After the kingdom was firmly in his control, he executed the officials who had murdered his father the king. – 2 Chronicles 25:3

Today's Scripture Reading (March 24, 2026): 2 Chronicles 25

A friend of mine was murdered almost two years ago. I have tried to keep informed about the fate of the two people who were charged in his death, but I haven't been able to find much information on their fate. Unfortunately, I also knew one of his attackers. It is hard to know people on both sides of a crime, but the attacker I knew tended to be a drug user and a manipulator. He certainly tried to manipulate my friend and was often successful in getting what he wanted.

I have my opinion on what should happen in my friend's case, but I suspect things won't go quite the way I think they should. I believe that the person I don't know who is charged with the crime is likely the ringleader. Whether or not she was involved hands-on with the actual murder, I suspect that she shaped events in such a way that the murder could take place. I also suspect that the most appropriate charge might be manslaughter, a crime that in my part of the country probably means four to fifteen years in jail. It could be longer, and I am told in minor cases (if someone died, what makes a "minor case"), jail might not even be pursued. I think ten to fifteen years in this case makes sense for my friend's attackers. But I recognize that it could be much shorter.

In some murders, especially mass shootings where the shooter is a minor, we have begun to charge the shooter as well as the parents if it is determined that there were warning signs to the crime. I get it. Sometimes, it seems that parents have as much blame as their children, even if they didn't pull the trigger. But it could extend even further.

I admit that, in the case of my friend, I wonder if I did enough to prevent his murder. The problem is that I think there were warning signs, but as an outsider, I am not sure what I might have done to change the unfortunate outcome.

Penalties for all murders in ancient times were extreme. Even involuntary manslaughter or accidental killing could result in the execution of the guilty. But the law was very specific. Only the one who killed could be executed for the crime. "Parents are not to be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sin" (Deuteronomy 24:16).

Amaziah followed the letter of the law and executed the officials who were involved in the killing of his father. But he did not go any further. In this, he was following precisely what the law allowed.  

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 15