Prayer: Lord of Life, our very breath comes from You. You meant us to live, and move, and have our being in You. To be apart from You is to live in a kind of death. Draw us close to You, LORD, through Your life-giving Word. Keep us close to You. Teach us Your ways, so that we might know Your protection, and enjoy Your gift of life. In the Name of Him Who came to bring us abundant life, Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
How many murders have you witnessed? We live in a society that witnesses thousands of murders year in the form of entertainment. But we are still shocked by killing.
The whole world agrees that murder is wrong. Every culture knows this. Every society has serious punishment for this crime. In some places the penalty is death by execution. Sometimes the families of murder victims cry out for the death penalty as the only way justice can be done. We can sympathise, and we might even agree with this, when the crimes are cold-blooded and vicious. But some have serious concerns about the death penalty. What if an innocent person is put to death? In a way, doesnt that makes our government, and those responsible for the execution, murderers?
The Bible is very clear that governing authorities do have power to punish wrongdoers. In Romans 13, Paul points out that they do not wield the sword in vain.
Very early in this worlds history, a long time before God gave the 10 commandments in written form through Moses, He gave Noah permission to eat meat. This means God gave humankind permission to kill animals for food. At the same time, God made it clear how important human life is to Him. &tab;Genesis 9:5 & 6 reads:
And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellowman.
Whoever sheds the blood of man,
by man shall his blood be shed;
for in the image of God,
has God made man.
Some killing is not wrong. The killing of animals for food. The execution of those who broke certain laws God gave to Israel: for example, children who cursed their father or mother; those who broke the Sabbath; those who enslaved another person; those who committed adultery.
We are shocked that the penalty for these crimes is death. But let us go to the New Testament, and hear the words of our Lord, Jesus Christ: in Matthew 5,21
"You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, 'You shall not murder'; and 'whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.' 22 But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, 'You fool,' you will be liable to the hell of fire. 23 So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift.
Jesus tells us that being angry with another person, and calling them good-for-nothing is just as serious as actually killing them.
We take murder seriously. We know about physical abuse. As a society we are learning about verbal abuse, which can leave deeper bruises and wounds. This is all part of this command.
The command protects life. This is Gods gift: the gift of life itself. Anything that takes away the life of another person, or threatens to, is against this command.
Does that mean smacking children is wrong? Not necessarily. There is a place for disciplining children. 'Spare the rod and spoil the child' is still a fair principle. But fathers, as we heard in the text last Sunday, are not to exasperate their children. That means, parents must not provoke their children to anger, just as children must be very careful to respect and honour their parents. The command to love is always to guide us. When we discipline in love, it will not be any more than what is absolutely needed. If a parent goes too far in disciplining his or her child, this should be admitted. The parent should say, Im sorry and pray for Gods forgiveness and help. At the same time children need to be very careful they do not stir up their parents, especially when their parents are under all kinds of pressures.
God doesnt just want us to stay alive - that is, until our time is up here on earth. He wants us to enjoy each other. To be friends. To live in peace. To help each other.
This means being generous when we are called on to provide for others in need. We cant give what we dont have, but we should consider what God has given us, and understand that maybe some of our blessings are in our hands specifically for sharing. James calls a faith dead that just says God bless you and does nothing to help others when they are in physical need. There are many kinds of needs. The need for companionship, understanding, kindness. Anything we do that can enhance the life of another person, is a fulfilment of this 5th command.
Breaking this command, whether through actual murder, or by neglecting to provide for someone in need, or by getting angry with another person, is a deadly serious matter. When we touch the life of another human being, we touch Gods image. This includes the life of the unborn. There is blood on our hands, as a nation, and maybe as individuals too: maybe there are things we could have done, or we could be doing to stop the killing of little lives. God have mercy on us!
We have failed to keep this command in many ways. According to the words of Christ Himself, we deserve to face a severe judgement. But this is not God's will. He wants us to take refuge in Him. He has taken onto Himself our sins against this commandment, along with our sins against all the others.
We cry out for justice, for anything wrong others do to us. In the same way, they cry out for justice against us. One cry for justice matters - the cry of the Living God. He is grieved, and rightfully angered, at every action or neglect that hurts one of His children. He holds us all accountable. But He does this in Christ His Son.
On the cross we see the execution we deserved. The execution that covers all executions. An execution that gets us all off death row. And sets us free. Because of Gods mercy, we are free to breathe again. We are free to feel the wind, we can stop to smell the flowers, we are free to take up the hand of our friend once again. Because we have been forgiven.
God has forgiven us on the basis of Jesus death. In His death, judgement has been completed. On the third day, Jesus rose to life again, and now lives to share His resurrected life with us and the whole world!
Let us praise God for His grace, and cherish the precious gift of life! Amen.
The peace of God, which is beyond all human understanding, keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, Amen.
First command (God) | Second command (God's Name) | Third command-a (Sabbath, part 1) | Third command-b (Sabbath, part 2) | Fourth command (authority) | Fifth command (Life) | Sixth command (sexuality) | Seventh command (property)| Eighth command (reputation) | Ninth command (wanting things)| Tenth command (wanting people)| command against idolatry| 'What does God say of all these commands?'