Do you avoid the Old Testament because of the  violence which you cannot explain? I mean, the penalties for breaking the laws are really harsh! 

So, dear readers, what do you think? Could we be kinder than God and come up with better results? I am purposely asking questions, rather than providing answers. Let’s think about this together. 

Early in the history of this world, right after the Great Flood that wiped out all of humanity except for a family of eight, God decreed, “Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.” (Gen. 9:6) That’s a mandatory death penalty for murder. Most modern Western countries have decided that that is an unusually cruel punishment, opting instead to imprison the killer for a median time of 15 years in the US. However, many murder cases are plea-bargained to lesser offenses, often resulting in sentences less than a third of the median time. Then the offenders are let back out on the street to re-offend a frightening percentage of the time. That’s a good example of being “kinder than  God.” Or is it?

Statistics show that 1% of the population with 3+ convictions) account for 63% of violent crime convictions in Sweden (1973–2004), a pattern echoed in U.S. studies. How is this even possible? That means that each person let back out on the street after committing a violent crime, including murder, commits more crimes and leaves more victims. 

Let’s stop a moment to correlate those statistics with being “kind.”

• The violent offenders appear to be receiving the “kindness.”
• The terrified woman who was raped experiences little kindness.
• The children left fatherless experience little kindness.
• The hard-working factory employee who could afford only liability insurance on his stolen car experiences little kindness.
• The single mother whose husband was murdered experiences little kindness.
• The family whose house was broken into, with the interior vandalized and valuables stolen, experiences little kindness.
• The family whose corner store was fire-bombed experiences little kindness.
• The reporter who was seriously injured and almost killed by a mob experiences little kindness.
• The mother who weeps over the body of her daughter, who died of an accidental drug overdose, experiences little kindness. 

Due to modern “kindness” towards violent offenders, it seems that they generally spend less than three years in prison. Most violent offenders (95 percent) are plea-bargained (i.e., aggravated assault charges become disorderly conduct convictions, leading to them being quickly released back onto the street. 

Compare that to the laws during the time Israel was directly ruled by God as a “theocracy.”

• There were no prisons. Instead, the following penalties applied:
• Murder: Death, with a provision to flee to a City of Refuge if it was involuntary manslaughter. Gen. 9:6; Ex. 21:12. 
• Assault causing injury: Restitution for damages (e.g., medical costs, lost wages) if the victim survives; death penalty if the injury leads to death.
  Ex. 21:18-19.
• Kidnapping (to sell as a slave): Death Ex. 21:16; Deut. 24:7.
• Striking or cursing parents: Death. Ex. 21:15, 17; Lev. 20:9. 
• Rape: Death if the victim is engaged or married. Deut. 22:25-27; 
  A fine, if the victim was unmarried, and the man must marry the woman and could never divorce her. Deut. 22:28, 29. 
• Adultery: Death for both partners. Deut. 22:22.
• False witness: The false witness received the punishment the victim would have received. Deut. 19:16-19

Yes, the penalties above look “harsh” to modern eyes, and that’s why modern Christians may prefer to read the New Testament with the “meek and mild Jesus,” forgetting that the Jehovah/Yahweh of the Old Testament was the pre-incarnate Son of God Himself. (Compare John 8:58-59 with Exodus 3:13-15)

But what about the innocent victims of crime committed by repeat offenders? Are they not treated harshly when they have not committed any crime?

So, what do you think? Are our modern man-made laws kinder than the laws God gave to Israel? 

Why do you think that the laws God gave to Israel were so “harsh”?

What factors should we consider in making  a comparison?

Abbreviated Bibliography:

Note: These are relatively old statistics. As most readers can observe, violence has increased dramatically during the last 10 years or so, and more contemporary statistics might look worse. 

“Recidivism Among Federal Violent Offenders,” United States Sentencing Commission. Accessed October 26, 2025.

“The 1% of the population accountable for 63% of all violent crime convictions,”  PubMed, October 31, 2012. Accessed October 26, 2025.

“Violent Offenders Drive Crime and Incarceration,” Crime in America, February 4, 2019. Accessed October 26, 2025.

“When few do great harm,” Patterns in Humanity, April 23, 2023, Accessed October 26, 2025.

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