"Thou
shalt not kill" (Exodus 20:13).
In the
first five Commandments we have seen how God safeguarded His own glory; in the
second five we are to behold how He provides for the security and well-being of
men:
(1) for the protection of man’s person;
(2) for the sanctity and good of his family ("thou shalt not
commit adultery");
(3) for the safety of his estate and substance
("thou shalt not steal");
(4) for his reputation or good name ("thou shalt not bear false
witness against thy neighbor").
Finally, as a strong fence encircling the whole Law,
God not only prohibits outward crimes, but inward motions of evil in our
thoughts and affections ("thou shalt not covet").
It is
the first of these regulations which specially relates to our neighbor that we
shall now consider: "thou shalt not kill."
This
sixth Commandment prohibits that barbarous and inhuman sin of murder, which is
the firstborn of the Devil, who was
"a
murderer from the beginning" (John 8:44).
It is
the first crime we read of after the fall of Adam and Eve, wherein the
corruption transmitted to their descendants was fearfully displayed by Cain.
His rancor and enmity goaded him to slay Abel, because his brother’s
"works
were righteous and his own evil" (1 John 3:12).
But
this commandment is not restricted to forbidding the actual crime of murder. It
also prohibits all the degrees and causes of murder, such as rash anger and
hatred, slanders and revenge, and whatever else may
prejudice the safety of our neighbor or tempt us to see him perish when it is
in our power to relieve and rescue him.
Let us
begin by pointing out that every killing of a man is not murder. It is not so
in the execution of justice, when the magistrate sentences
a slayer, for he is vested with lawful authority to put capital offenders to
death, and if he fails to do so, then God will charge it upon him as sin.
"Whoso
sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed" (Genesis 9:6)
These
words state the general and unchanging principle.
"Thine
eye shall not pity, but life shall go for life" (Deuteronomy 19:21).
This
is God’s order to the magistrate. Nor is the shedding of
blood in a righteous war chargeable with murder. It is lawful to take up arms
against an invader and to recover what has been unjustly taken away. Thus David
pursued the Amalekites who had carried away his wives captive. It is also
lawful in order to punish some great injury or wrong. David made war upon the
Ammonites for their outraging of his ambassadors (2 Samuel
10).
As
there are some who decry this assertion and denounce all war as unlawful in
this Christian dispensation, let us point out that when soldiers came to
Christ’s forerunner for instruction saying, "What shall we do?" (Luke
3:14), he did not say, Fight no more, abandon your
calling, but gave them directions how they should conduct themselves. When the
centurion came to the Savior and drew arguments from his military calling, our
Lord did not condemn his profession or rebuke him for holding such an office.
Instead, He highly commended his faith (Luke 7:8, 9). When examined by Pilate
Christ declared,
"My
kingdom is not of this world: if My kingdom were of this world, then would My
servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is My
kingdom not from hence" (John 18:36).
Those
words clearly imply that though carnal means were improper
for advancing Christ’s spiritual kingdom, yet had not His state of humiliation
prevented His assuming the royal scepter, His followers might lawfully have
fought to defend His title.
There
is one other exception, namely, accidental slaying, which
is not chargeable with murder, that is, when life is taken without any intention
of so doing. Such a case we find mentioned in Scripture, as when hewing wood
the axe should slip and undesignedly kill a neighbor (Deuteronomy 19:5). For
such innocent slayers the Lord appointed cities of refuge, whither they could
find safe asylum from the avenger of blood. But let it be
pointed out that we must be employed about lawful things. Otherwise, if we are engaged in what is
unjustified and it leads to the death of another, this cannot be excused from
murder (see Exodus 21:22-24).
Next let
us consider cases of murder. Suicide is self-murder, and is one of the most desperate crimes
which can be committed. Inasmuch as this sin precludes
repentance on the part of its perpetrator, it is beyond forgiveness. Such
creatures are so abandoned by God as to have no concern for their eternal
salvation, seeing they pass into the immediate presence of their Judge with
their hands imbrued in their own blood. Such are self-murderers, for they
destroy not only their bodies but their souls, too. The murdering
of
another is a
most heinous crime. It torments the
conscience
of its perpetrator with fearful affrights, so that often he gives himself up to
justice. Those who are accessories are also guilty of murder, such as those who commission it to be
done (2 Samuel 11:15; 12:9), or consent thereto (as Pilate), or conceal it (as
in Deuteronomy 21:6, 7, by clear implication).
This
Commandment not only forbids the perpetration of murder, but likewise all
causes and occasions leading to it. The principal of these are envy and anger.
Envy has been well described as "the rust of a cankered soul, a foul vice
which turns the happiness of others into our own
misery." Cain first enviously repined at the success of his brother’s
sacrifice, and this quickly prompted him to murder. So too unjust and
inordinate anger, if it be allowed to lie festering in the heart, will turn
into the venom of an implacable hatred. Such anger is not only a cause, but it
is actually a degree
of
murder, as is clear from the teaching of Christ in Matthew
5:2 1, 22.
It
should be pointed out that anger is not, as envy, simply, and in itself,
unlawful. There is a virtuous anger, which (so far from being sin, is a noble
and praiseworthy grace, see Mark 3:5). To be moved with indignation for the
cause of God when his glory is degraded, His name
dishonored, His sanctuary polluted, and His people vilified is a holy anger. So
there is an innocent and allowable anger when we are unjustly provoked by
offenses against ourselves, but here we need to be much on our guard that we
"sin not" (Ephesians 4:26). A vicious and sinful anger, which darkens
the understanding and makes one act as in a frenzy, is one which is without
cause and without bounds. Jonah 4:1 gives an illustration
of a groundless anger. Anger is immoderate when it is violent and excessive, or when it continues to boil.
"Let
not the sun go down on your wrath" (Ephesians 4:26);
if it
does, the scum of malice will be on your heart next morning! In closing, let us give some rules for
restraining and repressing anger.
(1) Labor and pray for a meek and humble spirit. Think lowly of
yourself and you will not be angered if others slight you.
All contention proceeds from pride (Proverbs 13:10). The more you despise
yourself the easier it will be to bear the contempt of your fellows.
(2) Think often of the infinite patience and forbearance of God. How
many affronts does He bear with from us. How often we give
Him occasion to be angry with us, yet "He hath not dealt with us after our
sins." Let this great example be ours.
(3) Beware of prejudice against any, for it is sure to misinterpret
their actions. Fight against the first risings of envy and
anger; when injured put it down to ignorance or unintentional.
(4) Shun angry persons (Proverbs 22:24, 25); fire quickly spreads.