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This is the 6th part of the 10 Commandment series. Let’s recap what we learned about the symbol X.
If you have a King James Bible Exodus 20:13 states,
“You shall not kill.”
However the NLT version has this to say,
“You must not murder.”
This is a very controversial commandment. It deals with self defense, hunting, going to war, abortion, suicide, euthanasia, and capital punishment. The command, “Thou shalt not kill” is actually rendered “Thou shalt not murder.” The Hebrew language possesses seven words for killing. The word ratsach (raw-tsakh’) appears in forty verses of the Old Testament. This word is used to signify premeditated murder.
Over the past 30 years there has been extensive research on the relationship between televised violence and violent behavior among youth. Long, cross-sectional, and experimental studies have all confirmed this correlation.
Televised violence and the presence of television in American households have increased steadily over the years. In 1950, only 10% of American homes had a television.
Today 99% of homes have televisions. In fact, more families have televisions than telephones. Over half of all children have a television set in their bedrooms. This gives a greater opportunity for children to view programs without parental supervision. Studies reveal that children watch approximately 28 hours of television a week, more time than they spend in school.
The typical American child will view more than 200,000 acts of violence, including more than 16,000 murders before age 18. Television programs display 812 violent acts per hour; children’s programming, particularly cartoons, displays up to 20 violent acts hourly. This study does not include video game violence and Internet violence some predict these figures of exposure would quadruple!
We live in a violent society.
One person commits suicide about every 40 seconds, one person is murdered every 60 seconds and one person dies in armed conflict every 100 seconds, according to the World Health Organization. Overall, WHO estimated that 1.6 million people met premature and violent deaths. More kids die from violence than they do from illness.
When you look at this verse, “Thou shalt not murder” that seems like a very straightforward command but actually it’s often misunderstood, misapplied, misinterpreted and so we want to talk about what this means and what does it not mean.
Thou shalt not murder does not prohibit the killing of animals. In the Old Testament God commanded animal sacrifice. It also does not mean we should not eat animals.
All the animals of the earth, all the birds of the sky, all the small animals that scurry along the ground, and all the fish in the sea will look on you with fear and terror. I have placed them in your power. Gen 9:2 NLT
This commandment does not prohibit capital punishment. Certain crimes require the death penalty. God wants justice in this world. Consider the following scripture.
Anyone who takes another person’s life must be put to death. Lev 24:17
God does not prohibit going to war. God says there are some things worth dying for. All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.
But how does this scripture (You must not murder.) relate to my family.
First God says NO to suicide. One person commits suicide every 40 seconds. People may say it’s my life and I can do what I want but God is the author of life and God says don’t do it. Life is a gift from God.
We are not our own bosses to live or die as we ourselves might choose. Romans 14:7 (TLB)
Scripture says we are not our own and we were bought with a price. Before we were in our mother’s womb God predetermined the exact number of days we were to live.
The length of a man’s life is decided beforehand – the number of months he will live. You, God, has settled it. Job 14:5 (GN)
Suicide destroys the very image of God that is stamped upon a person’s life.
So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27 (NLT)
Jesus Christ, God’s very own Son, loves and cares for us. He helps us conquer and overcome whatever problems confront us, no matter how terrible. He will give us wisdom and show us how to conquer our problems.
So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. Hebrews 4:14 (NLT)
God says NO to mercy killing or Euthanasia. This is causing the death of someone because of deformity, or old age, or an incurable disease. I’m not talking about allowing natural causes to terminate life, nor am I talking about artificially supporting life. I’m talking bout causing the death of someone either because of inconvenience or because you don’t think that their life is worth living any more.
God says you do not have a right to do that.
For the life of every living thing is in his hand, and the breath of every human being. Job 12:10 (NLT)
Only God has a right to determine when I should stop living. There was a guy a number of years ago who thought that he should have the right to determine who was fit to live and who wasn’t…
His name was Hitler.
God says NO to abortion.
You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. Psalm 139:13 (NLT)
This scripture is literally talking about a child in the womb. God says the person in the womb is not just a blob of tissue.
I’m convinced abortion is murder. From the human point of view there are accidental pregnancies but conception is not an accident.
Since Roe VS Wade over 60 million babies have been aborted (more than all of the wars put together). 26% of all pregnancies in America now end in abortion or one out of four.
Did you know that every year between 400-500 babies continue to live after the abortion?
Only 2% percent of abortions are because of rape or incest yet that is the biggest argument presented to us by abortionists. 97% of abortions is not because the life of the mother is threatened, but simply because the mother said it’s inconvenient.
“I choose not to have it because it doesn’t fit my lifestyle at this time.”
Maybe even as you are reading this you are thinking, “Well, I’m still pro-choice.” All I can say to that is you better be glad your mother wasn’t.
If every person has a right to choose, then does every teenage boy have a right to rape any girl in his school or neighborhood, if that is his choice? After all, it’s his body and neither you nor I have the right to tell him what to do with his body based on this reasoning. He is free to choose and it is none of our business what choice he makes… or is it? The response to this thinking is the raping of an innocent teenage girl would ignore her rights…..I agree! But in the same line of thinking abortion violates the rights of the little baby that cannot defend itself.
Most of America is not pro-choice when it comes to murder, rape, kidnaping, armed robbery, and child abuse. When we oppose the right to choose rape or child abuse, we are not opposing something that is right, but something that is very wrong. To be “pro-choice” about someone’s right to kill is to be anti-choice about someone else’s right to live.
When we hear the term “pro-choice,” we must ask the question, “What choice are we talking about?
The pro-choice position always overlooks the victims right to choose. Women do not choose rape and children do not choose abuse. African Americans did not choose slavery. The Jews did not choose the ovens of Germany. And babies do not choose abortion.
My goal is to filter this commandment through the cross. Jesus, John, and Paul all considered murder to be the same as hatred.
You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ But I say, if you are even angry with someone,you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell. Matt 5:21-22 NLT
Murder is not just an outward act it’s an inward condition.
Everyone who hates another believer is a murderer, and you know that a murderer doesn’t have eternal life. 1 John 3: 15 GW
How can you hate your brother? It’s bitterness. Many people are bitter and hateful. And many of those bitter and hateful people are church folk. Many of these won’t excel in their walk with God because they have gotten stuck in bitterness.
Do you desire others to be hurt? Do you hate to see others blessed? Maybe you get a little happy when others have a downfall. Every physical act of murder started with hate.
If this is you the good news is you can repent. Repentance is not just telling God you feel bad as you read this, but it is a heart’s cry for God to change you
Did you know that most of the Bible was written by three men who were murderers? Moses, David, and Paul all committed murder, this is the grace of God.
So before we point the finger at those who pull triggers let us who know Christ remember it starts right here in our hearts.
In dealing with offense don’t turn your hatred upon others. Kill the OLD you, the angry you, the hateful you,the unforgiving, offended, and bitter you. Allow God to give you a new heart and turn away from murder.
Pray This
Father you command me to renew my mind daily in Your Word. I ask the mind that is in Christ be in me. Help me to forgive every offense, destroy any root of bitterness in me, and help me to love even my enemies. Help me to remember that every thought is being scrutinized by the Holy Spirit. Help me and remove from me envy, selfishness, anger, and every thought that displeases you. In Jesus name, Amen.
Meditate On This
Whoever says, “I love God,” but hates another believer is a liar. People who don’t love other believers, whom they have seen, can’t love God, whom they have not seen. 1 John 4:20 GW