The Lord told Ezekiel,
Behold, all souls are MINE . . .
#6
You shall NOT Murder
Genesis 2:7
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
Genesis 9:5-6
And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man.
Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made He man.
Num 35:30-34 Whoso killeth any person, the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall not testify against any person to cause him to die.
Moreover ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is guilty of death: but he shall be surely put to death.
So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood it defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it.
Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit, wherein I dwell: for I the LORD dwell among the children of Israel.
Exodus 20:13 - Thou shalt not kill.
Kill: to deprive of life
: cause the death of
There are other definitions, such as taking the life of a plant or animal among other uses of the word; however, God gave permission, even instructed His people to eat the plants. Animals may be eaten as well and certain ones of them were to be offered up as sacrifices to the Lord. Understanding these things will help us to understand the topic being spoken of here: the killing / murder of a human.
Murder: to kill (a person) unlawfully and unjustifiably with premeditated malice
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Numbers 35 is a chapter which explains the Old Testament law for a one who killed another person – if the killing was intentional or not the person is still called a murderer. God instructed what was to be done in both cases, they deal with the heart of the person - did they have a quarrel or hate the other previously, or no? These things get called into judgment as well, because the actions are a reflection of the heart and its contemplations.
Here are instructions from David to his son Solomon:
1 Chronicles 28:9 - And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve Him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord searches all hearts, and understands all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek Him, He will be found of thee; but if thou forsake Him, He will cast thee off for ever.
Solomon wrote this in his book of wise counsels and instructions:
Proverbs 23:6-7 - Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats: for as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.
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If a person is not for you from their heart, they do not care what happens to you. In the verse above, it was
Jesus also spoke in regards to the heart
Mark 7:21-22 - For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
Matthew 19:17-18 - And He [Jesus] said unto him [the rich young man], Why callest thou Me good? there is none good but One, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto Him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness.
In another instance (not dealing with murder) Peter encountered a man trying to acquire the gifts of the Holy Spirit of God through means of purchase with money, and Peter rebuked him telling him,
Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity. (Acts 8:21-23)
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So we see by this also, that God judges not only by the actions, but according to what goes on in the heart that no man sees, and murder does not have to be acted out for there to be murder in one's heart.
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Hebrews 4:12-13 - For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.
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May God be praised and His name glorified both now and forever. Amen.