The Sixth Commandment says you shall not commit murder

In this article, we will consider the sixth commandment, which can be found in Exodus 20:13.

This is a very short and clear point of Yahweh’s law that cannot cause confusion. It says, “You shall not commit murder.” With the crime rate in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and in the whole world, this commandment should concern everyone. We must educate all people that committing murder is a violation of Yahweh’s law, regardless of whether it involves a single person being killed (homicide) or the mass killing of people (genocide), such as what occurs during wars. When someone takes the life of another human being, it becomes the theft from another person of what is most precious to him and what can never be returned or restored to him – his life.

The word for “kill” in the Hebrew Bible means “the deliberate and premeditated destruction of another person’s life.” Let us ask ourselves the question: What is really causing this rise in murder cases in our world today? If we look back at the passage in Jacob 1:1-2, we see that the Apostle Jacob tells us that the root cause is lust. Jacob shows us that sinful persons are caught in a trap of trying to get what is not theirs, and so they end up in wars, fightings, envyings, and, perhaps, committing murder. All this hatred among people results from lust because individuals will not ask Yahweh for their necessities of life and believe that they will receive them. The passage also shows us that people ask for things wrongly. They waste those things they were given, spending them on their pleasures. They then become angry at
the situation and blame others in the process. The anger may build up to a point where they become a murderer.

How can we spiritually apply the sixth commandment? Did you know that today, you, or I, can, in effect, become murderers without actually killing someone? Yahshua the Messiah, our Saviour taught us this lesson in the Sermon on the Mount. He came to this earth to strengthen and broaden our understanding of the biblical law. In Matthew 5: 21-22, it reads, “You have heard that it was said to them of old time, You shall not kill; and whoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgement: but I say to you, that every one who is angry with his brother without cause shall be in danger of the judgement; and whoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council; and whoever shall say, You fool, shall be in danger of the Gehenna fire.” This passage shows us that we can hate a person so much in our hearts that we can no longer control our emotions, and soon, thoughts will turn into evil actions.

This thought is further expressed in 1 John 3:15, where it plainly states that whoever hates his brother is a murderer. Romans 6:23 tells us that the wages (or results) of sin is death. Murder is a direct transgression of the law (a sin); therefore, according to the scriptures, the sentence of a murderer or hateful person is death. We must flee from these sins because one who practices them will never inherit the Kingdom of Yahweh. Character assassination can also be described as murder. Slander and speaking evil against someone can have a similar effect.

This truth emerges clearly in the book of Proverbs. Proverbs 12:6 says, “The words of the wicked are of lying in wait for blood: but the mouth of the upright shall deliver them.” Our words are very powerful. They can either bring us life or death.

What about serving in the armed forces during wartime? Should we go to war or not? Does the Bible teach objection against the use of arms in an international conflict? Many people will say, “Well, if we don’t fight our enemies, we will be overrun and then we will no longer be able to have freedom.” The Bible teaches that Yahweh’s people should live by faith
(Habakkuk 2:4). The main question one should ask himself is “Do I depend strictly on myself, or do I depend on Yahweh to protect me and fight for my rights?” Romans 12:19 says, “Avenge not yourselves, beloved, but give place to the wrath of Elohim: for it is written, vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says Yahweh.” This can be applied both nationally and personally. Many may think that this is a naive approach to war, but we must remember the account of Peter in the garden of Gethsemane. Roman soldiers had come to arrest Yahshua on the night before his impalement. Peter took his sword in hand to resist the constituted authority. In so doing, he cut off the ear of the servant of the High Priest. Yahshua tells him to put up his sword, for, “They that take the sword shall perish with the sword.”

(Matthew 26:52). This comment should serve as a lesson for the whole world to follow. Yahshua, the Messiah further stated in John 18:26, “My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from here.” Therefore, ‘holy wars’ cannot be valid.
In the Old Testament Scriptures, when a nation rebelled against Him and did not repent, Yahweh had, at certain times, no recourse but to punish the errant people with death.

Perhaps this is the most merciful death that could have happened to sinful people, rather than to allow them to continue disobeying Yahweh’s Laws and kill themselves eventually by their lawlessness. Additionally, Yahweh did not want them to demoralize His people Israel and lead them into the sins of the wicked. The nations tasked with executing Yahweh’s judgment were instructed by Yahweh to strictly follow His commands, neither exceeding nor falling short of His instructions.

There can be forgiveness for the sin of murder, just as for other sins. We must confess our sins to Almighty Yahweh and forsake them. After forsaking them, we must walk in the light, obeying the scriptural commandments and allowing Yahshua’s cleansing blood to wash us clean.

Have you taken a firm stand for righteousness? We cannot live our lives with hate, fighting, and evil speaking. We must live just like Yahshua did on this earth. Today, Yahshua is still standing at the door and knocking as He calls you. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hears my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will have supper with him, and he with me,” Revelation 3:20. You must open the door. Will you accept Him today?

Ulrika Sutherland.
Assemblies of Yahweh