The Ten Commandments Part 7
Scriptures: Exodus 20:13; 21:12-17; Ezekiel 33:8-9 Matthew 5:21-24
This is part seven of my series the Ten Commandments. This morning we will examine the sixth commandment found in Exodus 20:13 which say “You shall not kill.” As I have done in the past, we will examine this commandment from both the natural and spiritual viewpoints as they are very different.
We have had conversations during Bible study pertaining to this commandment and how it relates to the authorized killing that goes on during wars and by the states when they execute someone. As you read and study the Bible, especially the Old Testament, you will discover that this commandment did not prohibit killing as punishment for crimes, or killing in war, which God Himself commanded the Children of Israel to do when He brought them out of the land of Egypt. However, this commandment does prohibit individuals killing one another for malice and with premeditation. Consider what God told Noah in Genesis 9:6; “Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed. For in the image of God He made man.” All violence, assault and battery, hatred and anger, vengeance and danger to human life in general are forbidden. When it comes to how we are to treat people God’s standards are much higher than what we understand to be truth.
Many people cannot imagine themselves killing another human being unless they are doing so in self-defense or in defense of someone they love. Killing someone is permanent and cannot be undone and what drives a person to kill varies depending on the individual. For the purposes of this message, I want to establish that God does not want us to kill another human being. I know there are situations where it can happen to a Christian, but in reality it is not God’s answer to a situation. I want to give you something to consider. What is more important to God, our getting vengeance against someone who hurt us or the person who hurt us getting saved? Which do you think God would be most pleased with? You killing someone in self-defense or you turning the person over to the authorities and they eventually get saved because you spared their life? We must remember that God wants everyone to be saved and we may be the one to tell the person about Jesus and they get saved!
Before we go into the heart of this commandment, I want to review a few Scriptures pertaining to decisions God made as it relates to someone being put to death for a crime or sin. Keep in mind that while some of these things are still happening today and are as much of an abomination to God as they were in the Old Testament, the door remains open through the blood of Christ for our repentance and salvation. These verses will give us insight into the heart of God as it relates to murdering someone and then we will go to the New Testament and examine what Jesus said on the subject. As we read these verses I want you to keep in the back of your mind the toll on society when crimes and sin goes unchecked. Let’s begin with Exodus chapter twenty-one.
“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. He who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death. He who kidnaps a man, whether he sells him or he is found in his possession, shall surely be put to death. He who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.” (Exodus 21:12-17)
In these verses we see God clearly establishes the difference between someone intentionally killing someone (someone who plans it out and waits for their opportunity) versus someone who does not. God also establishes the punishment for someone striking a parent or kidnapping another person. In each of these circumstances the punishment was death for the person committing the crime against another person. Now turn with me to Leviticus chapter twenty. These sins are happening today and if we lived during Old Testament times the penalty would be death. Let’s start with verse nine.
“If there is anyone who curses his father or his mother, he shall surely be put to death; he has cursed his father or his mother, his bloodguiltiness is upon him. If there is a man who commits adultery with another man's wife, one who commits adultery with his friend's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death. If there is a man who lies with his father's wife, he has uncovered his father's nakedness; both of them shall surely be put to death, their bloodguiltiness is upon them. If there is a man who lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall surely be put to death; they have committed incest, their bloodguiltiness is upon them. If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act; they shall surely be put to death. Their bloodguiltiness is upon them. If there is a man who marries a woman and her mother, it is immorality; both he and they shall be burned with fire, so that there will be no immorality in your midst. If there is a man who lies with an animal, he shall surely be put to death; you shall also kill the animal. If there is a woman who approaches any animal to mate with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal; they shall surely be put to death. Their bloodguiltiness is upon them.” (Leviticus 20:9-16)
In these verses sexual immorality in all forms were condemned with the penalty being death. Also keep in mind that God would not have to address these things if they were not either already happening or had a potential for happening. Today, if you do an internet search, and I do not recommend that you do so, you could easily find examples of these sins being committed today. I want you to understand that man’s ability to sin has not changed since Adam. If we can conceive it, we can do it. God’s grace is the only reason people are not dropping like flies because of sin. He desires that all should come to repentance and be saved. Let’s examine one final Scripture from the Old Testament before we transition to the New Testament. Turn to Ezekiel chapter thirty-three. I want you to see something that is extremely important. As we read these verses I want you to think about whether or not you have a responsibility to speak up when you see sin in the lives of others. Let’s read verses eight and nine.
“When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require from your hand. “But if you on your part warn a wicked man to turn from his way and he does not turn from his way, he will die in his iniquity, but you have delivered your life.” (Ezekiel 33:8-9)
How many of you know that God’s Word has been spoken to the wicked man and His Word is the Bible? So we have no excuse. Pay close attention to what I am about to tell you as we have had several conversations in the past about our need to speak up against the sin we see others committing around us. Here in Ezekiel, we’re told that if we see a person in sin and we don’t say anything – if he dies and goes to hell, we are going to be held accountable. Do you see this? Every time we are with someone who is living in sin and we don’t say something, we will answer for our silence on the Day of Judgment. Why? They are headed for eternal death and we are helping them get there by keeping our mouths shut. But if we do tell the person he’s in sin, but he ignores the warning and dies and goes to hell, we will not be held responsible. Remember how I said God’s standards are higher than we can ever imagine? If you take seriously what God said to Ezekiel, how can we believe that we can see sin happening around us and we refuse to speak out about it? Through this series I am attempting to reveal the truth that we need to change our lives and the lives of those we interact with. I do not want to stand before God and see a list of names of people who went to hell because I kept my mouth closed because I did not want to offend them by calling out their lifestyle. I do not profess to be perfect, but I am doing my best to live for God and to help others understand His love for them in hope that they will change.
Now let’s transition to what the New Testament says about our killing someone. Would you be surprised to know that according to the New Testament you do not need a weapon to be guilty of murdering someone from a spiritual perspective? I know many of you have possibly thought that you would never consider killing someone in the natural, but pay close attention to what is defined as murder from a spiritual viewpoint. Turn to Matthew chapter five and we will begin reading at verse twenty-one.
“You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not commit murder’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering. (Matthew 5:21-24)
Did you notice that Jesus says if you are angry you are guilty? Doesn’t that seem a little odd? Keep what He says in the flow of the passage. Jesus statement comes after He says you shall not murder. When He talks about anger, He’s talking about the anger that led to the person committing the murder! When we get so angry with someone that we want to do them bodily harm, Jesus says we have already committed murder. I say this again, God’s standards are higher than we can ever imagine. Also notice that there seemed to be degrees of anger. How we lashed out at the person when we are angry demonstrates how angry we are and the position we are putting ourselves in. Jesus used the examples of a lower level court, a supreme court and finally the fire of hell. What we should understand is that God is love and while we will all have times when we are angry, how we show it and what we do with that anger could place us in danger of hell. I want to pause here and speak to those of you with “tempers.”
We all know people who have what we call “bad tempers.” These are people if the right button is pushed they could go from nice to cutting you with their tongue in a matter of seconds. Jesus said that this behavior spiritually is on the same level as murdering someone naturally. We feel better about ourselves when behave “naturally” and follow the laws of the land, but we do not assess our behavior from a spiritual viewpoint. The Bible says “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” (Proverbs 18:21) We have the ability, naturally and spiritually, to kill with our mouth. We often speak death to others without giving it a second thought. In Jesus’ example He said when we call someone a “good for nothing” of “you fool” we would be in danger of the supreme court and the fires of hell. How many of you know that our Supreme Court is not the Supreme Court that He was referring to. How many of you know that our Supreme Court cannot sentence you to hell? This is how we need to be thinking every time we open our mouths! Turn to Matthew chapter fifteen.
“But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders.” (Matthew 15:18-19) Everything we do starts in our hearts including murdering someone. Turn to First John chapter three.
“For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another; not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother's were righteous. Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.” (1 John 3:11-15)
John said the same thing Jesus said in Matthew. We commit murder when we get so angry that we want to hurt the person. Folks, this is serious to God. We better take it seriously too. John said that EVERYONE who hates his brother is a murderer and that no murderer has eternal life abiding within them. If you hate someone and you do not repent, you have been labelled a murderer by the Bible. I know some of you might be thinking that you do not hate anyone, but there are people that you don’t like. I am not going into that argument because that’s on you and God knows the extent to which you “do not like” someone and if that equates to hatred. What I am sharing with you is what the Bible says and now it’s up to you to determine what you choose to believe. Turn to Revelation chapter twenty-one.
"But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." (Revelation 21:8)
We have looked at a lot of scripture this morning about what it means to kill, to murder, in God’s eyes. And we’ve seen that, according to the Bible, we have already committed the act when we think about it. Again, let me emphasize something: we commit an act of murder when we truly want to do bodily harm to the person. Now, I’m not talking being angry with your children and introducing them to the “board of education” within the home. I’m talking about an anger that rises up in you and goes against everything you are as a child of God.
Why is this issue of murder so important to us today? It goes back to what we read earlier about what things that are in our hearts and eventually come out in our actions. If we don’t take control of our hearts, if we don’t take control of how we think, Jesus says we defile ourselves. What happens when we defile ourselves? We’re going to close with a passage in Galatians 5.
“Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger (Do you see this?), disputes, dissensions, factions, envyings, drunkenness, carousing , and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you….” (Galatians 5:19-21a)
Let me stop right here for a moment. Everything we just read, Paul has written to the body of Christ. What we have just read is written to men and women who have been washed in the blood of Jesus. What we have just read was written to people who are going to heaven. Keep this in mind as we read the last part.
“...I have forewarned you, those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Galatians 19:21b)
Do you want to miss heaven? Do you want to spend eternity in the lake of fire? Do you want Jesus to turn you away from the gates of Heaven? If we have read anything from the Bible that you see in your life from time to time, today is the day to repent and say “never again”. Today is the day to go to your Father and say “I’m sorry. Please forgive me. I won’t do it again.” If you do this, your slate will be wiped clean and your Father will never remember your sin again. Don’t we serve a wonderful God? Praise God!
Until next time, “The Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up His countenance on you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
(If you are ever in the Kansas City, KS area, please come and worship with us at New Light Christian Fellowship, 15 N. 14th Street, Kansas City, KS 66102. Our service Sunday worship starts at 9 a.m. and Thursday night Bible study at 7 p.m. We look forward to you worshipping with us. May God bless and keep you.)
