God’s first three commandments are about love for Yahweh. 1) You shall have no other gods before Me, 2) You shall not make idols for yourselves. 3) You shall not take My Name in vain (diminish my value – way beyond swearing).
The fourth commandment teaches us to enter a space we will never find apart from God. We must enter into His rest, and by honoring Him, submit ourselves to His Word and ways. This expresses itself in God’s design for launching life: the family. By honoring our father and mother we take the plan of God and complete it within the years each of us is given (or not).
Now our conscience has an anchor – our soul can find home rest. We can consider our lives in light of our neighbor. What harms life? What encourages life? What honors the One True God? This leads to the 6th freedom commandment: You shall not murder. And like all of the commandments, both Jesus and the apostles had much to say about their implications. I am sure you are pretty confident you can make it through your life without killing anyone, right? But how about this…
“What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.
You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” – James 4:1-4
And this is just the beginning. Read the rest of James 4.
Key questions here:
What is at the root of all murderous discontent?
What leads a person to murder his or her neighbor?
What does this have to do with the condition of our own soul?
“Therefore the law is ignored and justice is never upheld.
For the wicked surround the righteous; therefore justice comes out perverted.” – Habakkuk 1:4
Here is your home conversation sheet about Murderous intent.
Here is a good song of peace.