidence: Luke 18:7-8 promises God will avenge His elect who cry to Him; the Lord's Prayer asks for God's will to be done on earth.

Scripture References

1 Thessalonians 4:6

Context: Introduced as a key verse; the Lord is the avenger of those who defraud their brother, especially in sexual sin.

Deuteronomy 22:1-2

Context: Command to return a neighbor's stray animal, used to argue for the duty to preserve life.

Exodus 23:4-5

Context: Command to help even an enemy's animal, strengthening the argument for preserving human life.

Leviticus 25:48-49

Context: Qualification of the kinsman-redeemer: must be a near kinsman.

Leviticus 25:50-53

Context: Qualification: must have the means to redeem.

Ruth 4:1-7

Context: Qualification: must be willing to redeem, as Boaz was.

Deuteronomy 24:16

Context: Fathers and children not to be put to death for each other's sins; only the murderer dies.

2 Kings 14:5-6

Context: Amaziah executed his father's murderers but not their children, obeying Deuteronomy 24:16.

Numbers 35:15-34

Context: Detailed laws on the avenger of blood, cities of refuge, and the defilement of the land by unpunished murder.

Deuteronomy 21:1-9

Context: Procedure for unsolved murders: the nearest city must sacrifice a heifer to cleanse the land from innocent blood.

2 Kings 24:3-4

Context: Judgment came on Judah for Manasseh's innocent blood, which the Lord would not pardon.

Romans 13:1-4

Context: Civil magistrates are God's ministers, bearing the sword to execute wrath on evildoers.

2 Chronicles 19:6

Context: Judges judge not for man but for the Lord, who is with them in judgment.

Psalm 82:1-8

Context: God judges the unjust magistrates who fail to defend the poor and needy; they will die like men.

1 Corinthians 5:1-5

Context: Church discipline for the fornicator; deliver him to Satan for the destruction of the flesh.

Amos 2:7

Context: A man and his father going into the same maid profanes God's holy name.

Romans 8:29

Context: Jesus is the firstborn among many brethren, our elder brother and kinsman.

Ephesians 1:7

Context: In Christ we have redemption through His blood.

Deuteronomy 32:39-42

Context: God declares He will render vengeance and make His arrows drunk with blood.

Psalm 58:10-11

Context: The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance and washes his feet in the blood of the wicked.

Historical References

Chief Mumbo fired for solving crimes instead of enforcing revenue regulations

Context: Weaver mentions this as an example of the conflict between law enforcement and regulation enforcement.

Chicago Police Department illegal quota system exposed by Lt. Franklin Paz

Context: Paz was demoted for exposing a quota system that pressured officers to make arrests and stops regardless of crime.

John Calvin's commentary on Numbers 35

Context: Calvin stated that sparing murderers defiles the land and brings God's curse until expiation is made.

U.S. Constitution, Article 1, Section 8, Clause 15

Context: The militia is to execute the laws of the Union, suppress insurrections, and repel invasions.

Richard Henry Lee quote on the militia

Context: Lee said the militia are the people themselves and must possess arms to preserve liberty.

George Mason quote on the militia

Context: Mason said a well-regulated militia composed of the body of the people is the proper defense of a free state.

Title 10 U.S. Code Section 311 on militia composition

Context: Defines the organized and unorganized militia, including all able-bodied males 17-45.

Professor Darren L. Hutchinson on police duty to protect

Context: Hutchinson stated police have no constitutional duty to protect individuals from harm.

Important Quotes

that no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter or the matter, because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.

Significance: Key verse for the entire series, establishing God as the ultimate avenger.

I need activity.

Significance: Quote from Deputy Chief Bars illustrating the corrupt focus on quotas over justice.

So you shall not pollute the land wherein you are. For blood, it defiled the land. And the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it.

Significance: Central biblical principle that unpunished murder defiles the land and requires the murderer's blood for cleansing.

How long will you judge unjustly and accept the persons of the wicked?

Significance: God's indictment against corrupt magistrates from Psalm 82.

neither the Constitution nor state law imposes a general duty upon police officers or other governmental officials to protect individuals from harm, even when they know that harm will occur.

Significance: Legal reality underscoring the need for personal responsibility in self-defense.

And shall not God avenge His own elect who cry unto Him day and night, though He bear long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily.

Significance: Promise that God will answer the persistent prayers of His people for justice.

Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Significance: The Lord's Prayer as a petition for God to enforce His law on earth.

Discussion Questions

What is the difference between law enforcement and regulation enforcement, and why does it matter?

Context: Weaver emphasizes that God's law must be primary and that many modern 'laws' are merely regulations for revenue or control.

How does the argument from the lesser to the greater apply to our duty to protect human life?

Context: Using Deuteronomy 22 and Exodus 23, Weaver argues that if we must help animals, we must certainly help humans.

In what ways does unpunished murder defile a land, and what are the implications for our nation?

Context: Numbers 35 and Deuteronomy 21 teach that bloodshed pollutes the land, and Weaver applies this to America's abortion and injustice.

What is the biblical role of civil magistrates, and how do modern rulers fail in that role?

Context: Romans 13 and Psalm 82 show that rulers are to be God's ministers for justice, but many today are unjust.

What does the Constitution say about the militia, and how does that relate to personal responsibility for self-defense?

Context: Weaver cites the Constitution and federal law to argue that the people are the militia and must be armed and trained.

How is church discipline a form of law enforcement, and why is it often neglected?

Context: 1 Corinthians 5 commands the church to judge and excommunicate unrepentant sinners, but Weaver notes it is rarely practiced.

What does it mean that Jesus is our Kinsman-Redeemer-Avenger, and how should that affect our response to injustice?

Context: Weaver shows from multiple Scriptures that Christ will perfectly avenge His people, so we can trust Him and pray for His intervention.

How should Christians pray in light of the promise that God will avenge His elect?

Context: Using Luke 18 and the Lord's Prayer, Weaver encourages imprecatory prayer and asking God to enforce His will on earth.

Applications

Practice self-discipline and self-restraint according to God's law

Summary: Each Christian must begin law enforcement by governing their own life according to God's Word.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'each Christian is to be engaged in law enforcement, first of all, by self-discipline and self-restraint.'

Take responsibility for protecting your own life and the lives of others

Summary: Because police have no duty to protect, believers must be prepared to defend themselves, their families, and neighbors.

Evidence: Weaver argues from the Constitution and Scripture that personal protection is a God-given responsibility.

Exercise church discipline when necessary

Summary: Churches must enforce God's law by disciplining unrepentant members, as commanded in 1 Corinthians 5.

Evidence: Weaver shares a personal example of church discipline and laments its rarity.

Pray imprecatory prayers for God's justice

Summary: Christians should persistently ask God to avenge His elect, enforce His law, and bring His kingdom.

Evidence: Weaver cites Luke 18 and the Lord's Prayer as models for praying for divine intervention.

Teach and instruct others in God's law

Summary: Believers enforce God's law by teaching, counseling, and directing others according to Scripture.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'We as Christians are to be law enforcement officers in the sense that we enforce God's law in our lives and in the lives of others by teaching and instruction.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T23:36:05Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T14:30:41Z

Clean Transcript

The Bible and Law Enforcement - Part 3

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

Alright, let's open our Bibles today to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 and verse 6. I'm not going to be expounding this verse, but I will be coming back to this verse because I think you'll see by the time that we end how applicable this verse will be. So 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, if you look at verse 6, the Bible says this, "that no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter or the matter, because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified." Now, this is going to be the third lesson on the Bible and law enforcement.
#1 | 0:00 to 0:44 | cleaned
It would be the last lesson, but I want to just take a few minutes and review and refresh as well as go a little bit further. Last week, of course, and even in the first message, I mentioned the fact that there was a vast difference between law enforcement and regulation enforcement. And, of course, I said the very first question you should ask when you hear the term law enforcement, whose law is to be enforced? And, of course, certainly we want God's law to be enforced first and primarily. But even when you consider man's law, you want to understand that there is still a difference between law and regulation as such.
#2 | 0:44 to 1:28 | cleaned
And I pointed out how that Chief Mumbo was fired simply because he was actually solving crimes rather than trying to enhance the revenue of the city by enforcing certain regulations. Well, I came across this this week and I just wanted to read part of it. I do have the whole article here. So here is the article, at least parts of it. The most recent ticket writing in a risk scheme to be exposed comes out of Chicago, Illinois. The Chicago Police Department is one of the most notoriously corrupt departments in the country, which is why it should come as no surprise the cop who exposed the illegal quota system was retaliated against. Chicago Police Lieutenant Franklin Paz, Jr., 48, has since filed a lawsuit against the department after he was demoted and reassigned to an entry-level position for exposing the department's illegal arrest quota.
#3 | 1:29 to 2:39 | cleaned
Paz was in charge of a platoon of cops in a special unit called the Community Safety Team. As the lawsuit illustrates, however, the team was not at all concerned with safety, nor did they care about community. The quota system, according to the lawsuit, was run by Deputy Chief Michael Bars, who urged Paz and other lieutenants to increase the number of arrests, traffic stops, and tickets regardless of actual criminal activity. In other words, cops were told to act like mafia goons and constantly shake down and harass citizens within the community. The use of numbers and statistics, particularly traffic stops, becomes the primary basis that Bars use to evaluate the work that the officers under its command were doing, the lawsuit said. The lawsuit also said Bars expected officers assigned to the new team to generate specific amounts of police activity per shift they worked. According to CBS2, there are more than 1,000 officers assigned to CST, Community Safety Team, which means tens of thousands of citizens were harassed by them on a daily basis. In other words, the lawsuit said regardless of the criminal activity occurring that day, his officers were required to make the same number of stops.
#4 | 2:40 to 4:07 | cleaned
As CBS 2 points out, because police quotas are illegal in Illinois, Paz believed Bars was pressuring officers to engage in illegal activity that could lead to the profiling of the residents. State statutes say a police agency cannot require an officer to issue a specific number of citations within a certain period of time. Anyhow, when Bars was confronted by Paz, he cursed and he said he didn't care anything about community policing. He said, "I need activity."
#5 | 4:08 to 4:46 | cleaned
And then he said, on another occasion, he threatened to blow up the entire platoon and dump everyone from the unit if they did not comply. So that is what I'm talking about when I'm talking about regulations instead of enforcing law. The interesting thing is, when we come to talking about law, of course, we certainly want to understand that God's law is first. And secondly, in the second message particularly, I dealt with the Kinsman, Redeemer, Avenger.
#6 | 4:46 to 5:19 | cleaned
And we're going to pick up on some of that also today as well. I want you to understand that according to the Scripture, we do have a right not only to protect life, but also to preserve life as well. We must protect our lives as well as the lives of others.
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Now, in the Bible, there is that which is known as arguing from the less to the greater. There's also instances where you argue from the greater to the less, but the point I'm trying to make right now is very simple. If something is true in the least, it is more true and more applicable in that which is greater. So I want you to turn in your Bibles very quickly to Deuteronomy 22 and then Exodus chapter 23, and I will show you exactly what I'm talking about. So first of all, Deuteronomy chapter 22, we'll look at verses 1 and 2, and then we'll go to the book of Exodus chapter 23. So notice if you would please, first of all, Deuteronomy 22, verse 1, God says, "Thou shalt not see thy brother's ox or his sheep go astray, and hide thyself from them. Thou shalt in any case bring them again to thy brother. And if thy brother be not nigh unto thee, or if thou knowest not, then thou shalt bring it into thine own house, and it shall be with thee until thy brother seek after it, and thou shalt restore it to him again."
#8 | 5:40 to 6:56 | cleaned
So God says if you happen to see your brother or your neighbor's animal going astray, He said you can't hide yourself, you can't pretend like you don't see it. You must do everything within your power to rescue that animal and get that animal back to safety. And then he said, if you don't know to whom the animal belongs, you take that animal to your house. You take care of that animal until your brother seeks after it.
#9 | 6:56 to 7:23 | cleaned
And then, of course, you deliver it unto him. So God is telling us, then, that we have the duty, we have the obligation, we have the responsibility to preserve the lives of animals. So the greater is, if we have that duty and responsibility to preserve the lives of the animals that belong to our brother, how much more do we have the duty and obligation and responsibility to help preserve the life of our brother? OK, so if you look at it again in Exodus chapter 23, you're going to say, well, I don't mind helping my brother. I don't mind helping my neighbor. Well, let me be a little more blunt and a little more specific, because in Exodus chapter 23, beginning there with verse four, God says this.
#10 | 7:23 to 8:11 | cleaned
"If thou meet thy enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again. If thou see the ass of him that hated thee lying under his burden, and wouldst forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him." So God said even if you consider someone your enemy and you see his animal going astray, you must return that animal to your enemy. If you see his ass or his cow lying under burden, that is having a baby and they're in difficulty, God says you must help. You cannot hide yourself. So if you're required then to help and preserve the lives of the animals of your enemy, how much more then are you required to help preserve the life even of your enemy?
#11 | 8:12 to 8:57 | cleaned
So this is known as an argument then from the lesser to the greater. Now, when we talk about the kinsman redeemer, avenger in the Bible, you remember I pointed out that there were qualifications. First of all, he must be a near kinsman, according to Leviticus 25, verses 48 and 49. Secondly, he must be able to redeem, that is, he must have the means to do so in Leviticus 25, verses 50 through 53. And third, he must be willing to redeem, according to Ruth chapter 4, verses 1 through 7. Because when Boaz wanted to redeem that which belonged to Elimelech, and then, of course, marry Ruth, there was someone ahead of him. And so when his brother then declined to do so, Boaz said, well, I will certainly do it. So there must be a willingness to redeem as well. So in the last message, I taught about this kinsman, redeemer, avenger.
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And so evidently in Israel, in the Old Testament, each family had such a person. Usually, it was the closest male kin. He enforced God's law in the sense that if a member of his family was murdered, it was his solemn duty to track the murderer down and take his life. In other words, this office then of the kinsman, redeemer, avenger included what you and I would simply call justice. Now, if a man happened to be smitten so that he died, it would be then the solemn obligation and the solemn duty of that kinsman, redeemer, avenger to track him down and kill him. It would be what you and I would call a blood feud.
#13 | 9:57 to 10:54 | cleaned
However, it was not the Hatfield-McCoy feuding, OK? Moreover, Scripture was very plain that you can only take the life of the murderer. You could not take the lives of the murderer's family or children. I want you to look very quickly in 2 Kings 14, and as you turn to 2 Kings 14, I will quote from Deuteronomy 24 and verse 16, where God says, very plainly, that the father shall not die for the son, nor the son for the father, but every man shall die for his own sin. And when you get to 2 Kings chapter 14, you're going to find that Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, the king of Judah, reigned. And Amaziah, the son of Joash, reigned the king of Judah as well. Well, Joash was murdered. And so if you skip down to verse 6, well, let's read verse 5. "And it came to pass, as soon as the kingdom was confirmed in his hand, that he slew his servants, which had slain his king, the father. But the children of the murderers he slew not, according unto the law which was written in the book of the law of Moses, where the Lord commanded Moses, saying, The father shall not be put to death for the children, nor the children to be put to death for the fathers, but every man
#14 | 10:54 to 12:19 | cleaned
shall be put to death for his own sin." We tend to think that somehow that this is just simply a blood feud. It was far more than a blood feud. It was indeed a solemn duty and obligation to track down the murderer because there was more involved than just simply executing the murderer. It was also involved the justice of God, and listen carefully, cleansing the land from defilement and pollution.
#15 | 12:19 to 12:51 | cleaned
So if you look in your Bibles to the book of Numbers chapter 35, I want us to begin reading there with verse 15, and we will read through verse 34. And I want to point out something very specific. I want you to look, if you would please, Numbers chapter 35, and we will begin reading there with verse 15. Look what God says. Numbers 35, verse 15. "These six cities shall be a refuge," and I spoke of those last week. "These six cities shall be a refuge both for the children of Israel and for the stranger and for the sojourner among them, that every one that killeth any person unawares may flee thither."
#16 | 12:52 to 13:35 | cleaned
"And if he smite him with an instrument of iron so that he die, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death. And if he smite him with throwing a stone wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death. Or if he smite him with a hand weapon of wood, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death. The revenger of blood himself shall slay the murderer when he meeteth him. He shall slay him." Now, so there's the avenger of blood. When he meets the murderer, he's to take him out. Now watch verse 20. "But if he thrust him of hatred, or hurled him by lying of weight, that he die, or in enmity smite him with his hand, that he die, he that smote him shall surely be put to death, for he is a murderer. The revenger of blood shall slay the murderer when he meeteth him. But if he thrust him suddenly without enmity, or have cast upon him anything without laying of weight, or with any stone wherewith the man may die, seeing him not, and cast it upon him that he die, and was not his enemy, neither so in his arm," it would be accidental, "then the congregation
#17 | 13:36 to 14:59 | cleaned
shall judge between the slayer and the revenger of blood, according to these judgments. And the congregation shall deliver the slayer out of the hand of the revenger of blood," that is, if it was accidental, "and the congregation shall restore him to the city of his refuge, whither he had fled, and he shall abide in it until the death of the high priest, which was anointed with the holy oil. But if the slayer shall at any time come without the border of the city of his refuge, whither he was fled, and the revenger of blood find him without the borders of the city of his refuge, and the revenger of blood kill the slayer, he shall not be guilty of blood, because he should have remained in the city of his refuge until the death of the high priest. But after the death of the high priest, the slayer shall return into the land of his possession."
#18 | 14:59 to 15:49 | cleaned
"So these things shall be for statute of judgment unto you throughout your generations and all your dwellings. 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. You shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is guilty of death, but he shall surely be put to death. And you shall take no satisfaction for him that is fled to the city of his refuge, that he should come again to the dwelling land until the death of the high priest." Now watch. "So you shall not pollute the land wherein you are. For blood, it defiled the land. And the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it. Defile not therefore the land which you inhabit wherein I dwell, for I the Lord dwell among the children of Israel." Note if you would what he said, "you shall not pollute the land wherein you are.
#19 | 15:50 to 16:59 | cleaned
For blood it defileth the land." And then in verse 34 again, he says, "defile not the land." The word defile in the Hebrew means to profane. It means to defile, to pollute, and to become godless. So what God is saying is if the murderer is not executed, it is not just simply injustice. It is that the land itself is defiled and profaned and becomes godless. So the kinsman, redeemer, avenger was not just simply providing justice, he was doing that, but he was also cleansing the land from becoming godless, thus keeping the judgment of God from off the land.
#20 | 16:59 to 17:47 | cleaned
Now, I want to show you how fastidious God was concerning this principle. Before I give you the scripture, I want to give you the quote from John Calvin on this subject. I want you to listen well, and then I'm going to show it to you from scripture. Calvin said it like this. He again reminds them that unless they should exercise severe justice against murderers, that they would be guilty of sin against God because the land stained with human blood is polluted and lying under his curse until expiation has been made. Again, since God dwells in the land of Canaan, having chosen his abode among the children of Israel, his sanctity is also profaned. The sum is that in every respect care should be taken lest the land which is sacred to God should be contaminated by blood.
#21 | 17:47 to 18:47 | cleaned
If you shall spare the murderer or take any satisfaction for him, you do together with yourselves involve your land and people in guilt and will certainly bring down God's vengeance upon yourselves and them. So according to the scripture then, the very land itself was defiled and polluted until the murderer was executed. So to show you how fastidious God was, I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 21. Look at this. Deuteronomy 21 and we'll begin reading there with verse 1. Deuteronomy 21 and verse 1. Watch carefully. God says, "If one be found slain in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee to possess it, lying in the field, and it be not known who has slain him."
#22 | 18:49 to 19:51 | cleaned
In other words, you just come upon a man who has been murdered. You don't have any idea who did it. What is to be done? Verse 2, "then the elders, thy elders and thy judges, shall come forth and they shall measure unto the cities which are round about him that is slain. And it shall be that the city which is next or closest to the slain man, even the elders of that city shall take an heifer, one that hath not been wrought with, and one which hath not grown in the yoke. And the elders of that city shall bring down the heifer into a rough valley which is neither eared nor sown, and shall strike off the heifer's neck there in the valley." And the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come near, for them the Lord thy God hath chosen to minister unto him, and to bless in the name of the Lord.
#23 | 19:51 to 20:43 | cleaned
"And by their word shall every controversy and every stroke be tried. And all the elders of that city that are next unto the slain man shall wash their hands over the heifer that is beheaded in the valley, and they shall answer and say, Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have I seen it. Be merciful, O LORD, unto thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, and lay not innocent blood unto thy people of Israel's charge, and the blood shall be forgiven them. So shalt thou put away the guilt of innocent blood from among you, when thou shalt do that which is right in the sight of the LORD."
#24 | 20:44 to 21:25 | cleaned
So, murder had to be dealt with, justice had to prevail, and the land had to be cleansed. And so they measured from the murdered man to the closest city. And once they determined the closest city, the elders came out with a heifer that had never been broken to yoke, never been worked with. They took that heifer to a rough valley that had never been plowed or sown.
#25 | 21:25 to 21:54 | cleaned
And they struck the heifer's neck off. They cut the head off. And then they had to wash their hands, and they say, "Our eyes have not seen who did this. Our hands have not done this. Be merciful unto thy people, O Lord." It's interesting that they were saying, "Our hands have not done it. Our eyes have not seen it." If their eyes had seen it, it would not be a heifer lying there dead.
#26 | 21:55 to 22:26 | cleaned
It would be the murderer. And so God is saying, look, this is the only way the land could be purged if something happened that no one knew who the murderer actually was. So God was very fastidious and still is concerning the defilement of the land. Now, if you wish to consider the defilement in America. First of all, you need to consider all the murderers that have been sitting on death row for years, and being fed and kept up at taxpayer expense.
#27 | 22:26 to 23:06 | cleaned
And some who claim they're the wrong gender, you even have to pay for their gender surgery to change their... It's absolutely insane. And moreover, you need to consider all the murderers who have murdered and gotten away with it, seemingly. I mean, they haven't been captured. I read the other day where they were still working on one murder that happened 30, 40 years ago. I mean, the murderer is just simply vanished, seemingly. So when you begin to think of all the murderers who are alive and well and have been for years sitting on death row and all the murderers who have escaped, don't let that stop you. And don't stop there. You consider the 60 million babies that have been aborted and murdered in this country, and no one basically has really lifted a finger. And when you stop and think that God is immutable, that is God is unchangeable, God did not spare Israel and Samaria. God did not spare Judah and Jerusalem. If God did not spare those countries when they sinned, obviously He's not going to spare us.
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I want you to look in your Bibles to 2 Kings chapter 24. 2 Kings chapter 24, and you're going to read about Manasseh. He was a very, very wicked king. But note, if you would, in 2 Kings chapter 24, beginning there with verse 3. And here we're reading about the judgment of God upon Judah and Jerusalem. And of course, Nebuchadnezzar is being sent against them. But notice verse 3. "Surely at the commandment of the Lord came this upon Judah to remove them out of his sight for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did. And also for the innocent blood that he shed, for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, which the Lord would not pardon." The avenger of blood was necessary, not only to execute justice, but also to make sure the land was not defiled by injustice and blood that was needlessly shed by idolatry and child sacrifice.
#29 | 24:26 to 25:35 | cleaned
was to be righted as well. Now, when we think of the injustice today, and there is so much going on in this country, we long for what would be known as a kinsman redeemer avenger. We see injustice on every hand. Murderers are allowed to live, rapists, kidnappers, and many others who commit violent crimes are just simply let go with a slap on the wrist. We understand that the family does not have the authority to execute anyone. It is true we may defend our lives, the lives of our family members, and even the lives of the others, but we do not have in each family a kinsman, redeemer, avenger, just like they did in the Old Testament. The power to execute has been given to the civil magistrate.
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I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 13. Romans chapter 13, and look, if you would please, just simply at the first four verses. Romans chapter 13, and of course, I preached on this passage and written books on this passage, but I want you to look at it. In Romans chapter 13, just dealing with the first four verses momentarily, look what the Bible says.
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Beginning there with verse one. "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers." And by the way, no matter how high you are in authority, there's always someone higher than you. And certainly the highest of the highest is God himself. He says, "for there is no power, no authority, no jurisdiction, but of God. The jurisdictions or powers or authorities that be are ordained of God." So anyone who has any authority, power, jurisdiction, God put them in that place. Therefore, he says in verse 2, "whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God, and they that resist shall receive for themselves damnation or condemnation." Now, look in verse 3.
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"For rulers," we're talking about civil rulers, magistrates. "For civil rulers or rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil." That's why God ordained them. "Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? Do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same. For he," the civil magistrate, the civil ruler, "for he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid."
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"For he beareth not the sword in vain. For he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil." Now, I want you to note in verse four, the civil magistrate is called a minister of God. In fact, he's called minister twice in verse four. And the Greek word there is diakonos, it's where we get our English word deacon from, and it literally means a servant. So it says the civil ruler is to be the deacon or the servant of God. Moreover, he is called there a revenger. And the word revenger is from the Greek word ekdikos, ek, which means out of, and dikos, righteousness. So he is to be the one who exacts righteousness out of. And in other words, he is to be executing God's righteousness, is what it amounts to. So here is the civil ruler that God has given the power to execute. That's why the Bible said, "he beareth not the sword in vain. He is a minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil."
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And I hope that you understand, according to Romans chapter 13, the civil magistrate basically only has two items to deal with. He has to punish the wicked and protect the righteous. And one of the ways you protect the righteous is by punishing the wicked. When you fail to punish the wicked, you're failing also to protect the righteous as well. So the magistrate is to do God's righteousness, to exude God's righteousness.
#35 | 29:21 to 29:46 | cleaned
Let me just quote a verse for you. You'll find it in 2 Chronicles 19, verse 6, where the Bible says this, "Then He said to the judges, take heed what you do, for you judge not for man, but for the Lord who is with you in the judgment." So the judges then were not to be judging for man, but they were to be judging for the Lord.
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The problem that we are experiencing today with our rulers, with our civil magistrates, is they do not consider themselves the deacons or servants of God. In fact, they don't even consider themselves as bound by the Constitution. They believe that they are autonomous, they're independent of God, they're independent of the Bible, they're independent of the Constitution, and each one basically becomes a law unto himself. They're much like the unjust judge that our Lord spoke of in Luke chapter 18.
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They will not give justice and will not do that which is right until they are absolutely forced to. And in such an instance, you see how the world is turned upside down. Look at the confusion and the chaos just based upon the fact that the Supreme Court would not rule on cases in which it was constitutionally bound to rule upon. Let me show you, I want you to look in your Bible, Psalm 82. Look in Psalm 82. Psalm 82 is a psalm actually against the civil magistrate. So, in Psalm 82, you'll find our Lord quoting part of this in the New Testament as well.
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I think it's John 10, if I'm not mistaken. But in Psalm 82, the Bible says, "God standeth in the congregation of the mighty, he judgeth among the gods." And the word gods there refers to the civil magistrates. Those to whom God has entrusted authority and power and placed them in that position to execute His judgment. So, look at verse 2. Here's the question to them. "How long will you judge unjustly and accept the persons of the wicked?" Now, here's what they should be doing. Look in verse 3.
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"Defend the poor and the fatherless. Do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy. Rip them out of the hand of the wicked."
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Now look what he says about these magistrates. "They know not. Neither will they understand. They walk on in darkness. All the foundations of the earth are out of course. I have said you are gods and all of your children are the most high." That's quoted in the New Testament by our Lord. Then he says, "but you shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes. Arise, O God, judge the earth, for thou shalt inherit all nations." In other words, God said, I've put you here to execute my judgment and to execute my righteousness.
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You're failing to do so. I put you in this position of honor and power and authority.
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Now, says God, you will die like men. I will judge you. I will execute you for your failure.
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Now, in light of this fact, that we don't have any magistrates in our land today that are biblical. We don't even have any that are constitutional. Who will act upon it? So the question is, what are we going to do? Obviously, we cannot control the wicked. We cannot make them do which is right according to God's law. So where are we? What are the answers? Well, I can answer those questions in two ways. First of all, we must consider an answer based upon law and responsibility. We must give a first answer based upon law, listen carefully, and responsibility. You remember I told you last week that Article 6, paragraph 2 of the United States Constitution says that the Constitution is supposed to be the supreme law of the land.
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And every judge and every officer is bound thereto. So let me give you an article right out of the Constitution. Here it is. U.S. Constitution, Article 1, Section 8, Clause 15. Listen. Militia. What is the militia to do? Militia to execute the laws of the Union suppress insurrections and repel invasions. To execute the laws of the Union. Without me getting involved to a great extent historically, let me just give you two quotes by founding fathers.
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The first one is Richard Henry Lee. He says, "a militia when properly formed are in fact the people themselves, and include all men capable of bearing arms, to preserve liberty it is essential that the whole body of people always possess arms." And then George Mason, who was also one of the authors of the Fairfax Resolves, said this, "that the people have a right to masks and to bear arms that a well-regulated militia composed of the body of the people, trained to arms, is the proper, natural, and safe defense of a free state, that standing armies in the time of peace are dangerous to liberty and therefore ought to be avoided."
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Now, I'm going to continue with Title 10 of the United States Code, Section 311, on the militia. I want you to listen to what the United States Code says. Militia. Composition and classes. The militia of the United States consists of all able-bodied males at least 17 years of age, and except as provided in Section 313 of Title 32, under 45 years of age, who are, or who have made a declaration of intention to become citizens of the United States, and a female citizen of the United States who are members of the National Guard.
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Now, so far it has just said that everyone who's between 17 and 45 is automatically in the militia. Okay?
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Now, they mention National Guard as well. But listen, here's the next subject. The classes of the militia are, number one, the organized militia, which consists of the National Guard and the naval militia. And number two, the unorganized militia, which consists of the members of the militia who are not members of the National Guard or the naval militia. So, there is an organized militia, there is an unorganized militia, and the unorganized militia is every individual who's capable of bearing arms. Isn't that amazing? Now, here's what someone's going to object and say, well, we don't need the militia, we've got the police. Well, here's a quote from Darren L.
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Hutchinson, a professor and associate dean at the University of Florida School of Law. Here's what Professor Hutchinson said, quote, "neither the Constitution nor state law imposes a general duty upon police officers or other governmental officials to protect individuals from harm, even when they know that harm will occur. Police can watch someone attack you and refuse to intervene and not violate the Constitution. The Supreme Court has repeatedly held that the government has only a duty to protect persons who are in custody. If I'm arrested, they have a duty to protect me.
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But if they see four thugs beating me mercilessly on the street. They can stand there with their arms folded and not intervene and not save me, not protect me. And there's nothing can be done about it constitutionally. It may be immoral. It may not be right. But I'm just simply saying when it comes to that, they have no duty to protect. Which is why I'm pointing out the fact the first answer was based upon law and responsibility. You see, the truth of the matter is today, most people do not want to accept responsibility for themselves. Most people are not interested in protecting themselves. They're not interested in obtaining weapons. They're not interested in training with those weapons. They're not interested in even taking care of their health. They're not interested even in working.
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And if you get a universal basic income, you're talking about soreness. Why in the world is anybody going to work when you have money handed to you? I'm just simply saying, it's a slap in the face of personal responsibility. God never entrusted the police to protect us. He gave us the responsibility to protect ourselves and our families. So the very first answer, of course, is based upon law and responsibility.
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Now, I want to continue with that. I want you to look in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 5. Because here's something that may not have entered in your mind before, but I want to share it with you now and make you think about this. First Corinthians chapter five. Do you realize that church discipline is actually an enforcement of God's law as well? We're talking about law and personal responsibility. Look in verse one of first Corinthians five. "It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication is not so much as even named among the Gentiles," the unsaved, "that one should have his father's wife."
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Now, this was not necessarily his mother, it was probably his stepmother. And he said, "and you are puffed up and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, to deliver such as one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ."
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So here's a man that is guilty not only of adultery, fornication, covetousness, wickedness. And the apostle said, this sin is not even reported among the wicked, the ungodly. It's so awful. It's so terrible. And he said, and you haven't even mourned about it. You haven't done one thing about it. He said, here's what you do. You judge this man. You have church discipline. You put him out.
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You deliver him over to Satan to the destruction of the flesh. In other words, excommunicate him. Put him out under the judgment of God. So. Do you understand this is also a violation of Amos 2 and verse 7, where God says "they pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and turn aside the way of the meek, and a man and his father will go into the same maid to profane my holy name." God said it's a profanation.
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Now the church does not have the power to execute anyone. I can't execute anyone. You can't execute anyone. But the church does have the power and does have the authority to discipline someone and to put him out and set him out under the judgment of God as well. Unhappily, most people are not willing to fulfill their responsibility to protect themselves and others, whether it is physical or whether it is spiritual.
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You know, one time in my entire life, one time, one time, I had a deacon come to me and say to me, "Pastor, we have a matter for church discipline." And I was kind of shocked because I didn't know of anything like that. And I said, "well, please tell me what it is." And it was his own daughter. It was his own daughter. And yes, we did exercise church discipline upon her. And yes, thankfully, by the grace of God, she repented. But I'm just simply saying one time in my entire life, I've had someone who is a Christian come to me and say, "we have a matter for church discipline." And it had to be his own daughter that he understood needed to be disciplined by the church. Do you understand that church discipline is nothing less than enforcement of God's law? That's what it is. Now, there's another answer. I'm going to give it to you.
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It is true that each family does not have a kinsman, redeemer, avenger the way they did in the Old Testament. But that does not mean that we do not have a kinsman, redeemer, avenger. Do you remember the passage in Romans 8 and verse 29 where Jesus Christ is our elder brother? He is the firstborn among many brethren. So, He is our head. We're His body. So He is our next of kin.
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He not only has the ability to redeem, He has already willingly redeemed. That's why Ephesians 1 and verse 7 says, "in whom we have redemption through His blood." So Jesus Christ is basically our kinsman, redeemer, avenger.
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Now, if you will go back in your Bibles and look, please, at First Thessalonians, chapter four and verse six, and then I'm going to show you a number of other passages very quickly. But look at this. And here in the same instance, it is talking about fornication. It's talking about adultery. It's talking about uncleanness. He says in verse six, "that no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter or the matter," because he's talking about fornication. Look back in verse three, "for this is the will of God. Even your sanctification, you should have stained from fornication, that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel and sanctification and honor." Verse five, "not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles, which know not God, that no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter."
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"because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we have also forewarned you and testified." Note, if you would, the Lord is the avenger. Do you realize the same Greek word in Romans 13 in verse 4 is the same word in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 and verse 6, he is the one that exacts righteousness out of.
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Now, I want you to turn with me very quickly to a number of passages. The first one is Deuteronomy chapter 32. I want to just show you that God himself is indeed our kinsman, redeemer, avenger. So in Deuteronomy chapter 32, begin there with verse 39. Deuteronomy 32 and verse 39.
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Watch what God says. "See now that I, even I am He, and there is no God with me. I kill and I make a life. I wound and I heal. Neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand. For I lift up mine hand to heaven and I say, I live forever." Now watch verse 41. "If I wet my glittering sword and mine hand take hold on judgment, I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me. I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh, and that with the blood of the slain and of the captives, from the beginning of the revengeances upon the enemy." God said, if I lift up my hand, if I wet my glittering sword, if I start, I will finish it.
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Look in your Bibles to Psalm 58 very quickly. Psalm 58. And notice, if you would, beginning there with verse 10. And when you get home, you should read all of Psalm 58. But look, if you would, in Psalm 58, verses 10 and 11. The Bible says "the righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance." Oh, we will see something happening. "The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance. He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked so that a man shall say, verily, there is a reward for the righteous. Verily, He is a God that judges in the earth." What does it say? God will be our avenger. Look in your Bibles to Isaiah 49. Isaiah 49. And let's begin reading there with verse 25. Isaiah 49 and verse 25.
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Isaiah 49 verse 25. "But thus said the Lord, even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered, for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children." So God said, I will fight against him that fights against you, "and I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh. And they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine, and all flesh shall know that I, the Lord, am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob." God said, I'll make them eat their own flesh, drink their own blood.
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Turn in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Revelation chapter 6. Revelation chapter 6, I'm sure that you are familiar with this passage. But look, if you would, beginning there with verse 9. Revelation 6 and verse 9. And I want you to understand the answer to this question. Revelation 6, verse 9. "And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held."
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In other words, they were martyred. "And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?" Lord, they murdered us. How long, O Lord, wilt thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? "And white robes were given unto every one of them, and it was said unto them that they should rest yet a little while for a little season, until their fellow servants, also their brethren, that should be killed, as they were, should be fulfilled." Note if you would, "and white robes were given unto them, and it was said unto them that they should rest yet for a little while." In other words, God said it's not quite yet time. But when it is time, when all of those who die for the faith as you did, I will take care.
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Now, if you would turn back in your Bibles to 2 Thessalonians chapter 1. 2 Thessalonians chapter 1. Here it is, and I do not see how it could be misinterpreted. It is very, very plain. 2 Thessalonians chapter 1, beginning there with verse 6. 2 Thessalonians 1 and verse 6. Note what the Bible says, "seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you." And the word recompense means to pay back. Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to pay back tribulation to them that trouble you.
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"And to you who are troubled rest with us. For the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power, when he shall come to be glorified in his saints and to be admired in all them that believe."
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"because our testimony among you was believed in that day." Now, note, if you would, in verse 7, "and you who are troubled, rest with us. When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, taking what? Vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." May I remind you of something? All of the Old Testament kinsmen, redeemer, avengers were just pictures and types of the one true kinsmen, redeemer, avenger, the Lord Jesus Christ. Because the Lord Jesus Christ is the one who completely and totally satisfied the justice of God. And therefore, he is the only one who can exact a perfect justice. He is the true punisher of evildoers. That is what the Apostle Paul said in Romans 2 and verse 2. "But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth.
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against all such who commit such things." So God will judge in truth. So, I can assure you, our kinsman, Redeemer, Avenger, will act in His time, in His way. It is a truth of Scripture where our Lord said, "He that toucheth Thee, toucheth the apple of My eye." And clearly, whatever is done to the body is done to the head. And Jesus Christ is our head, and we are His body.
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Now, let me try to make some applications. We've had three messages now on the Bible and law enforcement. I want you to understand, first of all, that each Christian is to be engaged in law enforcement, first of all, by self-discipline and self-restraint. It has to begin with us. We have to discipline ourselves. We have to learn to restrain ourselves. We have to learn to live and to act according to God's law. Each Christian should be engaged in law enforcement by protecting his own life, and the life of his family, and the life of his neighbors, and the life of his friends. Each church should be engaged in law enforcement when it exercises church discipline, when it is needed and necessary. And each Christian should also be engaged in law enforcement by imprecatory praying and intercession.
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Now, I've already mentioned the unjust judge in Luke chapter 18. You remember how the widow woman came to this unjust judge and said, "avenge me, my adversary." And he would not. The Bible said he was an unjust judge. He feared not God nor regarded man. And this little woman just kept coming and coming and coming. And finally, the unjust judge said to himself, "though I fear not God nor regard man, yet I don't give this woman what she wants just to get her off my back," you know. And then you get verses 7 and 8 where our Lord makes the application to what He just said. And then He says this, "And shall not God avenge His own elect who cry unto Him day and night, though He bear long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily."
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I think one of our problems is we've not been asking God to intervene. We've not been praying that God will make things right. We've not been praying, "Arise, O Lord, and make bare Thine arm." We've not been praying, "Lord, do something." Even if you are a gentle soul and certainly do not even want to think about divine vengeance, at least you could pray what the psalmist said in Psalm 9, "Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish thou the just." Surely, that's an easy prayer to pray. Here's another one.
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I hope you understand this. Everyone in this room knows what is known as the Lord's Prayer or the model prayer, and everyone can pray it. "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come." Now listen. "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Do you realize, when you pray that prayer, and you pray that request, you're asking God to enforce His law on this earth. For His law is His will. That's why the Bible says in Deuteronomy 29, 29, "the secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things which are revealed belong to us and our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law." So when we pray, "thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven," we're saying, "Lord God, enforce your will, enforce your law upon the inhabitants of this earth."
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We as Christians are to be law enforcement officers in the sense that we enforce God's law in our lives and in the lives of others by teaching and instruction and by giving counsel and direction. Whose law will we enforce? Whose law will we have in our life, in our family, in our society, in our neighborhood? Those who refuse to be ruled by God condemn themselves to be ruled by man.
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Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow before Thee. We ask You for Your grace, Your mercy, Your goodness, Your kindness, to help us, Lord, to understand these principles and help us, Lord, to apply them to our lives and teach us, Lord, self-discipline and restraint and how to govern our lives according to your word and to your truth. We do pray, Father, for your people in this nation. Lord, God, open our eyes and open our ears and open our hearts. Turn us, O God, and we shall be turned. Quicken us, and we shall call upon Thy name.
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Give us repentance and give us faith. In the name of Jesus Christ we ask and pray. Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T23:36:05Z

The Bible and Law Enforcement - Part 3

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

In this third and final lesson on the Bible and law enforcement, John Weaver reviews the distinction between law enforcement and regulation enforcement, emphasizing that God's law must be primary. He develops the biblical concept of the kinsman-redeemer-avenger, showing from Numbers 35 and Deuteronomy 21 that executing justice was required to cleanse the land from defilement. Because the civil magistrate today often fails to execute God's justice, believers must take personal responsibility for self-defense and church discipline. Ultimately, Jesus Christ is the true Kinsman-Redeemer-Avenger who will perfectly avenge His people, and Christians should engage in imprecatory prayer, asking God to enforce His law on earth.

Introduction and Review

Weaver opens with 1 Thessalonians 4:6 and reviews the difference between law enforcement and regulation enforcement, citing examples of corrupt quota systems in Chicago.

Scripture Reading — 1 Thessalonians 4:6

"that no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter or the matter, because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified."

The Argument from the Lesser to the Greater

Using Deuteronomy 22 and Exodus 23, Weaver argues that if God requires us to preserve the lives of animals, even those of our enemies, how much more are we obligated to preserve human life.

The Kinsman-Redeemer-Avenger in the Old Testament

Weaver reviews the qualifications of the kinsman-redeemer-avenger and explains that this office was responsible for executing justice and cleansing the land from bloodguilt.

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 24:16

"And it came to pass, as soon as the kingdom was confirmed in his hand, that he slew his servants, which had slain his king, the father. But the children of the murderers he slew not, according unto the law which was written in the book of the law of Moses, where the Lord commanded Moses, saying, The father shall not be put to death for the children, nor the children to be put to death for the fathers, but every man

The Defilement of the Land by Unpunished Murder

From Numbers 35 and Deuteronomy 21, Weaver demonstrates that unpunished murder defiles the land, and God required even unsolved murders to be atoned for by a heifer sacrifice.

The Failure of Modern Civil Magistrates

Weaver laments that modern rulers do not see themselves as God's ministers, leading to injustice, and cites Psalm 82 as God's indictment against unjust judges.

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 24:3-4

"Surely at the commandment of the Lord came this upon Judah to remove them out of his sight for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did. And also for the innocent blood that he shed, for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, which the Lord would not pardon."

The avenger of blood was necessary, not only to execute justice, but also to make sure the land was not defiled by injustice and blood that was needlessly shed by idolatry and child sacrifice.

Scripture Reading — Romans 13:1-4

"Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers."

And by the way, no matter how high you are in authority, there's always someone higher than you. And certainly the highest of the highest is God himself. He says,

Scripture Reading — Romans 13:1-4

"for there is no power, no authority, no jurisdiction, but of God. The jurisdictions or powers or authorities that be are ordained of God."

So anyone who has any authority, power, jurisdiction, God put them in that place. Therefore, he says in verse 2,

Scripture Reading — Romans 13:1-4

"whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God, and they that resist shall receive for themselves damnation or condemnation."

Now, look in verse 3.

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 19:6

"Then He said to the judges, take heed what you do, for you judge not for man, but for the Lord who is with you in the judgment."

So the judges then were not to be judging for man, but they were to be judging for the Lord.

I think it's John 10, if I'm not mistaken. But in Psalm 82, the Bible says,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 82:1-8

"God standeth in the congregation of the mighty, he judgeth among the gods."

Scripture Reading — Psalm 82:1-8

"How long will you judge unjustly and accept the persons of the wicked?"

Now, here's what they should be doing. Look in verse 3.

"Defend the poor and the fatherless. Do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy. Rip them out of the hand of the wicked."

You're failing to do so. I put you in this position of honor and power and authority. Now, says God, you will die like men. I will judge you. I will execute you for your failure.

Personal Responsibility and the Militia

Church Discipline as Law Enforcement

Using 1 Corinthians 5, Weaver teaches that church discipline is a form of enforcing God's law, though the church does not have the power of execution.

Jesus Christ as the Ultimate Kinsman-Redeemer-Avenger

Scripture Reading — Psalm 58:10-11

"the righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance."

Oh, we will see something happening.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 58:10-11

"The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance. He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked so that a man shall say, verily, there is a reward for the righteous. Verily, He is a God that judges in the earth."

What does it say? God will be our avenger. Look in your Bibles to Isaiah 49. Isaiah 49. And let's begin reading there with verse 25. Isaiah 49 and verse 25.

The Bible and Law Enforcement - Part 3

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	125211831447571
Subject	Civil Government
Course	Civil Government: Magistracy, Authority, and Romans 13: Authority
Genre	Sermon
Date	2021-01-24
Dictation Name
Book	Book 012: The Bible and Law Enforcement — Chapter 3
Source Timed Segments	79

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction and Review: Weaver opens with 1 Thessalonians 4:6 and reviews the difference between law enforcement and regulation enforcement, citing examples of corrupt quota systems in Chicago.
The Argument from the Lesser to the Greater: Using Deuteronomy 22 and Exodus 23, Weaver argues that if God requires us to preserve the lives of animals, even those of our enemies, how much more are we obligated to preserve human life.
The Kinsman-Redeemer-Avenger in the Old Testament: Weaver reviews the qualifications of the kinsman-redeemer-avenger and explains that this office was responsible for executing justice and cleansing the land from bloodguilt.
The Defilement of the Land by Unpunished Murder: From Numbers 35 and Deuteronomy 21, Weaver demonstrates that unpunished murder defiles the land, and God required even unsolved murders to be atoned for by a heifer sacrifice.
The Failure of Modern Civil Magistrates: Weaver laments that modern rulers do not see themselves as God's ministers, leading to injustice, and cites Psalm 82 as God's indictment against unjust judges.
Personal Responsibility and the Militia: Weaver argues from the U.S. Constitution and federal code that the militia is the people themselves, and that police have no constitutional duty to protect individuals, so citizens must take responsibility for self-defense.
Church Discipline as Law Enforcement: Using 1 Corinthians 5, Weaver teaches that church discipline is a form of enforcing God's law, though the church does not have the power of execution.
Jesus Christ as the Ultimate Kinsman-Redeemer-Avenger: Weaver shows from multiple Scriptures that Jesus is our elder brother and the true avenger who will execute perfect justice, and believers should pray for God's vengeance and the coming of His kingdom.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

If we must preserve animals, we must preserve human life

God's law requiring the rescue of a neighbor's or enemy's animal implies a greater obligation to preserve human life.

Deuteronomy 22:1-2 and Exodus 23:4-5 command helping animals; the argument from the lesser to the greater applies this to human life.

Unpunished murder defiles the land

Numbers 35 teaches that bloodshed pollutes the land, and only the execution of the murderer can cleanse it; this principle remains because God is immutable.

Numbers 35:33-34 states the land is defiled by blood and must be cleansed by the blood of the murderer.

Civil magistrates are God's ministers for justice

Romans 13 designates rulers as God's deacons to punish evildoers and protect the righteous, but modern magistrates fail in this duty.

Romans 13:1-4 calls the ruler a minister of God and a revenger to execute wrath.

Police have no duty to protect individuals

Constitutional law does not require police to protect citizens from harm, so individuals must take responsibility for self-defense.

Weaver quotes Professor Darren L. Hutchinson stating police can watch an attack and refuse to intervene without violating the Constitution.

The militia is the people themselves

The U.S. Constitution and federal law define the militia as all able-bodied citizens, who are responsible to execute the laws and defend liberty.

Article 1, Section 8, Clause 15 and Title 10 U.S. Code Section 311 are cited, along with quotes from Richard Henry Lee and George Mason.

Church discipline enforces God's law

The church has authority to excommunicate unrepentant sinners, which is a form of law enforcement within the body of Christ.

1 Corinthians 5 commands the church to deliver the fornicator to Satan for the destruction of the flesh.

Jesus is the true Kinsman-Redeemer-Avenger

All Old Testament avengers were types of Christ, who as our elder brother has redeemed us and will execute perfect vengeance.

Romans 8:29, Ephesians 1:7, and 1 Thessalonians 4:6 are used to show Christ as our kinsman and avenger.

Christians should pray for God's vengeance

Believers are to pray imprecatory prayers, asking God to avenge His elect and enforce His law, as taught in Luke 18 and the Lord's Prayer.

Luke 18:7-8 promises God will avenge His elect who cry to Him; the Lord's Prayer asks for God's will to be done on earth.

Scripture References

1 Thessalonians 4:6: Introduced as a key verse; the Lord is the avenger of those who defraud their brother, especially in sexual sin.
Deuteronomy 22:1-2: Command to return a neighbor's stray animal, used to argue for the duty to preserve life.
Exodus 23:4-5: Command to help even an enemy's animal, strengthening the argument for preserving human life.
Leviticus 25:48-49: Qualification of the kinsman-redeemer: must be a near kinsman.
Leviticus 25:50-53: Qualification: must have the means to redeem.
Ruth 4:1-7: Qualification: must be willing to redeem, as Boaz was.
Deuteronomy 24:16: Fathers and children not to be put to death for each other's sins; only the murderer dies.
2 Kings 14:5-6: Amaziah executed his father's murderers but not their children, obeying Deuteronomy 24:16.
Numbers 35:15-34: Detailed laws on the avenger of blood, cities of refuge, and the defilement of the land by unpunished murder.
Deuteronomy 21:1-9: Procedure for unsolved murders: the nearest city must sacrifice a heifer to cleanse the land from innocent blood.
2 Kings 24:3-4: Judgment came on Judah for Manasseh's innocent blood, which the Lord would not pardon.
Romans 13:1-4: Civil magistrates are God's ministers, bearing the sword to execute wrath on evildoers.
2 Chronicles 19:6: Judges judge not for man but for the Lord, who is with them in judgment.
Psalm 82:1-8: God judges the unjust magistrates who fail to defend the poor and needy; they will die like men.
1 Corinthians 5:1-5: Church discipline for the fornicator; deliver him to Satan for the destruction of the flesh.
Amos 2:7: A man and his father going into the same maid profanes God's holy name.
Romans 8:29: Jesus is the firstborn among many brethren, our elder brother and kinsman.
Ephesians 1:7: In Christ we have redemption through His blood.
Deuteronomy 32:39-42: God declares He will render vengeance and make His arrows drunk with blood.
Psalm 58:10-11: The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance and washes his feet in the blood of the wicked.

Historical References

Chief Mumbo fired for solving crimes instead of enforcing revenue regulations: Weaver mentions this as an example of the conflict between law enforcement and regulation enforcement.
Chicago Police Department illegal quota system exposed by Lt. Franklin Paz: Paz was demoted for exposing a quota system that pressured officers to make arrests and stops regardless of crime.
John Calvin's commentary on Numbers 35: Calvin stated that sparing murderers defiles the land and brings God's curse until expiation is made.
U.S. Constitution, Article 1, Section 8, Clause 15: The militia is to execute the laws of the Union, suppress insurrections, and repel invasions.
Richard Henry Lee quote on the militia: Lee said the militia are the people themselves and must possess arms to preserve liberty.
George Mason quote on the militia: Mason said a well-regulated militia composed of the body of the people is the proper defense of a free state.
Title 10 U.S. Code Section 311 on militia composition: Defines the organized and unorganized militia, including all able-bodied males 17-45.
Professor Darren L. Hutchinson on police duty to protect: Hutchinson stated police have no constitutional duty to protect individuals from harm.

Important Quotes

that no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter or the matter, because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.

Key verse for the entire series, establishing God as the ultimate avenger.

I need activity.

Quote from Deputy Chief Bars illustrating the corrupt focus on quotas over justice.

So you shall not pollute the land wherein you are. For blood, it defiled the land. And the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it.

Central biblical principle that unpunished murder defiles the land and requires the murderer's blood for cleansing.

How long will you judge unjustly and accept the persons of the wicked?

God's indictment against corrupt magistrates from Psalm 82.

neither the Constitution nor state law imposes a general duty upon police officers or other governmental officials to protect individuals from harm, even when they know that harm will occur.

Legal reality underscoring the need for personal responsibility in self-defense.

And shall not God avenge His own elect who cry unto Him day and night, though He bear long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily.

Promise that God will answer the persistent prayers of His people for justice.

Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

The Lord's Prayer as a petition for God to enforce His law on earth.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

What is the difference between law enforcement and regulation enforcement, and why does it matter?

[Context]

Weaver emphasizes that God's law must be primary and that many modern 'laws' are merely regulations for revenue or control.

[Question]

How does the argument from the lesser to the greater apply to our duty to protect human life?

[Context]

Using Deuteronomy 22 and Exodus 23, Weaver argues that if we must help animals, we must certainly help humans.

[Question]

In what ways does unpunished murder defile a land, and what are the implications for our nation?

[Context]

Numbers 35 and Deuteronomy 21 teach that bloodshed pollutes the land, and Weaver applies this to America's abortion and injustice.

[Question]

What is the biblical role of civil magistrates, and how do modern rulers fail in that role?

[Context]

Romans 13 and Psalm 82 show that rulers are to be God's ministers for justice, but many today are unjust.

[Question]

What does the Constitution say about the militia, and how does that relate to personal responsibility for self-defense?

[Context]

Weaver cites the Constitution and federal law to argue that the people are the militia and must be armed and trained.

[Question]

How is church discipline a form of law enforcement, and why is it often neglected?

[Context]

1 Corinthians 5 commands the church to judge and excommunicate unrepentant sinners, but Weaver notes it is rarely practiced.

[Question]

What does it mean that Jesus is our Kinsman-Redeemer-Avenger, and how should that affect our response to injustice?

[Context]

Weaver shows from multiple Scriptures that Christ will perfectly avenge His people, so we can trust Him and pray for His intervention.

[Question]

How should Christians pray in light of the promise that God will avenge His elect?

[Context]

Using Luke 18 and the Lord's Prayer, Weaver encourages imprecatory prayer and asking God to enforce His will on earth.

Applications

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