The Sixth Commandment – You Shall Not Murder

“You shall not murder.” Genesis 20:13
Each Commandment suggests some implicit right for every individual. They are the foundation of our rights. In four simple but stern words, the sixth Commandment includes the right to life – from the moment of conception to the moment of death.
Each Commandment contains an underlying principle. The sixth Commandment contains a statement on the first principle of life: Human life is sacred. At the very foundation of the social fabric lies the truth of the sovereignty of God over every individual life.
If God regards human life as sacred so must we.
God is the originator of life and so human life is a divine creation, marvellous and magnificent in its origin and utterly beyond the comprehension of any human being. Life should therefore not be tampered with or cut short by anyone. There can be no sin more heinous against humanity than that of taking life.
Jesus not only restated the old Commandment, ‘Do not murder,’ but adds a new perspective: “But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgement…” (Matthew 5:22).
The Lord challenges the very emotion of unrestrained anger which leads to murder.
Few of us have actually committed the physical act of murder but how many of us are guilty of murder in the heart?
We may not be able to stop anger arising in our hearts, but we can certainly take steps and trust God’s Holy Spirit to bring it under control. If we don’t, and allow it to burn and boil within us, we violate the law of love, and in God’s sight this makes us as guilty of murder as if we had stabbed someone to death. “Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer and you know that no murderer has entered eternal life in Him” (1 John 3:15).
Someone commenting on this Commandment said, “The sacredness of marriage, the right of property, the importance of reputation, the supremacy of character – all gain their force from the nature of life. They mark, in fact, the unfolding of life in all its varied possibilities. The giving of life includes all. The cessation of life ends all. Every power of every individual on the face of the earth flows from the power of God.”
We can conclude that this Commandment implies that the right to end life lies solely in the hands of the one who first bestowed it.
A PRAYER: God our Father, the author and creator of all life, help us to understand and value the gift of life in all others, in Jesus’ name. Amen
Acknowledgements: Every Day with Jesus – Selwyn Hughes.