For example, some carry this so far as to apply "Thou shalt not kill” to the killing of insects.
Illus: Let me ask you something, if I see a fly on the table and I walk into the other room, get the fly swat, and carefully walk back to where the fly is, raise the fly swat in such a way as not to scare him, and I swing with a mighty bang and flatten him on that table, have I committed pre-meditated murder. Is that what God is talking about here? If this commandment means what some people would have it mean, I have done just that.
God's Word commands, "Thou shalt not kill”.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
We need to consider two things in order to be able to understand this. I will cover the first consideration this morning, and the second consideration this evening.
I. FIRST CONSIDERATION, THIS COMMANDMENT IS NOT TEACHING THAT THE FOLLOWING CASES ARE VIOLATIONS OF THIS COMMANDMENT.
We will discover that this commandment does not treat all killings the same.
God would not have us kill any person, however there are times when our actions will cause a death, but God has provided for certain conditions in holding us guiltless, in causing a death or deaths. For example:
A. Manslaughter is not murder.
Manslaughter has been defined as unintentional killing of a person.
God has provided that in such a case that a man is not held guilty.
Look at Numbers 35:11-12; 15, “Then ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you; that the slayer may flee thither, which killeth any person at unawares. 12 And they shall be unto you cities for refuge from the avenger; that the manslayer die not, until he stand before the congregation in judgment. (Verse 15) These six cities shall be a refuge, both for the children of Israel, and for the stranger, and for the sojourner among them: that every one that killeth any person unawares may flee thither.”
In these verses God was giving to Moses instructions of how to govern the people of Israel when manslaughter occurred.
God forbid any person to intentionally take the life of another person. But knowing that someone could die as the result of an accident, God provided cities of refuge for the one who caused an accidental death so no one, out of anger and revenge, could take his life.
Yes, accidents happen, and some are so severe that a life is lost. In that situation, bad as it is, it is not murder.
B. Hunting is not murder.
Look at Genesis 9:3, We read, Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.
Some people in our society are concerned about dogs, cats, whales, and the spotted owls. They place more value on animals than they do on human life.
Illus: In July of 1991, the price of lumber sky rocketed because of those who were so concerned about the spotted owl they held up the cutting of the trees for lumber. This also caused many people to lose their jobs and not be able to provide for their families. Well, God places more value on people than He does on animals.
It is good to love animals and have pets, but something is wrong with the person who does not love people as much as they love animals.
God placed animals on earth for a several reasons.
One of the reasons is so that children can learn lessons in responsibility and love as they take care of their pet.
Illus: One little boy, about five years old, who wanted to show he knew some things about animals one day, pointed to a green parakeet and said, "Look mom, we can not eat that green parakeet yet, because he is not ripe yet!
The Bible makes it clear that killing animals is not murder. God said, “Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you”
THIS COMMANDMENT IS NOT TEACHING THAT KILLING ANIMALS FOR FOOD IS MURDER.
He gives man the right to provide for his family by using the vegetables and meat he needs.
C. Self-defense is not murder.
Exodus 22:2, We read, “If a thief be found breaking up, and be smitten that he die, there shall be no blood be shed for him."
We have people in this society of ours that will not work. They obtain things by stealing from those who do work.
None of us like to have someone steal from us. Even a thief does not like having something stole from him.
Illus: People like this remind me of the story of the man who told his wife, “Did you know that I was at the beach and some stinking thief stole my towel!” His wife said, “Oh, no, which towel did he steal?” He said, “The one I stole from the Holiday Inn…”
There is no way we can justify thievery. God's Word tells us that if you go home, or wake up one night, and find a burglar in your home, and you kill him that you are not liable, no blood shall "be shed for him."
Why? When someone breaks into your home he is letting the world know he has no respect for you or your home and there is a good chance he would kill you if you did not kill him first.
Notice, God does not limit this to the home.
That is, if a thief breaks into a place of business, or into any place with the intent to steal, the owner of the goods has the right to protect his property. Again, God gives permission for you to go to the uttermost extent in protecting your things from the thief because usually the man who would steal, would also kill. Penitentiaries are full of people who entered a place to rob, but wound up killing.
So God lets us know if we do kill a thief, “There shall no blood shed for him.”
D. Capital punishment is not murder.
Genesis 9:6, We read, “Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.”
The Lord has placed His approval on capital punishment, by His Word, and His example.
Illus: Do you remember Luke 23:39, 39 “And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.” Now we know why Jesus did not save Himself, He came for the purpose of dying for our sins. But He could have saved the life of that thief, but He did not. Why? Because He knew the thief, even though he became a believer, had committed crimes and was getting just punishment. He refused to interfere.
Those in our society who try their best to make us feel guilty every time capital punishment is carried out are ignorant of God's Word. No one should feel guilty for carrying out God's law. God states that if a man sheds another man's blood, man shall his blood be shed.
In fact, God gave the death sentence for several crimes. Such as:
1.Kidnapping.
Look at Exodus 21:16, We read, "And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or it he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.”
2. Witchcraft.
Look at Exodus 22:18, We read, "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.”
3. Bestiality.
Look at Exodus 22:19, We read, “Whosoever lieth with a beast shall surely be put to death."
4. Idolatry.
Look at Deut, 17:2-5, We read, If there be found among you, within any of thy gates which the LORD thy God giveth thee, man or woman, that hath wrought wickedness in the sight of the LORD thy God, in transgressing his covenant, 3 And hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded; 4 And it be told thee, and thou hast heard of it, and inquired diligently, and, behold, it be true, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought in Israel: 5 Then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman, which have committed that wicked thing, unto thy gates, even that man or that woman, and shalt stone them with stones, till they die.
5.Adultery.
Look at Lev, 20:10, "And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife,. even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour;s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to
6. Incest.
Look at Lev. 20:11-12, We read, " And the man that lieth with his father's wife hath uncovered his father's nakedness: both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them. 12 And if a man lie with his daughter in law, both of them shall surely be put to death: they have wrought confusion; their blood shall be upon them.”
7. Homosexuality.
Look at Lev. 20:13, We read, “If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.”
Some people today would have you believe God has change with the times.
That is, He now has join the ranks of the liberals in this nation and believe that we have to be tolerant.
Illus: They say, “God understand!” Yes, God does understand! He understands that these deliberately choose to disobey His Word!
God knew for a society to exist they had to be governed by certain laws. He set up His laws for Israel to obey as they entered the promise land, and He provided that those who disobeyed certain laws suffer capital punishment so as not to contaminate the whole nation.
E. War killings are not murder.
God knew idolatrous nations would rise up to drag Israel away from their true and living God. So as they entered the promise land and after they were there would be times they would have to fight for the freedom God had given them. If they had left the enemy there, then there would be a constant battle from that time forward.
Illus: We have an excellent example of this in the Persian Gulf War. Saddam Hussein, being the mad man that he is, uses his position as ruler of Iraq to serve his own purpose and to inflate his ego. His track record reveals he does not care how much pain and death he inflicts on others to serve his purpose. His attacking his own people and neighbor, Kuwait brought this out even more. If he had the power he would do the same thing to the whole world that he has done to thousands close to him. When a nation will not rise up and eliminate a man of this sort from within, it becomes necessary for a stronger nation to come in and bring him to his knees or eliminate him. Along with those who allowed him to carry out these deeds.
We left Saddam Hussein in position of power and years later he is still having to be dealt with. If he had been eliminated years ago, only God know the people who would still be living.
God’s word teaches in capital punishment.
God’s Word gives us and example of this:
Illus: When Israel was fleeing from Egypt and going into the promised land it was a long, rough trip. As they travel some became tired some were sick, some of the women were with child, and lagged behind. The Amalekites would attack the stragglers and cruelly beat them and kill them. They would even split open the women who were pregnant. God saw all the evil they were doing while Israel was in no position to fight them. Later, however, when Israel was settled and strong in the land, God gave them instructions to go and destroy every person, young or old, man or woman of the Amalekites.
That may seem cruel to us, but they were receiving just reward for their constantly beating, raping, and killing of God’s people.
It is amazing at people who oppose capital punishment as a just reward for one who has tortured and killed one or more of innocent victim (s). Often we see protests, but notice, they do not mention the poor victims, perhaps dead for ten to fifteen years by the time justice is carried out, who had no choice about dying.
Before a person murders he has a choice. He chooses to murder, or not to. The Amalekites were cruel and evil to the core. God told Israel to “…utterly destroy every one of them.”
When they did this, they are not to be held guilty of the blood of any person. They are not killers. They are brave men and women who had the courage to carry out God’s Word.
Illus: Cassisus Clay refused to represent America in its armed forces. He would get into a boxing ring and fight for money, but when it came to defending freedom and standing up for the principles of the very nation that gave him the privilege to be recognized as a champion, he refused.
Illus: Also, It should bother us to see men who would not fight for their mothers, stand on street corners and call Viet Nam veterans murderers as they came back from a war defending them.
Things are backwards! Those who should be exalted are not, and those should be put down in disgrace are exalted. What a mixed up society we have today!
People who are called up to war to defend our country are not murderers.
Conclusion/Summary:
You would think we would not need this commandment, but God, who knows the hearts of men, saw the need for it to be there. Today we need it more than ever. Everywhere we go we hear of all kinds of killings.
We need to know which killings God does not consider murder. He tells us, “Thou shalt not kill”, but these killings, according to God’s Word, do not demand that vengeance be satisfied on those who fall into the category of:
I. WHAT THIS COMMANMENT IS NOT TEACHING.
A. Manslaughter is not killing.
B. Hunting is not killing.
C. Self-defense is not killing.
D. Capital punishment is not killing.
E. War killings are not killing.
