Too Simple
You shall not commit murder Deuteronomy 5:17
Commit Murder – The King James Bible did us no favors with this commandment. You see, there are seven different words in Hebrew that describe killing. Three are associated with killing animals for sacrifice, one is related to vengeful slaughter and two are connected to execution. That leaves this one, ratsach. It is almost always associated with killing a personal enemy, but not always with premeditation (see Numbers 35:16, Deuteronomy 4:41-43 and Joshua 20:3). The predominant idea behind ratsach is to act with lethal violence toward another person. The commandment itself is hard to forget. It is only one word with the added negative – lo tirtsakh. Forceful. Simple. Perhaps too simple for our tastes. Let me explain.
God places enormous sanctity on life. Without exception, He claims the divine right to give it and take it. Under His authority, He establishes all the rules of human justice where violations of the sanctity of life require the maximum punishment. Why is God so concerned about this? Because Man is created in God’s image, and to murder a man or a woman is to kill God in effigy. It is to usurp God’s role as creator, appropriating for yourself the decision about who will live or die, declaring yourself to be god. It is the highest form of idolatry, combining the worst of pride, power and arrogance.
Nevertheless, men have decided that they know better than God about honoring the sanctity of life. Where God specifically requires the death penalty, men have foisted upon the culture the idea that the death of a murderer is cruel. Where God speaks for the slain, men have turned criminals into victims. Where God demands justice for spilled blood, men have determined that a lost life has no value in the present world. God will not forget the insult to His character perpetrated in this wholesale denial of His right over life. And watch out. Vengeance truly is His.
God tells us that the prohibition against murder applies to killing for revenge, assassination, suicide and any premeditated lethal action. Manslaughter is also connected to this commandment (but there are some exceptions). This law is so crucial that even an animal that causes the death of a human being must be destroyed.
Two other important elements are associated with this commandment. The first is in 1 Kings 21:19. God holds accountable any government authority who does not fulfill the requirement of capital punishment with regard to murder! (Did you understand that?) The second is even more damning. Exodus 21:22-25 shows us that those who cause the death of an unborn child are guilty of murder and shall pay with their lives.
Yes, I’m afraid that this commandment is just too simple. We want plenty of wiggle room when it comes to life and death. We like to make up our own rules. We think we can negotiate with God. Whom do we think we’re fooling?
Topical Index: Commandments, Murder
