From Pastor Ben
Trivia:
Here is a easy question. Which president's picture is on the $2.00 bill? Is it, George Washington or Andrew Jackson, or maybe Abraham Lincoln, or is it Thomas Jefferson? If you guessed Thomas Jefferson you were right.
Here's a bit a trivia that I never was aware of. Did you know? The first five U.S. presidents were never photographed. Imagine that!
Challenge:
Ecclesiastes 8:11
"When a crime is not punished quickly, people feel it is safe to do wrong."
This verse lays out the evidence opposing the thought that all men are basically good. However, Solomon found this thought throughout his life experience to be totally false. His conclusion was that apart from justice and truth being defended that mankind in general, particularly if godless with no inner conscience, will be prone to evil doing. If their conduct is devoid of any consequence for wrong doing then he will naturally be prone to carry out wrong deeds
The lack of a timely judgment encourages further wickedness because generally when it appears that there will be no consequences, or at best a slow punishment, then a bad behavior will continue to follow.
For example: Can you think of any cases3 when God postponed punishment on Israel? Or when He let a guilty person or a nation, after being warned, allowed to live longer?
Here are some incidents where punishment was required:
Take a look at Exodus 21:20-31 Farmer who harmed his servant & an ox harmed another person or animal
2. Ezra 9:1-15 Jews innermarried
with the Canaanites, the Hittites,
the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the
Ammonites, the Moabites, the
Egyptians, and the Amorites,
and were ultimately condemned
to become slaves in foreign
lands.
Proverbs 21:11 says,"When the scorner is punished, the simple is made wise: and when the wise is instructed, (punished) he receives knowledge." Solomon's conclusion was that endless delays in the trial and punishment of criminals result in encouraging lawlessness and then this results in creating contempt for any judicial system.
Now let me say that it is important to guarantee that every defendant has a fair trial. However, it is possible to overprotect the criminal at the expense of his or her victim. Fair and impartial justice being carried out promptly serves as a deterrent to crime. On the other hand, to postpone punishment make offenders more determined to break the law. They begin to reason that they can get away with breaking the law, or at least get a light sentence.
All of mankind has the tendency to think that when he or she gets away with evil it is only because God doesn't move quickly in judgment or doesn't disapprove. In 2 Peter 3:9 Peter says, "God is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." But people make a dreadful error whenever they mistake the mercy of God for apathy, impotency, or approval. Just because God is patient with us doesn't mean that we should assume He approves of what we're doing, or that He doesn't care what we're doing, or that He is powerless to bring judgment concerning what we're doing.
SO GO WITH GOD, my dear one, He will patiently guide us and keep us from slipping into evil doing to the point that we disregard righteous living. He only wants what best for us, and He will aright our lives when we stray from His ways of blessings.