Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God.

Script:

Do not murder.

Exodus, Chapter 20, verse 13, Contemporary English Version

VK: Hi and welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. I’m Victoria K. We’re grateful that you are able to join us for another episode of Anchored by Truth as we continue our series on the Ten Commandments. With us today in the studio we have RD Fierro. RD is an author and the founder of Crystal Sea Books. So far in this series we have covered the first 5 commandments. Today, we are going to discuss the 6th commandment which we heard in our opening scripture. RD, what are some of the big “take-aways” from our discussions on the first 5 commandments?

RD: Well, I would also like to welcome everyone to this episode of Anchored by Truth. Certainly, one of the biggest take-aways that we’ve seen in our look at the first 5 commandments is that the commandments were given to Moses, the Hebrews, and us for our benefit, not God’s. God did not and does not need the commandments to improve His existence but we do. The commandments tell us how to have a better relationship with God and better relationships with other people. One of the other big ideas that we have discussed consistently is that all of the commandments can be viewed as having two dimensions.

VK: For instance, the 3rd commandment says, “Do not misuse my name. I am the LORD your God, and I will punish anyone who misuses my name.” That’s from the Contemporary English Version. So, the 3rd commandment like 7 of the other commandments are stated as “do not’s.” But we can also see that the commandment instructs us to revere and respect the name of God – that we should use God’s name properly. All of the commandments that tell us to “not do” something can also be viewed as telling us to do the opposite. Similarly, the 4th and 5th commandments tell us to do something. The 4th commandment tells us to honor the Sabbath day and the 5th commandment tells us to honor our father and mother. So, we can see that the 5th commandment also means do not disrespect or dishonor our parents.

RD: Right. So, understanding that the commandments all have affirmative and prohibitive aspects is another big take-away from our first several episodes. And a 3rd take-away is that the sequence of the commandments points us back to the overall story of the Bible. The first 3 commandments point to God’s personhood. God was, of course, present before He began His creative activity. The 4th and 5th commandments point to that creative activity. The 4th commandment defines the human week. So, it addresses the period of God’s creative activity. The 5th commandment reminds us of the product of God’s creative activity. God only created 2 people directly: Adam and Eve. All other people are descendants of our original parents. We honor our parents because God created our first parents in His image and then delegated a portion of His authority over creation to them. The final 5 commandments point to the sad part. The final 5 commandments remind us of the fall because without the fall none of them would be necessary. But the final 5 also remind us that as soon as the fall occurred God began a plan of redemption part of which is the restraint of sin through God’s law.

VK: So, that’s a brief summary of some of what we’ve discussed in our first several episodes in this series. Anyone who missed an episode can find it on their favorite podcast app or they can go to our website (crystalseabooks.com) and listen anytime. Today, we move on to the 6th commandment which – as we heard in the Contemporary English Version – is only 3 words: “Do not murder.” This commandment seems so obvious we might wonder why God felt is necessary to include it. Isn’t it self-evident that we should never commit murder?

RD: Well, we might think that but the sad history of humanity demonstrates that it was very much necessary for God to make it the first of the list of prohibited behaviors that apply to people. Let’s remember that we have the first murder in the Bible recorded in chapter 4 of Genesis which is the first book of the Bible. Cain killed his brother Abel out of jealousy. And things haven’t improved any since then. And we should make one other note about that first murder. God gave the 10 commandments to Moses and the Hebrews who were fleeing slavery and captivity in Egypt about 1,500 years before Christ was born – roughly 3,000 years after creation. During that 3,000 year period murder was not acceptable. The prohibition against murder existed right at the start. It did not just come into being when God gave the 10 commandments.

VK: And Cain knew that murder was wrong. Genesis, chapter 4, verses 8 through 13 say, in part, “Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, … When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.” Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is more than I can bear.” Cain’s behavior clearly demonstrates he knew that murdering Abel was wrong.

RD: Yes. Cain tricked Abel into going into a deserted place because he knew he was planning on murdering him. When God confronted Cain he became evasive and lied. And even though Cain complained that his punishment was severe he didn’t complain it was unjust. He knew he deserved to be punished for what he had done. If Cain had not known that murder was wrong he wouldn’t have cared whether anybody saw him do it and he wouldn’t have lied about it. But he did. Cain knew murder was wrong which means the prohibition against it existed right from the beginning of humanity and either Adam or God had instructed everyone not to do it.

VK: And, sadly, we have plenty of other examples in other places in Genesis where people displayed a clear awareness of the prohibition against murder. When Joseph’s brothers planned to murder him they planned to do it in a remote location and they hid their plans. And Joseph’s oldest brother Reuben actually tried to save him. Reuben told the rest of the brothers ““Let’s not take his life,” [Reuben] said. “Don’t shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.” Reuben knew murdering Joseph was wrong. All the brothers did. So, the prohibition against murder did not start when the commandment was given. God was simply formally codifying an existing and well-understood ethical standard.

RD: And that’s an important observation. Someone might ask why God gave Moses a commandment for a behavioral obligation that had been in existence for 3,000 years. And certainly part of the answer is that the Israelites were entering a new period of their national history. When Jacob and his family had gone into Egypt there was a group of about 80 people. A little over 400 years later there was a nation of 2 million and God was relocating that nation, His nation, to their permanent homeland. This was a new chapter in the saga of redemption. God ‘s people were going to have their own territory and therefore they needed a set of civic and ethical standards with which to govern themselves. Through the 10 commandments and the balance of the Mosaic and Levitical codes God was providing those standards.

VK: Up until the exodus the Hebrews had lived in Egypt and so were living under the Egyptian civic laws. But now they were out of Egypt. They certainly couldn’t adopt any of the legal or civic codes of the Canaanites they were displacing. Those legal and moral codes contained things that were repugnant. Child sacrifice was acceptable in those cultures. Child sacrifice was certainly not acceptable to God. God wanted to be sure His people operated by a set of civic laws that reflected His holy standards – not those of the people they were displacing. The whole reason God told the Hebrews to displace the people who were occupying Palestine was because they had become so morally degenerate. In Deuteronomy, chapter 20, verses 17 and 18 God told the Hebrews to “Completely destroy a them—… as the Lord your God has commanded you. Otherwise, they will teach you to follow all the detestable things they do in worshiping their gods, and you will sin against the Lord your God.”

RD: Right. Through the 10 commandments and the rest of the law God was giving His people a set of civic and religious laws that reflected His holy character. So, when it came to establishing specific requirements God started with a foundational fact. God is the author of life. The first commandment that He gave to restrain man’s sinful impulses – because that’s what the last 5 commandments do – was to reiterate the importance of life, the right to life as we put it today.

VK: Wow. That’s something we never think about today in all of the discussions about abortion and other cultural issues. The foundational reason all innocent human beings have a right to life is because God proclaimed that we do. And one place He proclaimed that very clearly is in the 6th commandment.

RD: Yes. So, let’s sharpen our focus on what the 6th commandment says and what it does not say for just a moment. The 6th commandment does not prohibit capital punishment provided that punishment is performed by legitimate civil authorities in conformance with legitimate and appropriate (proportional) consequences for crimes such as murder or rape. The 6th commandment does not prevent Christians from serving in the armed forces that defend their nation against foreign aggression. The 6th commandment does not prohibit someone from using deadly force to protect their family, themselves, or their property from criminal assault or theft. The 6th commandment is concerned about the unwarranted taking of innocent human life.

VK: And a somewhat trickier extension of the 6th commandment is that it does not prohibit a doctor from making triage decisions where the doctor may have to save one life while others go untreated. The doctor that saves one patient while they are unable to save others has not violated the 6th commandment.

RD: And the 6th commandment does not prohibit Christians from issuing instructions in living wills or signing what are often termed DNR’s – “do not resuscitate” orders. Christians are allowed to refuse extraordinary medical measures necessary to prolong life if that is their choice to do so. But this is completely different from the idea of “assisted suicide” that has become popular in some countries. Suicide is self-murder so it is barred by the 6th commandment. Assisting someone to commit suicide is simply aiding and abetting murder. But where the patient refuses a drug or other intervention that might or might not prolong their life is a different matter.

VK: And such decisions must always be made by the patient without pressure from people who may have ulterior motives even family members. And the patient must have access to the best medical information that is available from competent doctors or advisors. And we certainly are not trivializing the difficulty of any of these decisions. You have said that sometimes it takes the wisdom of Solomon to know what to do and even then these decisions are extraordinarily taxing. The main point though is that the 6th commandment establishes a right to life but there are times when, despite our best efforts, life can only be prolonged by intervention that is uncertain at best and will inflict suffering at worst.

RD: Correct. There is a difference between us doing things that will hasten death versus doing things to prolong life. The former is prohibited but the latter is not necessarily required. Now, if the patient wants the intervention then they should receive that which they desire. At any rate it’s important to understand that 6th commandment establishes a basic right to life and the correct application of that right often requires considerable wisdom and prayer. But certainly one implication of the 6th commandment is very clear. Abortion is a violation of the 6th commandment. We often debate the question of what happens when the life of the mother is in jeopardy and there are legitimate differences of opinion on that question. All I will say is that I have very wise and mature Christian friends who differ so I think it’s a question where people need to make their own decisions.

VK: So, there are some situations in today’s world where we need to seriously consider the implications of the 6th commandment. But what about in Moses’ world? Do you think that there were there similar difficulties in the Hebrews’ minds when they first received the commandment?

RD: Well, certain implications of the 6th commandment that we debate today were not in debate in the days of the exodus. For instance, the Hebrews knew that the 6th commandment did not prohibit capital punishment for certain crimes because God had prescribed capital punishment in the law. The Mosaic Law required capital punishment for murder, rape, adultery, and a few other offenses. But the 6th commandment would have affected many practices that were common in some parts of the ancient world.

VK: Such as child sacrifice. Child sacrifice was practiced in many of the pagan religions of that time. The 6th commandment clearly prohibited the Hebrews from going anywhere near that practice even though it was common in cultures that surrounded them.

RD: Yes. And the 6th commandment had dramatic implications for other practices of that time. Most of the nations of that time were ruled by a king, emperor, pharaoh, or similar monarch. It was a common understanding in some nations that all of the property in the nation belonged to the king and the people only had control over the parts for which the monarch had granted leases. Well, in many of the ancient nations the king was considered to not only own the property but the people. So, the king could order the life or death of any of their subjects regardless of whether the subject had done anything that merited it. The same thing was true of slaves and slave owners. The slave could be executed at the owner’s whim. It might have been stupid to do so but the legal systems of the time would not have made it illegal to do so.

VK: So, when God issued the 6th commandment God was drawing a clear line of demarcation between His people and the surrounding cultures – not just in the case of their religious practices but also in the case of how they were to order their society. The 10 commandments established an ethical framework for the Hebrews as they were entering the Promised Land that would make them clearly different from the cultures around them. One of the biggest ways the Hebrew culture was to be different was that value was placed on individual life. That wasn’t true just for the Hebrew people but also for slaves who had no rights in other societies.

RD: For a variety of reason slavery was a common part of almost all ancient cultures. Most commonly when one nation conquered another and captured people those captured people wound up as slaves in the conquering nation. But, it was also true that sometimes people would sell themselves or their children into slavery because a famine or other disaster made it look more likely that they would eat as slaves or starve on their own. As you have noted in most societies slaves were just considered another form of property. But with the 10 commandments God began to establish the idea that all people are people and have some basic rights. The Mosaic Law put certain limits on how the Hebrews were to treat their slaves. This was a radical departure from the surrounding cultures.

VK: For instance, Exodus, chapter 21, verses 26 and 27 says, “An owner who hits a male or female slave in the eye and destroys it must let the slave go free to compensate for the eye. And an owner who knocks out the tooth of a male or female slave must let the slave go free to compensate for the tooth.” Provisions like this make it clear that slaves were people who could not be mistreated in any way their owner might like. In most of the cultures outside of Israel killing a slave would not have been regarded as murder. Their legal codes would have had no provisions for addressing the mistreatment of slaves. And some cynics would say that the 6th commandment did not address that situation.

RD: I know that some cynics would say that the 6th commandment did not address every conceivable situation where one human being might cause the death of another. But there were other portions of the Mosaic Covenant that did provide more nuances and did distinguish between what we would call first degree murder, manslaughter, accidental death, deaths caused by animals, etc. But the mere fact that the cynic would point something like that out points to man’s essential sinfulness. God gave a very plain commandment. Don’t murder another person. But people will then start to ask qualifying questions. What if an owner kills a slave? Is that murder? What if someone leaves a pit uncovered and someone falls in? If I sacrifice a child as part of a religious ritual, is that ok? We will pile the questions on and on. But the mere fact that we ask the question reveals sinful hearts. We ask them because we want to know the boundaries of the commandment. Why do we do that? If we simply accept the fact that God has issued a plain commandment and our intention is to obey that commandment all the possible variations don’t matter.

VK: I see the point you’re making. The scope of potential violations doesn’t matter to the person who intends to be obedient. The concept of murder is pretty clear. It’s killing another human being who isn’t doing us any harm and doesn’t have any apparent intent at doing us harm. If another person is planning on hurting us, our family, or others, that’s a different situation. But if our intent is simply to obey the commandment we will not only not kill anyone else we will go out of our way to avoid causing them harm because we don’t want to run the risk of violating the commandment. It is our sinfulness that wants us to begin to develop some kind of exhaustive set of rules because we want to be able to argue that we aren’t guilty even if we wind up doing what we shouldn’t.

RD: Human beings, all human beings, are prone to performing this ethical calculus which essentially asks, “how far can I go before I get into trouble?” The slave owner who understood the 6th commandment properly understood it as requiring him to value the slave’s life as much as anyone else’s. They weren’t concerned with defining limits which they had no intent to violate. Further, the owner understood that they had an affirmative obligation to protect the slave’s life and health. This was not a concept that was shared outside Israel.

VK: All of this points to the need for the Lord to include the 6th commandment within the 10 and to make it the first of the behaviors that were specifically prohibited. In coming episodes we are going to talk about the others: don’t commit adultery and don’t steal, lie, or covet. But by starting with “don’t murder” God, as He always does, puts first things first. The most egregious thing one human being can do to another is to physically injure someone. As bad as the other behaviors are injuring or killing someone is worse. God started with the prohibition against murder to restrain the worst behavior first.

RD: And frankly the fact that God made such plain statement about obviously harmful behaviors helps reinforce that these are authentic commandments from a holy God who has ushered His people into a new period of their national existence.

VK: How so?

RD: Think about it. If I started a religion and told everyone our rituals would include eating ice cream, pie, and cake and watching videos all night long, how many people would join my religion?

VK: Lots!

RD: Exactly. False religions promise people they will get secrets, or receive power over others, or give them permission to do anything they want to do whether it’s eating, drinking, gambling, having sex, whatever. False religions feed into people’s sinful desires and impulses. But God never did that. God’s law reflects his holy character and He wants His people to do that as well. God expects His people to be kind, careful, caring, just, and honest just as He Himself is. So, God’s commandment instruct us to steer away from things that we all know are wrong but we find ourselves drawn to by our sinful impulses. We know the 10 commandments are from a holy God because the commandments help us restrain our sin rather than telling us to indulge in it.

---- PRAYER OF ADORATION OF THE SON

VK: We’d like to remind our audience that a lot of our radio episodes are linked together in series of topics so if they missed any episodes or if they just want to hear one again, all of these episodes are available on your favorite podcast app. To find them just search on “Anchored by Truth by Crystal Sea Books.”

If you’d like to hear more, try out crystalseabooks.com where “We’re not perfect but our Boss is!”

(Opening Bible Quote from the Aramaic Bible in Plain English)

Exodus, Chapter 20, verses 9, and 11, Aramaic Bible in Plain English