Thou Shalt Not Commit Murder

Thou Shalt Not Commit Murder

What right does anyone have to silence a voice that worships God?

Exodus 20:13 You shall not murder. [NIV]

Deuteronomy 5:17 Thou shalt not kill. [KJV]

Murder can only be understood in the context of the first murder: when the term was defined. When people use "thou shalt not kill" as an argument against execution or war, they do not understand the context of the original term and the original murder.

Genesis 4:1-16 Adam lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, "With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man." 2 Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.

Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. 3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. 4 But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.

6 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."

8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let's go out to the field." And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

9 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?"

"I don't know," he replied. "Am I my brother's keeper?"

10 The LORD said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground. 11 Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth."

13 Cain said to the LORD, "My punishment is more than I can bear. 14 Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me."

15 But the LORD said to him, "Not so; if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over." Then the LORD put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. 16 So Cain went out from the LORD's presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

A few observations:

Cain was angry

Cain was downcast

WHY? Because he had brought an offering to the Lord, but the Lord was not pleased with it. Some speculate that it was not a blood offering and that is why God was not pleased with it. However, we find out later that grain offerings were totally acceptable. It must have been something else.

A few more observations:

Cain discussed his mood with God.

God told him about something that was right Was that the offering?

God warned him about sin crouching at the door.

God told him to resist it

After the counsel of God, Cain made his plans and took action.

Cain took Abel out in a field away from parents and God?

Cain attacked Abel and killed him.

Cain lied to God.

The path of murder:

1. A religious event was planned

2. Cain was "out-religioused" by his younger brother.

3. Cain got angry.

4. Cain got downcast.

5. GOD’S WORDS WERE HEARD.

6. Cain planned the murder

7. Cain did the murder

8. Cain hid the body

9. Cain lied about the murder

Abel got something that Cain did not have: God’s approval. Cain wanted that but determined how he might get it was to kill the competition. This is evil. This self-centered approach is apparent in verses 13-14 as Cain whines about his punishment.

Genesis 4:13-14 Cain said to the LORD, "My punishment is more than I can bear. 14 Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me."

1 John 3:12-13 Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous. Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you.

It is about EVIL versus RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Romans 1:28-32 Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder , strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

WHO IS ANGRY WITH HIS BROTHER?

Matthew 5:21-26

21 "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca,' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.

23 "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.

25 "Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. 26 I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.

Jesus plainly told us that unresolved anger at our brother -- is murder. Festering anger is murder. That needs to be resolved BEFORE the offering is brought in order for the offering to be accepted. Not before communion, but before the offering. There is a difference.

Anger does not seem to be the sin by itself. Jacob got angry in Genesis 30 and 31. Moses got angry several times. God was angry with Balaam - in fact the Lord seemed to be angry with people lots of times. Saul got angry; and David got angry. Jonah got angry about a gourd.

Ezekiel 16:42 Then my wrath against you will subside and my jealous anger will turn away from you; I will be calm and no longer angry .

Micah 7:18 Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.

Anger is not the issue. Keeping it; nursing it is. How long can you be angry?

Ephesians 4:26-27 "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry , 27 and do not give the devil a foothold.

WHAT IS A FOOL?

If anger is not the problem with murder, what is? It is another thing tied in with it whereby you call someone a "fool." But the parallel that Christ uses has to do with the term "Raca."

RACA - vain, empty, worthless, only found in Matthew 5:22. The Jews used it as a word of contempt. It is derived from a root meaning "to spit."

The parallel:

Call someone contemptible -- go to court

Call someone a fool -- go to hell

There is a level of degree here that must be important and must tie in with the original murder, otherwise, why is it important enough to be one of the Ten?

The New English Bible translates this a little differently.

Matthew 5:22 [NEB] Anyone who nurses anger against his brother must be brought to judgement. If he abuses his brother he must answer for it to the court; if he sneers at him he will have to answer for it in the fires of hell.

Cain was angry because his offering was not accepted. Apparently, he was nursing some anger against Abel and it seems that may have been the reason his offering was not accepted. God warned him about sin waiting at the door after the offering was rejected. It sounds like the Devil was given a foothold. Sneering is a continuing attitude where maybe abuse in this context is an event that may only happen once.

But if I call someone a fool...? What is a fool? Did Cain call or consider Abel to be a fool?

Psalms 14:1 The fool says in his heart, "There is no God."

They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.

Psalms 53:1 The fool says in his heart, "There is no God."

They are corrupt, and their ways are vile; there is no one who does good.

This is not "fool" in the sense of a person trying to make a joke or wearing a jester’s hat. This is not something about acting foolish in the sense of silliness. God does not put silliness in hell -- at least I don’t think so. If he did, why did He end the book of Jonah with a joke. Or why did He use a donkey to talk to Balaam? Or why did he make a platypus or a camel?

When David used the term "fool," it was rather serious.

Psalm 14:1 [NEB] The impious fool says in his heart, "There is no God."

We would call that an atheist. And a true atheist, if there is such a thing, has no hope of avoiding eternal damnation. They don’t believe in eternal damnation.

Yet, the various Proverbs seem to use the term "fool" with varying levels of seriousness.

Proverbs 12:16 A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult.

Proverbs 17:28 Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue.

Proverbs 18:2 A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions.

Proverbs 20:3 It is to a man's honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel.

Proverbs 28:26 He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe.

Proverbs 29:11 A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.

Cain was angry and downcast. But that was not yet sin. Murder was. Jesus taught that if we curse someone with "you fool," we are in jeopardy of hell. We effectively commit murder. What is it that anger is dong?

While a person is living, they can praise God -- they can be redeemed. Murder removes that possibility.

When a person is a fool -- declares there is no God -- there is no praise to God. There is no redemption or possibility of redemption.

When in your anger you declare a person a fool, you are choosing to declare that person an eternity of unforgiveness because you are taking their belief in God away from them. You are denying their God.. Can you do that?

John 20:23 If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."

Did Jesus really mean that? If you or I don’t forgive someone, their sins remain unforgiven? If I nurse anger at someone and refuse to forgive or resolve that anger, I risk sending them to a godless grave? I effectively murder them? I have made them a fool? How could I possibly effect their eternity? I am not responsible for their sin.

The Lord taught the Apostles a prayer that we use regularly.

Matthew 6:12, 14 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

This sounds like anger. This sounds like spiritual murder. This sounds like spiritual suicide. Cain did not forgive Abel for something or was angry at Abel about something. Because of the unforgiveness of Cain and the anger he was nursing, God rejected his offering. Did Cain try to kill God? No. He tried to make Abel a "fool" by taking away Abel’s ability to praise and worship God. Cain destroyed himself as well as Abel. And his generations were lost.

JONAH AND ANGER

Jonah 4 But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry. 2 He prayed to the LORD, "O LORD, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. 3 Now, O LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live."

4 But the LORD replied, "Have you any right to be angry?"

5 Jonah went out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. 6 Then the LORD God provided a vine and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the vine. 7 But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the vine so that it withered. 8 When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah's head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, "It would be better for me to die than to live."

9 But God said to Jonah, "Do you have a right to be angry about the vine?"

"I do," he said. "I am angry enough to die."

10 But the LORD said, "You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. 11 But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?"

Jonah wanted the people of Nineveh to be fools -- deny there is a God. This way they would be damned.

Jonah seemed to like that idea. And was ANGRY. Jonah would have murdered the residents of Nineveh. The Lord asks him the question: "Do you have any right to be angry?"

It didn’t matter that the Ninevites were the source of all sorts of problems for the Israelites. Jonah was to forgive just as God forgives. His anger must not lead to murder. Thou shalt not commit murder.

God used the example of a meaningless vine. Notice the anger of Jonah over a vine. God was putting Jonah’s anger into perspective. If God can forgive, can’t we? If we don’t forgive -- if we don’t resolve our anger before the sun goes down -- we risk giving the devil a foothold in our lives. We risk calling and causing people to become fools. We risk committing murder.

God asks us, "Where is your brother? How come I am not hearing praise coming from him? What have you done? Have you called him a fool? Has your anger killed him?"

Do you as a professing Christian have any right to be angry with your brother or sister -- any brother or sister -- no matter what they might have done?