Wednesday, October 24, 2018
Exodus 20:13 You shall not murder.
POSITIVE COMMANDMENTS
Most of the Ten Commandments are prohibitions: You shall not. But the point of these commandments doesn't stop there. With each negative, there is an implied positive. Keeping God's commandment involves not only avoiding the evil, but doing the good. With the commandment, "Thou shalt not kill," God forbids killing, harming self or others, as well as hateful thoughts and words. At the same time, God here requires patience and kindness toward others, saying and doing those things that befriend and help, rather than things that hate and hurt.
Yes, this commandment not only tells us not to harm others, but to genuinely forgive those who harm us. And once again, God's holy command shows us how unholy we so often are.
But there was One who did this-- sincerely, consistently, even when tortured-- even with His dying gasps. In Him, we too have forgiveness. Forgiveness for our sins against God's commandment, "Thou shalt not kill." For us also Jesus prayed, "Father, forgive them." For us also, He died.
