Exodus 20: 13 “You
shall not murder.
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GOD continues with giving the Ten Commandments to Moses and
the children of Israel. This time HE addressed murder.
My Observations:
- GOD
addressed the Egyptian’s negative mindset with ten plagues, but HE
addressed the children of Israel’s mindset with Ten Commandments.
- GOD
seemed to be addressing a complicated problem of hatred, jealousy, and
rage, mixed with the thirst for power.
- GOD
could not fulfill HIS prophesy if humans murdered one another.
Murder is different than killing someone. While the result
is the same, murder has an attitude of trying to be GOD. Life is precious to
GOD and taking someone else’s life to get one’s own way was a problem GOD
needed to make clear to the children of Israel and to you and me.
The root of murder points to a seed of hatred that can be
traced back to Cain. His brother Abel tried to mimic GOD by offering an animal.
Abel may have done this gesture, because GOD showed kindness to Adam and Eve by
killing an animal to provide clothes for them.
Cain was so jealous and enraged that GOD did not accept his
offering of vegetables. Cain may have tried to recreate the garden of Eden and
in his pride, tried to offer the vegetation from his garden. Cains murder was
born out of a lust for power, and his own jealousy.
GOD may have also seen the defiance of Canaan. The children
of Canaan hated GOD and would take land and people as they pleased. They would
kill to get their own way. GOD seemed to be putting a stop to people trying to
grab power through murder. Getting your own way can lead to aggressive or
passive aggressive actions that diminishes a person’s value to eventually
justify murdering the person.
Challenge
- Why
does GOD remind Moses about HIS command to not murder?
- Are
you trying to get your own way and are resisting hearing GOD?
- Have
you examined your recent actions to see if you are on the path of love and
peace versus self-protection and getting your way?
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