Jesus' servants ask -- should we pull out and get rid of the tares?
Translate -- should we stone the evil doers?

Dedication,

Why did they ask God in the case of the Sabbath breaker?

Blessings,

Green Cochoa.

Soon after the return into the wilderness, an instance of Sabbath violation occurred, under circumstances that rendered it a case of peculiar guilt. The Lord's announcement that He would disinherit Israel had roused a spirit of rebellion. One of the people, angry at being excluded from Canaan, and determined to show his defiance of God's law, ventured upon the open transgression of the fourth commandment by going out to gather sticks upon the Sabbath. During the sojourn in the wilderness the kindling of fires upon the seventh day had been strictly prohibited. The prohibition was not to extend to the land of Canaan, where the severity of the climate would often render fires a necessity; but in the wilderness, fire was not needed for warmth. The act of this man was a willful and deliberate violation of the fourth commandment--a sin, not of thoughtlessness or ignorance, but of presumption. {PP 408.4}

He was taken in the act and brought before Moses. It had already been declared that Sabbathbreaking should be punished with death, but it had not yet been revealed how the penalty was to be inflicted. The case was brought by Moses before the Lord, and the direction was given, "The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp." Numbers 15:35. The sins of blasphemy and willful Sabbathbreaking received the same punishment, being equally an expression of contempt for the authority of God. {PP 409.1}

It is clear that the people had a reason to ask God about it which had nothing to do with knowing or understanding the man's heart. It is also clear that the man's heart was not right anyway, and he would have been unlikely to exhibit any sort of repentance. But the people did not go to ask God if the man were repentant. They asked to know the manner of his execution. And God told them it should be by stoning.

Had it already been declared that Sabbath breakers should be stoned, they would have had no need to ask God what to do. His will would have been already sufficiently clear on the matter, and the people could have gone ahead and executed judgment accordingly.

Lost in translation?

We don't need to assume such dire measures were intended. What about "disfellowship?" The fact is, "stoning" is not mentioned. Furthermore, this may be a realm of action which does not involve us. After all, we are either the wheat or the tares. We are not God's angels. As a wheat or a tare, it is not in our power to purge the field of all tares, is it?
Green Cochoa.

Thou shalt not commit adultery. (Exodus 20:14)

And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death. (Leviticus 20:10)

25:6 And, behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who [were] weeping [before] the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
25:7 And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw [it], he rose up from among the congregation, and took a javelin in his hand;
25:8 And he went after the man of Israel into the tent, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel.
25:9 And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand.
25:10 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
25:11 Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy.
25:12 Wherefore say, Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace:
25:13 And he shall have it, and his seed after him, [even] the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel.
25:14 Now the name of the Israelite that was slain, [even] that was slain with the Midianitish woman, [was] Zimri, the son of Salu, a prince of a chief house among the Simeonites.
25:15 And the name of the Midianitish woman that was slain [was] Cozbi, the daughter of Zur; he [was] head over a people, [and] of a chief house in Midian.
(Numbers)

M: GC, I believe mercy is an inherent part of God's character and law. To exercise mercy rather than justice, however, requires knowing motive. Since only Jesus knows motives, only Jesus can determine whether mercy or justice is appropriate. Were it not the law, it would not occur to us to inquire of Jesus the best course of action to pursue.

G: So Saul was supposed to have asked God if it were His will to execute the witch of Endor? I do not believe so. If this were the case, why would God give the law to stone such people? Does God give us a law without giving us the wisdom to follow it? Let us not forget that God did give some specifics in how to follow the law--such as having at least two or three witnesses before executing capital punishments. But, provided the witnesses, in light of the law, God's will was known on certain cases and the people were obligated to follow it.

I cannot help thinking it makes perfect sense to include Jesus in the decision making process. I absolutely cannot imagine executing someone without consulting Jesus