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Lesson: The Sixth Commandment


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SCRIPTURE READING: Matthew 19:18-19

GOLDEN TEXT:  Exodus 20:13

1. Who was it that verbally spoke to Moses and the children of Israel? (Exodus 20:1). Did the Lord God bring Israel out of bondage? (Exodus 20:2). What did God do to keep the children of Israel free from bondage? He gave them His Ten Commandments.

2. Does God’s sixth Commandment command people not to murder? (Exodus 20:13). What does the word "murder" mean? Note: "Murder" is defined as: "the crime of unlawfully killing a person especially with malice aforethought."

3. Is this commandment repeated in Deuteronomy 5:17?

4. What did Jesus tell the rich young ruler to do when he asked Jesus what he had to do to inherit eternal life? (Matthew 19:16-19.) Was the commandment "not to murder" in Jesus’ list of commandments? (Same verses.)

5. What is the first murder recorded in the Bible? (Genesis 4:8.)

6. Why did Cain murder his brother? (1 John 3:11-12.) Where does a person abide if he does not love his brother? (Verse 14.) What does the apostle John call us if we hate our brother? (Verse 15.) If we hate our bother, do we have eternal life abiding in us? (Verse 15.)

7. Is there a difference between murder and killing? It is possible to kill and yet not to murder. Even in our country, the U.S.A., we have different degrees of murder. There is manslaughter, first degree and second degree murder. This is based upon the principles of God’s law. God set up a system of capital punishment. Did God tell Noah that whoever sheds a person’s blood should be put to death? (Genesis 9:6.) Did God also provide "cities of refuge" for a manslayer who killed a person accidently? (Numbers 35:9-11.) How many "cities of refuge" did God provide? (Numbers 35:12-15.) Did God give instructions on determining murder? (Numbers 35:16-25.) How long was a man, guilty of being a manslayer, to remain in a "city of refuge?" (Numbers 35:26-28.) Did it take more than one witness to convict a person to the death penalty? (Numbers 35:29-30.) Does the blood of someone murdered defile the land? (Numbers 35:31-34.)

8. Did God provide the death penalty for the following: when someone struck a man and he died? (Exodus 21:12.) Premeditated murder of a neighbor (Verse 14.) Striking or cursing a parent? (Verse 15-17.) Kidnaping? (Verse 16.) The owner of an ox which had gored someone previously? (Verse 28-29.) Anyone who had sex with an animal? (Exodus 22:19.)

9. What was the penalty for a prophet who tried to turn people from God? (Deuteronomy 13:5-9.)

10. God gave His people the laws for capital punishment and at times He commanded Israel to make war with heathen tribes of Canaan. Did God command them to totally destroy the heathen tribes of Canaan? (Deuteronomy 7:1-2.) This was not humanly devised warfare nor was it malice or personal vengeance. It was the express will of God Almighty who gives life and who alone has the right to say when it shall be taken. The original purpose of God is that man should not learn to kill and murder. Although it was "permitted" in certain instances with the children of Israel, we must realize that God is now developing in His Spirit-begotten children the character to love, to serve and to save life, not to destroy it. Did the apostle Paul say that the Spirit gives life? (2 Corinthians 3:6.)

11. Did the Creator God give man life? (Genesis 1:26-27.) Life is sacred because is has been given by God and we are made in God’s image. Murder is destroying the highest creation that God Almighty has created.

12. In the New Testament Jesus amplified the spiritual aspects of murder. Did Jesus say it was wrong to be angry with your brother? (Matthew 5:21-26.) Do we need to be careful of even calling someone a "fool?" (Verse 22.) Did Jesus tell us to reconcile quickly? (Verses 23-26.) Are we to love our enemies and do good to those who hate you? (Matthew 5:43-44).

13. Did the apostle Paul warn us Christians to be careful when we are angry and that we should not sin? (Ephesians 4:26.) Did he also warn us about not letting the sun go down on our wrath? (Same verse.)

14. There is another form of murder that all of mankind, including Christians, are guilty of from time to time. What is this murderous weapon that is part of our being that has the power over life and death? (Proverbs 18:21.) Does God command us not to be a talebearer? (Leviticus 19:16.) Does a talebearer reveal secrets? (Proverbs 11:13, 18:8.) Are we to associate with a talebearer? (Proverbs 20:19.) Does strife cease when there are no talebearers? (Proverbs 26:20.)

15. Will backbiters be in the kingdom? (Psalms 15:1-3.) Do people give angry looks at someone who has gossiped about them? (Proverbs 25:23.) Does a flattering tongue work ruin? (Proverbs 26:28.) Does the apostle Paul admonish Christians not to gossip, whisper and backbite? (Romans 1:29, 2 Corinthians 12:20.)

16. Does James admonish us to bridle and tame our tongue? (James 3:1-8.) Does the small tongue boast great things? (Verse 5.) Is it like fire? (Verse 6.) Is it easy to tame the tongue? (Verse 8.) Is it full of poison? (Verse 8.)

17. The most gross form of murder is war. Did Jesus warn His disciples in His prophecy that He gave on Mount Olivet, that in the end time shortly before His return, that there would be wars and rumors of war? (Matthew 24:6.) In the Kingdom Age will the people beat their swords into plowshares and not learn war any more? (Micah 4:1-3.) Will the nations not lift up their swords against other nations? (Same verses.)

In Conclusion: God’s sixth commandment commands us not to murder. Jesus amplified this commandment in that we are not to have hate and anger toward our fellow man. Keeping the sixth commandment shows that we love our neighbors and even our enemies. Are you willing to obey the Sixth Commandment?

 



Scriptures


Scripture Reading:  (Matthew 19:18-19 NKJV) He said to Him, "Which ones?" Jesus said, " 'You shall not murder,' 'You shall not commit adultery,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You shall not bear false witness,' {19} 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"


Golden Text:  (Exodus 20:13 NKJV) "You shall not murder."


1.) (Exodus 20:1-2 NKJV) And God spoke all these words, saying: {2} "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

2.) (Exodus 20:13 NKJV) "You shall not murder."

3.) (Deuteronomy 5:17 NKJV) 'You shall not murder."

4.) (Matthew 19:16-19 NKJV) Now behold, one came and said to Him, "Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?" {17} So He said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments." {18} He said to Him, "Which ones?" Jesus said, " 'You shall not murder,' 'You shall not commit adultery,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You shall not bear false witness,' {19} 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"

5.) (Genesis 4:8 NKJV) Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.

6.) (1 John 3:11-15 NKJV) For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, {12} not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother's righteous. {13} Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you. {14} We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. {15} Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

7.) (Genesis 9:6 NKJV) "Whoever sheds man's blood, By man his blood shall be shed; For in the image of God He made man.

(Numbers 35:9-34 NKJV) Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, {10} "Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: 'When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, {11} 'then you shall appoint cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer who kills any person accidentally may flee there. {12} 'They shall be cities of refuge for you from the avenger, that the manslayer may not die until he stands before the congregation in judgment. {13} 'And of the cities which you give, you shall have six cities of refuge. {14} 'You shall appoint three cities on this side of the Jordan, and three cities you shall appoint in the land of Canaan, which will be cities of refuge. {15} 'These six cities shall be for refuge for the children of Israel, for the stranger, and for the sojourner among them, that anyone who kills a person accidentally may flee there. {16} 'But if he strikes him with an iron implement, so that he dies, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death. {17} 'And if he strikes him with a stone in the hand, by which one could die, and he does die, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death. {18} 'Or if he strikes him with a wooden hand weapon, by which one could die, and he does die, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death. {19} 'The avenger of blood himself shall put the murderer to death; when he meets him, he shall put him to death. {20} 'If he pushes him out of hatred or, while lying in wait, hurls something at him so that he dies, {21} 'or in enmity he strikes him with his hand so that he dies, the one who struck him shall surely be put to death. He is a murderer. The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when he meets him. {22} 'However, if he pushes him suddenly without enmity, or throws anything at him without lying in wait, {23} 'or uses a stone, by which a man could die, throwing it at him without seeing him, so that he dies, while he was not his enemy or seeking his harm, {24} 'then the congregation shall judge between the manslayer and the avenger of blood according to these judgments. {25} 'So the congregation shall deliver the manslayer from the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall return him to the city of refuge where he had fled, and he shall remain there until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil. {26} 'But if the manslayer at any time goes outside the limits of the city of refuge where he fled, {27} 'and the avenger of blood finds him outside the limits of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood kills the manslayer, he shall not be guilty of blood, {28} 'because he should have remained in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest. But after the death of the high priest the manslayer may return to the land of his possession. {29} 'And these things shall be a statute of judgment to you throughout your generations in all your dwellings. {30} 'Whoever kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the testimony of witnesses; but one witness is not sufficient testimony against a person for the death penalty. {31} 'Moreover you shall take no ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death, but he shall surely be put to death. {32} 'And you shall take no ransom for him who has fled to his city of refuge, that he may return to dwell in the land before the death of the priest. {33} 'So you shall not pollute the land where you are; for blood defiles the land, and no atonement can be made for the land, for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it. {34} 'Therefore do not defile the land which you inhabit, in the midst of which I dwell; for I the LORD dwell among the children of Israel.'"

8.) (Exodus 21:12-29 NKJV) "He who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death. {13} "However, if he did not lie in wait, but God delivered him into his hand, then I will appoint for you a place where he may flee. {14} "But if a man acts with premeditation against his neighbor, to kill him by treachery, you shall take him from My altar, that he may die. {15} "And he who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death. {16} "He who kidnaps a man and sells him, or if he is found in his hand, shall surely be put to death. {17} "And he who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death. {18} "If men contend with each other, and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist, and he does not die but is confined to his bed, {19} "if he rises again and walks about outside with his staff, then he who struck him shall be acquitted. He shall only pay for the loss of his time, and shall provide for him to be thoroughly healed. {20} "And if a man beats his male or female servant with a rod, so that he dies under his hand, he shall surely be punished. {21} "Notwithstanding, if he remains alive a day or two, he shall not be punished; for he is his property. {22} "If men fight, and hurt a woman with child, so that she gives birth prematurely, yet no harm follows, he shall surely be punished accordingly as the woman's husband imposes on him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. {23} "But if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, {24} "eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, {25} "burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. {26} "If a man strikes the eye of his male or female servant, and destroys it, he shall let him go free for the sake of his eye. {27} "And if he knocks out the tooth of his male or female servant, he shall let him go free for the sake of his tooth. {28} "If an ox gores a man or a woman to death, then the ox shall surely be stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be acquitted. {29} "But if the ox tended to thrust with its horn in times past, and it has been made known to his owner, and he has not kept it confined, so that it has killed a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned and its owner also shall be put to death.

(Exodus 22:19 NKJV) "Whoever lies with an animal shall surely be put to death.

9.) (Deuteronomy 13:5-9 NKJV) "But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has spoken in order to turn you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of bondage, to entice you from the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you shall put away the evil from your midst. {6} "If your brother, the son of your mother, your son or your daughter, the wife of your bosom, or your friend who is as your own soul, secretly entices you, saying, 'Let us go and serve other gods,' which you have not known, neither you nor your fathers, {7} "of the gods of the people which are all around you, near to you or far off from you, from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth, {8} "you shall not consent to him or listen to him, nor shall your eye pity him, nor shall you spare him or conceal him; {9} "but you shall surely kill him; your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people.

10. (Deuteronomy 7:1-2 NKJV) "When the LORD your God brings you into the land which you go to possess, and has cast out many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than you, {2} "and when the LORD your God delivers them over to you, you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them nor show mercy to them.

(2 Corinthians 3:6 NKJV) who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

11.) (Genesis 1:26-27 NKJV) Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." {27} So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

12.) (Matthew 5:21-26 NKJV) "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.' {22} "But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire. {23} "Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, {24} "leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. {25} "Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. {26} "Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.

(Matthew 5:42-43 NKJV) "Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.

{43} "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'

13.) (Ephesians 4:26 NKJV) "Be angry, and do not sin": do not let the sun go down on your wrath,

14.) (Proverbs 18:21 NKJV) Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.

(Leviticus 19:16 NKJV) 'You shall not go about as a talebearer among your people; nor shall you take a stand against the life of your neighbor: I am the LORD.

(Proverbs 11:13 NKJV) A talebearer reveals secrets, But he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter.

(Proverbs 18:8 NKJV) The words of a talebearer are like tasty trifles, And they go down into the inmost body.

(Proverbs 20:19 NKJV) He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets; Therefore do not associate with one who flatters with his lips.

(Proverbs 26:20 NKJV) Where there is no wood, the fire goes out; And where there is no talebearer, strife ceases.

(Proverbs 26:22 NKJV) The words of a talebearer are like tasty trifles, And they go down into the inmost body.

15.) (Psalms 15:1-3 NKJV) LORD, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? {2} He who walks uprightly, And works righteousness, And speaks the truth in his heart; {3} He who does not backbite with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend;

(Proverbs 25:23 NKJV) The north wind brings forth rain, And a backbiting tongue an angry countenance.

(Proverbs 26:28 NKJV) A lying tongue hates those who are crushed by it, And a flattering mouth works ruin.

(Romans 1:29 NKJV) being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers,

(2 Corinthians 12:20 NKJV) For I fear lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I wish, and that I shall be found by you such as you do not wish; lest there be contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, backbitings, whisperings, conceits, tumults;

16.) (James 3:1-8 NKJV) My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. {2} For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. {3} Indeed, we put bits in horses' mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. {4} Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. {5} Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! {6} And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. {7} For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. {8} But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

17.) (Matthew 24:6 NKJV) "And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

(Micah 4:1-3 NKJV) Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the Lord's house Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And peoples shall flow to it. {2} Many nations shall come and say, "Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths." For out of Zion the law shall go forth, And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. {3} He shall judge between many peoples, And rebuke strong nations afar off; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war any more.