RULES FOR THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED
THOU SHALT NOT KILL
DR. JIM DIXON
EXODUS 20:13
JUNE 9, 2002
Adolph Hitler was responsible for the gassing and incineration of six million Jewish men, women and children. That mass genocide was called the Holocaust. Most people assume that the Holocaust was the largest genocide in the history of the world, but it was not. Incomprehensibly, this world has seen larger genocides. One of them took place in the 17th century in Central China. A man named Yang Sing Yung conquered Szechwan, a province in Central China in the year 1643.
That began a reign of terror. His governing policy consisted of killing virtually everyone in sight. He wanted his soldiers to be without distraction, so he murdered their wives and children, four hundred thousand wives and children. That’s what historians tell us. He murdered 278 of his own wives because he did not fully trust them. He murdered 27,000 Buddhist monks and 32,310 students in Central China because he was afraid that one day they might resist him or stand against him. He killed 300,000 citizens in his capital city just because he was in a bad mood, and he was just getting started.
In the year 1648, historians tell us, Yang Sing Yung, having set on a prickly plant, was irritated. In-a rage, he told his army to go forth in Central China and just murder everybody. Indeed, they went forth. In that year, 1648, the armies of Yang Sing Yung murdered 38 million people. Ultimately, Yang Sing Yung was conquered by the Manchus but not before he had killed more than 40 million people between 1643 and 1648—40 million people.
Today, the Province of Szechwan in Central China is once again the most populous region of China, containing more than 100 million people. But, you see, for 80 years after the death of Yang Sing Yung, that Province was desolate and barren and virtually without people. The message of Yang Sing Yung’s reign was this: Life is cheap. That message is antithetical to the message of the Bible because the message of the Bible is “life is precious.” We see that in this sixth commandment, “Thou shall not kill.” Life is precious.
I want us to examine this commandment in three ways. First of all, I want us to take a look at what it does not mean. Secondly, I want us to take a look at what it does mean. Thirdly and finally, I want us to examine its deeper meaning in light of the teachings of Jesus Christ. First of all, what does this commandment NOT mean? It does not refer to the killing of animals. This sixth commandment, “Thou shalt not kill” does not refer to the killing of animals.
The Hebrew word for “kill” in the sixth commandment is “rasah,” and this word is never used in the killing of animals. The Hebrew word for the killing of animals is “sahat,” and that word is not used in the sixth commandment. You’ll see demonstrators from PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, and they’ll be protesting with signs saying, “Thou shalt not kill,” but that’s a misappropriation of the sixth commandment which does not refer to the killing of animals.
Of course, we know as Christians that we’ve been given dominion over the earth, over the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea. God will one day evaluate and judge our dominion and how we’ve exercised it. Our stewardship even of animal life will be evaluated. But this commandment is not an argument for vegetarianism. It’s not an argument against killing or eating animals. In fact, the Bible is very clear that we are allowed, in accordance with God’s plans, we are allowed to kill animals for food and for clothing. Certainly, we are not to hunt an animal to extinction. Certainly, we are not to kill an animal unnecessarily or to treat an animal cruelly.
This sixth commandment does not refer to the killing of animals. It’s not an argument for the practice of vegetarianism. If you’re a vegetarian, I want you to know that’s a choice that you’re free to make and it’s wonderful. Some of the greatest people in the world are vegetarians. I hope you’ll still come to the men’s steak fry on Saturday night. Even though as Dave said, there are going to be a lot of guys eating a lot of meat, vegetarians are welcome and you’ll feel loved. I think whenever anyone seems kind of eccentric in their eating or they take something a little too far, people think it’s strange.
I want to show you a little clip from a movie called “Knotting Hill.” In this movie, the character played by Hugh Grant has fallen in love with Julia Roberts’ character but he’s kind of burned. He feels rejected by her. He’s devastated, and his friends feel sorry for him so they try to set him up with other girls. They try to set him up with other women to date, and he has a horrible time finding a normal woman. This is a little scene of a woman he’s dating, and he’s at his friend’s house for dinner… …I’ve never heard of a fruitarian and I don’t know whether fruitarians even exist. My suspicion is that that was their last date.
We live in a crazy world. Understand all the commandments of God can be misapplied and sometimes in just crazy ways. This commandment does not refer to the killing of plants or the killing of animals. It’s not an argument for vegetarianism. This commandment also does not refer to killing in the context of war. Sometimes pacifists will quote the sixth commandment, “Thou shalt not kill” as an argument against war, but again, the Hebrew word for kill in the sixth commandment is “rasah” and it never refers to killing in the context of war. Indeed, killing in the context of war is the Hebrew word “harag,” and that word is not in the sixth commandment. So, this commandment should not be applied to killing in the context of war.
Certainly, war is hell. I think, on occasion, war is necessary and for a just cause. Certainly, in World War II, this nation and our allied nations fought for a just cause, a noble cause, to stop the tyranny and nightmare that was Nazi Germany. The killing that took place in the context of that war was not a violation of the sixth commandment because the Hebrew word that is used in the sixth commandment does not refer to killing in the context of war. Our nation paid a great price—over a million American casualties, dead and wounded. But, you see, justice was served and the course of history changed. “Thou shalt not kill” does not refer to war. Also, the sixth commandment does not refer to killing in self-defense. The Hebrew word “rasah” was never used for killing in the context of self-defense. Again, it is not an argument for pacifism.
I had a roommate in college who told me one day that he had decided… He just announced to me that he had decided to become a pacifist. He quoted the sixth commandment, “Thou shalt not kill.” That was part of the foundation of his thought. He was going to become a pacifist. He said he would never resort to any act of violence no matter what the situation throughout his entire life. I said, “What if you get married and you have kids and a bunch of guys break into your home, they want to rape your wife and kill your kids? Aren’t you going to protect your family?” He said, “No. Even then I would not resist.” I said, “Are you going to tell your wife this before you marry her?” He said, “She’s going to think just like me. She too will be a pacifist.”
That’s a misappropriation again of the sixth commandment because the Hebrew word “rahsah” never refers to killing in self-defense. Furthermore, it does not refer to killing in the context of capital punishment. This commandment is misapplied when it’s applied to capital punishment because the Hebrew word “rasah,” while it is twice in the Bible used with reference to capital punishment, it is not the normative word for capital punishment. Jewish scholars, even in biblical times, understood the sixth commandment had nothing to do with capital punishment. In fact, the Jewish nation practiced capital punishment, and it was regulated by God. Even the New Testament teaches that earthly governments are to execute the wrath of God upon evildoers and not bear the sword in vain.
So, this sixth commandment does not apply to the killing of animals, killing in the context of war, killing in self-defense, killing in the context of capital punishment. So, what does it refer to? What is the meaning of the sixth commandment? Of course, this Hebrew word, “rasah” is a word that refers to the murder of human beings. “Thou shalt not murder human beings.” While this word, on occasion, can refer to murder that is unpremeditated and a crime of passion or some kind of manslaughter, normally this Hebrew word refers to premeditated murder. It refers to killing that is premeditated, unjustified and without due process. It refers to the premeditated killing of the innocent.
I know that most of you are sitting there today and you’re thinking, “Well, I don’t ever plan to murder, so how does this commandment have any meaningful application to my daily life?” Well, I think this commandment has many applications to the culture in which we live and issues that are real important issues in our day and in our time.
First of all, this commandment relates to the subject of abortion, the premeditated killing of the innocent. Certainly “rasah” refers to the subject of abortion. I know this is a controversial subject, and I know that in a room such as this, there are a great variety of people. That is true politically. That’s even true in terms of moral perspective.
In a recent Gallup poll, the most recent Gallup poll, has just concluded that 53% of American people now view abortion as morally wrong. 38% of the people of America view abortion as morally acceptable, and 9% are not sure. But .we’ve reached the point where most people in America view abortion as morally wrong and many pro-choice people actually view abortion as morally wrong.
Of course, people want to know… Part of their moral examination must include causation. What is the purpose? What is the reason for the abortion? There are some people who feel like abortion in the case of rape or incest or gross fetal deformity is justified. There are many people, certainly, myself included, who would feel like abortion is justified in the case of danger to the life of the mother. But I hope you understand that 95% of the abortions that are implemented every day have nothing to do with danger to the life of the mother or rape or incest or gross fetal deformity. In fact, less than 1% of the total number of abortions have anything to do with rape or incest. The overwhelming majority of abortions in America are simply belated efforts at birth control in a society that is increasingly promiscuous. The numbers are just astounding. Over 4,000 abortions a day. One and one-half million abortions every year. Over 40 million abortions since the passing of Roe v. Wade in 1973. A mass genocide. Over 40 million. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a Democrat or Republican. Surely you view that as a national tragedy. Can the judgement of God be far away because life is cheap in America?
I know some of you are thinking, “Well, does God really view the fetus in the womb as a human life?” We don’t have an explicit text in scripture, but there are many passages in scripture which indicate that God views that fetus as precious and He’s watching its development.
Some of you might be saying, “Well, you know, we don’t know when or how the soul is implanted. Is it passed on through procreation from the parents? Is the soul implanted by God in the first trimester? In the second trimester? In the third trimester? Or at the moment of birth? Of course, theologians do not know the answer to that. The Bible doesn’t give us the answer to that. But, you see, the mere fact we don’t know when the soul is placed in the person… Doesn’t that give you cause to be careful? How can we view life as cheap?
Of course, in America abortions are legal in any and all trimesters for any and all reasons. We need to repent as a nation, partly because of the sixth commandment; “Thou shalt not kill.” It applied not only to abortion but it applies to the subject of euthanasia. Of course, the word euthanasia is a compound Greek word meaning, “good death.” “Euthanatos.” “Good death.” Euthanasia. We all want a good death. We’d like a good life and we’d like a good death. None of us want extended excessive suffering in death.
Some of you probably watched the Triple Crown race yesterday afternoon. Of course, War Emblem had won the first two legs of the Triple Crown beginning with the Kentucky Derby. There were many people betting that he would win that third race. He did not. I’m sure there are some people who are angry. Horse racing is risky, not only for gamblers, but horse racing is risky for the horses. It’s a high stress kind of an experience for a horse. Many times, their bones fracture in a race. When horses experience severe fractures because they go into shock and because of the intense pain and because in many cases they cannot be healed or cured, they are executed. Euthanasia. In order to give them a better death so they will not suffer. “They Shoot Horses Don’t They?” If indeed, euthanasia is practiced with animals out of compassion, because we don’t want them to suffer, shouldn’t we practice euthanasia with regard to people? That’s what the argument oftentimes is.
But, you see, people are different. That’s what the Bible tells us. People are different. We are created in the image and likeness of God, the crown of God’s creation, the “imago Dei.” Human life is sanctified in the sight of God. “The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.”
“Thou shalt not kill” surely applies in some measure to this subject of euthanasia. I believe in mercy dying. I think sometimes we just keep people alive artificially when God’s ready to take them home. There’s no longer any hope and we’re just keeping them alive artificially through machinery and technology long past their time and we extend their suffering. I believe in mercy dying, letting somebody die when God is ready to take them, and I believe in using drugs and medicines to limit their suffering. But mercy killing is a different matter. Mercy killing means that you literally kill the person who is not naturally ready to die in order to prevent their suffering. I think surely God grieves. “Thou shalt not kill.”
I think this commandment also relates to the violence in the entertainment industry and the use of violence, the use of murder as entertainment. Certainly, there’s nothing wrong with a murder mystery movie. But, you see, violence is becoming gross and gratuitous, both in television and in movie theaters. We’re creating a culture of addiction surrounding the genre of violence. There are more and more people who want more and more violence in the movies that they watch.
When I was a kid, when somebody was killed on television, you’d hear a shot and you’d see a puff of smoke and somebody would fall. But now the bullet is moving in slow motion. The bullet is moving in slow motion and you see exploding body parts, all in slow motion. A 15-year old today has witnessed 20,000 such murders on television. That doesn’t even count the violence he’s seen in the movies. Again, I know there are people who say, “Well, it doesn’t really affect us. What’s on television, the violence doesn’t really affect human behavior. Of course, corporate America isn’t buying that. They spend billions of dollars to get advertising time on television because they do believe TV affects behavior. We really need, as Christians, to be light in the darkness and to be bold to speak and to have a voice. It’s not a political issue. It’s a moral issue. I mean, even if it is a political issue, politics relate to life. They shape the ethics and the moral values of a society. Christians need to be involved.
The Roman Empire was addicted to violence and there was a great blood lust. They built hippodromes throughout the empire. The hippodrome in the city of Rome was called the Circus Maximus, a huge stadium that seated 250,000 people. The chariot races were held there. It was a place of entertainment. But it was not the most prestigious place of entertainment. That was another arena in the city of Rome called the Flavian Amphitheater which we know as the Colosseum. It only held 50,000 people, and it was a privilege to be able to go to the Flavian Amphitheater. There you could satisfy your blood lust.
They had mock naval battles and they had animals fight to the death. Then they had people fighting animals, being killed by animals. Then people killing people in gladiator combat. Then prisoners being executed by gladiators and by animals, all to satisfy the blood lust of the Roman masses. It was a culture in moral crisis.
Around the year 401 AD, a Christian monk named Telemachus, historians tell us, went down on the floor of the Flavian Amphitheater to protest. In the midst of human sacrifice, he went out there to protest and he shouted up at the crowd, “Stop! No more killing! In the name of God, stop!” The Roman Emperor commanded his execution and Telemachus, and Telemachus was executed at the floor of the Colosseum. The crowds did not shout. There was silence. That was the beginning of the end. In the year 403 AD, gladiator combat was banned throughout the Roman Empire, and it was practiced no more.
We need people to stand in our culture, people to stand in our time. If you are interested in these issues of abortion, euthanasia, violence in the movies—if you’re interested in these subjects, we want to help you. We have a society of social concerns, a department here at the church, and you can access the web page on the Internet. There are advantages to living in this digital age. Check out our website. You can contact the church and contact Diane Goldie, dgoldie@chcc.org. We want to help you understand, and we want to get you involved because these are real issues and they do relate to the sixth commandment.
I think even the issue of global poverty, in a more extended sense, relates to this sixth commandment because the United Nations tells us that there are two billion people in the world who are living in abject poverty, most of them in Third World nations. Two billion. One-third of the world’s population. Every night one billion people go to bed hungry. Tonight, when we go to bed well fed, there will be a billion people going to bed hungry. Many of those billion people, millions of them, will eventually starve to death.
We live in one of the richest nations on earth. Indeed, if you’ve seen the most recent government survey, you know that Douglas County where many of us live is apparently the richest county in the United States of America, with the highest median income in America. God is watching us. He’s looking at us, seeing if we care for the poor. That is why, as a church, we support international relief agencies. We seek to help the poor all over the world. A share of your dollar is going to help people in the inner city and overseas in the midst of their poverty. We seek to support primarily international relief organizations that honor the name of Jesus Christ and give in the name of Christ. If you want to know more about this, you need to contact our Missions Department. They would love to help you understand what we’re doing and how you can be involved.
Finally, we want to take a look at the deeper meaning of this commandment as taught by Jesus Christ. The commandment does not, as we have seen, refer to the killing of animals, the killing of war, the killing of self-defense, or the killing of capital punishment. It refers to the murder of human beings, generally premeditated without justice and without due process. It relates to abortion, euthanasia, violence on television, in the movies and global poverty. But Jesus gives it a deeper meaning. We see this in the Sermon on the Mount where our Lord Jesus Christ quotes the sixth commandment.
He said, “You’ve heard it said of old, ‘Thou shalt not kill.’ Whoever kills will be liable for judgement. I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother or sister will be liable for judgement.” Thus, Jesus takes obedience and He makes it a matter of the heart. Obedience begins in the heart even with regard to the sixth commandment. It begins with anger deep inside of you. We reach the point of sin long before we ever hurt another human being. When we just want to hurt another person, we’ve violated this sixth commandment.
I read recently a story from the Houston Chronicle about a guy whose name is Guy Busey. He’s 37 years old. Just recently he became angry while trying to wash his clothes. He couldn’t get the washing machine to work. He did what he often did when he couldn’t get something mechanical to work. He kicked it and he became angry and he shouted. He was in such a foul mood that, according to the Houston Chronicle, he took the washing machine and he pushed it out to the front of his home and right out the front door. It just tumbled down the steps. Then he took his .25 caliber handgun and fired three· rounds into the washing machine. People in the neighborhood were a little upset. They called the police and he was arrested. The Houston Chronicle referred to it as “appliance rage.” I don’t think there’s a growing problem with appliance rage.
Of course, we’ve all heard of road rage. Road rage is a lot like appliance rage in that road rage has nothing to do with the road. Appliance rage really has nothing to do with appliances. It’s really all about what’s in the heart. That’s what it’s really all about. How you feel when things don’t work. How you feel when the road is crowded. It all has to do with what’s in here and the whole problem of anger.
The most recent Gallup poll indicates that one out of every four Americans, in corporate America, one out of every four people is angry with someone at work. The most recent Gallup poll indicates that one out of every six people in corporate America are so angry they want to do physical harm to somebody at work. One out of every six workers is so mad at a fellow worker that they want to do physical harm to them. They maybe haven’t, but they want to. One out of every six of our people gathered here this Sunday. That would mean six or seven hundred of you feel that way. I want you to know, though, if you feel that way, you have already violated the sixth commandment by the teachings of Christ because you have anger in your heart, and it’s anger that makes you want to hurt somebody.
Of course, it’s very clear that anger also hurts the person who is angry. I read recently a study by the American Heart Association as reported in their periodical called “Circulation.” It was an exhaustive study on the subject of anger conducted at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill by Dr. Janice Williams. They examined 13,000 people over a 6-year period of time in relationship with anger management and they found that those people who are prone to anger are three times more likely to have a heart attack. Even when you extract risk factors like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity and smoking—even when those things are extracted, a person prone to anger is three times more likely to have a heart attack. It’s not just the physical danger of anger.
The study done at Duke University just recently, headed up by Dr. Redford Williams, has concluded that 20% of the people in America have sufficient anger to jeopardize not only their physical health but their mental and emotional health. Anger can do that. A lot of times, depression is really a matter of unresolved anger and it can be anger turned inward. When anger is not resolved, it can cause all kinds of problems. It’s not just what we want to do to other people; it’s what the anger does to us. The damage to us is not just physical and emotional or mental; it’s even spiritual. That’s why Jesus said, “You’ve heard it said of old, ‘Thou shalt not kill.’ Whoever kills will be liable for judgement. I say to you, ‘Whoever is angry with a brother or sister will be liable for judgement. Whoever says to his brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ will be liable for the Sanhedrin or the Council and whoever calls his brother or sister ‘morose,’ will be liable for hellfire.” The word “raca” referred to intellectual worthlessness. The word “morose,” moral worthlessness.
When people were angry, they would call somebody raca meaning just intellectually worthless’“ Or when they were angry, they would call somebody morose meaning morally worthless. It was their anger that just caused them to view people as worthless. Jesus says this is a dangerous spiritual condition when you view people as worthless, and you’re inviting the judgement of God.
Isn’t it true sometimes when you get angry that you view people as worthless? Have you ever been angry in your car? Do you value the people around you in that moment, or do they seem a little worthless? Do they seem stupid and foolish? Do they seem stupid intellectually? Worthless intellectually? Worthless in any other way in your anger? That’s sin. That’s where Jesus takes this commandment because God values life. When you don’t value life, you’re already violating this commandment. When you don’t view human beings as precious, when you look down at them, you’re already in violation of this commandment.
So, the Bible counsels us with regard to anger management. The Bible tells us that we are to always take an inward look when we are angry, begin with an inward look. Anger in and of itself is not a sin. It’s a red flag. It means something is wrong. Even though we think when we’re angry that whatever is wrong is in our environment, in our surroundings, the truth is oftentimes what’s really wrong is in us.
The Bible says, “Take counsel with your own thoughts when you are angry.” Maybe it’s a self-esteem issue for you that’s prompting your anger. Maybe it’s jealousy that’s prompting your anger. Maybe it’s greed, but take an inward look. That’s what the Bible says. Begin looking there. The Bible says, “Don’t let your anger fester. Don’t harbor anger” because anger becomes most dangerous over time as it festers. The Bible says, “Don’t let the sun go down on your anger. Begin to deal with it.” Some of you may need to talk to a counselor. We have them here at the church. We have wonderful counselors. We want to help you. We really care about you. We value you, and we want to serve you. We would love to talk to you. Maybe there’s a counselor or therapist somewhere else, but we need to deal with anger. The Bible says, “Be angry but sin not,” so in your anger, don’t let it prompt you to evil but rather if you have some vexation, let it prompt you to good so that you might seek to make the world a better place.
We have this commandment, this incredible commandment, deep and rich in meaning and application. “Thou shalt not kill.” It doesn’t refer to the killing of animals. It doesn’t refer to the killing of war. It doesn’t refer to the killing in self-defense. It doesn’t refer to the killing of capital punishment, but it does refer to murder, particularly the premeditated killing of the innocent. It relates to abortion. It relates to euthanasia. It relates to violence in the entertainment industry, to global poverty. But on the deepest level, it relates to anger. That’s where sin begins with regard to this commandment. God wants us to repent and begin to be healed. He knows it’s a process, and He’s patient with us because He loves us. Let’s close with a word of prayer.