We’re currently in a message series called, “Building Strong Families.” In this series we’re looking at Ten Values that God wants us to build our families upon. These Ten Values are found in the Ten Commandments. These 10 values deal with relationships, our relationship with God and our relationships with other people.
Everyone of these values is under attack in our society. Many people have chosen not to build their lives upon these values, Some through choice and more through simple ignorance. Our children whether they are 5 or 15 need to learn these values. If they are not taught then our children will learn society’s version of values, which is based on the shifting sand of popular opinion.
Deuteronomy 11:18-19 (NIV) Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
Start wherever you’re at in life, it’s never too late to begin teaching your children. But it’s best to teach them from little on.
Today we’re going to look at the 6th commandment, which is just four words.
Exodus 20:13 (NIV) You shall not murder.
Now don’t tune out on this one. I know you’re all thinking that you’d never murder anyone, so why think about it. The fact of the matter is that we live in a violent society. By the time the average American child reaches 6th grade they will have seen over 8000 murders and over 100,000 violent acts on television. Every 22 minutes in America it happens for real, someone is murdered.
Why is America so violent? I believe that one major reason is that we do not value life very highly. When we become desensitized to death, life begins to lose it’s value. Why is human life to valuable? The answer is found in the Bible.
Genesis 9:6 (NIV) Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man.
People are made in the image of God, they have characteristics of God. People represent what God is like, so to kill a person is a direct attack on God who created them. God creates people in His image, He alone gives them life. No one has the authority to take the law into their own hands and murder another person.
The 6th commandment seems simple, but it has been misunderstood, misapplied and misused by many. The 6th commandment does not prohibit killing animals. In Genesis 9:3 God gives animals to people for food. The 6th commandment does not prohibit capital punishment, Because life is so valuable Lev. 24:17 says that those who murder must be put to death. Rom. 13:4 tells us that God has given authority to the government to carry out the death sentence. The 6th commandment does not prohibit war, Ecc 3:8 says that there is a time for war. The OT shows repeatedly how God uses nations to bring his judgment on other nations for their evil. He still does the same today.
So what does the 6th commandment mean? Obviously it prohibits murder, but it also gives us God’s wisdom for other difficult life decisions.
Listen to or watch my March 20, 2011 message Understanding Life’s Sanctity.