THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT
Ex. 20:13
“Thou shalt not kill.”
By Jim Murriner
As we look at these ten commandments or Ten Words of God, we notice that they are divided into two major categories. The first four tell us how we are to relate to God.
And the last six tell us how we are to relate to our fellow man.
“Thou shalt not kill.”
Be careful here that we do not confuse this with the taking of animal life.
God gives us permission to kill animals for man’s use, but not to kill men.
Ge 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
Gen 9:1 - 3
1 And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.
2 And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.
3 Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.
We are commanded in IJohn 4:1 to try the spirits, and we must understand that those who would prevent us from using animals for food are not of the Spirit of God.
God makes it very clear that human life is very important and that we are never to take it.
Ge 9:6 Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.
If then I am never to take a human life, how can we justify going to war for my country, or our government taking the life of a criminal by capital punishment?
First: God has ordained governments, and makes us responsible to them, and makes governments responsible unto Him.
Romans 13:1 -8
1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:
4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.
5 Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.
6 For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.
7 Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.
8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
Yet when the government which we are under, commands us to disobey God, we are to obey God anyway.
Acts. 5:27 - 29
27 And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them,
28 Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.
29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
Second: God has commanded that governments carry out capitol punishment.
Le 24:21 And he that killeth a beast, he shall restore it: and he that killeth a man, he shall be put to death.
“Thou shalt not kill.”
This could be correctly translated “Thou shalt not commit murder” This carries the thought of willfully consciously, sometimes with a forethought, taking the life of another human being.
The Bible gives two categories of murder in the Old Testament.
1. Premeditated or presumptuous murder.
The Scriptures insist without any recognizing of leniency that all presumptions violations of this commandment are to be punished by the death of the one committing this violaton.
Exodus 21: 14 - 15
14 But if a man come presumptuously upon his neighbour, to slay him with guile; thou shalt take him from mine altar, that he may die.
15 And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death.
Premeditated or presumptuous murder would also include the killing of a human being with in the womb. We have become accustomed to a medical term which makes this sound like just another medical procedure upon the mother, but in reality that which we call abortion is the premeditated murder or a human that is too helpless to do anything about it.
A FETUS IS NOT A POTENTIAL HUMAN BUT A HUMAN WITH POTENTIAL.
The Bible declares that life begins at conception.
Ps 51:5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
The psalmist David here declares that not only was he a human at conception , but he was a sinner at conception.
2. The second category which the Bible gives of murder in the Old Testament is Accidental murder.
The difference between accidental and presumptuous murder is whether there is hate or not.
Accidental murder is the result of a foolish or careless act.
Exodus 21: 12-13
12 He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death.
13 And if a man lie not in wait, but God deliver him into his hand; then I will appoint thee a place whither he shall flee.
Numbers 35: 9 - 32
9 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
10 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come over Jordan into the land of Canaan;
11 Then ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you; that the slayer may flee thither, which killeth any person at unawares.
12 And they shall be unto you cities for refuge from the avenger; that the manslayer die not, until he stand before the congregation in judgment.
13 And of these cities which ye shall give six cities shall ye have for refuge.
14 Ye shall give three cities on this side Jordan, and three cities shall ye give in the land of Canaan, which shall be cities of refuge.
15 These six cities shall be a refuge, both for the children of Israel, and for the stranger, and for the sojourner among them: that every one that killeth any person unawares may flee thither.
16 And if he smite him with an instrument of iron, so that he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.
17 And if he smite him with throwing a stone, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.
18 Or if he smite him with an hand weapon of wood, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.
19 The revenger of blood himself shall slay the murderer: when he meeteth him, he shall slay him.
20 But if he thrust him of hatred, or hurl at him by laying of wait, that he die;
21 Or in enmity smite him with his hand, that he die: he that smote him shall surely be put to death; for he is a murderer: the revenger of blood shall slay the murderer, when he meeteth him.
22 But if he thrust him suddenly without enmity, or have cast upon him any thing without laying of wait,
23 Or with any stone, wherewith a man may die, seeing him not, and cast it upon him, that he die, and was not his enemy, neither sought his harm:
24 Then the congregation shall judge between the slayer and the revenger of blood according to these judgments:
25 And the congregation shall deliver the slayer out of the hand of the revenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to the city of his refuge, whither he was fled: and he shall abide in it unto the death of the high priest, which was anointed with the holy oil.
26 But if the slayer shall at any time come without the border of the city of his refuge, whither he was fled;
27 And the revenger of blood find him without the borders of the city of his refuge, and the revenger of blood kill the slayer; he shall not be guilty of blood:
28 Because he should have remained in the city of his refuge until the death of the high priest: but after the death of the high priest the slayer shall return into the land of his possession.
29 So these things shall be for a statute of judgment unto you throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
30 Whoso killeth any person, the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall not testify against any person to cause him to die.
31 Moreover ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is guilty of death: but he shall be surely put to death.
32 And ye shall take no satisfaction for him that is fled to the city of his refuge, that he should come again to dwell in the land, until the death of the priest.
Hatred is the bottom line of murder. Yet someone might say how could someone hate an unborn child and then be held accountable for murdering it if they had an abortion. Yes indeed, how could someone hate one who has never done anything to them, and hate that one so much that they would have them murdered.
The New Testament tells us that to hate someone is murder.
Matt. 5:21 -22
21 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:
22 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.
1Jo 3:15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
IJohn 2:7 - 11
7 Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.
8 Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.
9 He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.
10 He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.
11 But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.
We must be very careful or we will violate this sixth commandment.
Malice is just another way of breaking the sixth commandment. “Thou shalt not kill.”
We could say “Thou shalt not have hatred. You should not have malice or bitterness toward any one.
The cure or the answer to this is love.
Joh 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
One reason that we have such a hard time witnessing to the lost is because the lost world around us sees us with bitterness, and malice and division, petty fusses in our churches.
This should not be.
