Jeremiah 22:3
“Do no violence to the stranger, fatherless nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place.” Jer. 22:3 KJ21
Baton Rouge, St. Paul, and Dallas
This week we lived through some of the most discouraging and frustrating times as a nation. We saw the senseless killing of people and the struggle with understanding any of it. We see opposite ends happening; people being pulled apart by what is going on and people being united by what is going on. You might be surprised this morning because you thought we were going to continue our study of the book of James. I was surprised too because I felt God calling me to address this issue and that to bring some peace, some understanding and some perspective to these times. A quick review of the weeks events:
July 6th – Philandro Castile and his girlfriend were pulled over for a traffic violation. He tells the officer he has a gun but has a permit to carry it. The officer tells him to get the permit and when he reaches for it, he is shot 4 times while sitting in the passenger side of the car, while his girlfriend is witnessing and recording the whole event.
July 7th – Alton Sterling was selling CDs early Tuesday outside the Triple S Food Mart in Baton Rouge, when a homeless man approached him and asked for money.
The man was persistent, and Sterling showed him his gun. “I told you to leave me alone,” Sterling told the man, according to the source. The homeless man then used his cell phone to call 911. The police came and apprehended Sterling and while laying on the ground subdued by police was shot and killed.
July 9th – While protests were taking place in downtown Dallas over the killings of Castile and Sterling, an ex-military trained — shot into crowds of protesters at police who were monitoring the event killing 5 policeman and wounding 7 more.
We need to understand that the world needs to hear the message of Christ more than ever; that if change is going to take place, one of the first places it needs to happen is with the church. We need to be in the world, bringing the message of the love of God to all people and see this senseless killing stop. For direction, we are going to read Jeremiah 22:3 this morning. If you are able, please stand.
Read Passage – Jeremiah 22:3
“Do no violence to the stranger, fatherless nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place.” Jer. 22:3 KJ21
Killing and Murder
Some people think this is a new epidemic. It’s not. Unfortunately, our nation has had a history of abuse of people; Native Americans, Asian, Hispanic, Black, and the list goes on. I think on a greater scale with technology, understanding and education, and with the perspective of God, our nation is now being held more accountable and greater change is need for us to move forward.
It is important as we embark on this subject, that we understand God’s Word and what it really says. So let’s go back to Exodus 20:13 to begin, it says:
“You shall not murder.” Ex. 20:13
So the first thing to be clear about is God’s command that we not murder. In fact, God even put in place regulations and laws about those who murder. For example in Genesis 9:6 he states:
“Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind.” Genesis 9:6
God early on established the sanctity of life and the need for us to be held accountable. He also made it extremely clear that we are not to be murdering others. One of the main reason is that we are made in the image of God and we will touch on that a bit later. So how do we define murder? Here is the definition from Merriam-Webster’s dictionary:
Murder: the crime of unlawfully killing a person especially with malice aforethought
That sounds pretty clear but it might make us ask the question; “Then what is killing? It is also important to note that there is a difference between killing and murder. Let me give you this statement:
All murder is killing but not all killing is murder.
So let me explain by giving you some aspects of killing that are not murder.
-Unintentional
You’re out hunting with some friends and you think you see an animal in the bushes and you shoot. You kill someone. You didn’t mean to do it, it was unintentional, an accident. Even God understood that accidents happen and when he established Israel he provided “Cities of Refuge” for people to go to and live and be safe if they killed someone unintentionally. This way the relatives could not take revenge. Now you couldn’t leave the city, if you did, you were fair game, but a way to protect those that killed unintentionally was provided.
-Self-Defense
Someone breaks into your house and is assaulting you and you know it is your life or theirs and you kill the intruder. It wasn’t planned or done with malice, it was self-preservation.
-Capital Punishment
Now there is some debate on the next two and some of you may agree or not agree with these next two. Capital punishment. Someone is killed because they have taken the life of, murdered, someone else and the consequence of their actions is to have their own life taken. Again, I realize some of you make think capital punishment is wrong so realize that there is some disagreement here.
-War
And with this reason as well, war. When someone is called upon to defend their country and have joined the armed forces, and they kill, many consider that an act of killing and not murder. Again, I realize some of you make think war and killing in war is wrong so, again, realize that there is some disagreement here.
I hope these have helped you be able to tell the difference of thought between what murder is and what killing is.
Why The Commandment “Do Not Murder”
In light of what has happened this week, we need to talk about these things. I believe God told me to talk about them. And…I believe God has strong feeling about this to and we really need to understand what His Word tells us and how it guides us in all of this. I focused on 3 areas that are important to God and, as the church, we should look at them as important too.
- Murder Lessens the Sanctity of Life
Now first, I have touched on it briefly but let me do a little deeper with this, murder lessens the sanctity of life. God from the beginning established that every life is important and that every person has value and is valued by him. Part of Jesus discourse on the Sermon on the Mount was just that, that we are valued by God and that he cares for each of us. Jesus said in Matthew 6:26:
“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” Matt. 6:26
Now God cares for each of us and the question might be; “why?” Two reasons:
- We are his creation. When I make something, I am proud of it and I want to take care of it. Even if it’s not all everyone else thinks it should be. I made it. It’s of value to me.
Ex. I made a painting and some people laughed at it. It’s not professional, not going to be in a museum, but it’s mine and I am proud of it.
- We are made in his image. You and I are made in the image of God Almighty. We were fashioned after God himself.
And let’s not forget John 3:16:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
Jesus died for all people, everyone. Not some, not just the good, not a selected few, but all. Whoever believes in him. All are welcome.
- Murder Usurps God’s Authority
Secondly. Murder usurps God’s authority. Usurps is a fancy way of saying that we are trying to take the authority away from God and assume it ourselves. Let’s go back to the beginning in Genesis 2:7 where it says:
“Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” Gen. 2:7
God made us. He decides who has life and who does not. It’s his creation not ours. And it’s not ours to take away from him. When we murder, we have moved God out of the picture and put ourselves in his place, and it’s not our place. The Bible is very clear that God is the one who gives life and that God is the one who determines how long we live. We want desperately to make those decisions ourselves and yet it is not our decision to make. We have gotten to the point that we feel we have the right to make those decisions. No! Job in Job 14:5 says:
“A person’s days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed.” Job 14:5
We want to assume the control and yet it is not our control to have. We have to stop playing God. When someone decides to shoot innocent people and take lives, whether they are law protectors, civilians, someone with a grudge, someone who has been wronged or hurt, etc. they are playing God. Even revenge, God says “Revenge is mine.” We are not to put ourselves in God’s place.
- Murder Reflects Your Heart
And third, murder is reflective of what is in your heart. This is a harsh one because we all want to believe that we would never do such a thing, but it seems many people have the capability of this and they don’t realize it. Jesus said in Matt. 15:19:
“For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.” Matt. 15:19
I look at that list and I go; “No, not me.” But I have to realize that I am capable of any of those things. Pastors say a lot of things sometimes without really fully explaining them. One is: Have Jesus in your heart. SO here is the explanation of why we need to fill our heart with Jesus; because if we don’t, it can be filled with things like murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony and slander. I don’t want those in my heart. And if what is in my heart comes out, what better thing can you fill it with than Jesus, his words, his example, his way of doing things.
Let Love Prevail
That is why we land here this morning on this issue: we, the church, need to let love prevail. I was really proud of Philandro Castile’s girlfriend. She had just witnessed one of the most horrific things a person could, someone she loves killed right in front of her. Listen to her words in a statement made the next day:
“Not just blacks, not just whites, not just Asians, everyone, this affected everyone.” No one deserves to be taken away.”
We, the church, need to be in that place. That all lives matter. We do that by living like Jesus. We do that by following God’s Word. We do that by adhering to Godly principle like the following:
Kindness and compassion
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Eph. 4:32.
Love, joy, peace, kindness and goodness
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control.” Gal. 5:22-23
Peace
“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” Col. 3:15
Jesus not only taught it, he lived it. 1 John 5:11:
Jesus
“And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.”
1 John 5:11
That’s how we are to roll in this life, how we are to live in a world that is lost and confused. We move in love not hatred. We live in peace and kindness and with God’s peace ruling our hearts. We need this because the only way our world will change is to realize that we have the chance to live forever with God in eternity and that the only way to have that assurance is through Jesus Christ because he died for us and covered our sin.
