Q: What does God require in the sixth, seventh, and eighth commandments?
A: Sixth, that we do not hurt, or hate, or be hostile to our neighbor, but be patient and peaceful, pursuing even our enemies with love. Seventh, that we abstain from sexual immorality and live purely and faithfully, whether in marriage or in single life, avoiding all impure actions, looks, words, thoughts, or desires, and whatever might lead to them. Eighth, that we do not take without permission that which belongs to someone else, nor withhold any good from someone we might benefit.
Romans 13:9
For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Catechism 11
The sixth commandment commands not to murder. Throughout the Scripture, it is clear that God does not delight in murder. People are the image-bearers of God, and murder is a sin against God and what He has created to be special.
“Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.” (Genesis 9:6)
To God, murder is not a mere social or civic problem. God takes it personally because it has to do with what He created and what He enjoys fellowshipping with. Therefore, when murder is committed, murderer does not only kill a person, but he wrongs God.
Now, we are all responsible for the problem of murder and, as the result, have wronged God. The Bible does not fail to show us that we all have murderous hearts and we miserably break the sixth commandment that God has given to us.
“You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44)
One of the devil’s trait is that he wants to bring death – spiritual and eternal death – to all of us. Indeed, the deception against Adam and Eve was made in the Garden of Eden so that physical death befell on all mankind.
Ever since, it was not uncommon to see murder happen in the Bible. Cain and Abel, the very first sons of Adam and Eve, is a story of the older brother murdering his younger brother. Then, there is the story of Lamech in Genesis 4:23-24 where a man, Lamech, is prideful of having murdered another man.
Eventually, this leads up to the story of the Israelites wanting the death of Jesus. We, who are not exempt from being evil, would have done the same! We would have crucified Jesus had we been the Israelites. Indeed, we have murderous intents and the sixth commandment shows us that.
Jesus clarifies this intent that we have in our hearts when he discusses the problem of anger in the Sermon on the Mount.
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.” (Matthew 5:21-22)
The intent of murder is seen in not the actual deed of murdering, but in the hearts of man. The hatred of a fellow man, a man created in the image of God, is the cause of murder. God looks at the hearts of the man rather than outward actions.
“But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)
How is the state of your heart today? Are you perhaps not murdering someone in the intentions of your heart? Are you not hurting God by the intentions that you have?
Thanks be to God for we do not only murder others with our hateful intentions but, in our sin, we all have crucified and murdered Jesus Christ. Yet, God is still gracious and still forgives. Amazing Grace, indeed!
The seventh commandment commands not to commit adultery. Adultery is breaking of the marriage promises, or the marital covenant. This covenant is not mere social or civic promise. However, it is a covenant that God had created.
“Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.” (Genesis 2:24-25)
Marriage is meant to be between one man and one woman. It is given to men by the divine authority of God to establish human relationship. Therefore, when one commits adultery, one commits it against God who has divinely appointed this covenantal relationship to exist between a man and a woman.
God has sanctified this covenantal relationship as He always likens the relationship between Himself and Church in this marital manner. God is the groom and the Church is the bride.
“I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.” (Isaiah 61:10)
“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” (Ephesians 5:25-27)
When a man commits adultery, he is violating and disgracing this relationship that God intends to have with His people. Thus, the punishment for the violation of marriage is grievous and fatal.
“If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.” (Leviticus 20:10)
Death is a proper punishment to appease the wrath of God for those who have violated the covenantal relationship that God has created.
And, as we all know, from the Sermon on the Mount, adultery does not only have to do with actions but also the intentions of our heart, just like murder.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matthew 5:27-28)
With a lustful intent or look, a man already has committed adultery. That means that those who have had lustful intent or looked at a woman lustfully all deserve death!
Praise God in giving us His Son, Jesus that we are not deserving of this punishment by death. We, who have not only broken the seventh commandment by lusting, have also violated our covenantal relationship that we ought to have with God – God as our groom.
How many times have we desired other things apart from God? We definitely deserve death because we have many times cheated on God – our true husband! Praise God sincerely for Jesus!
The eighth commandment commands not to steal. When the Bible commands not to steal, this suggests that God wanted there to be private property rights and ownership. God is the ultimate owner of all things and He has graciously granted us with stewardship for the things that He owns.
Perhaps, you might consider yourself as a good keeper of this commandment. You have not really stolen from other people. However, we all have stolen from God.
“Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you? In your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you.’” (Malachi 3:8-9)
How have we robbed from God? We have robbed from Him when we began to see ourselves as the rightful owners of many great things that God has placed in our lives. How am I viewing money? Is it tending to my need or for the ministry of God?
Now, even if we think we are good stewards of what God has given to us, we need to realize that we are in debt because of sin. When we sin, we disobey what God created us to do (to glorify Him). When we disobey what God has created us to do, we are in debt because we have failed to live in accord to His purpose of creating us.
Now, the whole world sins and the entire world is in debt to God. Everyone has failed to pay back God what He deserves, His glory. We need a radical redemption because we are under such a huge debt because we have failed him innumerably.
Thank God for His Son, Jesus the Great Redeemer. He has paid back all the debt for us. We are debt-free and this is the freedom that the Scripture is talking about!
“And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.” (Colossians 2:13-14)
Praise God for Jesus who has paid the debt of our sins! Rejoice now because though we have robbed aplenty from God, God is willing to still forgive us because Jesus died to set us free of debt!
The Ten Commandments point us to see that we are unable to keep the Law at all. However, Jesus Christ is the ultimate answer to the Law that we cannot keep. It points to Jesus. Look to Jesus.
εὐαγγέλιον 