Exo 20:13 - "You shall not murder."
Deut 5:17 - "You shall not murder."
Contrary to popular sentiments, killing—the taking of a human life—is not evil. If God did it, and requires it under certain circumstances (even if it is only in the Old Testament), it cannot be evil.1 Underlining all of Pentateuch's discussion about killing is the fundamental principle that Yahweh, as the sole giver of life, has a prior claim on all lives, and that life is precious in his sight. Only he, therefore, has the right to demand it.
Living in an era so replete with suicide-bombers who kill and maim in the name of their god, it may seem un-wise, certainly politically incorrect, to put the matter so starkly but the only legitimate kind of killing is killing in the name of God, the kind that God wills and permits.2 Thus the operative word in this commandment, "You shall not murder," is the verb ratsah, which refers to "un-authorized killing," whether intentional (which makes it murder) or accidental (i.e., manslaughter). To take a life one is not authorized by Yahweh to take is to arrogate to oneself that which belongs alone to Yahweh.
The importance of this commandment may be gauged by the number and diversity of situations to which this commandment is re-applied in the book of Deuteronomy (see, e.g., on the cities of refuge in Deut 19:1ff; the unknown man found slain in 21:1ff; the need for a parapet around the roof, 22:8). This range of positive injunctions in Deuteronomy to prevent needless death suggests that the more efficacious way to fulfil this commandment is to overcome evil with the good to deny murders any opportunity.
Taking this principle to new heights, Jesus warns in the Sermon on the Mount, "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment" (Matt 5:21). We cannot love our neighbour with whom we are angry. Certainly we cannot love a neighbour whom we would murder. Especially in the light of Jesus's teaching, we need in our times to fight against the subversion of this commandment by means of false pretence. Today, politicians, medical-practioners, and the media have infiltrated our sitting rooms with many clever labels that dull our conscience to the abhorence of murder. They routinely justify the killing of unborn babies on the grounds of keeping the mother safe, and call it "foetus reduction." We slaughter civilian by-standers (whose number can already, with modern technology, be estimated quite accurately before hand) to justify the taking out of targets whose value are often dubious and call them "collateral damage." Political assassinations, carried out on the misguided notion that it is what makes it possible for us to sleep safe at night, we call "pre-emptive deletion." As crafty as the "Corban" tradition (see comment on v16 above), these labels do not make the murders they hide any less hateful to God. (See also comments on Deut 19:1-13.)
Low Chai Hok
©Alberith, 2013