The COMMANDMENTS (8)
“Thou shalt not kill” —Exodus 20:13
The sixth commandment enjoins respect for human life. Except for the Sabbath commandment, it is the first with its roots deeper in they Old Testament. It is the prohibition of the malicious taking of another’s life. It is somewhat more clearly rendered in other translations, “You shall not murder.” Taking of life in war and by civil authority when capital crimes have been committed is not at issue here, as some pacifists would have it. In this fallen world God has authorized war and commanded the death penalty for certain transgressions of societies and individuals. The commandment is aimed at the disposition that acts against others in hatred and violence for selfish reasons.
In the beginning all slaughter of “living creatures” (Gen. 1:24) was evidently forbidden, and man was vegetarian. After the flood the divine restriction against killing animals for food was lifted, but with it a strict prohibition was issued against the taking of human life and, in fact, at that time capital punishment was instituted under God’s direction. “…at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man. Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man [Gen. 9:5b-6].” (Those who are inclined to swallow the lie of evolution should meditate on this early text that distinguishes between animal life in general and human life as a distinct and separate creation, and note the declaration that man was made in the image of God. (See Gen. 1:27))
It is worth noting in passing that it is the deliberate act of violence that is targeted by this commandment. That the accidental killing of another was exempt is evident from the establishment of the cities of refuge in Israel after their settlement in the land, for the protection of any who accidentally slew another.
However, if that seems to ease a bit the severity of the commandment, Jesus’ treatment of it in the New Testament takes it to a much higher level:
“Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing [Mat. 5:21-26].”
How, one wonders, how might church attendance (poor enough as it is) change if men were prohibited from attending and offering if there was any bitterness in their hearts toward other fellow men. As is customary with the Savior, the commandment is removed from addressing the act, and focused on the attitude. As always, “man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
There was a cartoonist whose work was published in our local newspaper when I was growing up whose lead character, when offended for some reason would carry the “thought balloon” over his or her head containing the words, “The urge to kill.” It was, sadly, reflective of that in the human spirit which the Lord here cites as “in danger of the judgment.” It is from this perspective, I think, that the apostle James says of certain in the church, “ye kill.” We cannot conclude that believers were actually murdering one another, but entertaining the attitude in their inner sanctuary that might sponsor it if they could get away with it. The apostle John is more transparent when he says, “[He that] hateth his brother is a murderer [I John 3:15].” The commandment is violated when the attitude is formed, not simply when the act is committed. “If ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the Truth [James 3:14].” There are not many overt murders in the church, but I fear there may be many who are covertly guilty by the Savior’s standards.
Nowhere, of course, is the groundless hatred of a fellow human being more evident than in that exercised by the (religious!) Pharisees who sought to murder the Son of God. Of them, and of all who violate this commandment in fact or in spirit, He says, “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it [Jn. 8:44].” There is but one way out: “Repent…and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out [Acts 3:19].” That is the objective of the commandments!
To open our eyes,
"Pastor" Frasier
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