“Thou shalt not kill” is only 2 words in the original, 6 little Hebrew letters. The first word is a negative: Not or literally “never.” The second is a verb: Murder. This is the same pattern for several of the Ten Commandments. There is no discussion, no qualification, and no explanation. Of the 10 laws given on tablets of stone, Commands 2, 3, 4, 5, and 10 are explained. In these circumstances, He offers reasons and even motives. But with Commands 1, 6, 7, 8, and 9, there is bare authority on display. He demands that you bow to His will without so much as an explanation (at least here).
And in this we see God’s great wisdom. He sometimes speaks to our minds offering us logical arguments. But at other times, He sits on His throne and declares Himself to be King. Perhaps that is because these 5 commands have an immediate answering call inside of us—the law written on our hearts (Rom. 2:15). A man who breaks these is guilty of sinning against several layers of revelation.
Our nation has been particularly guilty of breaking the 6th command for 50 years. As Achan’s family was punished with him, we must weep over the murder that was protected by our government since 1973. In 1969, Norma McCorvey wanted to abort her third child. Two women decided to take her case, and it reaches the supreme court in 1970. The baby that began the case was adopted, and she lives today. Norma herself would eventually be converted to Christ from homosexuality and become a strong pro-life advocate. But the case itself was decided 7-2 in favor of abortion on 22 Jan. 1973. Here was the argument:
1. The Court decided that the 14th Amendment included a “right to privacy.”
2. They then argued that a woman’s choice to murder her baby was a private choice.
3. The conclusion was that a woman may therefore murder her own baby protected by this right to privacy.
It is difficult to determine how many babies have been murdered, but different studies estimate 1-2 million deaths per year in the US. On Friday, 24 June 2022, with a 6-3 vote, that unbiblical, foolish, and unconstitutional decision was overturned. This is an answer to prayer for many Christians around the world.
There is much more wisdom and truth in the command “thou shalt not kill” than we commonly realize. And we will try to look at that wisdom in the next few posts.
