Ken Lovelace Ministries


WHAT MURDER REALLY IS: THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT by Lygia Lovelace She stepped out of her tent, into the warm morning of late spring. Her eyelids tensed a little at the sun's rays that bounced off the water near her home. She was glad the rainy season was passed. The banks were no longer muddy. Everything was green around her, and the river was no longer swollen. It was flowing nicely. She glanced at the Israelite women around her, going about their daily chores. The air was tense -- everyone was nervous. In her mind, she once again marveled at the rumors she had heard -- the prophetess Deborah had actually convinced Barak to go to war against the Canaanites? She shook her head, as if to shake the discouragement from her mind. It was an impossible venture! How would they succeed? Then she remembered the Israelite God. Yes, if indeed God was behind this crazy idea, then Barak would be victorious. This Israelite God was not one of the gods her dark-skinned ancestors had worshipped, but she had come to know Him as the One God. He was powerful! Oh, how she wanted to see the Canaanites defeated, once and for all! Tears sprang to her eyes as she thought of the terrible sights she had seen, as the Canaanites had tortured the Israelites so! What did those pagans have against this particular people anyway? Her mind wandered back to just last week, when, once again, the evil Sisera -- army commander to the Canaanite king -- had paraded dozens of Israelite girls through the dust near her own tent -- on their way to the terrible clutches of the wicked King Jabin. She had peeked out, afraid to show her face -- although she really had nothing to worry about -- her husband had made a treaty between her own people and those Canaanites. After all, he had said, we must watch our own backs. What is happening to the Israelites could soon happen to us. She had agreed at the time, but she couldn't shake the expressions of those young girls from her mind. She knew their destiny. They would be slaves for life -- mistreated in every possible way. She had seen the young Israelite boys, too, taken from their homes -- still wearing their mothers' screams of agony and anguish in their own teen-age expressions. It was just more than she could bear. She loved these people -- these who had been "called by God to a new land of promise," with their traditions and remembrances. But most of all, she loved their God. And strangely enough, she sensed that He loved her. A wind -- a powerful wind -- caught her attention. She stared up at the sky. If she didn't know better, she would guess that a bad rainstorm was coming. But that was impossible! Rainy season had come and gone, hadn't it? Yet she could see the beginnings of the storm in the energy of the river. She shrugged and slipped back into her tent. Oh, well. She had a lot of work to do. There was bread to bake, and there were skins of milk to prepare. Her husband would be gone all day, and it was easier to work when he wasn't home for her to serve. She mustn't waste her day. The sudden crash of thunder startled her! She closed the tent securely. There would indeed be a storm today. She chuckled to herself as she thought of the storm god -- the Canaanites' false god, Baal. This is proof, she thought! If Baal were indeed a god of power, he would not have sent a storm today! He would have held back the clouds to give the Canaanites victory! Now their 900 chariots would be stuck in the mud! On a whim, Jael looked heavenward and prayed uncertainly to God, hoping that even she, a dark-skinned Kenite, would be heard. "Surely they will be victorious, won't they, God of the Israelites?" she muttered. "After all, they are Your people. And I heard that Deborah went to battle with Barak. She is truly Your servant. I myself can feel Your power in her. She had said the honor of the victory would go to a woman. Surely she will defeat Sisera today..." Minutes turned into hours as she tried to keep her mind at her work. Perhaps she could still get much done, regardless of the strange weather. She had nothing to fear. The evil Canaanites knew her husband Heber's tent. They would surely leave her alone. But she grew even more indignant and angry as she thought about them...something must be done! As evening approached, she heard uncertain, hurried footsteps sloshing in the mud near her tent. She peeked out and was shocked to see Sisera -- the evil one himself! He looked afraid! Where were his soldiers, and his 900 chariots?! She had often heard him boasting of his military strength. Where was it now? She smiled as she thought to herself...perhaps they are on vacation with their god?! As Sisera looked around desperately, Jael suddenly knew what she must do. She couldn't have explained the feelings inside of her -- the indignance mixed with courage that rose in her bones, the adrenalin pumping through her veins. She just knew what she had to do. She glanced at the hammer lying in the corner. She wiped the sweat from her palms on her skirt. Visions of the suffering of the Israelites filled her heart and brought tears to her eyes. Somehow, God had called her. It was time for her to act. Judges 4:18-24: Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, "Come, my lord, come right in. Don't be afraid." So he entered her tent, and she put a covering over him. "I'm thirsty," he said. "Please give me some water." She opened a skin of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him up. "Stand in the doorway of the tent," he told her, "If someone comes by and asks you, 'Is anyone here?' say 'No.'" But Jael, Heber's wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he lay fast asleep, exhausted. She drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died. Barak came by in pursuit of Sisera, and Jael went out to meet him. "Come," she said, "I will show you the man you're looking for." So he went in with her, and there lay Sisera with the tent peg through his temple-dead. On that day God subdued Jabin, the Canaanite king, before the Israelites. And the hand of the Israelites grew stronger and stronger against Jabin, the Canaanite king, until they destroyed him." What would you call Jael? A heroine? Or a murderer? The 6th Commandment says, "You shall not murder." (Exodus 20:13) As I have been studying the 10 Commandments, I find this one to be particularly intriguing. The 6th Commandment seems simple enough, doesn't it? But it has confused many, and it has perhaps been the commandment most misinterpreted. Did you know that there are actually 7 words used for killing in the Old Testament? It would be interesting to study all 7 words, but for now, let's just ponder the word "murder" used in the 6th commandment. This particular word is the Hebrew verb rasah. This verb is only used to communicate the killing of a person -- not animals. It does not include accidental killing. And, this verb is not necessarily used to describe the killing of people in a war, and certainly not a war that has been commanded by God. This word for murder, rasah, refers to evil intention, or premeditation. This word for murder, rasah, has to do with the motive of the heart -- the intention to destroy -- hate, killing in an evil way, that goes against the heart of God. Does it surprise you that this commandment has to do with the motives of the heart? Jesus Himself spoke about the heart when He talked about the 6th commandment. Consider His words in Matthew 5:21-22: "You have heard that it was said to the people of long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment..." Jesus takes the motives of your heart seriously. Do you? Have you committed murder in your heart against someone? Certainly some people are hard to love. Some people hurt us, make us angry. Admittedly, there have been times when I have wished evil on others! But that is not God's way. God's way is love. God is love. Death and condemnation are not His desire. But what if you were in Jael's shoes? Would you defend the people of God? Would you indignantly stand strong and courageous in the face of evil? Jael was not a murderer. She was an instrument of God, a tool in His hands to defend His people. And He loved her. What would you call Jael? Deborah the prophetess described her as blessed. (Judges 5:24) So may all your enemies perish, O Lord! But may they who love you be like the sun when it rises in its strength. Judges 5:31 Copyright © 2009. Lygia Lovelace. All rights reserved. Ken Lovelace Ministries.

WHAT MURDER REALLY IS:
THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT
by Lygia Lovelace

She stepped out of her tent, into the warm morning of late spring. Her eyelids tensed a little at the sun's rays that bounced off the water near her home. She was glad the rainy season was passed. The banks were no longer muddy. Everything was green around her, and the river was no longer swollen. It was flowing nicely.

She glanced at the Israelite women around her, going about their daily chores. The air was tense -- everyone was nervous. In her mind, she once again marveled at the rumors she had heard -- the prophetess Deborah had actually convinced Barak to go to war against the Canaanites? She shook her head, as if to shake the discouragement from her mind. It was an impossible venture! How would they succeed?

Then she remembered the Israelite God.

Yes, if indeed God was behind this crazy idea, then Barak would be victorious. This Israelite God was not one of the gods her dark-skinned ancestors had worshipped, but she had come to know Him as the One God. He was powerful!

Oh, how she wanted to see the Canaanites defeated, once and for all! Tears sprang to her eyes as she thought of the terrible sights she had seen, as the Canaanites had tortured the Israelites so! What did those pagans have against this particular people anyway?

Her mind wandered back to just last week, when, once again, the evil Sisera -- army commander to the Canaanite king -- had paraded dozens of Israelite girls through the dust near her own tent -- on their way to the terrible clutches of the wicked King Jabin. She had peeked out, afraid to show her face -- although she really had nothing to worry about -- her husband had made a treaty between her own people and those Canaanites. After all, he had said, we must watch our own backs. What is happening to the Israelites could soon happen to us.

She had agreed at the time, but she couldn't shake the expressions of those young girls from her mind. She knew their destiny. They would be slaves for life -- mistreated in every possible way. She had seen the young Israelite boys, too, taken from their homes -- still wearing their mothers' screams of agony and anguish in their own teen-age expressions.

It was just more than she could bear. She loved these people -- these who had been "called by God to a new land of promise," with their traditions and remembrances.

But most of all, she loved their God. And strangely enough, she sensed that He loved her.

A wind -- a powerful wind -- caught her attention. She stared up at the sky. If she didn't know better, she would guess that a bad rainstorm was coming. But that was impossible! Rainy season had come and gone, hadn't it? Yet she could see the beginnings of the storm in the energy of the river.

She shrugged and slipped back into her tent. Oh, well. She had a lot of work to do. There was bread to bake, and there were skins of milk to prepare. Her husband would be gone all day, and it was easier to work when he wasn't home for her to serve. She mustn't waste her day.

The sudden crash of thunder startled her! She closed the tent securely. There would indeed be a storm today. She chuckled to herself as she thought of the storm god -- the Canaanites' false god, Baal. This is proof, she thought! If Baal were indeed a god of power, he would not have sent a storm today! He would have held back the clouds to give the Canaanites victory! Now their 900 chariots would be stuck in the mud!

On a whim, Jael looked heavenward and prayed uncertainly to God, hoping that even she, a dark-skinned Kenite, would be heard.

"Surely they will be victorious, won't they, God of the Israelites?" she muttered.
"After all, they are Your people. And I heard that Deborah went to battle with Barak. She is truly Your servant. I myself can feel Your power in her. She had said the honor of the victory would go to a woman. Surely she will defeat Sisera today..."

Minutes turned into hours as she tried to keep her mind at her work. Perhaps she could still get much done, regardless of the strange weather. She had nothing to fear. The evil Canaanites knew her husband Heber's tent. They would surely leave her alone. But she grew even more indignant and angry as she thought about them...something must be done!

As evening approached, she heard uncertain, hurried footsteps sloshing in the mud near her tent. She peeked out and was shocked to see Sisera -- the evil one himself! He looked afraid! Where were his soldiers, and his 900 chariots?! She had often heard him boasting of his military strength. Where was it now? She smiled as she thought to herself...perhaps they are on vacation with their god?!

As Sisera looked around desperately, Jael suddenly knew what she must do. She couldn't have explained the feelings inside of her -- the indignance mixed with courage that rose in her bones, the adrenalin pumping through her veins. She just knew what she had to do. She glanced at the hammer lying in the corner. She wiped the sweat from her palms on her skirt. Visions of the suffering of the Israelites filled her heart and brought tears to her eyes. Somehow, God had called her. It was time for her to act.

Judges 4:18-24:

Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, "Come, my lord, come right in. Don't be afraid." So he entered her tent, and she put a covering over him.

"I'm thirsty," he said. "Please give me some water." She opened a skin of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him up.

"Stand in the doorway of the tent," he told her, "If someone comes by and asks you, 'Is anyone here?' say 'No.'"

But Jael, Heber's wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he lay fast asleep, exhausted. She drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died.

Barak came by in pursuit of Sisera, and Jael went out to meet him. "Come," she said, "I will show you the man you're looking for." So he went in with her, and there lay Sisera with the tent peg through his temple-dead.

On that day God subdued Jabin, the Canaanite king, before the Israelites. And the hand of the Israelites grew stronger and stronger against Jabin, the Canaanite king, until they destroyed him."

What would you call Jael? A heroine? Or a murderer? The 6th Commandment says, "You shall not murder." (Exodus 20:13)

As I have been studying the 10 Commandments, I find this one to be particularly intriguing. The 6th Commandment seems simple enough, doesn't it? But it has confused many, and it has perhaps been the commandment most misinterpreted.

Did you know that there are actually 7 words used for killing in the Old Testament? It would be interesting to study all 7 words, but for now, let's just ponder the word "murder" used in the 6th commandment. This particular word is the Hebrew verb rasah. This verb is only used to communicate the killing of a person -- not animals. It does not include accidental killing. And, this verb is not necessarily used to describe the killing of people in a war, and certainly not a war that has been commanded by God.

This word for murder, rasah, refers to evil intention, or premeditation. This word for murder, rasah, has to do with the motive of the heart -- the intention to destroy -- hate, killing in an evil way, that goes against the heart of God.

Does it surprise you that this commandment has to do with the motives of the heart? Jesus Himself spoke about the heart when He talked about the 6th commandment. Consider His words in Matthew 5:21-22:

"You have heard that it was said to the people of long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment..."

Jesus takes the motives of your heart seriously. Do you?

Have you committed murder in your heart against someone? Certainly some people are hard to love. Some people hurt us, make us angry. Admittedly, there have been times when I have wished evil on others!

But that is not God's way.

God's way is love. God is love. Death and condemnation are not His desire.

But what if you were in Jael's shoes? Would you defend the people of God? Would you indignantly stand strong and courageous in the face of evil?

Jael was not a murderer. She was an instrument of God, a tool in His hands to defend His people. And He loved her.

What would you call Jael?

Deborah the prophetess described her as blessed. (Judges 5:24)

So may all your enemies perish, O Lord!
But may they who love you be like the sun when it rises in its strength.
Judges 5:31

Copyright © 2009. Lygia Lovelace. All rights reserved. Ken Lovelace Ministries.