It is Never Safe to Do Wrong   

Read: Ecclesiastes 8:9-13 NLT – The Wicked and the Righteous – I have – Bible Gateway

“When a crime is not punished quickly, people feel it is safe to do wrong.” Ecclesiastes 8:11 NLT

According to ‘The Council of State Governments Justice Center’ website, “Failing to arrest people who commit violent crime undermines justice, safety, and trust in government. More accountability, instead of arbitrary punishment, is urgently needed. Failing to solve violent crime means less justice for victims and their families, less trust in the justice system’s ability to protect and respond, and a greater risk of retaliatory violence” (1) King Solomon put it this way, “When a crime is not punished quickly, people feel it is safe to do wrong.” (Ec.8:11 nlt) The same Justice Center reports, “Unsolved violent crime is a national issue facing nearly every state. In 2022, more than 50 percent of violent crimes reported to law enforcement went unsolved in 38 states. And in 6 states, over two-thirds of all violent crime went unsolved.” (1)

There is definitely a problem in America punishing violent crime or any non-violent crime. What exasperates the problem is the failure not to convict those guilty of a crime but to release them without any consequences back into society. We should all agree that Solomon is right when he says, people then feel it is OK and safe to do wrong. “After all, it looks like I got away with it. I got off.” But every parent knows if you let your little ones get away with the small things, bigger ones are not far behind. The criminal justice system does have its challenges, but it must be more forceful in punishing the small offenders not sending them out with a ‘get out of jail free card’ to use against the innocent.

It is never safe to do wrong even if our district attorneys fail to prosecute and our court judges release the guilty. There is one greater who will enact perfect justice. Solomon also wrote, “The wicked will not prosper, for they do not fear God. Their days will never grow long like the evening shadows.” (Ec.8:13 nlt) We can rest comfortably their day will come. “It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Heb.10:31 nlt) In the meantime we should all be praying for safety and justice in the streets of America and around the world.

(1) The Accountability Gap: Unsolved Violent Crime in the United States – Tools for States to Address Crime