Exodus 20:13: “Thou shalt not kill.”
Without close study, the Bible can seem to give conflicting instructions on self-defense. There are numerous passages that speak of Christians being pacifistic (Proverbs 25:21, 22; Matthew 5:39; Romans 12:17). And yet there are many passages that talk about war and violence that God approves of, such as David slaying Goliath (1 Samuel 17). Not to mention the fact that God commanded the Israelites to completely destroy everyone and everything in the Promised Land! So what is the conclusion? Is God for violence or not? Under what circumstances is self-defense appropriate? For the Scriptural answers, we examine:
- Historical Context: Moses was the author of the Book of Exodus (Exodus 17:14; 24:4-7; 34:27), written between 1440 and 1400 B.C. The word “exodus” means “departure”. In God’s timing, the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt marked the end of a period of oppression for Abraham’s descendants (Genesis 15:13), and the beginning of the fulfillment of the covenant promise to Abraham that his descendants would not only live in the Promised Land, but would also multiply and become a great nation (Genesis 12:1-3, 7). The purpose of the book may be expressed as tracing the rapid growth of Jacob’s descendants from Egypt to the establishment of the theocratic nation in their Promised Land. We are already aware that the Old Testament is divided into three categories: the moral law, the ceremonial law, and the civil law. The moral law, that which represents God’s own righteous character, is summarized in the Ten Commandments and, therefore, timeless and changeless.
- Grammatical Usage: “Kill” in the Hebrew is “rasah” meaning “murder,” but in two senses: 1) premeditated crime as well as 2) accidental (senseless) killing.
- Literal Application: You shall not kill in malice or senselessly.
- Contextual Interpretation: Much has been made of the fact that the root “rasah” (a uniquely Hebrew word) appears in the Mosaic legislation, as though this term bore a special connotation of premeditation and the Decalogue only proscribed premeditated crime. This is not the case. The many occurrences in Numbers 35 deal with the organization of the six cities of refuge to which manslayers, who killed a person accidentally, could flee. Numbers 35:11 is crystal clear that the refuge was for those guilty of unpremeditated, accidental killings. This makes clear that rasah applies equally to both cases of premeditated murder and killings as a result of any other circumstances under what English law terms “man slaughter” with an emphasis upon “senseless.” Many people make the mistake of reading what the Bible says in Exodus 20:13, “You shall not kill,” and then seek to apply this command to war. However, God often ordered the Israelites to go to war with other nations (1 Samuel 15:3; Joshua 4:13). God ordered the death penalty for numerous crimes (Exodus 21:12, 15; 22:19; Leviticus 20:11). However, God does make provision for self-defense therefore God is not against killing in all circumstances, but according to our verse only malicious or senseless killing.
- Scriptural Comparison: The teachings about the use of force found in the Old and New Testaments are not in opposition but each focuses on when, and how. For example, both the Old and New Covenants teach that it is proper to use force in order to restrain evil and wickedness in the world, as well as for the defense of a nation. Christ’s love being sacrificial in nature asks us to sacrifice ourselves for the benefit of others, whether that involves working to meet their basic human needs, (Mt.25:34-40) or it may come to giving up your life to prolong theirs. So defending another person, especially a family member, is not only appropriate but required when confronted with evil. So, if an intruder comes in your house to bring harm to a loved one, you do not sit by quietly and pray but protect them. God said to Noah, “…from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man. Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man” (Gen 9:5-6). So God created a system of capital punishment to be implemented by mankind; man was to take the life of another who needlessly sheds another man’s blood. Because God made man in His own image, murder becomes a crime against God and demands capital punishment. There is no provision in the Old Testament for Israel attempting to rehabilitate a murderer. Death was warranted for anyone who intentionally killed someone (Ex 21:12-14), God instructed capital punishment as necessary for a variety of offenses in the Mosaic Law.
God’s command not to murder is given to mankind before the law was given to Moses; it is a moral law that was to be obeyed since the beginning of time. The punishment that whoever sheds mans blood there blood will be shed. (Gen.9:6) it was held up under the law of Moses (Exod.20:13) and in the New Testament (Rom.13:9). Murder is to be considered wrong at all times and all places for all people. All men and women were created in the image of God (Gen.1:27, 9:6), which is a moral quality which comes from God’s nature (Col.3:10; Jm.3:9). In John 8:44 Jesus tells the religious leaders the Devil is their Father and that “He was a murderer from the beginning.” As the Devil introduced the first lie it began both spiritual physical death to all mankind. To do senseless killing, is from a searing of our conscience that is given as the image of God to all, and violates the life that God gave each person.
Self protection is found in Ex 22:2-3. If a thief was found to be breaking into a home at night, the homeowner had the right to kill the intruder to protect his family and property. The exception was if it occurred during the day, if the homeowner could see and judge the intruder’s intentions, and the intruder could see the homeowner was present was going to defend his household; then homeowner could not kill in defense of his household.
Ex.21:12-21 God, who by his providence gives and maintains life, and by His law protects it. A willful murderer was to be taken even from God’s altar. But God provided cities of refuge as an escape to protect those who had this accident occur, as it was not their fault to cause the death of another. It is a different matter when someone kills another without intent of harm. A willful murder is always to be punished with death. To this law there is a reason added. God’s image remains upon fallen man, so whoever unjustly kills a man, defaces the image of God. It is about the sanctity of life that we all share.
In Gen.14 Abraham rescued lot by a battle when he was forcefully taken. Israel battled against her enemies in Deut.20:1, 29:7, Joshua 11:15 the battle of Jericho,vs.20, Joshua 12. In Numbers 35:17 it explains by having the intention to kill, murderers were to be put to death. In Deut. 16:18-19 they were commanded to cast out all their enemies. Killing is different than murder. Murder is senseless and for selfish reasons, while killing is to protect and preserve life.
The Israelites had to take possession of the Promised Land by conquest. They engaged themselves in continued bloody wars with the Canaanite tribes. Except in the case of Jericho and Ai, the war did not become aggressive until after the death of Joshua. Up until then the attack was always first made by the Canaanites. Israel was employed by God to sweep them away off the face of the earth. They were relentless enemies. Israel always had a regimented army, they hadCompulsory service in1 Samuel 14:52, there were Captains of fifties 2 Kings 1:9; Isaiah 3:3, Captains of hundreds Numbers 31:14,48; 2 Kings 11:15; 1 Chronicles 28:1; 2 Chronicles 25:5, Commander-in-chief 1 Samuel 14:50; 2 Samuel 2:8; 8:16; 17:25; 19:13; 20:23. Generals of corps and divisions Numbers 2:3,31; 1 Chronicles 27:1-22; 2 Chronicles 17:12-19 Captains of thousands Numbers 31:14,48; 1 Samuel 17:18; 1 Chronicles 28:1; 2 Chronicles 25:5. It is for this reason they have survived as a people even to today.
Scripture describes God as merciful, filled with grace and God is love, but He is also a God of justice, and when necessary He was “The LORD is a man of war; the LORD is His name” (Exod. 15:3).
The principle taught in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:38-42 would seem to imply that Christians should not resist an evil person. If you are slapped on one cheek give them the other. But this means not retaliate when insulted or slandered (Romans 12:17-21). Insults do not threaten a Christian’s personal safety. The idea of rendering insult for insult, is not the same as defending oneself against a mugger or a rapist, or someone that wants to kill you or a loved one. We are to preserve life, this is a principle carried over from the Old Testament. In fact, Jesus goes further into the matter than making one is guilty by committing the act, but by hating another in their heart, this is where it begins. The apostle John echoes Jesus’ sermon on the mount, “Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him” (I John 3:15).
The use of physical force to protect or defend another is not an alternative but a command. Jesus is known for His teaching on love, compassion, forgiveness, and “not to return evil for evil” But we find Jesus advising the disciples to buy a sword in Luke 22:36: “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.” Jesus told the disciples to buy a sword, and it is clear that Jesus advocated the use of a sword for self-defense purposes. Jesus tells the disciples to buy a sword if he has none vs.38 they showed they had two, he said this is enough. So he is not telling them to arm themselves, lest they trust in man and not God. The “sword” (Greek: maxairan) that is used is a dagger or short sword that was part of the Jews traveler’s equipment for protection against robbers and wild animals. A plain reading of the passage indicates that Jesus approved of conditional self-defense. These were small daggers to protect someone from the criminals they would encounter as they traveled, they were used for close combat, for self defense, they were also to use against a wild animal.
When Jesus was being arrested Peter stepped forward to protect him and cut off the ear of the servant (Malchus) of the high priest. We have Jesus reacting, stating that “whoever lives by the sword will die by the sword.”
Some pacifists to prove Jesus rejected the use of weapons quote this verse. Here Jesus is addressing Peter who previously said he was willing to die with him and instead tried to prevent His being arrested. Peter used the sword to accomplish his goal- Jesus’ response — We are not to live by force or violence, Your life is not to be ruled by a response of force, but by love. There was more to this than Peter could see; the will of God. Peter had pulled the sword out to prevent him from being arrested . Jesus healed the man’s ear and He had Peter put away his sword so he could be arrested, to fulfill God’s plan by his death (John 18:11).
This does not mean that one is forbidden to use force when confronted with another’s life being taken. If Jesus were a pacifist and opposed the use of weapons, He would not have instructed his disciples to own them. They were not to be heavily armed, but sufficiently armed. When Jesus was arrested, he told his disciples he could call on his Father, who would put legions of angels at his disposal to protect and deliver Him. Instead Jesus submitted to the process that would bring Him to His purpose in coming to earth. So it is important to see God’s purpose at the time.
If one believes killing is one and the same as murder, then no one would be allowed to us deadly force, even in defense to save lives. The Bible prohibits murder, but not in using killing against a hostile enemy; neither is the ownership and use of weapons prohibited. There were times when it became necessary for Israel to fight or go into captivity. The other exception is when God decided to punish Israel for their disobedience and told them to go into captivity so they would live.
The Bible teaches among many sins murder will keep one from heaven Rev. 21:8 “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
When questioned on how to receive eternal life Jesus responded by saying Luke 18:20 “You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.”
In the Ten Commandments, God did not say, “You shall not kill” but, “You shall not murder” (Ex 20:13, Deut 5:17). This specifically refers to premeditated murder and is never used of executing a criminal or slaying an enemy in battle. God would then be contradicting himself when he told them to give just punishment.
*However, the one area in which deadly force is not permitted, is for the defense of the faith. As far as our faith is concerned, we are to turn the other cheek and be willing to become martyrs if it is about Christ. Jesus told his disciples they would be killed for their faith and it is no different today. In regard to protecting ourselves from crime and our nation from foreign aggression, force is allowed by both the Old and New Testaments. In the Old Testament (Genesis 14), when Abraham’s nephew Lot was kidnapped by Chedorlaomer, the king of Elam, Abraham gathered 318 trained men of his household to rescue Lot. Ex 17:9 And Moses said to Joshua, “Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. 1 Samuel 17:45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
The Bible does not teach pacifism; pacifists often misuse verses that apply to the defending of the faith and ignore the context, which has nothing to do with defenses against evildoers and national aggression.
Stephen did not fight back when he was stoned for his testimony about Jesus Acts 6:8-7:60. Men from one of the synagogues seized Stephen and took him before the Sanhedrin, the religious court, for questioning. Stephen boldly rebuked the religious leaders, who became enraged and stoned him to death, he did not resist but became as Jesus praying that those who did it in ignorance would be forgiven. We are told by Luke, “there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem;” and that “they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.” About two thousand Christians, suffered martyrdom from the “persecution that arose about Stephen.”
This is why we do not fight for Jesus – John 18:36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight”
God protected Jesus a number of times by having him flee. The wise men that traveled from the east were asked by Herod to report back to him so he can know where He is and go to worship him also Mt.2:7-8,but his intentions were really to kill him. They disobeyed Herod because God warned them by a dream vs.12. In Mt.2:13 God warned Mary and Joseph to flee to preserve Jesus’ life.
When Jesus was alive he also did what was necessary to preserve his life so he could complete his mission. There was a time to lay His life down, Jesus knew that time was not yet. Matthew 12:14-15 The Pharisees plotted to kill Jesus, so he left the area. Jesus would remove himself from harms way. He taught to flee to save a life instead of fighting. John 7:1 Jesus avoided an area because the Jews there were waiting to take his life. Luke 4:4:28-30 A crowd tried to throw Jesus off a cliff, but he walked through the crowd to escape. He did not surrender to the mob and allow this to occur. John 7:30 The Jews tried to seize Jesus in the temple courts, but “no one laid a hand on him, because his time had not yet come.” In other words, they wanted to and tried, but were unable because He escaped.
The apostles followed his example, Paul was let down in a basket to escape those who were looking to kill him. Acts 9:23-25. In Acts 9:29-30 Saul (Paul) debated with the Grecian Jews, who then tried to kill him. When the other believers heard of this, they sent him to another area. Acts 14:5-7 there was a plot to mistreat and stone Paul and Barnabas, so they fled to another region and continued to preach the Gospel. 1 Corinthians 15:30-32 Paul says he was endangered “every hour” and he described this peril as He fought “wild beasts” in Ephesus, those who wanted to rip him apart.
2 Timothy 1:8 Paul urged Timothy to join him in suffering for the gospel… the fact is that Christians in many countries face these persecutions each day, many are unable to escape. Jesus said those who follow would be arrested and beaten for his namesake. He never told them to fight for his kingdom. John 16:2 Believers will be killed for their faith; those who kill them will believe they are justified in thinking they are doing God a favor by killing them. On the other hand we are told to deny our self and take up our cross; you can’t kill someone that is already considered dead!
Rom.13 tells us to obey the rule of the land unless they violate our commitment to God. But we cannot fall into what others have done by using force back to those who may challenge our faith, then we become like those we are being harmed by. Acts 5:29 Peter and John refused to cease preaching the Gospel, saying to the Jewish Sanhedrin it is better to obey God than man. I see that tolerance may soon limit our preaching, because of our trying to be at peace with all we may be hindered to give the Gospel. New laws may be instated for political correctness. God’s intention is to save peoples souls, this takes priority over any religious or political law of the land.
In Revelation 11:3-7 The two witnesses destroy anyone who tries to harm them as they minister, but there comes a time when their work is completed and they will be killed, and shortly resurrected.
In Revelation 13 we are told not to take the mark of the beast even though no one will be able to buy or sell without it. Here again we have civil disobedience with the ultimate price, for whoever takes the mark will lose their soul, they will have no second chance. Some may have to fight to get away from taking the mark.
- Conclusion: Christianity teaches not to return evil for evil nor to convert people by force, but by love, by discussion. If someone is attacking you or your family as an evil person, a criminal, you have every right to use whatever means is at ones disposal to defend oneself and preserve life. If on the other hand one is attacking you and going to do harm because of your faith you are not to defend yourself. If we are asked specifically to renounce our faith or die we have the example of the early Church. We are told to be willing to become martyrs, Rev.12:11 during the tribulation “they did not love their lives unto death.”