What does the Old Testament say about the role of police? Old Testament: God is a God of Two justice principles in the Old Testament: In emergencies the ‘hue and cry’ principle Trigger warning: sexual assualt Bible passage Deuteronomy 22:23-27 23 “Suppose a man meets a young woman, a virgin who is engaged to be married, and he has sexual intercourse with her. If this happens within a town, 24 you must take both of them to the gates of that town and stone them to death. The woman is guilty because she did not scream for help. The man must die because he violated another man’s wife. In this way, you will purge this evil from among you. 25 “But if the man meets the engaged woman out in the country, and he rapes her, then only the man must die. 26 Do nothing to the young woman; she has committed no crime worthy of death. She is as innocent as a murder victim. 27 Since the man raped her out in the country, it must be assumed that she screamed, but there was no one to rescue her. In non-emergencies the ‘Kinsmen Redeemer’ principle Psalm 82:3-4 3 “Give justice to the poor and the orphan; uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute. 4 Rescue the poor and helpless; deliver them from the grasp of evil people. New Testament: Justice for all, especially the Romans 13:1-5 Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. 2 So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished. 3 For the authorities do not strike fear in people who are doing right, but in those who are doing wrong. Would you like to live without fear of the authorities? Do what is right, and they will honor you. 4 The authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good. But if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for they have the power to punish you. They are God’s servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong. 5 So you must submit to them, not only to avoid punishment, but also to keep a clear conscience. Luke 3:14 “What should we do?” asked some soldiers. John replied, “Don’t extort money or make false accusations. And be content with your pay.” Racism not soley a police problem but a societal one. Genesis 1:27 So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Matthew 7:12 Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. The Bible yearns for a world without protests, racism and killing. Micah 4:3 The Lord will mediate between peoples and will settle disputes between strong nations far away. They will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer fight against nation, nor train for war anymore. Our ultimate allergiance is to Questions for D Group/personal study: How did you react to the events at Capitol Hill last week? Read Romans 13:1-7. Why do you think society has moved away from respecting those in authority? Is this a good or bad thing? Why? Have you ever been in a position where those in authority have not reflected God’s justice and goodness? What did you do then? Have you ever experienced or witnessed racism? What did you do? Read Genesis 1:27. What does it mean for you that you are created by God for a divine purpose? What can your group do to help you live out that purpose? Read Micah 4:3. How can your group works towards this prophetic dream being realized here and now?