Executing People for Breaking the Sabbath Is Good
When Moses commanded a man to be executed for picking up sticks on the sabbath, that too was holy, righteous, and good.
In Douglas Wilson’s own words: 3 quotes from 2021 to 2025, from Blog & Mablog, Sam Harris and Mere Christendom, each cited to the source.
When Elijah executed the priests of Baal down by the brook Kishon, what he did was not a violation of the modern spirit of ecumenism. What he did was holy, righteous, and good. When Moses commanded a man to be executed for picking up sticks on the sabbath, that too was holy, righteous, and good. And when the son of Shelomith blasphemed the name of the Lord in the camp, and was executed at the word of a holy God, his execution was holy, righteous, and good. There was nothing wrong with any of that.
[Sam Harris: “These are going to be good Christians with a biblical worldview. But then in that context, picking up sticks on the Sabbath could well be a killing offense because it's biblical.”] Yeah. So, sure. [Sam Harris: “Okay.”] All right. But let me compare this to where we are now, right?
Transcribed from the video’s automatic captions. Watch the clip to hear it for yourself.
So none of this is written because we as post-Enlightenment Christians are supposed to feel a little bit sheepish about all the Mosaic hardball. When Elijah executed the priests of Baal down by the brook Kishon, what he did was not a violation of the modern spirit of ecumenism. What he did was holy, righteous, and good. When Moses commanded a man to be executed for picking up sticks on the Sabbath, that too was holy, righteous, and good. And when the son of Shelomith blasphemed the name of the Lord in the camp and was executed at the word of a holy God, his execution was holy, righteous, and good. There was nothing wrong with any of that.