“THOU SHALT NOT KILL” (EX.
1. When
Moses was speaking with God on
2. God said to him, “The people have turned aside.
3. They have made a molten calf, they have worshipped it, they have made sacrifices to it.”
4. Moses left the mountain, and when he got to the camp he saw what God had described.
5. Ex. 32:19 says that Moses saw the calf and the dancing.
6. Because Moses was angry, the 10 commandments were thrown to the ground.
7. Then Moses:
A. Burned the calf, ground it into powder, threw it into the water,
B. And the Hebrews were forced to drink it.
8. Shortly after this, Moses asked the question found in Ex. 32:26—READ.
9. The Levites came to Moses’ side and then several people were killed.
10. These Levites actually took the lives of some people.
11. This is stated in verses 27-28—READ.
I. EX. 32 SHOULD CAUSE US TO ASK A QUESTION. THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT WAS, “THOU SHALT NOT KILL.” THIS IS ONE OF THE COMMANDMENTS THAT MOSES HAD JUST RECEIVED. IN SPITE OF HIS RECEIVING THIS COMMANDMENT, THIS IS SEEMINGLY WHAT MOSES TOLD THE LEVITES TO DO—KILL PEOPLE. VERSE 28 SAYS THAT ABOUT 3,000 PEOPLE DIED. THUS, WE MIGHT ASK THE QUESTION,
A. How can we reconcile the sixth commandment with the deaths of approximately 3,000 people?
B. The word kill, which is found in the sixth commandment, is not the best word.
C. A better word would be murder; thou shall not murder.
D. In the NKJV and NAS translations, the word murder is used.
E. The 6th commandment, as well as some of the others, has been misunderstood.
F. For tonight’s lesson I will do my best to make this commandment clear.
G. My material will fall under two headings:
1) What the sixth commandment did not prohibit,
2) #2—What the sixth commandment did prohibit.
H. Regarding what this commandment did not prohibit, we have Ex. 32.
I. About 3,000 were killed, and the 6th commandment was not violated.
J. The reason that this commandment was not violated was this:
K. The Levites were basically acting as policemen.
L. One definition for the word police is:
M. “The governmental department organized for keeping order, enforcing the law, and preventing, detecting, and prosecuting crimes.”
N. The Levites detected (sought out) the people who were guilty.
O. They were chiefly responsible for enforcing one of God’s laws.
P. Their actions helped serve as a deterrent to others.
Q. The Levites also helped to re-establish and keep order.
R. Moses asked for people to act like policemen, and the Levites responded.
S. In the course of their work, they took human lives.
T. This killing did not violate the commandment that Moses had received.
U. The people who were killed deserved to die.
V. People can behave in such a way where they forfeit their right to live.
W. Ex. 32 describes people who had behaved in a very bad way.
X. This behavior was so terrible, the people forfeited their right.
Y. Thus, these lives needed to be ended, and the Levites did that.
Z. The Bible says that we are to learn from the OT—Rom. 15:4.
A. We may legitimately ask the question, what do we learn form Ex. 32?
1) One lesson is that a Christian might be a policeman.
2) I know that this subject has been and is a hot issue with some.
3) For years, brethren have debated Christianity and killing.
4) The sixth commandment has been frequently cited by brethren.
5) The golden rule has been cited to oppose warfare/police work.
6) Not too long ago I spoke with a member of the church who is a policeman.
7) This man thinks that his job is incompatible with Christianity.
8) He asked me what I thought; he didn’t like my answer.
B. Our brother who is in police work has a personal right to conclude that Christianity and police work are incompatible.
C. However, this decision is a matter of judgment, and not doctrine.
D. There are arguments that can be made to oppose war.
E. Arguments can be made to oppose police work if one is a Christian.
F. One of the best arguments is the golden rule.
G. However, not every argument favors opposition to
H. Ex. 32 shows that there are people who deserve punishment.
I. When the crime is serious enough, the proper punishment is death.
J. Guidelines do not exist as to who should end a guilty person’s life.
K. This principle can be extended to the subject of warfare.
L. When the children of Israel entered into Canaan, there was killing.
M. In fact, listen to what Joshua 10:11 says, READ.
N. I do not know how many people died on this occasion.
O. I do know that these deaths occurred and the 6th commandment was not violated.
P. The 6th commandment did not prevent every kind of killing.
Q. Some killing in the Old Testament was authorized.
R. People were actually authorized to kill in some circumstances.
S. There were crimes that were to be punished by death.
T. One of these crimes was murder.
U. Murderers were to be killed even before Moses gave the law.
V. This is stated in Gen. 9:6. READ.
W. Another crime that merited death was rape.
X. Maybe we think that rape is a new problem; it isn’t.
Y. At least an example of this crime is found in the OT.
Z. The OT also sets forth the penalties for rape—death in some circumstances.
A. READ Deut. 22:25.
B. Another crime that justified death was kidnapping; Ex. 21:16.
C. The commandment, thou shall not kill had several limitations.
D. It did not prohibit: War, did not stop a police-like force,
E. And it didn’t keep alive criminals who were guilty of serious crimes.
F. Someone might say, “This was the OT system; NT is different”.
G. “They could kill under certain circumstances; we cannot.”
H. This is a common objection, but it is inaccurate.
I. With respect to criminals and serious crimes Paul said in Acts 25:11:
J. “If I have done anything worthy of death I refuse not to die.”
K. By inspiration, Paul recognized that some criminals deserve death.
L. Paul said that if he had done anything worthy of death he…
M. When Paul wrote to the Romans, he said in Rom. 13:4b,
N. “For he (government) is a minister of God, and avenger for wrath”.
O. I grit my teeth when I find people who oppose the death penalty.
P. I can disagree with someone about a Christian being a policeman.
Q. There is room for judgment on being a soldier and a Christian.
R. Scripture allows for arguments on both sides of these issues.
S. With capital punishment there is no room for conscience.
T. The bible is clear an plain.
U. When someone commits a crime worthy of death, they should die.
V. The commandment “thou shall not kill” does not prohibit things like capital punishment.
II. SINCE WE HAVE LOOKED AT WHAT THIS COMANDMENT DID NOT PROHIBIT, LET’S SEE WHAT IT DID PROHIBIT.
A. This commandment prohibited murder.
B. Under the OT, murder fell into one of three categories.
C. The first category was premeditated murder.
1) Premeditated murder occurred if a person planned the murder in advance.
2) This was when a killer surprised and killed the victim.
D. The sixth commandment condemned premeditated murder.
E. A second type of murder was accidental homicide.
F. Under the OT, 2 men may have been out working in the field.
G. By accident, one worker killed the other.
H. In this scenario, the sixth commandment was not violated though a man was killed.
I. This is made clear in Num. 35, especially in verse 11—READ.
J. God could have said, “A man in this situation is guilty.
K. He has broken one of the commandments.”
L. Num. 35 shows if a man killed someone accidentally he was not guilty.
M. The one who caused the death could flee to a city of refuge.
N. Accidental deaths did not violate the sixth commandment.
O. The other form of murder was justifiable homicide.
P. This is covered in Ex. 22:2.
Q. If a thief broke into someone’s house, and the homeowner was killed…
R. Of the three types of homicide, only premeditated murder was condemned.
S. This is what is condemned in our day—Rom. 13:9—QUOTE.
1) In spite of what the Bible says, murder occurs.
2) Look at Oklahoma City—Premeditated murder.
3) Mrs. Simpson; Mr. Goldman; there were assassination attempts.
4) Murder is a sin, and it is a serious one.
5) People guilty of it deserve death.
6) This is said in Rom. 1:29, 32. READ.
7) Though the Bible endorses killing murderers,
T. Many in our society prefer to think about rehabilitation.
U. People want to offer just about everyone a “second chance”.
V. In fact, there was a piece in the Goshen News last Thursday- parole hearing for a murder.
W. There is not to be a second chance for someone guilty of murder.
X. That person should have exposure to the gospel; chance to obey.
Y. Obedience to the gospel does not erase the consequences of sin.
Z. If someone really turns to Christ, they should be willing to die.
A. God’s commandments prohibit the coddling of criminals.
B. Other things prohibited by the 6th commandment are abortion and Euthanasia.
C. Abortion is a nice word that means the death of a human being.
D. People who speak of abortion like to quibble about when life begins.
E. Scripture speaks of pershood from conception,
F. Ps. 139:13-15.
G. When abortions occur, a person is not just killed;
H. The young person is butchered.
I. The abortion procedure is gruesome.
1) One method involves suction- the baby is sucked apart.
2) Another method involves cutting the baby apart.
3) It is also possible to poison the baby with salt.
4) The baby’s body can be cut apart and it’s head crushed.
5) Labor can be induced and the mother delivers a child too early for it’s survival.
6) Children can be removed from the womb and then set aside to die.
J. Abortion violates Rom. 13:9. Under the OT it would have been prohibited.
K. Yet, America has formed a blood bath of aborted children.
L. The sixth commandment reminds us how terrible this sin is.
M. The sixth commandment also reminds us that euthanasia is wrong.
N. Euthanasia is mercy killing.
O. When people get too old; too sick to be productive—kill them.
P. After all, people can no longer enjoy life.
Q. Death will allow people to get rid of their aches and pains.
R. Society will not have any kind of further financial burden.
S. Killing the sick and elderly seems to be a win-win proposition.
T. This is murder. God says that this is wrong.
CONCLUSION:
1. Emotions run high on some of the issues I have mentioned.
2. People have strong feelings about war, abortion, euthanasia, and police work.
3. Some of these areas allow for judgment and freedom of opinion.
4. Where God has not bound a law, we have no right to make a law.
5. Where God has made a law, we have no right to alter it.
6. It is wrong to kill an unborn child or a sick person, no matter how much pain their in.
7. This is one of the messages we need to keep sending to the world.
8. With these messages needs to also come a message about justice:
9. God says that serious offences deserve serious punishment, even death.
10. The idea that Christians are loving people and therefore opposed to seeing someone put to death is nothing but nonsense.
11. What is a loving God going to do with guilty sinners?