Read Deuteronomy 19-20 at Bible Gateway.
So far in Deuteronomy, we have seen Commandments 1-5 explained. The next commandment is Do not murder. Do God’s paragraphs in today’s reading teach us anything about murder?
Deu 19:1-10 {p} Cities of refuge: manslaughter is not murder;
Deu 19:11-13 {s} Murder is premeditated and shall receive the death penalty (the death penalty justly administered is not murder);
Deu 19:14 {s} You shall not remove the ancient boundary;
Deu 19:15-21 {s} Bearing false witness in order to cause a death sentence is murder;
Deu 20:1-9 {s} Who shall serve in the army (preventing unnecessary death by warfare);
Deu 20:10-18 {s} Waging just warfare (preventing unnecessary death by warfare);
Deu 20:19-20 {p} Do not destroy fruit trees in warfare (preventing unnecessary death by famine).
Our God is not angry, vengeful, or wrathful, but He understands that allowing innocent bloodshed to go unpunished, is to hate the innocent. He understands that capital punishment administered justly is not murder. He understands that sometimes warfare is necessary. He taught Israel, when warfare typically in the ancient world was an excuse for unleashing hatred and unrestrained lust for blood, rape, and spoil, to wage war justly, with restraint showing mercy to non-combatants.
Notice that Commandments 1-5, which we have been reading their explanation in these past days, all have to do with God: honoring His worship, His name, His holy days, and His authority. With Commandment 6, Do not murder, we begin to learn how to honor our fellow man. With Do not murder, we learn how to respect the sanctity of the life of our fellow man.
In fact, because Jesus taught us that Upon the two commandments, Love the Lord your God, and Love your neighbor as yourself, hang all the Law (Mat 22:40), we can see that according to God’s definition, when we honor God in all the ways He has instructed us to honor Him, that is the same as loving Him wholly! When we honor our fellow man in all the ways He is instructing us to honor him, beginning with honoring the sanctity of his life, that is the same as loving our neighbor as ourselves!
For further study: There is one paragraph that stands out like a sore thumb, for it seems to be the only paragraph which has nothing to do with murder: Deu 19:14, You shall not remove the ancient boundary. We have seen this over and over, how Scripture sets up these puzzles which call our attention to them because they do not seem to fit, in order to teach us something. Meditate on this passage and ask the Teacher, the Holy Spirit, to reveal the puzzle: why is this short paragraph here of all places? It is not an accident!
Finding Messiah: Yet again, the command to establish three cities of refuge, where the manslayer may flee and live to escape the avenger of blood, is a prophecy of Messiah Yeshua, who is our City of Refuge. We have fled to Him, and have escaped the death our sins have decreed for us!
For further reading:
Deuteronomy 20:10-21:9, parashah ki tiqrav (when you approach)
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