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POSTED 18 SEPTEMBER, 2007

Days of Awe: Day Six

by Mark Huey
mhuey@outreachisrael.net

Psalm 145; Job 38-40:2; Exodus 20:13

The Sixth Commandment is very succinct and to the point. “Thou shall not murder” is pretty straightforward. Yet over the centuries in governmental jurisprudence, the very definition of “murder” has been modified, amplified, and sometimes redefined in order to describe a variety of deaths that are the result of deviant human activities. First degree, second degree, third degree, voluntary, involuntary, premeditated, manslaughter, accidental death, and probably a slew of other terms that a student of criminal law could probably add to this list—are efforts by man to deal with the reality of murder in society. Even in the Scriptures, the entire chapter of Numbers 35 helps to clarify how manslayers and avengers of blood were to conduct their affairs.

Of course, the subject of murder is intriguing because of the finality of death. Increasingly, many are drawn into the drama of following murder trials on the airwaves, and in recent years we are beginning to witness violent murders by Islamic terrorists and broadcasting their victims over the Internet. This is happening while the murder of abortion is being relegated to the dustbin of history, as the subject is generating less and less coverage from the news media. This is not necessarily because of a lack of emotion, but perhaps because the viewing audience has been numbed by the arguments and the raw exchanges—which have characterized years of debate and have lost the fervor and hence the demand for concern.

Many thoughts might float through your mind as you consider the absolute prohibition against committing murder as dictated by the Sixth Commandment. I know in my meditation and reflection of the subjects considered, that my thoughts have ranged from Cain and Abel to euthanasia, and just about everything in between. But the bottom line always returned to, “Thou shall not murder.” But before considering some other thoughts, perhaps it would be helpful to read once again the psalm of praise that continues to remind us of the glory of our Heavenly Father, and just why He has so lovingly instructed us through His Ten Commandments:

“A Psalm of Praise, of David. I will extol You, my God, O King, and I will bless Your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless You, and I will praise Your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts. On the glorious splendor of Your majesty and on Your wonderful works, I will meditate. Men shall speak of the power of Your awesome acts, and I will tell of Your greatness. They shall eagerly utter the memory of Your abundant goodness and will shout joyfully of Your righteousness. The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger and great in lovingkindness. The Lord is good to all, and His mercies are over all His works. All Your works shall give thanks to You, O Lord, and Your godly ones shall bless You. They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom and talk of Your power; To make known to the sons of men Your mighty acts and the glory of the majesty of Your kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures throughout all generations. The Lord sustains all who fall and raises up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food in due time. You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His deeds. The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them. The Lord keeps all who love Him, but all the wicked He will destroy. My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord, and all flesh will bless His holy name forever and ever” (Psalm 145:1-21)

The Sixth Commandment

“You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13).

To a Believer, it seems like this command does not even need to be stated, because it is inherently known in the heart of man. Even the thought of taking another person’s life is difficult to contemplate, let alone actually perform. But for some reason, as we begin the second tablet of instructions from Mount Sinai, the command is simply to not murder. God knew that the fallen heart of man considers evil continually, and proof of it comes early in the interaction of Cain and Abel. The first generation that followed Adam and Eve witnessed the first recorded murder.

I have never really spent that much time considering this commandment. Perhaps it is because I have never had the slightest thought about murdering someone, so the penetrating dictate to not murder has never checked any aggressive thoughts that have percolated from my soul. I have never considered taking a gun and “blowing someone’s brains out.” Instead, I have spent more time reflecting upon what Yeshua said—when He took this commandment and raised the standard from the physical act of murder to the very thought of it. In the simple amplification following the listing of His Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount, Yeshua makes a link between murder and calling someone a fool:

“For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not commit murder’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell” (Matthew 5:20-22).

Now with these words from Yeshua, I can more readily identify. I can confess never considering murdering someone; but on the other hand, there have been some instances in my life when I have called someone an idiot or a fool. According to these statements—those utterances, and the harboring of them in my heart, will qualify me for Hell. When I think of murder, I instead relate to the temptation to call someone a good-for-nothing, or a fool, and have not always thought about the consequences of such an action.

What do you do when you label someone raqa, or a good-for-nothing fool?[1] In essence, you have judged them, found them guilty, and condemned them with every intention to discount them—if not destroy them. It is precisely because of this attitude of the heart why Yeshua was trying to elevate the Sixth Commandment beyond the physical act of murdering a person. Yeshua was concerned with the ethereal act of murdering someone in one’s heart and with the tongue. Immediately, Yeshua addresses the same problem with committing adultery, and again within a few verses, He describes not just the physical act but the mental ascent to contemplate committing adultery (Matthew 5:27-30).

But what does it mean to commit murder by calling someone a fool? After all, Proverbs indicates that the world is full of fools who choose to remain foolish rather than seeking wisdom.[2] Hence, if the world is full of fools, then it is inescapable that we will encounter fools at different times along our path. The issue we always have to consider—when considering these interactions—is whether we are going to murder these people in our hearts, and then complete the act of murder by flagrantly verbalizing what we consider their condition. Or are we going to do just the opposite, and pray for such people—just like we have been commanded to pray for our enemies—and to bless such people with our prayers of supplication for their souls?

Often, it is our enemies who provoke in us a hatred that may manifest in enough angst, that we are willing to murder them, or certainly call them all sorts of derogatory names. But what do the words of Yeshua say about how we should behave toward our enemies and those who curse us?

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and you’re your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:43-48).

In the earlier passage above (Matthew 5:20), we are told that our righteousness needs to exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees and the scribes in order to enter into Heaven. But here the stakes to reach perfection are made impossible to achieve, as Yeshua states that we must be as perfect as our Heavenly Father. Either Yeshua is communicating with hyperbolic exaggerations, or He is trying to make some spiritual principles clear.

Is it possible that the Lord, knowing the heart of humanity, is trying to impress upon us that the need to seek and maintain a humble and tender heart is critical—if someone is going to be able to comply with these admonitions? Should we not be a people who are constantly sensitized to the inclinations of our hearts, whether such inclinations are to call someone a fool, lust, utter undoable vows, or deny someone a request for shelter? The list could go on and on. But Yeshua is telling us that we are to walk humbly before our God. It is almost like He is quoting some of the principles declared by the Prophet Micah centuries earlier:

“Hear now what the Lord is saying, ‘Arise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice. “Listen, you mountains, to the indictment of the Lord, and you enduring foundations of the earth, because the Lord has a case against His people; even with Israel He will dispute. My people, what have I done to you, and how have I wearied you? Answer Me. Indeed, I brought you up from the land of Egypt and ransomed you from the house of slavery, and I sent before you Moses, Aaron and Miriam. My people, remember now what Balak king of Moab counseled and what Balaam son of Beor answered him, and from Shittim to Gilgal, so that you might know the righteous acts of the Lord.’ With what shall I come to the Lord and bow myself before the God on high? Shall I come to Him with burnt offerings, with yearling calves? Does the Lord take delight in thousands of rams, in ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my firstborn for my rebellious acts, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:1-8).

Here in these words from the Prophet Micah, you should see that the Holy One is not as interested in burnt offerings and sacrifices, but instead that His people walk in what is good. Here He states that God requires that we do justice—or including not committing murder—and that we love kindness that will never even call a person a fool. As we walk humbly before our God, we will recognize that we will be constantly confessing our transgressions, and understand that we are totally dependent upon Him for His lovingkindness and mercy.

Without faith it is impossible to please God. It takes a meek and humble person to wait upon the Almighty to execute His judgment and wrath. Just look at how the Psalmist puts it:

“Cease from anger and forsake wrath; do not fret; it leads only to evildoing. For evildoers will be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land. Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more; and you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there. But the humble will inherit the land and will delight themselves in abundant prosperity. The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes at him with his teeth. The Lord laughs at him, for He sees his day is coming. The wicked have drawn the sword and bent their bow to cast down the afflicted and the needy, to slay those who are upright in conduct. Their sword will enter their own heart, and their bows will be broken. Better is the little of the righteous than the abundance of many wicked. For the arms of the wicked will be broken, But the Lord sustains the righteous. The Lord knows the days of the blameless, and their inheritance will be forever. They will not be ashamed in the time of evil, and in the days of famine they will have abundance. But the wicked will perish; and the enemies of the Lord will be like the glory of the pastures, They vanish—like smoke they vanish away. The wicked borrows and does not pay back, but the righteous is gracious and gives. For those blessed by Him will inherit the land, but those cursed by Him will be cut off. The steps of a man are established by the Lord, and He delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the Lord is the One who holds his hand. I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread. All day long he is gracious and lends, and his descendants are a blessing. Depart from evil and do good, so you will abide forever. For the Lord loves justice and does not forsake His godly ones; they are preserved forever, but the descendants of the wicked will be cut off. The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever. The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice. The law of his God is in his heart; His steps do not slip. The wicked spies upon the righteous and seeks to kill him. The Lord will not leave him in his hand or let him be condemned when he is judged. Wait for the Lord and keep His way, and He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you will see it. I have seen a wicked, violent man spreading himself like a luxuriant tree in its native soil. Then he passed away, and lo, he was no more; I sought for him, but he could not be found. Mark the blameless man, and behold the upright; for the man of peace will have a posterity. But transgressors will be altogether destroyed; the posterity of the wicked will be cut off. But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in time of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in Him” (Psalm 37:8-40).

Verse after verse King David describes how the meek and humble person should trust in the Lord and wait upon Him for His justice. In the end, it is the righteousness of the Almighty that delivers us from the wicked—and saves us from our own transgressions.

Murder is a difficult subject to contemplate. How much easier is it to simply call someone a fool? But if you persist, who will be considered the fool in the end if a person is not convicted that those hurtful words ultimately reveal just how hard his or her own human heart really is? Perhaps the next time you consider calling someone a fool, pray that the Holy Spirit stops you, and instead directs you to pray for the individual’s soul. In so doing, your righteousness will be a reflection of His righteousness that indwells you. When you see His righteousness functioning, you will know that He is alive in your heart and that you are maturing in your desire to seek justice, love, and kindness—so that you may walk humbly before your God and Savior.

Mark Huey (B.A., Vanderbilt University in History and Graduate Studies at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University) is the Director of Outreach Israel Ministries (www.outreachisrael.net). He is the author of several books, including: TorahScope, Volumes I & II, and Counting the Omer: A Daily Devotional Toward Shavuot. He is also co-author of Hebraic Roots: An Introductory Study.

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