America Needs a Refresher on the Sixth Commandment

"THOU SHALT NOT KILL." That's the King James Version of the Sixth Commandment, and it seems many Americans need a reminder of it. If you are among those cheering the cold-blooded murder of Brian Thompson, you're among them.

It is a bedrock principle of Judaism, Christianity, and (for most of its history) Western civilization that all life has value and that we should condemn premeditated murder.

Have we always lived up to this principle? Of course not, but few disputed it -- until now.

The more I observe the moral rot in our society -- so amplified now by social media -- the more I see that this principle (once widely respected) is increasingly ignored or outright rejected.

The King James translators' use of the word "kill" in Exodus 20:13 has confused some. This isn't because the KJV is in error. It's that we've become lazy in hermeneutics and the study of ancient writing. The Hebrew word behind “kill” in Exodus 20:13 (KJV) is “?????” (ratsach) and it means to murder, slay, or kill with premeditation. This is why more contemporary English translations say "murder."

But the KJV still works, because the second most important word after "kill" in Exodus 20:13 (KJV) is "thou" (which of course means YOU). So... the KJV is saying: YOU shall not kill.

In other words, YOU don't have the right to unilaterally decide that another human being should die. Yes, there is the Judeo-Christian argument for self-defense and there is the biblical admonition to civil government in Romans 13 that explicitly gives civil authorities the right to take life within certain conditions. But...

The assassin who murdered Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthCare, was not acting in self-defense nor was he carrying out lawful instructions as an agent of any civil government.

He chose to take life -- for his reasons and on his terms. And that's precisely what the Sixth Commandment forbids! And yet...

Many people today -- it seems like hundreds of thousands (when one looks at social media), perhaps millions -- are applauding or at least expressing tacit approval for that young man's actions.

Brian Thompson's life, of course, carries no more value than the life of anyone else. Those who die partly or fully as a result of our flawed healthcare and insurance system are equally as valuable.

All human beings are valuable in the eyes of God.

Therefore, I mourn the loss of any life.

Of course, like most people, I am emotionally more affected by the loss of people I know. This week, the church I am honored to serve is mourning the passing of a longtime member - a dear lady who was a light in this world. Her passing certainly affects me more than that of Brian Thompson.

Nevertheless...

What concerns me enough to write this article isn't that a CEO died. What drives me to speak out is that so many Americans are cheering cold-blooded murder!

We now live in a society where more and more people believe murder is justified -- when we're talking about those who are part of or complicit with some industry, system, or movement that they perceive (rightly or wrongly) causes them grief or harm.

No society can survive that!

I'm not disputing are need for healthcare reform. Of course, I should point out that the more people cheer for assassins, the more polarized we will become. And it's our current state of polarization that makes reform even more elusive since we can't get our politicians to constructively work together.

Nevertheless, on a personal note, I'm not without empathy. Without going into details, I have personal family experience with our healthcare and insurance system. So I can say that much of the public's anger is understandable.

But as James, the (half) brother of Jesus, reminds us: "The anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God." (James 1:20).

There's a reason that the Ten Commandments have long been respected as not just treasured Scripture but as foundational pillars of human civilization itself!

Personally, I think we need all ten! But my focus here is on the sixth. That so many people today are endorsing or even applauding an assassination shows how far we've fallen and how much we desperately need to re-learn the Sixth Commandment.

I'm not writing this as a Republican or Democrat, as a conservative or as a liberal. There is plenty of moral rot to go around. I'm not writing this as anything but a Christian and an ordinary human being who (to steal a phrase from the Apostle Paul) wants to live a quiet and peaceful life.

If we can't agree that the Sixth Commandment should be held as sacred and undeniable, then we are doomed as a society.

Our country needs prayer. And it needs all of us to commit not just to our conception of reform or justice -- but to love and compassion.

We better make that commitment before it's too late.