Difficult Questions: Does God Condone Killing by the Military or Law Enforcement?
From time to time, we dig into Scripture and seek answers to difficult questions from the Bible. Today, we are asking the question: “Does God condone killing by the military or law enforcement?”
Many people have wrestled with this question, but we can find the answer in the Bible. One of the ten commandments says, “Thou shalt not kill.” However, if we look in the original language, a better translation would be “Thou shalt not murder.” It is speaking of purposeful murder. But, is it okay when a soldier or law enforcement officer or similar authorities take out criminals, or others who pose a threat? What does the Word tell us about that?
When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out before you many nations—the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you— and when the Lord your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy them totally. Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy. Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, for they will turn your children away from following me to serve other gods, and the Lord’s anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy you. This is what you are to do to them: Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles and burn their idols in the fire. For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession. Deuteronomy 7:1-6 (New International Version, NIV) emphasis mine
When an enemy poses a deadly threat, God expects us to fight that enemy. God commanded Israel to go into the land and take out the wicked people who were not serving God and had no intention of doing so. If they didn’t do so, the wicked would destroy the righteous. Joshua was s soldier and Israel had many troops to go in and take out the enemy, killing them and erasing any proof of their existence. God knew if they did not destroy their enemies, then they would draw the Israelites away from God.
If the wicked refuse to repent, they will destroy society. Whether it is a dangerous criminal, an evil country, or whoever, they must be stopped from their acts of destruction. God initiated capital punishment- it was His idea. Stoning wasn’t something you did to show someone you approved of them! It was a form of capital punishment. Sometimes the only way to stop or prevent evil from taking over is to put a person or people to death.
A law enforcement officer must enforce the law in order to protect the innocent. He needs to do so with right motives and attitudes, but He is there to keep us safe, even if it means killing someone who is trying to cause harm. This is similar to the role of a soldier. Both are called to protect, uphold right, and put down evil. We must have law and order or there will be chaos in our communities and our world.
When good military, law enforcement, or government becomes corrupt, not upholding the law and not protecting the people as they are sworn to do, they must be removed and replaced. Law and order are preserved when dedicated men and women enforce it properly.
Jesus is our ultimate example. He overcame evil with good when He gave Himself on the cross and was resurrected from the dead. But, according to Revelation chapters 19-21, He is coming to earth a second time to put down evil and to rule and reign for 1,000 years. Then, He will destroy all the wicked who did not repent during His 1,000 year reign. Jesus Himself will not permit evil people to remain.
So, given all we have discussed, God does condone the military and law enforcement killing people in order to remove evil, protect the innocent, and maintain order. God hates murder, but He permits the removal of the wicked by death.
