Human Life

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

With four words God declares human life sacred. The Hebrew for "murder" here can also refer to causing human death through carelessness or negligence. God has more in mind than simply hunting someone down and taking their life. In fact, in America we have laws against "manslaughter" BECAUSE of this further stipulations of this commandment in the rest of the book of Exodus. Neglect and unintentional actions can lead to human death bringing damage to society.

The flip side of this commandment is of serious importance. We are not simply being told not to kill people. We are being told to value them! We are NOT to be negligent or careless with others in our lives. We are to act with regard to God's heart for all human beings in our interpersonal relationships. Every human has worth. Every human has a purpose in the world. Every human being is to be respected. Human beings are made in the image of God and therefore they are to be cared for and loved. They need it.

There's something more about this particular command. This is one of the two commandments that we turn to for self-justification. What I mean is we often say, "I'm a good person, I've never killed anyone." As if the 10 commandments are all summed up in the 6th commandment instead of the 2nd great commandment Jesus referenced from Leviticus, "love your neighbor as you love yourself." We naturally turn to this particular command to compare ourselves with "those bad people" in jail for doing the unforgivable sin of murdering someone else. Never mind the fact that two of the heroes in the faith (Moses and David) were both guilty of breaking this commandment and yet God forgave and blessed their lives and lineages. We use our "not breaking" this command to make our lives look better than they really are.

To that end Jesus picks this and the next commandment about adultery to expose the ultimate intention of God's Word here in Exodus 20.

Matthew 5:21–22 (ESV) “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.

This really levels the playing field concerning the 6th commandment. Because everyone has broken it. Jesus not only exposes the intent behind murder (anger) He also reveals the judgment for breaking it (hell fire). God is serious about respecting human life. 

So we come to this commandment with pride and we walk away broken and humbled. We are guilty before a holy God. We are not as good as we pretend to be. We need forgiveness and grace.

But for us, Jesus is murdered. Yes, He laid down His life of His own will. We know He could have called upon legions of angels to avoid the cross. But He submitted His body to the murderous intent of those who considered Him a fool. Peter preached in Acts 3:15 (ESV) you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.

To that end God triumphs over our hatred and anger. His love and grace meet our evil hearts destroying the enmity we have in us with the amazing power of His mercy. The good news of the Gospel is that God triumphs over the evil of humanity.