Protecting Intruders

Dalkeith High School in Midlothian, Scotland hasn’t been used in years, but the lights still burn. The local citizens burn too. The lights are on to protect potential intruders from injury on the property and the residents foot the bill. (You can read the story here.)

This reminds me of some of the absurd laws being passed in America. Expecting a burglar? Be sure to set out coke and cookies, so he doesn’t die of starvation, should he become stranded in the vent or lock himself in the vault. On second thought, better make that a healthy snack of skim milk and fresh veggies.

Exaggerating? Just a wee bit. But there are some mighty strange laws being passed that protect the lawbreaker more than the victim.

It used to be that if a person trespassed or broke into someone’s home or business, the one committing the criminal act was not coddled. If he tripped over the sleeping watchdog and broke his ankle, he was arrested, received medical treatment, and served jail time. Today, he might never spend a day in jail, and there would be any number of attorneys chasing after him to file a lawsuit against the home or business owner because the injury interferes with the criminal’s ability to earn a living as a burglar.

Sometimes a person just needs to learn a lesson the hard way. Breaking the law carries consequences. Thus, a man breaking into a building assumes whatever hazards he stumbles across. Lighting his way and making it easier for him to commit a crime is the wrong way to “teach him a lesson” so he will cease breaking the law.

Breaking God’s law also carries consequences. Unlike the school in Scotland, God does not light the way to make it easier for a man to sin. Rather, he sent Christ to light the way that a man might find his way out of sin.

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