Manslaughter Not all killing of another is murder. Exodus 21:12-14 “Whoever strikes a man so that he dies shall be put to death. But if he did not lie in wait for him, but God let him fall into his hand, then I will appoint for you a place to which he may ...

A Community Responsibility The death penalty was a community duty. Numbers 35:16-21 “But if he struck him down with an iron object, so that he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall be put to death. And if he struck him down with a stone tool that could cause death, and he ...

For the Community The death penalty is for the sake of a just community. Deuteronomy 19:11-13 “‘But if anyone hates his neighbor and lies in wait for him and attacks him and strikes him fatally so that he dies, and he flees into one of these cities, then the elders of his city ...

Life for Life We must flinch at what God requires. Leviticus 24:17 “Whoever takes a human life shall surely be put to death.” Leviticus 24:21b “…and whoever kills a person shall be put to death.” The fact that this sanction existed before the Ten Commandments (Gen. 9), and is explicitly continued in the New Testament (Rom. ...

Guard Your Heart Murder begins in the heart. Leviticus 19:17, 18 “You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you ...

Guard Life We are obligated to preserve the lives of others. Exodus 20:13 “You shall not murder.” Deuteronomy 5:17 “‘You shall not murder.’” This commandment which prohibits the taking of life also obligates men to do whatever is necessary to preserve and defend it. Cain’s question, “Am I my brother’s keeper” (Gen. 4:9), is, in this ...

Murder Life must be honored by all. Exodus 20:13 “You shall not murder.” Deuteronomy 5:17 “‘You shall not murder.’” Murder is the unlawful, willful, and premeditated taking of the life of another. God forbids murder, requiring the life of one who murders as appropriate retribution (Gen. 9:5, 6). God is the Giver of life; only He has ...

No Wanton Destruction We must not subject the creation to wanton destruction. Deuteronomy 20:19-20 “‘When you besiege a city for a long time, making war against it in order to take it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an axe against them. You may eat from them, but you shall not ...

Even Creation Deserves Honor Here is a basis for a theology of creation-keeping. Deuteronomy 22:6, 7 “If you come across a bird’s nest in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs and the mother sitting on the young or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother with ...

Honor the Poor The poor and debtors are worthy of honor. Deuteronomy 24:10-13 “When you make your neighbor a loan of any sort, you shall not go into his house to collect his pledge. You shall stand outside, and the man to whom you make the loan shall bring the pledge out to ...