Alfred Hitchcock was one the world’s finest motion picture directors. His films are considered classics and are used as models for the art of cinematography. Many of Hitchcock’s best movies had a common theme: murder. They were murder mysteries wherein often an innocent person was caught in a web that made him appear to be guilty of a heinous crime. When Hitchcock was honored by Hollywood with a special Oscar presentation, he made an interesting statement borrowed from the Bible. He said, “Man shall not live by murder alone.”
Murder mysteries are some of the most popular genres of books and movies (eg.: Agatha Christie). We are all fascinated, it seems, by people killing other people. Of course, it is in reality a serious problem. Thousands of people are murdered in America each year. Actually, the number of killings has dropped significantly over the past thirty years. In 2015, the homicide rate (number of murders in relation to the population) in the USA was about half of the rate of 1980 (the highest on record).
Another popular type of books and movies are war stories. Many of the great masterpieces of literature and film are about war. Some are difficult to read or watch. In the last century, more than 125 million people died in wars. In this 21st century, as many 200,000 already have died in wars around the world. Those books and films make us keenly aware of the fact that war involves/requires killing other humans. Gen. George S. Patton once said, “The object of war is not to die for your country, but to make the other b***** die for his country.”
Gen. Robert E. Lee was quoted as warning, “It is well that war is so terrible. We could grow too fond of it.” And Gen. Omar N. Bradley lamented, “We know more about war than we know about peace, more about killing than we know about living.” So, with Veterans Day coming soon, this may or may not be best time to look at the Sixth Commandment.
Well, I doubt many of you reading this article have ever killed anyone, but it is very possible. When I was young, I knew a number of World War II veterans (and even one or two World War I vets). Some of them had killed Germans or Japanese in battle. I also knew some Korean and Vietnam War veterans who had to fight in those wars. Most of them don’t like talking about their combat experience, and some never get over it psychologically. I have also been aquainted with criminals who were serving prison sentences for murder.
Nonetheless, in this installment of the ten part series on the Ten Commandments, we are going to take a hard look at this precept: “You shall not murder.” As mentioned in the last article, the first four commandments all address mankind’s proper relationship with God. This is the second to focus on human relationships with one another.
God’s book talks about killing in many places. Let’s focus first on Exodus 20:13. The King James Version of the Bible translates that verse as “Thou shall not kill.” That’s how most people in the English speaking world have learned it over the centuries. The Christian Standard Bible (CSB), the New International Version (NIV), and most other modern translations agree with the New American Standard Bible (NASB): You shall not murder. But we need to ask, just what does that sentence really mean? And what is the best way to translate it? Is there any real difference between “kill” and “murder” (tre·sah in Exo. 20:13 and Deut. 5:17, from Hebrew root word ratsach)? Is it ever justified to kill another human being? Does it apply at all to us? If so, how?
We will now look at several key biblical passages that may shed some light on this dark subject. We will appraoch the issue by asking and answering this question: What is murder (ratsach)?
1. Murder is the intentional malicious taking of human life.
In the metropolitan area where I live, Atlanta, every day at 6 o’clock in the afternoon the local TV channels have local news shows. Almost every day the lead story involves someone killing someone somewhere in the city. Often it is over a drug deal gone bad, gang warfare, revenge, or what seem to be senseless reasons. In this town we have all become a bit numb to the daily carnage. The really tragic events are when an innocent bystander or a child gets killed in the crossfire.
This kind of violent killing is clearly murder as indicated in the Scripture. This idea has traditionally been reflected in the civil law of civilized countries. “First Degree Murder” usually involves premeditation or killing someone in the process of doing an evil or criminal act (eg.: robbing a bank). It may be termed “Second Degree Murder” if the killing was deemed to be without premeditation (eg.: in the heat of an argument). “Manslaughter” is when the circumstances of an accidental death were due to carelessness or accidentally breaking a law (eg.: a traffic accident). Killing someone purely by accident or in self-defense has never risen to the level of murder in most legal systems.
In any case, murder, as the Bible uses that term, involves the killing of a human being without any moral justification. Several important biblical characters were guilty of committing murder. For instance, Moses killed an Egyptian overseer (Exodus 2:11-12). I suppose, one could argue that he was justified. King David, however, was in no way justified putting Uriah the Hittite in harm’s way just to hide his sin of adultery (2 Samuel 11).
2. Murder usurps the sovereign authority that only belongs to God.
26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. (Gen. 1:26-27)
“For in the image of God He made man.” (Gen. 9:6b)
The Bible says mankind is made in the “Image (Hebrew: tselem) of God.” That term has been interpreted in various ways throughout Hebrew and Christian history. Generally it is understood to mean that mankind has certain qualities that are similar to God’s. These include the ability to be self-aware. Most animals do not even know they exist. It also means we are to be able to speak, to think rationally, to understand good and evil, to relate personally to one another and to God, and to love.
Regardless of what the image of God means exactly, it does have one overriding implication. It means that humans have infinite worth and value in the sight of God. That fact has several important moral consequences. For one, it means that human life is sacred. It also means that all human life is equal in value before the Lord. No one race, gender, IQ level, nationality, or ethnicity is any more worthy than any other. All humans deserve respect from others and justice under the law.
This is one reason why Theism (especially Judaism and Christianity) is superior to all other worldviews in its position on humanity. The others have no real basis for human values, rights, or justice. For instance, Secular Humanists and Atheists claim to have a high view of mankind and support universal human rights. However, they philosophically undercut their own assertion by denying an absolute divine basis for those rights. Thus, rights are not really intrinsic. They are only what the consensus of a society agrees upon, or what the political powers dictate.
This was demonstrated powerfully in the last century with the rise of communism. Communists, who denied the existence of God, claimed to have mankind’s best interest at heart in their revolutionary actions. However, communism was responsible for the deaths of over 100 million people in the 20th century, which completely obliterated any positive benefits its adherents affirmed. Likewise, Nazis denied the value of humans of other races except themselves. Thus they felt justified to exterminate what they regarded as inferior sub-humans.
The fact that mankind is made in the image of God has one other major moral connotation. It means that the murderer asserts a level of authority that only rightly belongs to the sovereign God. Only He can decide when and who should die (under normal circumstances – see the next section). That principle extrapolates to unborn human life as well. Only God is qualified to determine if an unborn child should be born alive or die in the womb (i.e.: miscarriage). To artificially intercept that divinely ordained prenatal process is to usurp God’s authority. If God allows an egg to be fertilized as an embryo, He intends for him or her (who already bears the stamp of His image at conception) to fully develop and be born.
3. Murder does not necessarily mean we are never justified to kill.
In my humble opinion, the most powerful television series ever produced was HBO’s 2001 war saga Band of Brothers. Produced by Stephen Spielberg and Tom Hanks, it was based on the factual book of the same title by Stephen E. Ambrose. It is the true story of Easy Company, 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division in World War II. The most prominent character in the story is Capt. Richard Winters. Winters, who was a dedicated Christian officer, led the unit through most of their trials from D-Day until near the end of the war (he died in 2011 at the age 93). One of most dramatic moments in the series is when Winters is standing out on the battle field alone and sees a young German soldier nearby. The German turns, looks back at him, and quickly begins to raise his weapon. At that moment Winters reflexly fires his submachine gun and kills the enemy soldier. It was the first time he had ever killed anyone. Years later, Winters admitted that it was one of the worse days of his life and he never really got over it.
But that begs the moral question, “Was killing the German soldier murder in the biblical sense?” Obviously, if Winters had not fired first, the German would have killed him instead. I know many Christians will not take up arms under any circumstances. I respect their position as conscientious objectors , but I do not believe you can make an absolute case for pacifism from the Bible. There are times when Christians must fight to defend freedom and justice. It is what is sometimes called the “just war” principle. That is to say that war may be morally right if it is to liberate people from terrible injustice or to defend one’s nation from an invasion by a hostile and tyrannical enemy.
Three clear cut examples in 20th century U.S. history were World War II (1941-1945, versus Germany and Japan), the Korean War (1950-1953, versus North Korea and Red China), and Operation Desert Storm (1990-1991, versus Iraq). Admittedly, defining exactly what is a “just war” is not always easy. After half a century, Americans are still divided over the necessity and probity of the Vietnam War.
And what does a soldier do if he is commanded to undertake a mission he does not believe is right? Can he excuse himself, as did many Nazis who participated in the holocaust by saying, “I was just following orders?” These are tough questions that each Christian has to come to grips with if the time comes. For Richard Winters and many other Christian soldiers, policemen, judges, or prosecutors, killing is not easy, but necessary. Actually, Jesus never admonished a soldier for doing his duty. In fact, He gave one of His highest commendations to a Gentile Roman soldier who showed greater faith in Him than anyone he had encountered in Israel.
5 And when Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, imploring Him, 6 and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, fearfully tormented.” 7 Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 But the centurion said, “Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.”10 Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, “Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel. (Matthew 8:5-10)
This leads us to the next complex question: What should be the consequence of committing First Degree Murder?
4. Murder is grounds for capital punishment.
One of the most contentious issues within the American legal system is capital punishment. There is much disagreement among politicians, lawyers, judges, and Christians as to whether or not the state has the right to execute a criminal who has committed premeditated murder. Currently, thirty-one states and the United States government still have the death-penalty on the books. Nineteen states and the District of Columbia have banned it, replacing it with a sentence of life in prison without hope of parole.
In 1972, the US Supreme Court suspended all executions in all states until it was confident they were being applied equally and were not being done in ways that violated the U.S. Constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment. Many states immediately went to work to conform their laws and methods to the Supreme Court’s standards. In 1976, Utah became the first state to resume capital punishment. Soon most others did as well.
Many Christians honestly oppose the death penalty for various reasons. Some argue that it violates God’s authority over life and death as described in point two above. Yet many other believers are convinced that the death penalty is justified in certain situations. They point all the way back to God’s instructions to Noah in Genesis 9 (way before the Ten Commandments). In verses 1-5, He told Noah he could eat animal flesh for food. Then, in verse 6, God makes an even more salient point: Whoever sheds man’s blood, By man his blood shall be shed, For in the image of God He made man.
This verse seems to imply several things. One, as we discussed earlier, is that the life of a human being, made in God’s image, is of utmost value in His sight. Another, as we also mentioned, is that murder is a usurpation of God’s sovereign authority over life and death. And third, it implies that any person who arrogantly takes the life of another human without valid moral cause, and with incontrovertible evidence, is himself or herself worthy of execution!
The Apostle Paul seems to accede to the civil government’s right to punish wrong doers.
3 For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; 4 for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. (Romans 13:3-4 – Read the whole context in vss. 1-7.)
Note: The Bible indicates that some other crimes besides murder may also be worthy of capital punishment. The Levitical Law prescribed the death penalty in Israel for adultery, rape, incest, homosexual activity, bestiality, striking or cursing a parent, and other transgressions (See Exodus 21, 22, 35; Leviticus 20 and 24; Deuteronomy 21-24). Few Christian ethicists would argue that those offenses warrant a death sentence today. It does, however, suggest how seriously evil God regards them.
5. Murder is born in the heart as hate and anger.
To this point, we have talked about the definition and moral consequences of murder according to the Scriptures. Nonetheless, we have not addressed the real personal root of that sin. None other than Jesus Himself focused His followers’ and critics’ attention on the deeper cause of murder. Listen to what He told them in the Sermon on the Mount concerning the Law, and especially the Sixth Commandment.
17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18 For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. 21 “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ 22 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,’ (raca – KJV) shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.” (Matthew 5:17-22)
Clearly, in Jesus’ view, the external sin of murder starts with the internal sins of hate and anger. Listen to what the Apostle John says about the issue and its spiritual implications.
15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. (1 John 3:15)
Murder is the logical outgrowth of anger and hate toward another person or persons. The implication here is that we all can be murderers in our hearts if we feel hatred or become uncontrollably angry. That’s obviously why Jesus said what he did, we are all spiritually guilty. What’s the solution? How do we absolve ourselves from such heinous sin, either internal or external? The answer, of course, is we cannot do so. Thankfully, however, God has provided the forgiveness we need in Jesus Christ. Thus, we all need to be forgiven and to forgive.
Conclusion
Yes, Alfred Hitchcock made a glorious career making movies about murder. Likewise, Agatha Christie wrote popular books about that blatant violation of the Sixth Commandment: Do not murder! As we have seen, however, murder as described in Scripture involves several key elements. It is defined as the intentional taking of another human being’s life. Those who commit murder arrogantly, claim the sovereign authority that only belongs to God Almighty.
That being said, the definition of murder does not necessarily mean people are never justified to kill others as in times of just war or self-defense. We also surmised that the crime of murder is, under the right legal circumstances, grounds for capital punishment by a just civil government.
Perhaps most important though, we saw that in Jesus’ teaching, murder originates in man’s heart as hate and anger. The only remedy for the sins of murder, anger, and hate, is the free grace of God through Christ.
In the next installment we will analyze Commandment Seven: You shall not commit adultery. (Exodus 20:14)
© 2018 Tal Davis