You shall not murder. (Exodus 20:12)

This commandment is probably the universally accepted commandment. In most cultures, around the world, the idea that murder and killing are wrong is accepted to some degree. You may even be tempted to skip over this article because you might say, “I know that – I believe that.” But, don’t be too hasty! Let’s take a closer look at what the Bible says about this commandment.

Murder or killing happens when a cause is elevated above the value of a human life. Abortion is seen as okay when we place our political views or our personal comfort above the life of an unborn baby. Some might place a high value on money; and, if the stakes are high enough, feel that murder is justified. Some, for power, will resort to taking a life. I love police shows – especially the one with the court battles. On a recent episode, a militia group felt that their government was tyrannical and felt they had the right to rob a state run lottery headquarters and kill three people. Their cause was considered more important than the lives of three men.

One of the problems with this kind of thinking is that God sent His Son to die to give us life – not just eternal life, but abundant life here on earth (John. 10:10). He thinks our life is very special and doesn’t allow us to devalue human life, just because our cause is important.

I want to direct your focus to the New Testament and specifically to the Sermon on the Mount. In the sermon, Jesus talks about six Old Testament laws. He says that the laws are not just about actions. Rather, they are about the intent of the heart. In other words, sometimes thinking about something is the same as committing the act. Specifically, about murder, Jesus stresses that anger is not just a precursor to murder – In some cases it IS murder.

You have heard that the ancients were told, 'You shall not commit murder' and 'Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.' "But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever shall say to his brother, 'Raca,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever shall say, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. (Matthew 5:21-22)

Jesus talked about the heart and the different types of anger. Each of these is as serious as actual murder-

1. Prolonged anger

We have heard the phrase “righteous” anger. The trouble is usually that I feel my anger is always righteous and everyone else’s anger is not. Paul said, “Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger (Eph. 4:26). What is he saying? Don’t prolong your anger. You WILL get angry – but don’t nurse it, don’t fuel it.

Sometimes reconciliation is possible; but sometimes it is not. The other person might not be willing or ready. What do we do? Keep being angry or move on? I believe some times we have to FIDO – Forget It and Drive On.

Some translations say “angry WITHOUT Cause.” Someone said, “There are many reasons for anger, but very few are good ones.” We must ask ourselves, “Why are we angry?” Is it because someone hurt our feelings? Didn’t they hurt our feelings because of our pride? Is it because someone infringed upon on our rights? Do we have any rights if we are children of God? Is it because we didn’t get our way? Again, isn’t that because of our pride? Many times, if we take a hard look at our anger, we would see that we really don’t have a solid reason to be angry.

Prolonged anger becomes bitterness; and the Bible calls bitterness a root (Heb. 12:15). It’s easy to uproot a seed of anger; but once it grows roots, it is not only difficult to remove but also sprouts all kinds of other fruit.

Don’t allow anger to germinate. Get rid of it quickly.

2. Valuating Anger

The phrase ‘raca’ means “empty-headed one.” Some translators say it means, “to spit upon.” It is what you would say to someone when you are angry and want to devalue them. The English language has many variations upon this, but maybe one the closest is the valuation, “air-head.” To say ‘raca’ to someone is to de-value them because they didn’t do what you wanted or do it the way you wanted them to. To gain credibility, when you are angry, you call them a humiliating name that attacks their credibility. What someone is saying, with this phrase is, “If you disagree with me, then you must be substandard.”

This level of anger is classing someone because we are mad at them.

3. Judgmental Anger

To say “you fool” is to say, “You do not deserve to live.” It goes from de-valuing them to passing a judgment upon them. How do we say this? We say “Well…we just won’t talk to them will we? We’ll pretend like they don’t exist—we’ll make it tough on them—we’ll just gossip about them until everyone knows.” Jesus said that judging is wrong (Matt. 7)

God recognizes anger as sin at all the various levels. It’s not just when we actually kill someone that God is displeased. You see, our temper is not a personality trait – it is a spiritual weakness. Our anger is not an ethnic trait – it is sin. It is a choice we make. Proverbs 19:11 says:

A man's discretion makes him slow to anger, And it is his glory to overlook a transgression.

Anger usually comes from unholy attitudes like pride. We say, “Who are they to do that to me?” Anger originates from selfishness when we say, “I’m not getting my way…” In other words, anger often originates from other festering sin. James 1:19-20 gives us some simple advice:

But let everyone be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.

We have to learn to settle things quickly. We can’t prolong fights and nurse anger. Someone said, “Anger is a wind that blows out the candle of the mind.” Usually when we are angry, we are not thinking. You shall not murder, but you shall also not prolong anger and allow yourself to sin.

Karl J. Forehand, 2001