33 - Attitudes That Kill

The Lord needed only two words to produce the sixth commandment. He engraved into a flat plate of stone this simple statement, “Murder not!” Out of ten words which are associated with killing in the Old Testament, He chose the one which refers specifically to the killing of a human whether that person’s death is intentional (murder) or accidental (manslaughter). He did not use a word that would include hunting, lawful execution or a morally-justifiable war. He picked the word that would deny us the right to end a human life, including our own. Since human life originated with God it belongs to Him and therefore only He can decide who should live and who should die. This means that eliminating people is not an acceptable solution to our problems. Though it’s possible for a person to do something so evil that their execution is called for by God’s Word (Nu 35:29–34), yet the power to decide this is given only to duly established courts who are to be guided through the process by biblical principles. So the effect of this commandment is to force us to seek positive ways of resolving conflicts with others. If we understand the true spirit of this commandment, we realize God is forcing us to learn to love sinful people just like He does.