Participate in the Manuscript

We are going to be working on a new book outlining what Scripture has to say on this subject. Anyone that would like to participate, now is the time to get your input in. I will try post the book bit by bit as it is written/noted/etc.

Very much a work in process:

The Covenant of Betrothal

Affirming the Sufficiency of Scripture over the Marriage Process

By Vaughn Ohlman

Contents

Introduction. 3

Does Scripture insist on the Suffiency, Clarity, Inerrancy, and Authority of Scripture?. Error! Bookmark not defined.

How does Scripture show the importance of studying this issue?. Error! Bookmark not defined.

How does Scripture define Marriage?. 3

What does Scripture show Marriage and the Marriage Process accomplishing?. 6

How does Scripture define the various roles in the marriage process?. 7

What Marriage Process do we see in Scripture?. 8

Appendix A : What should the entire marriage process look like?. 8

What should the basic Process look like?. 8

How can we support the practice of betrothal in the rest of our lives?. 8

Appendix B: How well do the various current methods and processes accomplish the Scriptural Principles concerning the marriage process. 8

Dating. 8

Courtship. 8

Partial Betrothal 8

Introduction

Scripture is Sufficient, Clear, Inerrant and Authoritative.

What does Scripture say about the Sufficiency, Clarity and Inerrancy of Scripture

II tim 3

LBC

WCF

What does Scripture say about the Authority of Scripture

Psalm 19

Psalm 119

So is Scripture sufficient for this area of our life?

The Air Conditioner Argument

Scripture shows pattern and precept as authoritative.

I Pet 3

Hebrews

Psalm 119 on Testimonies

2 Tim 3:16 'all scripture'

NT using OT examples as doctrine

Jesus on David

This is not a salvation issue. Does that mean it is irrelevant?

Communion

Baptism

Paying Elders

Head Coverings

Gifts of the Spirit

All decently and in order

Pattern of this book:

Adam: God’s original provision

Isaac: The Patriarchical Example

Jacob: The anti-example

Christ: The perfect example

Other: Various other examples

Law: God’s provision of a law

Teaching: Specific Teachings

Raison De'etre

Why not all kinds of marriage, as opposed to just young man to young woman in godly circumstances

How does Scripture define Marriage?

How does Scripture define Marriage?

I Cor 7

Eph 5

Numbers 30

Adam

because 'Bone of my Bones'[1]

because 'One Flesh'[2]

'Help meet'[3]

Leave/Cleave

not good alone

male & female

fruitful and multiply

Father provision

asleep

-involuntary, i.e. no consultation (of the YM/YW)

taken physically

one man

one woman

need

Obviously God's will

Isaac

Father's Provision

One flesh

asleep

man/woman

no consultation

bride price

taken physically

immediate obedience

fruitful and multiply (blessing)

immediate decision

no waiting period

back to mothers tent

one man

one woman (very much lack of mention of any concubine/second wife etc.)

seeking God's will

Abrahams servant asked same question that Rebekaah Answered.

Note: implications of Abraham charge: implied assumption that the servant would be getting wife

Jacob

Not Asleep - fell in love

father didn't provide

father commanded

Not immediate obedience

Four wives

bride price

tried to pick own bride

Not seeking God's will

week with First wife

hated first wife

wating period

Poor Relationship with:

Wives

Father in law

Father

Brother

Brothers in law

Sons

maybe more?

Christ

father's provision

week - in parables

calls it betrothal

bride price

immediate obedience

?Asleep?

no consultation (God w/ God)

taken physically (spiritually, in future)

immediate decision (before time)

one man

one woman ?

seeking Gods Will (obviously)

one flesh

fathers house

betrothed husbands authority over wife

John 17:6

Law

Laws Concerning Adultery^[4]

Laws concerning betrothal

Teaching

Jesus' Command Concerning Divorce^[5]

Other Examples

Virgin & Virgin w/ Godly circumstances

Calebs daughter

Virgin & Virgin w/o Godly circumstances

Joseph/Pharoh

Moses

Other/Unknown

Ruth

Mary and Joseph

Cain

Sampson

Hosea

David

Esther

Solomon

Benjamites: the 200

Psalm 45

Five hundred more examples :)

How does Scripture define a Godly Marriage?

'Rejoice in the Wife of thy Youth'[6]

Adam

Isaac

Jacob

Christ

Law

Teaching

The Wickedness of Adultery[7]

'Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.'[8]

'Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;'[9]

'That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.'[10]

'A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife,'[11]

What qualifications does Scripture place on who can or should get married?

What age or maturity qualifications, if any, does Scripture show?

Adam

Isaac

Jacob

Christ

Law

Teaching

Complete lack of any Scripture even mentioning age or maturity qualifications directly. A certain amount is implied in the idea of a bride price, although a bride price points more toward economic and financial status than maturity (see next chapter).

I Cor 7

Song 'no breasts'[12]

'Remain a widow at thy father's house, till Shelah my son be grown: for he said, Lest peradventure he die also, as his brethren did.'[13] (note that here, it is used more as an excuse, than a reason)

What economic, or 'provision' qualifications, if any, does Scripture show?

Adam

Isaac

Jacob

Christ

Law

Teaching

Rebecca's bride price; "that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold;"[14] and "And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah: he gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things."

Note that the next two examples, those of Rachel and Leah, are debatable as to which bride price was for which bride.

Rachel's bride price; "And Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter." ^[15]

Leah's bride price; "thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years."[16]

What differences do we see in scripture between the qualifications of the young man, vs. the young woman?

Difference in roles

Titus 2

Not elders or deacons

See further chapters

Provision vs. Homemaking

Titus 2

Eph 5

Prov 31

If any provide not for his own

Leader vs. Helper

more here...

Adam

Isaac

Jacob

Christ

Law

Teaching

What needs, if any, does Scripture show as prerequisites?

1 Corinthians 7:2

It is not good for man to be alone

1Co 7:1-10

1 Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.

2 Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.

3 Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband.

4 The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife.

5 Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.

6 But I speak this by permission, and not of commandment.

7 For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that.

8 I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I.

9 But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.

10 And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband:

more here...

Adam

Isaac

Jacob

Christ

Law

Teaching

How important is Marriage in Scripture?

We believe Scripture shows the following Goals:

General Goals

Glorify God

Throughout scripture we find that Glorifying God is our ultimate goal.

Just to quote a few:

Psa 22:23 Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.

Psa 50:15 And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.

Psa 86:9 All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name.

Luk 2:14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Luk 17:18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.

Rom 4:2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.

Rom 4:20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;

Act 12:23 And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.

The entire bible is about giving Glory to God.

Metaphor of Christ and the Church

Metaphor of God and Israel

Witness to Community

Specific Goals

To Avoid Fornication

I Cor 7

To accomplish Multigenerational faithfulness

by:

To produce Godly Children

To produce 'Arrows in the Hands of Mighty men'

To witness to the blessing of Children

To be a blessing

To the Husband and Wife

To the Children

To the Parents (of Husband and Wife)

To the Church

To the Community

To the Nation

To the World

more here?...

How does Scripture define the various roles in the marriage process?

What scriptural roles do we see?

Adam

Isaac

Jacob

Christ

Law

Teaching

What is the scriptural role of the Young Man?

What is the scriptural role of the Young Woman?

What is the scriptural role of the Father of the Groom

What is the scriptural role of the Mother of the Groom?

What is the Scriptural role of the Father of the Bride?

What is the Scriptural role of the Mother of the Bride?

What is the Scriptural role of the 'Covenanting Community'?

What is the Scriptural role of the Church?

What is the Scriptural role of the Elders?

What is the Scriptural role of the Deacons?

What is the Scriptural role of the Older Men of the Church?

What is the Scriptural role of the Older Women of the Church?

What is the Scriptural role of the Children of the Church?

Are there any other Scriptural roles in the Church?

What is the Scriptural role of the State?

How do we see scriptural powers being delegated?

Conclusion

What Marriage Process do we see in Scripture?

Appendix A : What should the entire marriage process look like?

What should the basic Process look like?

Adam

Isaac

Jacob

Christ

Law

Teaching

How can we support the practice of betrothal in the rest of our lives?

Appendix B: How well do the various current methods and processes accomplish the Scriptural Principles concerning the marriage process

Dating

Of various levels

Courtship

Partial Betrothal

Appendix C : Objections Answered

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[1] Gen 2:23

[2] Gen 2:24

[3] Gen 2:18

[4] Lev 18:20,21, Deu 5:21, Deu 22:24

[5] Mat 19:1-11

[6] Prov 5:15-21

[7] Prov 6:24-35

[8] Eph 5:22

[9] Eph 5:25

[10] Tit 2:4,5

[11] 1 Tim 3:2

[12] Song 8:7

[13] Gen 38:11

[14] Gen 24:22

[15] Gen 29:18

[16] Gen 29:27

Jer 29:6 Again

Jerimiah 9:6 and Betrothal

Jeremiah 9:6 reads:

Jer 29:6  Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished.

I was asked how that verse related to the issue of Betrothal. Did it indicated that ‘taking wives’  and ‘take wives for’ were both equally valid. Let us examine the possible interpretations of this verse.  I will propose three possible interpretations:

1)      The naïve American interpretation: “Feel free to date (or court) and marry women yourselves, and allow your sons to date (or court) and marry women”. I don’t think I need to comment much on this interpretation. It obviously brings a cultural assumption to the text that is not there, and flies in face of the words themselves. We have no evidence that men dated or courted anywhere in Scripture, and to read ‘take wives’ as meaning that is merely to add to the text.

2)      The culturally relevant American interpretation, “Seek the fathers permission, pay the bride price, and bring a wife home for yourself. Others may wish to have their fathers do this for them.”  This is a much better interpretation. And if the two items were truly contrasting, it might well be right. If spoken to a monogamous group, I would probably be forced to accept it.

3)      However let us look at actual Bible Characters. Let us assume that this verse was written to one of the patriarchs, an older man, with sons. It would then read “Seek the fathers permission, pay the bride price, and bring  (second, third, etc.) wives for yourselves from the people surrounding you. And do the same for your sons (first wife).”

This interpretation fits with the continuous ‘ye’…’your’ of the linguistics. The verse implies that its object is someone (I would argue the elders and fathers of Israel) who is already married and has sons. Thus take ye (you fathers) wives and take wives for (your sons).

This interpretation also fits well with the other laws concerning captives and second wives.

It is really only problematic for those who wish to insist that the Scripture condemn polygamy in the Old Testament.

The concept of Betrothal fits perfectly with this verse. Older, married (or widowed) men are to 'take wives' for themselves. They themselves are to negotiate the bride price, etc.

Younger, virgin men, are to remain asleep until their fathers 'take wives' for them.

No Commments?

It has been a while since I have posted here, but I have not been missing from the betrothal front. Our church is having a series of meeting which are addressing the issue, and I have been busy with my fiction writing, where I play with these themes. Indeed one reviewer complained one book was 'all about betrothal'... which I found funny, as there was hardly a Biblical Betrothal in the book.

I have noticed that people are showing up here, but leaving no comments. This intrigues me. Who are you? Do you agree, disagree? Are you lost?

Please, comment.

The Servant Ate

Gen 24:33  And there was set meat before him to eat: but he said, I will not eat, until I have told mine errand. And he said, Speak on....
Gen 24:49  And now if ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me: and if not, tell me; that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left.
Gen 24:50  Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing proceedeth from the LORD: we cannot speak unto thee bad or good.
Gen 24:51  Behold, Rebekah is before thee, take her, and go, and let her be thy master's son's wife, as the LORD hath spoken.
Gen 24:52  And it came to pass, that, when Abraham's servant heard their words, he worshipped the LORD, bowing himself to the earth.
Gen 24:53  And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah: he gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things.
Gen 24:54  And they did eat and drink, he and the men that were with him, and tarried all night; and they rose up in the morning, and he said, Send me away unto my master.
Gen 24:55  And her brother and her mother said, Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten; after that she shall go.
Gen 24:56  And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing the LORD hath prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my master.
Gen 24:57  And they said, We will call the damsel, and enquire at her mouth.
Gen 24:58  And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go.
Gen 24:59  And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham's servant, and his men. 


Had an interesting conversation on Sunday with one of the men at my church. He seemed quite impressed with the idea that  Gen 24: 58 must mean 'will you marry this man'. We had a very long and very interesting conversation. When I got home I thought about  this conversation, to the extent of waking up at 4 AM. And what came to me at 4 AM was the thought, "The servant ate!"

And so I sent him and others this post, as an email.

Verse 33: 'until I have told my errand'. As we find out later, and this euphemistic speech implies, he did not mean merely 'told my errand' but 'accomplished it' (or find out that he had failed). This is similar to the Biblical language indicating a child should 'listen to his parents'... which by implication means obey.
Verse 49: Here we hear the rest of the implication of verse 33. Speaking to the father and brother he asks them to tell him if they will deal 'kindly and truly'. This will then indicate to him what he needs to do next.
Verse 50 and 51: Without negotiations they agree.
Verse 52: When the servant heard these words, he worshipped the LORD, bowing himself down to the earth. The LORD had answered him again. The first time he worshiped he gave as a reason 'I being in the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master's brethren.' Here no reason is given, but I certainly think one is implied.
Verse 53: The servant then gave gifts. First to Rebecca: Gold, silver, and clothes. Also to her brother and her mother he gave precious things.  He gave, and they accepted. Again, I believe the implication here is clear. (see Gills commentary below)
Verse 54: He ate. By my reckoning, based on his earlier speech, this indicated that he had accomplished what he had come to do. The LORD had blessed his journey. He was successful. (see Gills commentary below)
Verse 54: He awoke and said 'Send me away'. Not: Can I finish my business, let us ask the girl if she consents.
Verse 55: 'Let  her stay... after that she shall go.' 'Shall go.' (see John Gill commentary on the custom of the day).
Verse 56: 'Hinder me not'... Hebrew: Do not delay me. His mission was accomplished, he wanted to return quickly to his master.
Verse 57: 'enquire at her mouth'. (See Gills commentary)
Verse 58: 'Wilt thou go' answer 'I will go'.
Verse 59:  I don't know if you remember your Sherlock Holmes here, but there is a dog that didn't bark in verse 59. Remembering verse 27, and verse 52, if verse 58 had been the final penultimate conclusion of his journey; if it had represented the final agreement to the marriage itself, the servant would (based on his past behavior) again bowed himself in worship.

Indeed my contention is that if verse 58 had been the final and most important answer, it would have needed to have preceded both the servants worship of verse 52 (or that worship been repeated), the servants giving of gifts of verse 53, but most particularly (at least as it seemed to me at 4 in the morning) the servants eating and sleeping. This servant had proven time and again that he did not stand on the order of his going. He did  not pause or delay in his obedience. If Rebecca's statement of verse 58 had been necessary for the fulfillment of his errand, he would have asked for it in verse 52. He would not have eaten until it had been given.

So verse 59 is,  in my view, remarkable for its absence of reaction from the servant. Instead we have a reaction from the mother and brother and her entire family: they sent  her away.  A reaction consistent with my understanding of the question in Verse 58, and the answer. Question: Will you (right now) go (instead of insisting on your normal period of leavetaking)? Answer: I will (right now) go.





Gill: Verse 53: and raiment, and gave [them] to Rebekah; costly suits of clothes such as in those times were given to persons at their marriage, or in order to it; and which custom still continues among the Arabs, who, as Dr. Shaw says {p}, have the marriage contract previously made between the parents, wherein is express mention made not only of the "saddock", as they call that particular sum which the bridegroom settles on the bride; but of the several changes of raiment, and the quantity of jewels, and the number of slaves that the bride is to be attended with when she first waits upon her husband; a gold and silver "sarmah", he says {q}, which is a thin flexible plate of gold or silver, of a triangular shape, artfully cut through and engraven in imitation of lace; one or two sets of earrings bracelets and shekels, a gold chain to hang over their breasts, with half a dozen vests, some of brocades, others of rich silk, were usually the wedding clothes of a lady of fashion. And so in Barbary, the man buys his bride a suit of apparel, earrings, bracelets, a chest, &c. and gives the father a considerable sum of money, according to the qualities and circumstances of the parties {r}:

Gill:Ver. 54. And they did eat and drink, he, and the men that [were] with him,.... Every thing being settled with respect to the affair he came about, he then sat down at table, and ate of the provisions set before him; he and the men that came along with him; and refreshed themselves:

Gill Verse 55: let the damsel abide with us [a few] days, at the least ten; which was but a reasonable request; and if no more time is intended, it is much the servant should object, and not readily agree to it; but in the margin it is, "a full year" or "ten months"; and so Onkelos and Jonathan, and other Jewish writers {u}, who say it was customary for a virgin to have twelve months allowed her to furnish herself with ornaments; and therefore if a full year could not be admitted of, it is requested that at least ten months would be granted: this by many is thought to be unreasonable, that a servant should be desired to stay so long from his master, and especially it would not be asked, when it was perceived he was in such haste to be gone directly; but when it is observed that it was the usual custom of those times for virgins espoused to continue in their father's house a considerable time before the marriage was consummated, and that Rebekah was going into a distant country, and very likely she and her friends would never see each other, the motion will not appear so very extravagant:

Gill Verse 56: seeing, the Lord hath prospered my way; succeeded him in what he came about; and by his being succeeded so well, and so soon, it seemed to be the mind of the Lord that he should hasten his journey homeward:

Gill Verse 57: and inquire at her mouth; what she says to it, whether willing to go directly or not; the matter in question was referred to her, and left to her decision.

Gill Verse 58: and said unto her, wilt thou go with this man? that is, directly; the question was not about her marriage of Isaac, that was agreed upon, and she had doubtless given her consent, and which she tacitly did by accepting of the presents, but about taking the journey immediately:
and she said, I will go; the note of Jarchi is,

"of myself, and even if you are not willing,''

which seems to make her answer rude, as well as resolute; but it must be interpreted consistent with her decent and modest behaviour, and as expressive of her agreeing to go with the man directly, having no manner of objection on her mind to it; but on the contrary found a strong inclination to it, and was determined on it; and perhaps was under a divine impulse, which strongly wrought upon her, and caused her to be so willing to leave her own people, and her father's house.

--

Psa 19:7  The law of the LORD /is/ perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD /is/ sure, making wise the simple.

--

I recommend Vision Forum. .

The Practical Theonomist

Christian Betrothal

Free on-line Christian Fantasy and Science Fiction

A Small Suggestion

Instead of 'What He Must Be..." or my proposed sequel, "What She Must Be..." I think Doctor Baucham would be much better to study the way that the path to marriage is treated in Scripture (Perhaps our formerly private site would be a good place to start) and write two books, entitled:

"How to train your son to be a good husband." and "How to train your daughter to be a good wife."

Followed by a third:

"The marriage of two non-perfect people; a parents guide."

Just a suggestion.

What She must be to Marry my Son

I haven’t read Voddie Baucham’s new book, What He Must Be: ...If He Wants to Marry My Daughter. I have only skimmed it. As always he writes with excellent use of metaphor, and powerful emotive language. As always he has studied the Scriptures wisely and found important Biblical principles, in this case concerning the role of husband and father.

However I do have a concern about this book, and the entire mentality that lays behind it.

We read:
2Co 11:2 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. 

It seems to me that many in the courtship movement, and in one sense the entire ‘courtship’ concept, are making a grave error in the way that they view their daughters. Paul tells us of his jealously. We read frequently of his care and concern for the church.

Even so many fathers are jealous for their daughters. They care for and are concerned for them. But to what end?

Pauls jealousy had a focus.  But his jealousy, his care, and his concern all had this focus… that he might present the as a chaste virgin to a husband, their husband, Christ.

It has long concerned me that many are not jealous of their daughters for the sake of their husbands, but for their own sakes. “If she cannot marry a perfect husband,” the feeling seems to run, “Better she should not marry at all.”

I am waiting for the companion book, “What She must be to Marry my Son.” I am waiting for the realization that every marriage will and must consist of the marriage of an imperfect man to an imperfect woman. That just as none of our sons are prepared to be husbands and fathers, so are none of our daughters prepared to be wives and mothers. But that God calls them to marriage anyway.

When does life begin? By Caleb

A fellow named 'Caleb' (other information held upon requestP posted the following on Libertys Light. I thought it was rather good (although not perfect) and asked for permission to repost it here:

When does life begin?

Psalm 139:13-15- "For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth."

Jeremiah 1:5- "Therefore I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations."

Life begins at conception. These verses demonstrate that God personally created and knew babies from the moment of conception. The Hebrew word for knew in the Jeremiah text means that the knower is actually involved in or with the one being known. This kind of knowledge goes beyond knowing of or about an inanimate object, but is a much more intimate term that is applied to living beings. The fact that God would sanctify (lit. set apart) Jeremiah before he came out of the womb also denotes that the unborn baby must have been alive. Why would God set apart a non-living thing to become a prophet to Israel, instead of waiting until it was alive before doing such?

When does life end?

Genesis 9:4- "But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat."

Leviticus 17:11a.- "For the life of the flesh is in the blood:"

Leviticus 17:14- "For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof: whosoever eateth it shall be cut off."

Deuteronomy 12:23- "Only be sure that thou eat not the blood: for the blood is the life; and thou mayest not eat the life with the flesh."

The Bible clearly states here that the life of a person is in the blood. Keep in mind that these passages are instructing the Israelites to drain all of the blood out of an animal before eating it. God does not reveal exactly why He demands this. It could have been for sanitary reasons unbeknownst to the people at that time for example. However, I believe that the principle of life being in the blood can be carefully applied to when a person dies. I would venture to say that death occurs when the heart stops beating, since the heart is the organ that controls the flow and production of blood.

What makes life valuable?

Genesis 2:7- "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being."

Numbers 35:31- "Moreover you shall take no ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death, but he shall surely be put to death."

Job 33:4- "The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life."

1 Timothy 6:13a.- "I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things,"

I am interpreting this question to mean what makes human life valuable. Obviously my answer would be different for any other form of life. The fact that God is the creator, giver, and sustainer of life is reason enough to consider it valuable. In addition, the strict punishment for murder which is commanded by God also implies that He holds life to be valuable.

When can life be justly taken?

There are at least 18 crimes that God Himself commanded to be punished with death. For want of brevity, I have not listed them, however, if any of you would like the list with backup Scripture verses, I would be happy to furnish you with such. God also commands the slaughter of entire armies and people groups whom He allowed Israel to conquer. God takes His holiness and His commands seriously. All of the ten commandments except for the last one had the death penalty for anyone who broke it. God even allowed men to judge a situation and deem whether or not a person deserved the death penalty.

Numbers 35:30- "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."

Deuteronomy 17:6- "At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death."

Deuteronomy 19:12-13- "Then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die. Thine eye shall not pity him, but thou shalt put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with thee."

Like it or not, God commands that we judge those who are suspected of committing a crime, and put to death those who deserve the death penalty. Yes, there are crimes that must be punished with death. God commands such. But, this is only to be done with two or three witnesses, thus giving sufficient evidence for the criminal's guilt.

I would disagree with the application of Matthew 7:1 quoted above in regards to judging not, lest we be judged. I believe that the context of this verse is in reference to judging another person's spiritual status (as far as whether or not they are saved.) I don't want to go too much off topic here, but if you would like me to further explain, I would be glad to. Secondly, I appreciate the concern shown in another post above in regards to running the risk of executing someone before they had the chance to repent and trust in Christ alone for salvation. However, I again would have to disagree based on my understanding of the Bible. I believe that the Bible clearly teaches that God will save those whom He has already predetermined to save. Nothing we can do, including executing someone, can change this. Again, I appreciate the concern but respectfully disagree. I am also willing to give the Scripture verses that have lead me to this conclusion is anyone would like; but I want to try to keep from going too far off topic. Maybe on another post.

To God be the glory,
-Caleb