Under the Old Covenant, God’s approach was “kill it before it spreads.” Priests were the highest authority in the land before Israel became a monarchy. If you lipped off to a priest after he reprimanded you, you were to be executed. God is a huge fan of the death penalty. Without it, societies run amuck with unchecked violence. If Israel had actually abided by Yahweh’s laws, she would have maintained her reverence for God. But as it was, she ignored His system of justice and let the hardcore rebels in her midst to prosper. Children who showed no respect for authority were allowed to grow up into uncontrollable monsters. Samson was an excellent example of what happens when a brat isn’t disciplined properly. According to Yahweh’s laws, Samson should have been executed many times over. But at the time he lived, Israel was in a state of anarchy and no one cared about justice. So Samson got away with fornicating, brutalizing people, dishonoring his parents, murdering, and spitting in God’s face. The man was one long repulsive string of rebellious acts until God finally took him out (see Samson).

When we look around the world today, we find many Samsons running about. Terrorists are gunning down whoever they please. Children are cussing out their parents. Gunmen are blasting their way into schools and shopping malls. Murderers drift in and out of prison like they’re checking into a hotel. All of this is because our governments have fallen down in their God-given roles as administrators of justice, and to God, justice has always included the death penalty.