The sixth commandment

THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Exodus 20:13 13"Youshall not murder.
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
Pulpit Commentary Homiletics
The Individual Israelite ConsideredIn His Duties Towards His Neighbour
Exodus 20:13-17
D. Young
Of these five commandments - namely, againstmurder, adultery, theft,
slander and covetousness, it almostgoes without saying that their very
negativeness in form constitutes the strongestwayof stating a positive duty.
From a proper considerationof these commandments all possible
manifestations of brotherliness will flow. They show the spirit we should
cherish towards our neighbours; those who equally with ourselves are the
objects of Divine providence and mercy. They show what we are bound to give
and what we have equally a right to expect. Pondering the serious and
injurious actions here indicated we note -
I. THE GREAT HARM WHICH MEN CAN DO TO ONE ANOTHER, A
man maliciously disposed, sensual, reckless, unscrupulously selfish, has thus
the extent of his powerset before him. That life which man has no powerto
give, he can take awayat a single blow. A man in the gratificationof his

sensualpassions is able to destroy domestic peace, gladness andpurity.
Property, which may be the fruit and reward of long industry, is sweptaway
by those who will not work for themselves as long as they canget others to
work for them. Reputation may be takenawayby adroit and plausible
slander. A man's whole position may be made uncertain by those who on the
right hand and the left look enviously on that position and wish to make it
their own. It is when these possibilities are borne in mind that we feel how
true it is that even the best guarded of earthly store-houses is nevertheless the
one where the thief canbreak through and steal. Industry, temperance,
caution, vigilance, will guard many points of human life, but what avails, if
even a single one is left that cannotbe calledinvulnerable? If, then, our fellow
men are so much in our power, how it becomes us to quell the very first
outbreaks of all that is malicious, envious, selfishand sensual!]f we allow the
evil in us to grow, we know not what evil it may inflict on the innocent and
happy.
II. But if these commandments show a dark and menacing side in our
relations to others, they equally show a bright one. THERE IS GREAT
GOOD WHICH WE CAN DO TO ONE ANOTHER. The man who has power
to kill, has, on the other hand, powerto do much in the way of preserving,
cherishing and invigorating the lives of others. Insteadof pulling down others
by a degrading companionship to the level of his ownimpure heart, he can do
something by seeking purity himself to draw others toward a like quest.
Instead of stealing, he will work not only to sustainhimself, but that from his
superfluity, if possible, he may give to those who have not. He who has spoken
ill of men will find it just as easyto speak well, if only he is so disposed. That
tongue with which the renewedheart blesses Godwill also be constrainedto
say what is kind, commendatory and helpful to others. Covetousnesswill give
place to a gracious and generous dispositionthat constantly takes for its
motto, "It is more blessedto give than to receive." It is only when we are
doing our neighbours all the goodwe can, that we may be really sure we are
carrying out the commandments of God. There are only the two ways, the
forbidden and the commanded one; and if we are not treading heartily and
resolutelyin the commanded one, it follows as a matter of course that we are
in the forbidden one.

III. It is something to remember that THE GOOD WE CAN DO BY
KEEPING THESE COMMANDMENTSIS GREATER THAN THE ILL WE
CAN DO BY BREAKING THEM. God has put us largelyin the power of one
another, that thereby we might have the happiness coming from loving service
and mutual associationin giving and receiving;but, at the same time, he has
made us so that while we are very powerful as co-workers withhim, yet even
our greatestefforts are comparativelypowerless againstthose who put
themselves under his protection. Those injuring others do indeed inflict a
greatinjury from a certainpoint of view; but they terribly deceive themselves
in thinking that the injury is such as cannever be compensatedfor. Christ has
given to his people the word of comfort againstall assaultand spoliationfrom
evil men: - "Fearnot them that kill the body." The priceless treasures,
constituting the essence ofevery human life, are not without a storehouse
because the earthly storehouse proves insufficient. The truth seems to be that
man has it in his power to do more goodthan he can conceive, more good
certainly than he everattempts. He has not the faith to believe that incessant
and plenteous sowing will bring goodresults, to be manifested in that day
when all secrets are brought fully to light. And so on the other hand, the
malicious man exaggerates his power. He thinks he has done more than he
possibly can do. Goodis left undone for want of faith, and evil is done through
too much faith. Many an evil actwould never have been committed if the doer
had only knownhow his evil, in the wondrous reach of God's providence,
would be turned to good. And so the evil-doer, the man of many crimes, if
perchance the hour comes to him when he reflects in self-condemnationin the
past, and says in his heart that all repentance is vain, should yet find hope and
illumination as he considers how the evil done to others is an evil which God
can neutralise, which he caneven transmute into good. He who hurts his
neigh-bout and rejoices overthe mischief, may find, when it is too late, that
the only real evil has been to himself, because he has persistedin an
impenitent heart. - Y.

Biblical Illustrator
Thou shalt not kill.
Exodus 20:13
The Sixth Commandment
R. W. Dale, D. D.
I. THAT THIS COMMANDMENTWAS INTENDED,AS SOME SUPPOSE,
TO FORBID THE INFLICTION OF CAPITAL PUNISHMENT, IS
INCONCEIVABLE. The Mosaic law itselfinflicted death for murder,
Sabbath-breaking, and the selling of a Jew into slavery. The root of the
Commandment lies in the greatnessofhuman nature; man is invested with a
supernatural and Divine glory; to maintain the greatness ofman it may be
sometimes necessarythat the murderer, who in his malice forgets the mystery
and wonderfulness of his intended victim, should be put to death.
II. DOES THE COMMANDMENTABSOLUTELYFORBID WAR
BETWEENNATIONS? Certainlynot. The nation to which it was given had a
strict military organization, organized by the very authority from which the
Commandment came. Moses himselfprayed to God that the hosts of Israel
might be victorious over their enemies. Wars of ambition, wars of revenge —
these are crimes. But the moral sense ofthe purest and noblest of mankind

has sanctionedand honoured the courage and heroism which repel by force of
arms an assaulton a nation's integrity, and the greatprinciple which
underlies this Commandment sanctions and honours them too.
(R. W. Dale, D. D.)
The Sixth and Seventh Commandments
F. D. Maurice, M. A.
There are very sad and fearful thoughts connectedwith these
Commandments. But there are also very blessedthoughts connectedwith
them.
I. Is it nothing to remember that THE LORD GOD HIMSELF WATCHES
OVER THE LIFE OF EVERY ONE OF US, POOR CREATURESAS WE
ARE, that He has declared, and does declare, how precious it is in His eyes?
Our life is subjectto a thousand accidents. All things seemto conspire against
it. Deathseems to getthe mastery over it at last. But no; He has said, "Death,
I will be thy plague." As every plant and tree seems to die in winter and revive
in spring, so He says to this more wonderful life in our bodies, "It shall go on,
and this is the pledge and witness that it shall: the Head of you all, the Son of
man, the only-begotten Son of God, died Himself and rose again. God's
conflict with death is accomplished. The grave shall not kill."
II. And so, again, THE LORD IS THE GOD OVER THE HOUSEHOLD. He
who says, "Thoushalt not kill," bids us understand that it is wellto pour out
blood as if it were waterrather than to become base and foul creatures, beasts
instead of His servants and children. That was the reasonHe sentthe
Israelites to drive out the Canaanites. Theywere corrupting and defiling the
earth with their abominations. It was time that the earth should be clearedof
them. The God who gave these Commandments is King now, and there is no
respectof persons with Him.
III. CHRIST DIED TO TAKE AWAY THE SINS OF MEN. He died to unite
men to the righteous and sinless God. The Lord our God, who has redeemed

us out of the house of bondage, will always deliver us from sin, will give us a
new, right, and cleanheart.
(F. D. Maurice, M. A.)
I. THE SIN FORBIDDEN.In this, "thou shalt not kill," is meant the not
injuring another.
1. We must not injure another in his name. We injure others in their name
when we calumniate and slander them. No physician can healthe wounds of
the tongue.
2. We must not injure another in his body. The life is the most precious thing;
and God hath setthis Commandment as a fence about it, to preserve it. All
these sins which lead to murder are here forbidden: As(1) Unadvised anger.
Anger boils up the blood in the veins, and oft produceth murder; "in their
angerthey slew a man."(2) Envy. Anger is sometimes "soonover," like fire
kindled in straw, which is quickly out; but envy is a radicatedthing, and will
not quench its thirst without blood; "who is able to stand before envy?"(3)
Hatred. How many ways is murder committed?We may be said to murder
another:
1. With the hand: as Joabkilled Abner and Amasa; "he smote him in the fifth
rib, and shed out his bowels."
2. Murder is committed with the mind. Malice is mental murder; "whoso
hateth his brother is a murderer."
3. Murder is committed with the tongue, by speaking to the prejudice of
another, and causing him to be put to death.
4. Murder is committed with the pen. Uriah.
5. By consenting to another's death. Saul.
6. By not hindering the death of another when in our power. Pilate.

7. By unmercifulness.
8. By taking awaythat which is necessaryfor the sustentationof life.
9. By not helping him when he is ready to perish. We must not injure
another's soul. Who do this?
(1)Such as corrupt others by bad example.
(2)Such as entice others to sin.
(3)Ministers are murderers, who starve, poison, or infect souls.
(4)Such as destroy others, by getting them into bad company, and so making
them proselytes to the devil.The secondthing forbidden in it is, the injuring
one-self;"thou shalt not kill": thou shalt do no hurt to thyself.
1. Thou shalt not hurt thy own body. One may be guilty of self-murder,
either(1) Indirectly and occasionally;as, first, when a man thrusts himself into
danger which he might prevent. Secondly, a person may be in some sense
guilty of his own death, by neglecting the use of means. If sick, and use no
physic, if he hath receiveda wound and will not apply balsam, he hastens his
own death. Thirdly, by immoderate grief: "the sorrow of the world worketh
death"; when God takes awaya dear relation, and one is swallowedup with
sorrow. How many weepthemselves into their graves!Queen Mary grieved so
excessivelyforthe loss of Calais, that it broke her heart. Fourthly, by
intemperance, excess in diet. Surfeiting shortens life; "more die of it than by
the sword";many dig their grave with their teeth; too much oil chokes the
lamp; the cup kills more than the cannon.(2)One may be guilty of self-
murder, directly and absolutely. First, by envy. Envy corrodes the heart, dries
up the blood, rots the bones; "envy is the rottenness of the bones." It is to the
body, as the moth to the cloth, it eats it, and makes its beauty consume; envy
drinks its own venom. Second, by laying violent hands on himself, and thus he
is felo de se; as Saul fell upon his own swordand killed himself. A man's self is
most near to him, therefore this sin of self-murder breaks both the law of
God, and the bonds of nature. Self-murderers are worse than the brute-
creatures;they will tear and gore one another, but no beastwill go to destroy
itself. Self-murder is occasionedusually from discontent;discontent is joined

with a sullen melancholy. The bird that beats herselfin the cage, andis ready
to kill herself, is the true emblem of a discontentedspirit.
2. Here is forbidden hurting one's own soul.Who are they that go about
desperatelyto murder their own souls?
1. Such wilfully go about to murder their souls, who have no sense ofGod, or
the other world; they are "pastfeeling."
2. Such as are setwilfully to murder their own souls, are they who are
resolvedupon their lusts, let what will come of it. Men will, for a drop of
pleasure, drink a sea of wrath.
3. They murder their souls, who avoid all means of saving their souls.
4. They do voluntarily murder their souls, who suck in false prejudices against
religion; as if religion were so strict and severe, thatthey who espouse
holiness, must live a melancholy life, like hermits and anchorites, and drown
all their joy in tears. This is a slander which the devil hath castupon religion:
for there is no true joy but in believing.
5. They are wilfully set to murder their own souls, who will neither be good
themselves, nor suffer others to be so.
II. THE DUTY IMPLIED. That we should do all the goodwe can to ourselves
and others.
1. In reference to others.(1)To preserve the life of others. Comfort them in
their sorrows, relieve them in their wants, be as the goodSamaritan, pour
wine and oil into their wounds. Grace makes the heart tender, it causeth
sympathy and charity; as it melts the heart, in contrition towards God, so in
compassiontowards others.(2)Love. Love loves mercy: it is a noble bountiful
grace. Love, like a full vessel, will have vent; it vents itself in acts of liberality.
To communicate to the necessities ofothers, is not arbitrary, it is not left to
our choice whetherwe will or no, but it is a duty incumbent; "charge them
that are rich in this world that they do good, that they be rich in goodworks."
God supplies our wants, and shall not we supply the wants of others? Shall we
be only as a sponge to suck in mercy, and not as breasts to milk it out to

others?(3)It is implied, that we should endeavour to preserve the souls of
others; counselthem about their souls, setlife and death before them, help
them to heaven.
2. In reference to ourselves.The Commandment, "thou shalt not kill,"
requires that we should preserve our own life and soul.
1. It is engravenupon every creature, that we should preserve our own
natural life.
2. This Commandment requires, that we should endeavour, as to preserve our
own life, so especially, to preserve our own souls.
( T. Watson.)
L. O. Thompson.
This command forbids the illegaland unrighteous taking of life. What a
terrible commentary upon the condition of man that there needs to be such a
command as this, "Thou shalt not kill"! Sin is its only explanation. Consider
—
I. THE MURDERER.
1. This crime comes as the sequence to a life of terrible guilt.
2. It subjects him to the extreme penalty of the law, and holds him up as a
monster unfit for human fellowship and life.
3. It does violence to the highestinterests of his soul.
II. THE MURDERED MAN.
1. Murder cuts him off in the midst of his days.
2. It destroys all his earthly interests, and does him the greatestinjustice. No
time given to set business in order or provide for household.

3. It endangers his eternal welfare.
III. SOCIETY.
1. Murder outrages the rights of life and property.
(1)It brings disgrace to the relations of the murderer.
(2)It injures the connections ofthe murdered one.
(3)It disturbs the peace ofsociety, and even threatens the stability of good
government.
2. Hence to defend life becomes a duty (Psalm82:3, 4; Job 29:13).
(1)We are not at liberty to take our own life (Acts 16:28).
(2)When a man is attackedbe should defend himself; or, if others need help,
he should assistthem (Proverbs 24:11, 12).
(3)The welfare of societydemands that the life of the murderer should be
exactedby the government, or that he should be kept in perpetual durance
(Genesis 9:6).
IV. APPLICATIONS.
1. We should keepthe heart free from hatred and the like.
2. We should cultivate a sweetdispositionand control over temper and
passion. The passionate man may commit murder in the frenzy of his
excitement.
3. We should avoid everything that tends toward this crime, such as quarrels,
differences, strong drink, and all other things whose tendencyis to evolve
passionand destroyself.control.
(L. O. Thompson.)

G. D. Boardman.
Man alone has the inspiration of Deity. This Divine inbreathing is the august
peculiarity which separates mandiscretively and everlastingly from the
animal creation. On his body side he sprang from dust; on his soulside he
sprang with the animals; on his spirit side he sprang from God. Thus in his
very beginning, in the original make-up of him, man was a religious being.
Coming into existence as Jehovah's inbreathing, man was, in the very factof
being Divinely inbreathed, God's Son and Image. Hence it is that the human
body is such a sacredthing. It is the shrine of God's Son, God's image, God's
likeness, God's spirit, God's breath. As such it is the priceless casketof
unknown sacredpotentialities. Hence, murder is, in the intensestsense ofthe
word, sacrilege:not only a crime againstman, but a crime againstGod, in
whose image man is made. But murder may be of varying degrees ofatrocity.
Accordingly, let us now glance at some of the various forms of murder.
1. And, first, there is the murder which is born of malice, or murder in the
common acceptationofthe term. Murder of this kind, whether perpetrated
swiftly, as by the bullet, or slowly, as by arsenic, is the most fiendish of crimes.
And nature, in an especialmanner, ever waits to avenge it. Nor is this strange;
for, as we have seen, man, on his body side, is linked with the material
creation. The same elements which compose our physical organismcompose,
although in different proportions, the water we drink, the food we eat, the air
we breathe, the dust we await. Hence nature herselfoften becomes a principal
factorin the detectionof the murderer. She ever stands ready to be murder's
avenger, supplying the prosecuting attorney with her re-agents, evenwith
blood-corpuscles themselves.
2. Again, there is the murder which is born of sudden passion:the murder, for
example, of lynch-law, when a mob usurps the functions of a court of justice;
the murder of sudden vengeance, as whenan outragedhusband encounters
and slays the destroyer of his home; the murder of manslaughter, whether
voluntary or involuntary, whether provokedby insult, by menace, or by
alcohol.

3. Again, there is the murder which is born of despair. Suicide, when
committed by a sane person, is murder. Indeed, how often the two crimes are
committed by the same person — the murderer first slaying his victim, then
slaying himself. Justly does the law pronounce a suicide a felo de se — that is,
one who makes a felon of himself, suicide being felonious self-murder.
4. Again, there is the murder which is born of shame: I mean infanticide.
5. Again, there if the murder which is born of harmful occupations. Firstin
this list I would put the dram shop; it matters not that the killing is slow;the
killing is moral murder; and before every saloonI would posta
placard.bearing the Sinaitic legend: "Thou shalt not kill." Again, there is the
sale, when not prescribed by the physician, of narcotic drugs, in their various
forms, from opium joints to chloral drops. Again, there are the slow murders
which are perpetrated in houses of nameless sin — murders which are
particularly sacrilegious, because, as we have seen, the body is the temple of
the Holy Spirit.
6. Again, there is the murder which is born of thoughtlessness (see
Deuteronomy 22:8). It is one of the cheering signs of the times that the public
is awakening to the sense ofits grave responsibility in this direction, for
example, demanding that life shall not be imperiled by the failure to provide
substantial structures, fire-escapes, life-preservers, railwayprecautions,
sanitary arrangements of fresh air and wholesome foodand pure waterand
cleanstreets, isolatedrefuges forsufferers from contagious andinfectious
diseases, competentphysicians and druggists and nurses, sufficient hours for
rest on the part of operatives, excursions forchildren, sanitariums for the
poor, parks and recreationgrounds — in brief, hygienic regulations in
general.
7. And now let us ponder Christ's interpretation of the law againstmurder
(Matthew 5:21, 22). According to Him, murder is not a matter of outward act,
but of inward feeling:not a question of standing before the community, but of
characterbefore the All-seeing. No murder was ever committed which did not
begin in the heart. Who of us has kept the Sixth Commandment as the Divine
Man has interpreted it? Who of us has not been angry, passionate, revengeful,

petulant? Remembering, then, these quarrels of ours, these grudges and
piques and faults of temper, who of us is not in dangerof the eternal
Gehenna? But we are not yet through with the Sixth Commandment.
Although it is prohibitive in form, saying, Thou shalt not kill, yet it is
affirmative in spirit, saying, Thou shalt love.
(G. D. Boardman.)
The law of mercy
W. J. Woods B. A.
I. THE ESSENTIALPRINCIPLE OF THIS COMMANDMENT.
1. In preferring the old PrayerBook reading, "Thou shalt do no murder," the
revisers have done well. Killing may be no murder. The right of self-defence
belongs both to the individual and the community.
2. Human life is sacred, but not so sacredas the end for which it is given, viz.,
that man createdin the image of God should do His will. That is the
paramount obligation. The will of God may make it right for us to lay down
our lives, or right to defend them at the costof death to others.
II. THE MOSAIC ENUNCIATION OF THIS COMMANDMENT.
1. It is inconceivable that the greatlaw-givercan have read it in the sense of
an absolute "Thou shalt not kill."(1)If he had condemned killing in self-
defence, he could not have formed the regulation in Exodus 22:2.(2)If he had
condemned killing by public justice, he would not have ordained capital
punishment, as he did not only for murder, but also for kidnapping, insolence
to parents, adultery, sorcery, blasphemy, and Sabbath-breaking.(3)If he had
condemned killing in war, he would neither have engagedin it himself nor
have left it as a solemn legacyto his successor.(4)Againstactualmurder the
law of Moses wasuncompromising (see Deuteronomy19:11-13;Exodus
21:14.)

2. In this stern impartiality the Hebrew legislatorrose head and shoulders, not
only above his contemporaries, but above generations very far subsequent to
him. Even in Christian England, and in our own day, we tolerate in
connectionwith many offences, analternative of "fine or imprisonment?; a
bad remainder of feudal times, which lets the rich man lightly off, but crushes
his poorerneighbour — an inequality with which Moses couldnot be charged.
But he went further than this. He laid down the principle that criminal
carelessnessand selfishindifference to human life ought to be regardedas
tantamount to murder (see Exodus 21:28, 29). If our own British laws were as
clearas this in their denunciation of criminal carelessness andwicked
recklessnessofhuman life, it would be vastly to the public advantage. Whatof
the jerry-builders heaping rotting garbage into the foundations of houses,
putting cheaparsenicatedpapers on the walls, and scamping drains that they
may net exorbitant rents at the price of human lives? What of smug railway-
directors sweeping in goldendividends, but leaving poor signalmen to toil for
such long hours that exhausted nature muddles the points, and horrible
collisions follow? Whatof the chemist who adulterates his drugs, the inn-
keeperwho puts damp sheets on the traveller's bed, and the butcher who
sends diseasedmeatinto market? The plain truth is, that these people are
murderers. We are yet as to legislationa long way behind the brave old ruler
who said out forcibly what such criminals should suffer; but our moral sense
sees clearlythat they inflict death upon innocent people, a death as sure as if
they had put knife to the throats or revolver to the hearts of their victims, a
death often slowerand more cruel in its torture.
III. THE SAVIOUR'S COMMENTUPON THIS WORD (see Matthew 5:21,
22). Nothing condemned by Mosesas a breach of the sixth word is excusedby
Jesus. Insteadof loosing, He tightens the reins. He tracks the lurking murder
in many an unsuspectedheart. He marks three degrees ofmurderous guilt, all
of which may be manifested without a blow being struck: secretanger;
spiteful jeer; open, unrestrained outburst of violent, abusive speech.
IV. THE POSITIVE INTERPRETATIONOF THIS COMMANDMENT will
lift us to the true platform of Christian morality by transfiguring it into a law
of mercy. The same essentialprinciple which forbids murder ordains
brotherhood.

(W. J. Woods B. A.)
Injuring man prohibited
H. Crosby, D. D.
We now come to the commandments which refer exclusively to our duty to
man. Of these there are five. The first four we group together. They each
read: "Thou shalt not injure thy fellow-man." We cannot injure God — we
can only actirreverently and carelesslytowardGod, and so injure, not Him,
but ourselves. Sinhas made us natural enemies to one another — Ishmaelites,
whose hands are againstevery man, and every man's hand againstus. Man's
condition by nature is not seenin man's condition in England, France, or
civilized America, but in man's condition in the savage islandof the Pacific,
where the heavenly rays of the gospelhave leastpenetrated. The civilizations
of Christianity exhibit, not humanity, but Christianity. The civilizations of
ancient Persia, Greece, andRome (although a little revelationfiltered through
upon them) exhibit humanity, in its best estate, as a refined selfishness,where
every man seeks (adroitly, perhaps, and not openly) to injure his neighbour.
The injury which man cando to his fellowman can be divided into four kinds
— injury to person, injury to society, injury to property, and injury to
reputation.
(H. Crosby, D. D.)
Personalapplicationof the Commandment
F. S. Schenck.
The Commandment is addressedto eachman, and applies to his own life and
the life of his neighbour.
1. His own life he is forbidden to take. He is commanded to care for it. Man
does not ownhimself, has no title in his own life as before God, has no right to
destroy it, but should take goodcare of it, for it belongs to God. We are here

forbidden to brood over our troubles. It is wrong to cultivate a melancholy
spirit, or a rebellious one. We should strive againstthese natural tendencies
which threaten life and dishonour God. God requires us further to have that
high regard for our lives which shall lead us to guard and maintain them in
the bestpossible condition. We are to become familiar with the laws of health,
and obedient to them. The Commandment tells us how we shall dress.
Adornment should be subordinate to comfort. Thin shoes and bare arms
venture out to a late party on a winter's night; a severe cold sometimes
follows, and a speedy death. We say, What a mysterious providence to take
one so young! Do we not know that the laws of providence are in favour of
goodhealth and long life, and that sicknessand death often come directly
from our disobedience ofthese laws. This Commandment directs us in the
conduct of our business. In gaining our living we are not needlesslyto risk our
lives. We are to be masters of our business, not masteredby it.
2. God requires further that eachone shall hold the life of others sacredas
well as his own. He is forbidden to take it. He is commanded to care for it. The
contentious spirit is to be checkedin its small beginnings, for its natural
tendency is to hard feelings and deadly hatred. Our pride is not to be
cultivated, for an over-estimate of our ownimportance is sure to be cut to the
quick by the slights of others, and arousing into angerwill cherish the desire
for revenge. High temper quickly flies into anger when provoked, and often
acts and speaksin the heat of passion, adding fuel to its own flame and
striking fire into other hearts. It is said that Julius Caesarwonmany victories
over his own spirit by the simple rule never to speak or actwhen provoked
until he had repeatedslowly the Roman alphabet. We are to beware of having
any prejudice againstour neighbour. We are to think of him kindly, and
speak of him and to him kindly, no matter what he thinks of us, or how he
speaks ofus or to us, or even if he will not speak to us at all. All private
grudges and neighbourhood feuds, if they stand at all, must stand under the
frowning face of this Commandment. Neither cancoolindifference to our
neighbour's welfare find any place in our hearts under this law of God. In the
socialarrangements ofthe day lives are often placed in the charge of others.
Those having this charge should pay specialattention to this Commandment.
The ownerof a tenement house, if he regards this Commandment at all, will

seek the health, comfort, and welfare of his tenants. Builders of roads, bridges,
and houses, if they regard this Commandment at all, will seek notonly good
wages,but mainly to do goodwork, that men's lives may be safe. This
Commandment directs us to be goodcitizens and to seek the health and
welfare of all the members of the community where we dwell. The sanitary
arrangements of city, town, and village, are commended to our attention. We
may not neglectthem without guilt. The sacredness oflife enjoined in the
Commandment covers not merely the bodily life, it lies speciallyin our
spiritual life, in the image of God. Is life worth living? asks the worldly
philosopher, as if there was some doubt about it. Worth living? Surely it is,
since our spiritual life though fallen may be brought into a shape worthy of
God our Father. Herein we see the highest realm of this Commandment, the
true sacrednessoflife. We are carefully to avoid in ourselves and in our
influence all those things which would have any tendency to destroy the soul.
(F. S. Schenck.)
Anger leading to murder
R. Newton, D. D.
I remember when I was a boy at schoola case ofthis kind occurred. One of
the scholars, whosename was James, had a terrible temper. The leastthing
that displeasedhim would throw him into a rage, and then he would actin the
most violent manner. He never seemedto feel how dreadfully wickedit was,
or to be afraid of the consequencesthatmight follow from it. One day, during
recess,he stretched himself on a bench to take a nap. One of the boys thought
be would have a little fun with James. He look a feather, and leaned over the
bench, and beganto tickle him in the ear. James shook his head, and cried
"Quit that." Presently he felt the feather again. "You quit that, I say!" he
exclaimed, very angrily. The boy very thoughtlesslywent on with his mischief.
Then James sprang from the bench, seizeda pair of compasses lying on the
desk near him, and threw them at the boy with all his might. They struck him
on the side of the head. They entered his brain. He fell down, never spoke
again, and was carriedhome a corpse. How dreadful this was!Here was the

young serpent that had been allowedto nestle in this boy's heart springing up
suddenly to its full growth, and making a murderer of him. Oh, watchagainst
these young serpents!
(R. Newton, D. D.)
Refusing to fight a duel
ColonelGardiner, having receiveda challenge to fight a duel, made the
following truly noble and Christian reply: I fear sinning, though you know,
sir, I do not fear fighting"; thus showing his convictionof a facttoo often
forgotten, that the most impressive manifestation of courage is to "obey God
rather than man.
STUDYLIGHT RESOURCES
r to pillage. The obligation is universal, and the name we give it echoes the
teaching of Him who said that no man can enter the sphere of our possible
influence, even as a wounded creature in a swoonwhom we may help, but he
should thereupon become our neighbour. Or rather, we should become his;
for while the question askedof Him was "Who is my neighbour?" (whom
should I love?)Jesus reversedthe problem when He askedin turn not To
whom was the wounded man a neighbour? but Who was a neighbour unto
him? (who loved him?)
Socialethics, then, have a religious sanction. It is the constantduty and effort
of the Church of God to saturate the whole life of man, all his conduct and his
thought, with a sense ofsacredness;and as the world is for everdesecrating
what is holy, so is religion for everconsecrating whatis secular.

In these latter days men have thought it a proof of grace to separate religion
from daily life. The Antinomian, who maintains that his orthodox beliefs or
feelings absolve him from the obligations of morality, joins hands with the
Italian brigand who hopes to be forgiven for cutting throats because he
subsidises a priest. The enthusiast who insists that all sins, past and future,
were forgiven him when he believed, approaches far nearerthan he supposes
to the fanatic of another creed, who thinks a formal confessionand an
external absolution sufficient to washaway sin. All of them hold the grand
heresy that one may escape the penalties without being freed from the power
of evil; that a life may be savedby grace without being penetrated by religion,
and that it is not exactly accurate to say that Jesus saves His people from their
sins.
It is scarcelywonderful, when some men thus refuse to morality the sanctions
of religion, that others propose to teachmorality how she may go without
them. In spite of the experience of ages, whichproves that human passions are
only too ready to defy at once the penalties of both worlds, it is imagined that
the microscope andthe scalpelmay supersede the Gospelas teachers of
virtue; that the self-interestof a creature doomed to perish in a few years may
prove more effectual to restrain than eternalhopes and fears;and that a
scientific prudence may supply the place of holiness. It has never been so in
the past. Not only Judaea, but Egypt, Greece, andRome, were strong as long
as they were righteous, and righteous as long as their morality was bound up
in their religion. When they ceasedto worship they ceasedto be self-
controlled, nor could the most urgent and manifest self-interest, nor all the
resources oflofty philosophy, withhold them from the ruin which always
accompanies orfollows vice.
Is it certain that modern science willfare any better? So far from deepening
our respectfor human nature and for law, she is discovering vile origins for
our most sacredinstitutions and our deepestinstincts, and whispering strange
means by which crime may work without detectionand vice without penalty.
Neverwas there a time when educated thought was more suggestive of
contempt for one's self and for one's fellow-man, and of a prudent, sturdy,
remorselesspursuit of self-interest, which may be very far indeed from
virtuous. The next generationwill eatthe fruit of this teaching, as we reap

what our fathers sowed. The theorist may be as pure as Epicurus. But the
disciples will be as the Epicureans.
Is there anything in the modern conceptionof a man which bids me spare
him, if his existence dooms me to poverty and I can quietly push him over a
precipice? It is quite conceivable that I canprove, and very likely indeed that
I can persuade myself, that the shortening of the life of one hard and grasping
man may brighten the lives of hundreds. And my passions will simply laugh at
the attempt to restrain me by arguing that greatadvantages result from the
respectfor human life upon the whole. Appetites, greeds, resentments do not
regard their objects in this broad and colourless way;they grant the general
proposition, but add that every rule has its exceptions. Something more is
needed: something which can never be obtained except from a universal law,
from the sanctity of all human lives as bearing eternal issues in their bosom,
and from the certainty that He who gave the mandate will enforce it.
It is when we see in our fellow-man a divine creature of the Divine, made by
God in His own image, marred and defacedby sin, but not beyond recovery,
when his actions are regardedas wrought in the sight of a Judge Whose
presence supersedesutterly the slightness, heatand inadequacy of our
judgment and our vengeance, whenhis pure affections tell us of the love of
God which passethknowledge, whenhis errors affright us as dire and
melancholy apostaciesfrom a mighty calling, and when his death is solemnas
the unveiling of unknown and unending destinies, then it is that we discern the
sacrednessoflife, and the awful presumption of the deed which quenches it. It
is when we realise that he is our brother, holding his place in the universe by
the same tenure by which we hold our own, and dear to the same Father, that
we understand how stern is the duty of repressing the first resentful
movements within our breast which would even wish to crush him, because
they are a rebellion againstthe Divine ordinance and againstthe Divine
benevolence.
Is it asked, how can all this be reconciledwith the lawfulness of capital
punishment? The death penalty is frequent in the Mosaic code. But Scripture
regards the judge as the minister and agent of God. The stern monotheism of
the Old Testament"said, Ye are Gods," to those who thus pronounced the

behest of Heaven; and private vengeance becomesonly more culpable when
we reflect upon the high sanctionand authority by which alone public justice
presumes to act.
Now, all these considerations vanish together, whenreligion ceasesto
consecrate morality. The judgment of law differs from my own merely as I
like it better, and as I am a party (perhaps unwillingly) to the generalconsent
which creates it; he whom I would assailis doomed in any case to speedy and
complete extinction; his longer life is possibly burdensome to himself and to
society;and there exists no higher Being to resent my interference, or to
measure out the existence which I think too protracted. It is clearthat such a
view of human life must prove fatal to its sacredness;and that its results
would make themselves increasinglyfelt, as the awe wore awaywhich old
associationsnow inspire.
Copyright Statement
These files are public domain.
Text Courtesyof BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission.
Bibliography
Nicoll, William R. "Commentary on Exodus 20:13". "Expositor's Bible
Commentary". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/teb/exodus-
20.html.
return to 'Jump List'
Whedon's Commentary on the Bible
THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT,Exodus 20:13.
13. Thou shalt not kill — Better, thou shalt not commit murder. This first
commandment of the secondtable corresponds noticeablywith the first of the
previous table, as a reference to Genesis 9:6, will serve to show:“Whoso
sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God
made he man.” The murderer, therefore, is regardedas one who wickedly

destroys God’s image in man, and so most baselyassaults Godhimself.
Suicide is, accordingly, prohibited by this commandment. The Hebrew
legislationeverywhere enhances the sacrednessofhuman life. All the precepts
in Exodus 21:12-30, aim to guard life from violence. If any man by
carelessnessorneglectoccasionedthe death of another, he brought blood-
guiltiness upon his house. Deuteronomy 22:8. A murder by an unknown hand
would pollute the very land in which it was committed until suitable expiation
were made. Deuteronomy 21:1-9. Our Lord took up this law for special
treatment, and taught that he who cherishedangeragainsthis neighbour was
guilty before God of the spirit of murder. Matthew 5:21-24. Johnalso enlarges
on this same profound idea. 1 John 2:9-11; 1 John 3:12-15. As the not having
any other God instead of Jehovahis at the basis of the laws of the first table,
so the not hating one’s neighbour is at the basis of all those of the second.
Hence the two greatpositive commands, inclusive of all others: first, thou
shalt love God with all thy heart; and, second, thou shalt love thy neighbour
as thyself. According to Numbers 35:31, no satisfactionwas allowablefor the
life of a murderer but the extreme penalty of the law. No commutation and no
pardon could be granted to one clearly convictedof murder. The shallow
sentimentalism of modern life has in numerous places cried out againstthis
law, and sought to class it with barbarities which ought to be set aside. Also
some learned and thoughtful men, holding the notion that civil government is
merely a “socialcompact,” orthat the objectof penalty is solelyto prevent
crime, and is not based upon moral desert, have advocatedthe abolition of
capital punishment. But it is shown that where another punishment has been
substituted for the death penalty, capitalcrime has increased, and states
which have tried the experiment have found it a failure, and have restored the
severerlaw. Those who oppose the death penalty for murder often exhibit far
more sympathy for the criminal than for his victims. The biblical doctrine is
clearand decisive:(1.) He who takes a human life forfeits his own, and so
deserves death. (2.) The common safetyand public gooddemand that the just
penalty be speedily executed. (3.) The New Testament, far from conflicting
with the Old on this point, confirms it by representing the civil magistrate as
God’s minister, bearing the swordto be a terror to evildoers, and to execute
wrath upon them. Romans 13:1-6. The words of our Lord, often quoted as
inconsistentwith capital punishment, have no reference whateverto the

executionof righteous laws upon the guilty, but to man’s personaland private
relations. To explain such precepts as those of Matthew 5:38-45, as indicating
the true methods of civil government is preposterous in the extreme, and, if
thus practically applied, would overthrow all righteous government and law.
Equally absurd is it to appeal to Romans 12:17-21;for if the officers of law
and justice should proceedwith murderers, thieves, and other criminals as
there enjoined, it would be a direct encouragementfor all sorts of evil doers to
multiply their nefarious deeds. All these fallacies ofexegesis arise from
confounding private and personalrelations with the administration of public
justice. With one who is incapable of making and holding these distinctions in
mind, it would be idle to argue the question of capital or any other
punishment by the State.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Whedon, Daniel. "Commentary on Exodus 20:13". "Whedon's Commentary
on the Bible". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/whe/exodus-
20.html. 1874-1909.
Expository Notes ofDr. Thomas Constable
The sixth commandment20:13
God did not forbid killing per se. He commanded capital punishment and
some war. The Hebrew word used here specifies murder, not just killing. The
Israelites were to execute murderers and others under the Mosaic Law.

However, He prohibited taking a human life without divine authorization.
This included suicide (cf. John 3:15). [Note:See J. P. Morgan, "The Morality
of Suicide: Issues and Options," Bibliotheca Sacra148:590(April-
June1991):214-30.]
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Constable, Thomas. DD. "Commentaryon Exodus 20:13". "ExpositoryNotes
of Dr. Thomas Constable".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/dcc/exodus-20.html. 2012.
JosephBenson's Commentaryof the Old and New Testaments
Exodus 20:13. Thou shalt not kill — Thou shalt not do any thing hurtful to the
health or life of thy own body, or any other’s. This doth not forbid our
necessarydefence, orthe magistrates putting offenders to death; but it forbids
all malice and hatred to any, for he that hateth his brother is a murderer, and
all revenge arising therefrom; likewise anger, andhurt said or done, or aimed
to be done, in a passion;of this our Saviour expounds this commandment,
Matthew 5:22.
Copyright Statement

Bibliography
Benson, Joseph. "Commentaryon Exodus 20:13". JosephBenson's
Commentary. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/rbc/exodus-
20.html. 1857.
George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary
Kill. These precepts are to be takenin their full extent, as prohibiting not only
the ultimate act, but every thing which leads to it. Magistrates are authorized
to inflict capitalpunishment. We are allowedalso to defend ourselves against
an unjust aggressor. But we must never intend to kill him. (Calmet) --- The
laws will not condemn us, perhaps, if we do; but God sees the heart, and
judges. A night thief may be slain, because we know not how far our own lives
may be endangered, chap. xxii. 2. (Haydock)
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Haydock, George Leo. "Commentaryon Exodus 20:13". "GeorgeHaydock's
Catholic Bible Commentary".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/hcc/exodus-20.html. 1859.
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Unabridged
Thou shalt not kill. 'Killing' is not what is prohibited, otherwise the judicial
infliction of capital punishment, as well as the slaughterof an enemy in
defensive war, would be unlawful-in which light these were certainly not

regardedby the Israelites in the time of Moses (Exodus 21:14;Deuteronomy
19:11;Deuteronomy 31:9). [ Lo' (Hebrew #3808)tirtsaach(Hebrew #7523),
Thou shalt not commit murder. The verb signifies to slay with premeditation
and malice, and is properly rendered by the Septuagint: ou (Greek #3756)
foneuseis (Greek #5407).]Ofcourse, the interdict includes not only the actual
perpetration of murder, but every deed that tends to the dangerof life, as well
as to personalinjury, and the criminality of the actconsists in its being an
assaultupon the image of God (Genesis 9:6). 'The omission of the object still
remains to be noticed, as showing that the prohibition includes not only the
killing of a fellowman, but the destruction of one's ownlife, or suicide' (Kiel).
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Jamieson, Robert, D.D.;Fausset,A. R.; Brown, David. "Commentary on
Exodus 20:13". "CommentaryCritical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible -
Unabridged". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jfu/exodus-
20.html. 1871-8.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(13) Thou shalt not kill.—Fromthe peculiar duties owedby children to their
parents, the Divine legislatorwenton to lay down those generalduties which
men owe to their fellow-men. And of these the first is that of respecting their
life. The security of life is the primary object of government; and it has been
well said that men originally coalescedinto States with a view to self-
preservation(Arist., Pol. i. 1). All written codes forbid murder; and in
communities which are without written codes an unwritten law condemns it.
When God “seta mark upon Cain” (Genesis 4:15), He marked thereby His
abhorrence of the murderer. The “sevenprecepts of Noah” included one

which distinctly forbade the taking of human life (Genesis 9:6). In all
countries and among all peoples, a natural instinct or an unwritten tradition
placed murder among the worstof crimes, and made its penalty death. The
Mosaic legislationon the point was differenced from others principally by the
care it took to distinguish betweenactualmurder, manslaughter (Exodus
21:13), death by misadventure (Numbers 35:23), and justifiable homicide
(Exodus 22:2). Before, however, it made these distinctions, the great principle
of the sanctity of human life required to be broadly laid down; and so the law
was given in the widestpossible terms—“Thoushalt not kill.” Exceptions
were reservedtill later.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Ellicott, Charles John. "Commentary on Exodus 20:13". "Ellicott's
Commentary for English Readers".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/ebc/exodus-20.html. 1905.
Treasuryof Scripture Knowledge
21:14,20,29;Genesis 4:8-23;9:5,6; Leviticus 24:21;Numbers 35:16-34;
Deuteronomy 5:17; Deuteronomy19:11-13;2 Samuel12:9,10;2 Kings 21:16;
2 Chronicles 24:22;Psalms 10:8-11;Proverbs 1:11,18;Isaiah26:21; Jeremiah
26:15;Matthew 5:21,22;Acts 28:4; Romans 13:9; Galatians 5:21; 1 Timothy
1:9; James 2:11,13;1 John 3:12-15

Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Torrey, R. A. "Commentary on Exodus 20:13". "The Treasuryof Scripture
Knowledge". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/tsk/exodus-
20.html.
Preacher's Complete HomileticalCommentary
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.—Exo
THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT
One greatsource of mischief to societyis disrespectto parents; againstthis
God has guarded His people, by directing them to "honour their father and
their mother." Another greatsource of evil in the world is to be found in the
angry passions of men, which have hurried them on to thousands of violent
and cruel actions againsteachother. God has given this command in His
Word, "Thou shalt not kill." In order to see the true tendency of our corrupt
nature in this matter, we must go to those lands in which the counteracting
influence of Christianity is unknown. In heathen lands now interminable wars
and private murders quite thin the population. Look at civilised nations;
contemplate the wars in which they have been engaged. The passions which
lead to war are here condemned.
I. Let us look at its meaning—"Thoushalt not kill." This command is not to
be taken in an unlimited sense, as prohibiting all bloodshed, because there are
certain limitations to it which the Word of God lays down, and it is one
amongstmany passagesofScripture which show that we must constantly seek
for those limitations which God has set. Godhas Himself shown that there are
some cases inwhich bloodshed is not only allowable, but right (Gen ). Long

after, when the old Mosaic law was established, the life of a murderer was by
that law to be taken, and there was to be no atonementmade. It is thus God's
will that the murderer should be put to death. Nay, further, it is His will that
other intolerable evils which would otherwise overrun societyshould be
checkedforcibly; and if, in the effort to prevent them, blood be taken, it is
agreeable to His will (Exo 22:2). Defensive wars may be placedupon this
ground: if the thief, who broke into a dwelling, was to be resistedeven to
death, it must be agreeable to the Divine will that, when a multitude of men
combine to overrun a peaceable community, they should be put to death.
Human life may be takenwhen necessaryto the repressionof violent crimes,
it may not be takenon the mere plea of expediency. But to take awayhuman
life on any other pretext whatever—to take it awayfrom revenge or passion—
to take it awayunjustly, under colourof law or without law, by means of the
magistrate or by personal violence—is absolutelycontraryto the express will
of God. It is contrary to His will that we should take awayour ownlives.
Suicide leaves no space forrepentance. It closes life by an actof rebellion
againstGod. Even heathens could speak of the cowardice ofsuicide; because it
never springs from any other cause than a man's incapability of bearing the
sorrow which Divine Providence has imposed upon him, or which arises from
his ownfault. But we especiallyrefer this command to others. Sometimes it
has happened that men have takenawaythe life of a fellow-creature by means
of unjust and oppressive laws. Thatwas no justification for their conduct in
the sight of God; it must be murder, because they were the direct cause. If a
man has made use of another as his instrument in attempting to murder, he is
the murderer in God's sight. David, rather than Joab, was the murderer of
Uriah. Cruelty leads to murder, as in the case ofthe oppressedslave.
Excessive work leads to murder, and those who require it are guilty of
murder. But the command of God bids us bind those angry passions which
tend to murder. We are calledto check allstrife (Pro 17:14). We must avoid
hatred, as it leads to strife. In the Word of God, hatred is saidto be murder.
We must not permit the feeling of revenge (Mat 5:39). Envy is also the source
of murder; resist it. This occasionedthe first murder; it nearly wrought the
death of Joseph. Resistpride, as by pride cometh contention. Also the
command not to kill, enjoins upon us the cherishing those opposite affections
by which the temptation to kill shall be destroyed, and those passions

controlled which are the first step to murder. Insteadof indulging revenge, we
are told, "Therefore, if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him
drink," &c. Insteadof allowing ourselves to hate our fellows, the command is
given that we should cherish brotherly kindness. Instead of being allowedto
envy our fellow-creaturesbecauseoftheir superior merit, we are told to
honour all men Instead of indulging pride, we are to be subject one to
another. We are to love our enemies, &c.
II. How we may strengthen this principle of obedience which we are called to
cherish. When God has said to us, "Thou shalt not kill," He has enjoined upon
eachof us to take the means, which are prescribed in the Word or presented
by circumstances, by which we may secure obedience to that command.
Prayer is necessary;thus grace comes to the soul. We have no reasonto expect
the aid of God, exceptwe ask it. We must present to our minds those
considerations whichtend to strengthen the principle of obedience. Think of
the authority of God in enacting this law; He calls us to repress all angry
passions. Letus remember God's forbearance to us, and that He loved us
while enemies. Take care to avoid the beginning of strife; if calledto it in the
way of duty guard the motives. Be careful in your friendships; make no
friendship with an angry man. Let us guard all prejudices againstothers. Let
us not fancy evil againstany one. Let us form those habits which cherish all
the purest and best affections. Letus enter upon this duty in dependence upon
God's grace. There are many motives to it. It will bring us many personal
comforts;it tends to give us the purest and most steadfasthappiness on this
side of eternity, and to prepare us for that celestialabode where no angry
passionenters. It is calculatedto benefit societyand to adorn the doctrine of
Christ.—B. W. Noel, M.A.
ILLUSTRATIONS
BY
THE REV. WILLIAM ADAMSON
Murder-Memories!Exo . Amongst the numerous converts to God amongstthe
Red Indians of N.W. America was a greatchief, noted for his many savage
murders. When brought to a saving knowledge ofthe truth, his exclamation

was, "Oh! why did you not come sooner;and then those whom I have killed
would have heard those glad tidings." During a long and useful Christian old
age, he frequently lamented the fact that he had by death prevented some of
his fellow-creaturesfrom hearing the Gospel's joyful sound. Even in the
closing scene oflife, his thoughts wandered to these murdered ones, whether
he should meet them in the other world. He felt how awful a thing it was, even
in heathen ignorance, to send a fellow-creature, whetherfriend or foe,
unprepared into eternity. He had never read Shakespeare,but he still could
enter into the feelings of Hamlet's ghost, who dwells so much on the factthat
he was killed
"With all his sins broad blown,
Unhonselled, unanointed, unannealed."
PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
ALAN CARR
Exodus 20:13 THERE’S MORE TO MURDER THAN TAKING A LIFE
Intro: One American is shot, stabbed, beaten, or strangledto death every
minute. It seems that no matter where you turn in our society, oreven our
world, there are murders. It’s on the television and movies as fiction. It’s on
the streets and next door as a brutal reality. With a murder rate of 10 in every
100,000,your chances ofbeing murdered are far greaterthan your chances of
dying in an airplane or automobile crash. Murder is a horrible crime against
God and againstone’s fellow man. It may be the greatestoffence ofall given
the enormity of death and what follows thereafter. Imagine taking a person’s
life and that person going immediately into Hell.

Now, the 6th Commandment says, "Thoushalt not kill." It literally means,
"Thou shalt not murder." You see, while all murder is killing, not all killing in
murder. Murder is more than just taking a life! Murder canbe defined as the
premeditated and intentional taking of another human life.
Accidental killing would not be classifiedas murder. Take anexample from
the Bible. In Numbers 35:11-28, Godgave Israelregulations for "Cities of
Refuge." Thesewere cities to which someone who had unintentionally killed
another human could flee to avoid the "avengerofblood." If you were
involved in an automobile accidentand accidentally killed another human,
then you would not be a murderer.
Capital punishment would not be consideredmurder. God, in his Word lays
down the principle that for certain offences, man has the right to terminate
another human life, Gen. 9:6; Num. 35:16-18, Lev. 24:17. Whether or not you
personally agree with capitalpunishment or not, it is plain to see that the
Bible authorizes it in cases ofmurder.
Killings that take place in the exercise of"just war" would not be classifiedas
murder. Throughout the history of the world, nations have had to defend
their borders or other weakernations againstaggressive enemies.EvenGod,
at various times, has orderedHis people onto the field of battle. Those who
kill in "just war" are not murders. However, those who engage in brutality
and atrocities are murderers!
Killings that are the product of self-defense cannotbe classifiedas murder.
Often, police officers must kill in the line of duty. Homeowners may have to
kill an intruder to protect home and family. These people are not murderers.
Sometimes, people are attackedandmust defend themselves. When they kill
the attackerin the process, they are not classedas murderers.
However, there are times when killing is murder. That is what this
commandment speaks to and that is what we want to look into this evening.
Tonight, I want to preach for awhile on this thought, There’s More To
murder Than Taking A Life!
I. MURDER INTRUDES INTO GOD’S TERRITORY

A. God Controls Man’s Entrance Into Life – When man first appearedon this
planet, it was at the command of Almighty God – Gen. 1:27. The evolutionists
tell us that man evolvedfrom some lowerlife form. That, in fact, life began on
some primordial beachwhere somehow, some lifeless blobof protoplasm
somehow beganto live. This little living blob somehow beganto change and
eventually all the life on the earth came from these humble beginnings.
God’s Word, however, has a different version of these events! Notice what
God did in Genesis 2:7, (Note that man was made in the image of God.). Look
at what David thought of the origins of human life, Psa. 139:13-16. Look also
at Job’s friend Elihu’s versionof his own beginnings – Job 33:4.
It is plain from these verses that mankind is the product of the creative genius
of Almighty God. Since God controls the entrance of man into life, it stands to
reasonthat…
B. God Controls The Exit Of Man From Life – We must concede that God
Himself is in control of life. He is the One who establishes the boundaries
across whichno man can cross, Job14:5; Psa. 104:29.It seems clearthat men
can do certain things that will shorten their days, Pro. 10:27;Job 15:32-33;
Job 22:15-16;Psa. 55:23;Eccl. 7:17. By the same token, obedience to the Lord
will lengthen a man’s days upon the earth, Ex. 20:12; Pro. 10:27;Psa. 91:16.
However, these things are also subject to the sovereigntyof God. No man has
the right to deliberately and intentionally end the life of another, exceptit be
for those things already mentioned. God is the giver of human life and He
alone must be the takerof human life. When we take it upon ourselves to take
the life of another, we have placed ourselves in the place of God. We have
tried to assume His position and power. We have tried to stepinto an area in
which we have absolutelyno business.
Not only does murder Intrude Into God’s Business,
We see that…
II. MURDER INTERRUPTSA HUMAN LIFE

(Murder can be carried out in many ways. Allow me to take just a few
minutes to catalogue some ofthem for you.)
A. A Definition Of Murder – "The unlawful and malicious or premeditated
killing of one human being by another." Webster’s New World College
Dictionary. That is what murder is. Now, what are the various ways it can be
committed?
B. A DescriptionOf Murder
1. PhysicalMurder – This is the killing of another human being. Murder has a
history as long as that of the world itself. In Genesis 4:8, The first murder is
recorded. In this verse, Cain deliberately and with malice, took the life of his
brother Abel. It was not a killing of self-defense, it was pure murder.
Since that day, the history of the world is marked by a constantstring of
murders. Thank God, we live in an area where many have never been touched
by the icy hand of murder. However, some have been.
(Ill. My adopted sisterSheila was murder in Chicago, Illinois in 1972. Her
boyfriend was a drug dealer who owedsome men a lot of money. When they
came to collect, he was out of the apartment, but they shot Sheila 5 times and
ended her life at 18.)
2. PersonalMurder – We call this actsuicide. I know that some lives in this
room have been impacted deeply by the suicide of a loved one. It leaves
emotional scars thatnever fully heal. Therefore, I want to handle this portion
of the messagewith extreme tenderness. When a personis driven to suicide, it
is often the result of circumstances just getting out of hand. They feel
overwhelmed and unable to cope any longerwith their lives and they decide to
end it. When they do this, they leave in their wake otherdestroyed lives. It is a
selfishway to leave the world.Notonly is it selfish, it is also sinful. Justas no
man has the right to murder another, no man has the right to murder self.
These things are the sole right of God Himself.We live in a time when every 90
minutes a teenagertries to take his/her life. Every 30 minutes one succeeds!
When a person resorts to suicide, they are failing to avail themselves of the

grace ofGod. They are refusing to allow the Lord to give them the support
and the comfort they are in need of.
There is anotherside to PersonalMurder, a side of which far more are guilty.
How often has a doctortold someone, "Ifyou don’t stop this or that, then you
will die?" And, how often has that person chosento go right on with their bad
habits and died? Whether it is over in a moment, or whether it takes years,
the results are the same. Even suicide can be a slow process.
3. PhysicianAssistedMurder – Here I am referring to what is called
Euthanasia or "mercy killing." This form of death has been brought to the
public’s attention by the activities of a Dr. Jack Kavorian, also knownas "Dr.
Death." It seems that Dr. Deathwill help terminally ill persons, or those who
are in extreme pain, end their lives. He does this with the aid of a "suicide
machine." The "patient" presses a button, and a lethal dose of chemicals is
injected into their bloodstream, which causes death. Mostof us hear this and
think it is horrible and outrageous. I find it amazing that they can’t seemto
convict this madman.
While we think this is barbaric, some countries around the world have
legalizedphysician-assistedsuicide. It is possible to go to the doctor and be
put to death in the office. The day is coming when it will happen here too. The
burden of health care for the aged, for the infirm, for the dying will be the
catalystthat pushes "mercy killings" into acceptabilityand into law!
4. Pre-natalMurder – I am referring to abortion! According to the Bible, life
begins at the very moment of conception, Psa. 139:13-16;Jer. 1:5; Luke 1:41.
Yet, our societyseemto view the unborn human as just so much waste
material to be thrown away at the mother’s convenience. Since abortionon
demand was legalizedin the US, there have been over 37 million abortions
performed in this country. Somewhere around 4,300 perday, or 1 every 20
seconds!(Ill. The Awful procedure called "partial birth abortion.")Pro-death
advocates claimthat the mother deserves the right to choose.In my opinion,
she made her choice when she decided to have sexualintercourse!Abortion is
murder! It ends a human life, and that is the domain of Almighty God. When

a country refuses to respectand protect the lives of it’s most helpless citizens,
no one is truly safe.
I. Murder Intrudes Into God’s Territory
II. Murder Interrupts A Human Life
III. MURDER INVOLVES MORE THAN KILLING
A. Murder Involves The Element Of Justice – Murder carries with it a
penalty. Ill. Matt. 5:21-22. Jesus statesthat murders will be punished. Some, it
seems, have gottenaway with murder. They will, however, face Godone day
and He will render perfectjustice – Rev. 20:11-15.
Others have been caught, tried and convicted. Some of these are in prison and
other have and will pay with their lives. This is part of murder. Many
murderers have receivedJesus as their Savior, yet they will still die for their
crime. Is this fair? Yes it is! (Ill. Carla Faye Tuckerin Texas – She murdered
2 people while high on drugs and was sentencedto die. She was savedand
became a model Christian and prisoner. Many thought she should have her
sentence commuted. Yet she was executedjust a couple of months ago.)There
is a price on murder! Ill. Rom. 13:4.
B. Murder Involves The Element Of Judgment – It is possible to murder
another human being and not shed an ounce of blood, or even take their life.
Murder can happen in the heart and mind and never find manifestation in
reality. However, in the Lord’s eyes, the murderer is just as guilty. Notice,
Matt. 5:22; 1 John 3:15. These verses teachthis truth. Many people have had
their reputations ruined and pure old malice and hatred have murdered their
testimonies.
(Ill. Someone has said, "There are three degrees ofmurderous guilt, all of
which can be manifested without a blow being struck: secretanger, the
spiteful jeer; the open, unrestrained outbursts of violent, abusive speech.")
Murder is more than an actof the flesh, it is an attitude of the heart.
Conc:How do we insulate ourselves againstbreaking this commandment?
The solution is simple. All we need do is practice God’s plan for unconditional

love, Matt. 33:37-39, and absolute forgiveness ofothers, Eph. 4:32. If there
has been a murderous spirit in your heart, that needs to be repented of right
now. Whoeveryou are angry at needs to be forgiven and that anger released.
It is far better to suffer some injury than to be guilty of murder, even if it is
only hurting you.
BOB DEFFINBAUGH
The Sanctity of Life (Exodus 20:13)
Introduction
This is a messageon murder. I am curious to know what kind of response this
arouses in you. Does it sound boring? Perhaps you might wonder how anyone
could make a whole messageoutof this topic. Or, perhaps you wonder why
anyone would think such a message necessary. After all, who isn’t against
murder? Some (foolishly) may settle back, feeling a little smug, and even more
secure. Now here is a message thatought to make one feelthat he has really
arrived. If it were a messageaboutanger, self controlor self-sacrifice, that
might be another matter. But for one who has not committed murder and is
not thinking about it, shouldn’t he feelrelaxed about this subject?
I must caution you about getting too comfortable. You see, the commandment
prohibiting murder goes much farther than this. It condemns any attitude or
actionwhich might lead to murder. It also necessitatesthat we learn the
principle which underlies this prohibition. And finally, it requires some
positive actionon our part, not just the avoidance of a specific evil, but the
pursuit of some specific good.
My approachto the Sixth Commandment will be to consider the biblical
teaching on murder through the Old Testament, and then through the New.
We will attempt to define what murder is, its various types, and what is not
murder. We will also determine the punishments for murder, along with the

provisions God has made for some murderers. Finally, we will conclude by
exploring the implications of the principle which underlies the Sixth
Commandment—the sacrednessoflife, along with the positive actions which
this commandment requires of Christians.
Murder in the Old Testament
We must begin our study at the creationof the world, and especiallyof
mankind, for God gave man life in a way which sets him apart from all the
rest of God’s living creatures:“Then the Lord God formed man of dust from
the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became
a living being” (Gen. 2:7). God was more intimately involved in the process of
giving life to man. He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. This is
distinct from the way He gave life to every other living creature. I believe that
it corresponds to the fact that God createdman in His own image (Gen. 1:26).
Since man is a reflection of God (createdin His image), he is distinct, and thus
the wayin which man came to life was also different from all other creatures.
Just as Genesis 2 setthe seventh day apart from the other six days, so it sets
man apart from all other creatures. In the passageswhichwill follow, it
should come as no surprise that since God gave life to man, man should not
feel free to take life from any man (including himself). As Jobput it, “The
Lord giveth, and the Lord takethaway” (Job 1:21).
If what God joined together(Adam and Eve, man and woman, in marriage),
man shall not separate (Matt. 19:6), since Godgave life to man, man should
not be the one to take it away.30
The first taking of life (murder) is described shortly after the fall of man:
And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up againstAbel
his brother and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your
brother?” And he said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” And He
said, “Whathave you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to Me
from the ground. And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened
its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you cultivate
the ground, it shall no longeryield its strength to you; you shall be a vagrant
and a wandereron the earth.” And Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is

too greatto bear! Behold, Thou has driven me this day from the face of the
ground; and from Thy face I shall be hidden, and I shall be a vagrant and a
wandereron the earth, and it will come about that whoeverfinds me will kill
me.” So the Lord saidto him, “Therefore whoeverkills Cain, vengeance will
be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord appointed a sign for Cain, lest
anyone finding him should slay him. Then Cain went out from the presence of
the Lord, and settled in the land of Nod, eastof Eden (Genesis 4:8-16).
At this point, I wish to make only a few observations which I think are
important to our study of murder:
(1) Cain killed Abel because Abel was righteous and he was not. Cain’s sin
manifested itself by his persecutionof righteous Abel, whose sacrifice was
pleasing to God (cf. 1 John 3:12).
(2) Cain killed Abel in rebellion againstGod. God had rejectedCain’s
offering, but acceptedAbel’s. When He saw that Cain was angry, God sought
him out, urging him to do what was right, and to masterthe sin which was
threatening to overpowerhim. When Cain killed Abel, it was a deliberate,
willful actof rebellion againstGod’s encouragementto resistevil and to do
what was right.
(3) Cain was punished for murdering his brother, but not by the death
penalty, which would only later be instituted. Cain was forcedto live in some
way which did not require farming, since the ground was cursed so as not to
produce for him.31 To keepany man from killing Cain, a sign was given to
him and a sevenfoldvengeance was promisedto any who would slay him.
Capital punishment, which was commanded later on, is specificallyprohibited
here. NeitherGod nor man took Cain’s life.
(4) It would seemthat the shedding of the blood of Abel on the ground was
related to the cursing of the soil, which made farming impossible for Cain.
Later on, the shedding of blood will be clearlyidentified as profaning the land.
Here, it would seem, this is implied.
(5) It was not long until one of Cain’s descendants became a murderer, and
seems almostto boastof it:

And Lamech said to his wives, “Adah and Zillah, Listen to my voice, You
wives of Lamech, Give heed to my speech, ForI have killed a man for
wounding me; And a boy for striking me; If Cain is avengedsevenfold, Then
Lamech seventy-sevenfold” (Gen. 4:23-24).
(6) It is not until after the flood that capital punishment is prescribed as the
punishment for the sin of murder. After the flood, when God killed most of
mankind for their sin, God prescribed the death penalty for those who took
the life of another human being:
And God blessedNoahand his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and
multiply, and fill the earth. And the fear of you and the terror of you shall be
on every beastof the earth and on every bird of the sky; with everything that
creeps on the ground, and all the fish of the sea, into your hand they are given.
Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, as I
gave the greenplant. Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.
And surely I will require your lifeblood; from every beastI will require it.
And from every man, from every man’s brother I will require the life of man.
Whoeversheds man’s blood, By man his blood shall be shed, For in the image
of God He made man. And as for you, be fruitful and multiply; Populate the
earth abundantly and multiply in it” (Genesis 9:1-7).
The relationship betweenthis text and Genesis 1:27-30 is fascinating,32 but
beyond the scope of our study, other than those matters which bear on the
subject of murder. The important change to observe is that while murder was
at leasttacitly understood to be forbidden, here it is clearlycondemned, and
the death penalty is prescribed. Somehow this is relatedto some other changes
which are indicated in the text. In Genesis 1:27-30, onlyplants and trees were
viewed as food for man and beast. Now, however, it is statedthat man caneat
meat as well. What is the relationship betweenthe ability of man to eat meat
and the institution of the death penalty? What is the reasonfor capital
punishment here? Why was Cain not put to death (nor were others allowedto
do so), but now a murderer is to be executed? I have severalsuggestions,
which might help to explain this change:

(1) The fear of man, which God put in the living creatures, now given for food,
meant that the animals were given a defense and that man would have to
become a hunter. Before, had man been given the right to eat meat, he would
have been able to walk up to any creature and kill the defenselesscreature.
Now, the creatures fearedman, and would flee from him. Man could eat meat,
but only by becoming a hunter. Domesticated animals could be killed for
meat, too, but were most often kept for the wool, milk, or some other product.
(2) Although man is given the right to eat meat, he must never eatthe blood,
but must pour it out. The blood of all creatures is thus set apart. In order for
man’s life to be sustainedby eating meat, blood must therefore be shed. Life is
sustainedby bloodshed. Man must come to have respectfor even the blood of
animals.
(3) The institution of capital punishment for murder also instructs men to
have respectfor the blood (that is, the life) of mankind. Man, who was created
in the image of God, must not have his life takenby another man, unless, of
course, it is as punishment for murder.
(4) Ultimately, God is progressivelyrevealing the conceptof blood atonement.
What will later be taught more clearly is now revealedin very generaland
non-specific terms. Nevertheless,the wayis being prepared for man to
understand the conceptof blood sacrifice.
Leaving Genesis (and incidents which may well relate to our study of
murder33), let us move on to the Book of Exodus, where the Sixth
Commandment is first given. Before turning to the prohibition of murder in
the TenCommandments, however, let us refresh our memory as to the man,
Moses,through whom these Scriptures have come to us:
Now it came about in those days, when Moses hadgrown up, that he went out
to his brethren and lookedon their hard labors; and he saw an Egyptian
beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren. So he lookedthis way and that, and
when he saw there was no one around, he struck down the Egyptian and hid
him in the sand (Exodus 2:11-12).

It is ironic that the one through whom the commandment prohibiting murder
has come to us is, himself, a murderer. It is likewise ironic that when Cain
killed Abel, he rejectedany responsibility for being his brother’s keeper;
when Moses killedthe Egyptian, he did so thinking that he was acting as his
brother’s keeper(cf. Acts 7:23-25).
In Exodus chapter 20 we find the prohibition of murder given as the Sixth
Commandment: “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13;Deuteronomy 5:17).
Here, there is neither a precise definition of “murder”34 given, nor is any
specific punishment prescribed. This is due to the very precise, summary form
of the Ten Commandments. Very shortly, however, the particulars pertaining
to this commandment will begin to appear. We shall briefly survey the kinds
of murder, the penalties prescribedfor murder, and the provisions made for
some murderers, as prescribed in the Old TestamentLaw.
Premeditated murder is punishable by death, while murder which was not
premeditated (seconddegree?)was viewedas a lesseroffense:
“He who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death. But if he
did not lie in wait for him, but God let him fall into his hand, then I will
appoint you a place to which he may flee. If, however, a man acts
presumptuously toward his neighbor, so as to kill him craftily, you are to take
him even from My altar, that he may die” (Exodus 21:12-14).
Negligenthomicide canalso be as serious a matter as premeditated murder
when one knows of a realdanger, but willfully avoids doing what is necessary
to prevent the death of another:
“And if an ox gores a man or a womanto death, the ox shall surely be stoned
and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the ownerof the ox shall go unpunished.
If, however, an ox was previously in the habit of goring, and its owner has
been warned, yet he does not confine it, and it kills a man or a woman, the ox
shall be stoned and its owner also shallbe put to death. If ransom is
demanded of him, then he shall give for the redemption of his life whateveris
demanded of him” (Exodus 21:28-30).35

In this case, while the death penalty is prescribedfor the owner of the ox, it
would seem that a ransom is possible, if such is the desire of the surviving
relatives. The ownerof the ox, however, is not in any position to negotiate
about the price of the ransom that is demanded.
The Law goes so faras to distinguish betweenhomicide which is justifiable
and that which is not:
“If a thief is caughtwhile breaking in, and is struck so that he dies, there will
be no bloodguiltiness on his account. But if the sun has risen on him, there will
be bloodguiltiness on his account. He shall surely make restitution; if he owns
nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft” (Exodus 22:2-3).
By far, the most definitive treatment of murder and of its consequencesis
found in Numbers 35.36 Here, as elsewhere, there is a distinction drawn
betweenfirst and seconddegree murder (first degree, vss. 16-21;second
degree, vss. 22-28). The important truth which is emphasized here is the
provision of cities of refuge for those who are not guilty of first degree murder
(cf. vss. 6ff., esp. v. 15). Severalthings should be underscored regarding the
cities of refuge:
These are cities set apart for the Levites (v. 6).
These cities are a place of refuge not only for Israelites, but also for the alien
and the sojourner (v. 15).
There is refuge only for the one who has “stoodtrial” before the congregation,
and who has been found to have unintentionally takenthe life of another (vss.
11-12, 24-25).
There is refuge only if one remains in a city of refuge (vss. 26-28).
There is refuge until the death of the high priest, at which time the one who
shed the blood of another may return to his home, without fear of reprisal
(vss. 25, 28, 32).37
The reasonwhy murder must be dealt with in such meticulous terms is that if
it is not rectified in some way, the blood which is shed pollutes the land (vss.
29-34).38

This pollution of the land, along with others, is the reasonwhy God will thrust
the nation Israelfrom the land, into captivity.39 Thus, the Old Testament
prophets will condemn the Israelites for violating the Sixth Commandment,
along with the rest of God’s commands:
How the faithful city [Jerusalem]has become a harlot, She who was full of
justice! Righteousnessonce lodgedin her, But now murderers (Isa. 1:21; cf.
Jer. 7:9).
Listen to the word of the Lord, O sons of Israel, For the Lord has a case
againstthe inhabitants of the land, Becausethere is no faithfulness or
kindness Or knowledge ofGod in the land. There is swearing, deception,
murder, stealing, and adultery. They employ violence, so that bloodshed
follows bloodshed. Therefore the land mourns, And every one who lives in it
languishes Along with the beasts of the field and the birds of the sky; And also
the fish of the sea disappear(Hosea 4:1-3).
Unbelievable as it may seem, murder is even practiced by the priests:
For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, And in the knowledge ofGod
rather than burnt offerings. But like Adam they have transgressedthe
covenant;There they have dealt treacherouslyagainstMe. Gileadis a city of
wrongdoers, Trackedwith bloody footprints. And as raiders waitfor a man,
So a band of priests murder on the way to Shechem; Surely they have
committed crime (Hosea 6:6-9).
Before leaving the Old Testamentteaching on murder and moving to the New,
let me remind you that some of the greatmen of the Bible were murderers. In
addition to Moses (the Egyptian), there is David (Uriah, Bathsheba’s
husband) and King Ahab (who was great, but not godly), who killed Naboth to
obtain his field (1 Kings 21:19).
Murder in the New Testament
The scribes and Pharisees feltthat they kept all of the Law of Moses.40Surely
they felt innocent with regardto the Sixth Commandment. Jesus pressedfor
an obedience to the Law which went far beyond the precept which was stated,

beyond the mere letter of the Law, to its spirit. In the Sermon on the Mount,
Jesus extendedthe Old Testamentteaching on murder:
“You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not commit murder’
and ‘Whoevercommits murder shall be liable to the court.’ But I say to you
that every one who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court;
and whoevershall say to his brother, ‘Raca,’shallbe guilty before the
supreme court; and whoevershall say, ‘You fool,’shall be guilty enough to go
into the hell of fire. If therefore you are presenting your offering at the altar,
and there remember that your brother has something againstyou, leave your
offering there before the altar, and go your way; first be reconciledto your
brother, and then come and present your offering. Make friends quickly with
your opponent at Law while you are with him on the way, in order that your
opponent may not deliver you to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and
you be thrown into prison. Truly I say to you, you shall not come out of there,
until you have paid up the lastcent” (Matthew 5:21-26).
From our Lord’s teaching in this text, we can draw the following conclusions:
(1) It is not enough to keepthe Sixth Commandment as a precept, we must
keepthe Sixth Commandment in a broader context. If we are to view murder
as so evil that we never wish to be tempted to kill someone, we must deal with
those attitudes and actions which incline us toward murder, if not dealt with.
Some of these will follow.
(2) Anger harbored againsta brother can become a motive for murder. No
one will ever know the number of murders which were the result of anger, but
the percentage ofsuch caseswouldbe very high. Jesus thus exposes the all too
common emotion of anger as a motive for murder which must be dealt with.
(3) Viewing a brother as inferior, as worthless, or as a liability to societyis a
motive for murder. The terms “Raca”and“fool” are not just evil because
they are names which we call another. These names betray an attitude on the
part of the name-callerthat the world would be a better place without those
thus named. Many who have taken the life of another have done so thinking
they have done societya favor.

(4) Irreconciled relationships and unresolved conflicts canlead to murder.
The Lord applied His teaching on murder by urging His hearers to promote
and hastenthe process ofreconciliation. Unresolvedconflicts only intensify,
sometimes to the point murder.
James adds one more ingredient which can result in murder: “Whatis the
source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures
that wage warin your members? You lust and do not have; so you commit
murder. And you are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel.
You do not have because you do not ask” (James 4:1-2). He informs us that
the lust for those things which bring us pleasure often bring us into conflict
with our brethren. Worse yet, men sometimes kill others in order to enjoy the
pleasures which they possess.
Elsewhere, Jesus taughtwho the ultimate source and promoter of murder is:
“You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires ofyour
father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the
truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks
from his ownnature; for he is a liar, and the father of lies” (John 8:44). He
said this of His enemies, the scribes and Pharisees,who were sons of the Devil,
through whom He, Himself, would be murdered. Thus Peter could sayto the
Jews in his powerful PentecostSermon:“But you disowned the Holy and
Righteous One, and askedfor a murderer to be granted to you, but put to
death the Prince of life, the one whom Godraised from the dead, a fact to
which we are witnesses”(Acts 3:14-15).
To those who murdered our Lord, the gospelwas proclaimed. Some of these
believed. One murderer was to become one of the greatest proclaimers of the
gospelof all time: “Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder againstthe
disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest” (Acts 9:1). It is Saul who, when
he was confronted by the Savioron the road to Damascus,became a man who
would willingly lay down his life for others. Murder must therefore be
regardedas a most serious sin, but not an unpardonable sin.
Conclusion

Thus far, we have seenthat murder was prohibited very early in the Old
Testament. It was defined so that premeditated and willful murder was
distinguished from that which was unintentional. Thus, the fact that a life is
takenby another is not always murder, and even when we may callan act
murder, there are still different levels of culpability. The Old Testament
therefore prescribed differing punishments, depending upon the
circumstances ofthe killing.
It is very significant in the light of the severity of the crime of murder to note
the gracious provisions of the Law for those who unintentionally or without
“with malice of forethought” took the life of another. The cities of refuge are,
I believe, an evidence of the grace ofGod, and perhaps even a foreshadowing
of the release whichmen would experience when Jesus Christ, the GreatHigh
Priest, died.
The Old TestamentLaw is also instructive in that it helps us to keepthe sin of
murder in proper perspective. Here is a sin which we place at the top of the
list. What could be more evil? Perhaps a better question would be, “What
may be just as evil?” If the severity of the punishment is a clue to the
seriousnessofthe sin, then we should remind ourselves ofall the sins which
are punishable by death. These are:
Premeditated murder (Exod. 21:12-14).
Kidnapping (Exod. 21:16; Deut. 24:7).
Adultery (Lev. 20:10-21;Deut. 22:22).
Homosexuality (Lev. 20:13).
Incest(Lev. 20:11-12, 14).
Bestiality(Exod. 22:19; Lev. 20:15-16).
Incorrigible delinquency and persistent disobedience to parents and
authorities (Deut. 17:12;21:18-21).
Striking or cursing parents (Exod. 21:15; Lev. 20:9; Prov. 20:20;Matt. 15:4;
Mark 7:10).

Offering human sacrifice (Lev. 20:2).
False prophecy (Deut. 13:1-10).
Blasphemy (Lev. 24:11-14, 16, 23).
Profaning the Sabbath (Exod. 35:2; Num. 15:32-36).
Sacrificing to false gods (Exod. 22:20).
Magic and divination (Exod. 22:18).
Unchastity (Deut. 22:20-21).
Rape of a betrothed virgin (Deut. 22:23-27).41
If we are tempted to feel smug because we have not sinned so greatly as to
have committed murder, we must also see if there are any sins listed above
which we are guilty of, and for which the death penalty has been prescribed.
To go one step further, in the New Testament, James seems to teachthat it
really does not matter which of the TenCommandments we have not violated,
for to have violated one makes us guilty of all: For whoeverkeeps the whole
Law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. ForHe who
said, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ also said, ‘Do not commit murder.’ Now if you
do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a
transgressorofthe Law” (James 2:10-11).
For this reason, hell will be populated not only by murderers, but also by
many other kinds of sinner: “But for the cowardlyand unbelieving and
abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers andidolaters
and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone,
which is the seconddeath” (Rev. 21:8). In the final analysis, whetherone is
sent to hell as a murderer or as a liar, he is a sinner deserving of hell. There
will be little status and no satisfactionin hell, knowing that you were not
guilty of murder, as though this makes you a better sinner as a liar.
The implications of the Sixth Commandment are broad and significant. Let
me suggesthow you and I should respond to this commandment on different
levels:

First, on the literal level, you and I do not have the right to take a life in any
way which constitutes murder, that is, which deprives one of life whom God
has intended and indicated should live. Certainly, I believe that this
commandment prohibits a mother from abortion on demand, for the God-
given life of the child in her womb is taken. Euthanasia, or more bluntly
“pulling the plug” is calledinto question. Sometimes machines are employed
to artificially sustain life or to unnecessarilyprolong the process ofdeath. To
“pull the plug” in such cases is not murder, in my opinion. However, when one
deprives an individual of the necessitiesoflife (for example, oxygenor
nutrition), this is very likely an actof murder. Outright, cold-blooded, murder
or suicide is clearly forbidden by the Sixth Commandment.
Second, murder is forbidden in its seminalor formative stages. Jesus clearly
taught that murderous thoughts and attitudes were, in effect, murder in
principle, or at leastmurder in embryonic form. Thus, any attitude or act
which could lead to murder is to be dealt with quickly and decisively. Lust,
greed, hatred and demeaning prejudice (“you fool”)must be dealt with as
murderous attitudes. Unresolved conflictand animosity must be quickly dealt
with, so that reconciliationoccurs. Prolongedhostility only increases the
temptation to destroy one’s enemy.
Third, the principle underlying the prohibition of murder is that of THE
SACREDNESS OF LIFE. Murder is sin and thus is forbidden because God
has given life to man and has reservedthe sole right to take it away. Even in
caseswhere capitalpunishment is administered, it is done in God’s behalf,
with man acting as the agentof God’s wrath (cf. Gen. 9:5-6; Rom. 13:4).
The sacrednessoflife demands far more of us than merely prohibiting
murder. It demands that we seek to save the life of those who are in dangerof
death, those whose lives we are able to spare. It means, as many Christians
have grasped, that we cannot stand idly by without attempting to stop
abortion on demand. It means, just as much, that when a personis dying of
starvation, disease, ornatural disaster, you and I are obligated to do
everything in our powerto save their lives. It means that those political
refugees, whoselives are in danger in foreign countries, may need to be
allowedto find sanctuaryin America, eventhough some jobs may be taken in

the process andsome economic sacrificesmay have to be made by Americans
to find a place for them.
Fourth, the sacrednessoflife underscores the urgency and priority of
evangelism. Our Lord once said, “And do not fear those who kill the body, but
are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroyboth
soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10:28). Death is a terrible thing, especiallywhen
it plunges one into a Christless eternity in hell. If death is something which we
are commanded to prevent if at all possible, then surely the greaterevil, to be
prevented as a matter of highesturgency, is that of one entering into eternity
without Jesus Christ and the salvationHe offers to any who will trust in Him.
It is not the “first death” (physical death) which is to be most feared, but the
“seconddeath” (spiritual death) which we must seek to prevent men from
entering into without warning and the message ofdeliverance—the goodnews
of the gospel.
Fifth, while the Old Testamentcommands us not to take the life of another,
the New Testamentcalls upon the Christian to lay down his life for another.
“Every one who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no
murderer has eternal life abiding in him. We know love by this, that He laid
down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1
John 3:15-16).
When Cain killed Abel and was questionedby Godabout his whereabouts,
Cain responded, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” In effect, Cain did not seemto
think it was his concern, evenif his brother were dead. When we follow the
precedentset by our Lord, we not only find it necessaryto be our “brother’s
keeper,” but to be willing to do so at the costof our own life. We are not only
told not to take our brother’s life, but to lay down our own life for our
brother.
This attitude, which is also describedin Philippians chapter2 as the “mind of
Christ,” is that view of life which turns the Christian’s values upside down
and the world’s values inside out. Once we have made the decisionto give up
our life for our brethren, we find it possible to put the interests of others
above our own. We find it therefore necessaryto “take up our cross daily,”

dying to self, which is what the New Testamenttells us the Christian life is all
about.
By no means let any of you suffer as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a
troublesome meddler; but if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not feel
ashamed, but in that name let him glorify God (1 Peter4:15-16).
Self-defense values one’s own life above that of another.
Murder values one’s self-interests above the life of another—abortion?
Christianity lays down one’s life for others (Phil. 2)
As I conclude, let me suggestseveralcleverways in which we may try to avoid
the applicationof the Sixth Commandment to our lives.
First, we may seek to apply this commandment as a precept, but not as a
principle. If we, like the scribes and Pharisees ofJesus’day, see this only as a
command not to kill another, we have generallymade it irrelevant to our life,
for few will actually considerkilling another. If we understand the principle to
be the sanctity of human life, the principles are profound and intensely
practical. Let us think of this commandment as a principle, then, and not just
as a precept.
Second, we may avoid this commandment by narrowing the application. The
lawyer who askedJesus whathe must do to inherit eternallife was told that
he must keepthe Law (cf. Luke 10:25-28). Seeking to avoid all that this
implied (v. 29), the lawyeraskedthe question, “And who is my neighbor?”
(Luke 10:29). This was a very significant question, and our Lord’s answerwas
very pointed. You see, the Jew was willing to apply the commandments
related to men to Jews, but not to Gentiles. He hoped that the kindness which
the Law required was only kindness towardfellow-Jews.Whenour Lord told
the story of the Good Samaritan, it was a Levite and a priest who failed to
help the victim who was beaten. It was a Samaritan, a despisedforeigner
(whom the Jews would not want to consider“neighbors,” who was a neighbor.
If neighbors included Gentiles, the Ten Commandments were a bitter pill for
the Jews to swallow.

The sixth commandment

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The sixth commandment