Was justice served in the defeat and death of Libyan leader Col. Ghadaffi? Two very different reactions have gone out – those who feel his death was no more than a brutal assassination, meant to cover up some conspiracy or other; This group usual protests that a court trial was in order then a formal sentence to be passed in judgment. Whether this would have meant capital punishment or life imprisonment, we do not know, but the emphasis is on respect for law. Otherwise our actions are no better than his were. Then another group who feel he deserved that kind of death, and they did us a favour by that hasty execution. Was justice truly served?
Three principles must remain clear in our minds. The first is the mandate “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth”. In the Old Testament, this meant, the punishment must fit the crime – not more or less. An eye for a tooth would be unfair. By the time of Jesus, people had come to use this saying for personal revenge, rather than equity in the law courts. (In any cases a lot of the judicial functions were out of the hands of the Jews during the Roman occupation). Jesus prescribed turning the other cheek, allowing insult to go without retribution, though this did not preclude self defence (turn a cheek to a slap not a punch!), nor the equity of the courtroom.
The second principle is that, “he who lives by the sword will die by the sword”. Peter drew his sword to prevent Jesus arrest, but he was off mark on the will of God there. ‘Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword” (Matthew 26: 52). Much like the Proverbs wisdom, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14: 12). There is the inherent danger of the lifestyle of battle and killing. He lived by the sword, he died by it.
The third is the principle of ultimate justice. No one ever truly gets away with injustice. We must all eventually meet our Maker; “it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment” (Hebrews 9: 27). Retribution will be fine and adequate. No crimes will go unpunished in God’s world. It is never if, but when, for Ghadaffi, and all people.
So how do these three principles apply? First, we know that the state of war means life is not handled with the same care as times of peace. This isn’t to say that it is no less precious, but the perils of war are very real. Men who perhaps saw their friends die on the field were probably incensed at the one who caused this war to prolong. A sense of retribution filled many minds, I suspect! Beyond that, a court could have delivered a verdict, one which we all know would have been guilty. Would have been a court case for show, since we all know how it was going to turn out? Not necessarily. Due process is about the mandated executors of justice in society. If we all started shooting people who have wronged us, something would break down in society! Even if it was an official military firing squad, it would have come closer to a legitimate act of justice.
The principle of “he who lives by the sword” is not a vindication of a random shot by someone in the crowd. Rather it means, the one who lives by combat is likely to die in it – Fight often enough and you will meet your match one day! His way of life was not wise! It’s like playing with matches and getting burned. In that sense, such an end is not surprising.
Finally, ultimate retribution is not executed on earth. After all, if Gahadaffi allegedly killed hundreds of people over the years, does his one death balance with all those other deaths? Our most severe penalty is capital punishment, whether someone killed one or one thousand people. The scales of justice are still lacking, although it still has value as a deterrent and warning to others. But, ultimate justice is for God to execute, the one who sees all and hates all evil. To God, our thoughts words and actions, day and night, are an open book. What is not punished and pardoned because of the Cross of Christ, will be punished in the individual. God is more offended by evil than we will ever know. Ghadaffi has met his maker. He has answered to the highest court. Our task is equitable justice. But remember, our retribution is a shadow of his, so we must not look for the final answer here, otherwise we will be frustrated by all the things we shall never prove and never know.
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