Do Not Kill

¹⁷ “You must not murder.

 We’ve begun to see that all the commands are rooted in the character of God – a God who is love. It’s easy to see that killing someone isn’t very loving! But let’s pause for a moment to ask why? Love, the Bible tells us, ‘does not insist on its own way’ – it gives choice. Put simply, death precludes choice – it steals that which is at the heart of love – it is the most profound opposite of love.

And this thought finds its home in this command. The Hebrew from which this is translated certainly encompasses the command not to take someone’s life unjustly, but it casts wider than that. Rabbinical tradition includes the broader concept of not stealing someone’s life – and in recent times was used by Rabbis as a command against kidnapping or enslaving. For Moses, such thoughts would have resonated profoundly.

Firstly, he did steal someone’s life, literally, he killed the Egyptian. But his people, who he was called to lead to freedom, had been enslaved for 400 years. Generation after generation had had their lives stolen. True, they were not, for the most part, killed directly. But their futures were stolen, their choices robbed and their lives kidnapped.

In this way, we can see why Jesus took this basic command and cast it more widely on the Sermon on the Mount. When the Jews self-righteously affirmed their innocence as regards murder, He asks them if they have ever hated their brother. Pointing to this broader interpretation, He says that anyone who uses language to curse someone is guilty of a breaking of this commandment, because a curse blights a life, reduces its length, its capacity, its ability to choose. Fundamentally, it steals life.

Perhaps seeing this command in this light helps us to see how often we have had our life stolen, at least in part, by others. The person who manipulates us, leaving us with little or no choice is enslaving us. The person who uses words to bend us to their will, the bully in all their guises is guilty of enslavement. And in this sense, is robbing us of choice, robbing us of our lives, is guilty of killing us a little.

Or perhaps we can see it reflected in our own behaviour. We word it nicely; an unknowing observer would hear nothing to alarm them. But the phrasing, we know, gives no way out, leaves no real choice. And under the cover of politeness, we entrapped, we enslaved, we controlled, we killed a little.     

•  “It would be so nice if you could come, we’d make the effort to travel to you, but I know you will have compassion on my poor back” 
• “Please feel free to add anything I’ve missed – after spending so long preparing it, I am probably too close to the wood to see the trees”
•   “we’ve bought tickets for you to come to the theatre with us”

Of course, it isn’t always as subtle or nicely put as those examples. Sometimes there’s the threat, or the actuality of violence, physical or emotional. But however it is done, it seeks to rob choice and as a result, steals the essence of life.

In the end of course, the enemy is the one who is behind so much. He always seeks to kill, steal and destroy. Where he can, he uses people, people like us; broken and hurting people, innocent and wicked people. But he has other weapons too: illness can enslave, poverty can trap, tragedy can rip life away. All of these have the potential to steal life, to kill us a little.

The good news is that ‘No weapon that is fashioned against us will prosper’ and that ‘even though he were dead, yet shall he live’

So, it is good to remember the words of Jesus:

The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me;  he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners

Jesus is in the business of setting those who have been enslaved, free. Moreover, He is the resurrection and the life – even where the enemy, directly or indirectly has killed part of our life, Jesus can bring resurrection power and break the chains, even of death.

Let’s be on our guard against inadvertently killing one another – and wherever we see those who have died a little, let’s bring the resurrection power of Jesus to bear.

Do not kill.