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SUBJECT: Killing
QUESTION: Is it true that God commanded Israel to
kill every man, woman, child and beast as they entered and
took over the Promised Land? I thought there was a clear
commandment not to kill. Please explain this.
ANSWER:
There is more than one place where God commanded that Israel
kill every man, woman, child and even animals. Depending on
the situation and who was involved, God modified these
instructions slightly, but in general, it was every living
soul who was to be put to death.
Quoted below are all the verses found in the book of Joshua,
which records the children of Israel going into the Promised
Land. This land was filled with wretched pagans; many of
who worship all manner of gods and even sacrificed their
young in open fires in hopes of having good crops in the
fall harvest.
The question is Why? The question is, "How is God looking
at this?"
The reason why is that these people were evil pagans who
worshiped idols and false gods. Their practices were enough
to make you and I vomit at their description. Now as evil
as these people were, they are not lost. They will have
their opportunity for eternal life, but at the time recorded
in Joshua, God was not calling them to truth. He is not
attempting to save the world today. All this begins after
the return of Jesus Christ.
So God was putting these wretched people to death for their
wicked worship of false gods. See the piece clear at the
end of this letter on the worship of false gods in Bible
times.
Now look at it the way God looks at it. He was putting
these evil people out of their misery. More important than
that, as you will see in the scriptures below, is that God
was protecting His people from this evil. Notice in the Old
Testament how the children of Israel or the nations of
Israel and Judah would embrace these idols, false gods and
false religions. By mercifully killing them, God was
protecting His people.
The commandments DO NOT clearly state that thou shalt not
kill. The word is murder. God can kill anyone He wishes
and He had the right to have Israel do His killing for Him.
He COMMANDED it. There is a paper below explaining this
difference between "kill" and "murder".
Witness the millions Jesus will utterly kill at His return.
These millions will be in the process, at the time, of
trying to kill---murder Jesus.
Revelation 19:11-21
11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he
that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in
righteousness he doth judge and make war.
12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were
many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew,
but he himself.
13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and
his name is called The Word of God.
14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon
white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he
should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod
of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and
wrath of Almighty God.
16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name
written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with
a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst
of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the
supper of the great God;
18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of
captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of
horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all
men, both free and bond, both small and great.
19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and
their armies, gathered together to make war against him that
sat on the horse, and against his army.
20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet
that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived
them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that
worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake
of fire burning with brimstone.
21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat
upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and
all the fowls were filled with their flesh.
Zechariah 14:9-12
9 And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day
shall there be one LORD, and his name one.
10 All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to
Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and
inhabited in her place, from Benjamin's gate unto the place
of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower
of Hananeel unto the king's winepresses.
11 And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more
utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will
smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem;
Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their
feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and
their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.
THE VERSES WHERE GOD COMMANDS
THE KILLING FROM JOSHUA
Joshua 6:21
And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both
man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass,
with the edge of the sword.
Joshua 6:24
And they burnt the city with fire, and all that was therein:
only the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of brass and
of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the
LORD.
Joshua 8:24-25
24 And it came to pass, when Israel had made an end of
slaying all the inhabitants of Ai in the field, in the
wilderness wherein they chased them, and when they were all
fallen on the edge of the sword, until they were consumed,
that all the Israelites returned unto Ai, and smote it with
the edge of the sword.
25 And so it was, that all that fell that day, both of men
and women, were twelve thousand, even all the men of Ai.
Joshua 10:2-40
2 That they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city,
as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than
Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty.
3 Wherefore Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent unto Hoham
king of Hebron, and unto Piram king of Jarmuth, and unto
Japhia king of Lachish, and unto Debir king of Eglon,
saying,
4 Come up unto me, and help me, that we may smite Gibeon:
for it hath made peace with Joshua and with the children of
Israel.
5 Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, the king of
Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king
of Lachish, the king of Eglon, gathered themselves together,
and went up, they and all their hosts, and encamped before
Gibeon, and made war against it.
6 And the men of Gibeon sent unto Joshua to the camp to
Gilgal, saying, Slack not thy hand from thy servants; come
up to us quickly, and save us, and help us: for all the
kings of the Amorites that dwell in the mountains are
gathered together against us.
7 So Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he, and all the people of
war with him, and all the mighty men of valour.
8 And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear them not: for I have
delivered them into thine hand; there shall not a man of
them stand before thee.
9 Joshua therefore came unto them suddenly, and went up from
Gilgal all night.
10 And the LORD discomfited them before Israel, and slew
them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them along
the way that goeth up to Beth-horon, and smote them to
Azekah, and unto Makkedah.
11 And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel, and
were in the going down to Beth-horon, that the LORD cast
down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and
they died: they were more which died with hailstones than
they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword.
12 Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD
delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and
he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon
Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.
13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the
people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not
this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still
in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a
whole day.
14 And there was no day like that before it or after it,
that the LORD hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the
LORD fought for Israel.
15 And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, unto the
camp to Gilgal.
16 But these five kings fled, and hid themselves in a cave
at Makkedah.
17 And it was told Joshua, saying, The five kings are found
hid in a cave at Makkedah.
18 And Joshua said, Roll great stones upon the mouth of the
cave, and set men by it for to keep them:
19 And stay ye not, but pursue after your enemies, and smite
the hindmost of them; suffer them not to enter into their
cities: for the LORD your God hath delivered them into your
hand.
20 And it came to pass, when Joshua and the children of
Israel had made an end of slaying them with a very great
slaughter, till they were consumed, that the rest which
remained of them entered into fenced cities.
21 And all the people returned to the camp to Joshua at
Makkedah in peace: none moved his tongue against any of the
children of Israel.
22 Then said Joshua, Open the mouth of the cave, and bring
out those five kings unto me out of the cave.
23 And they did so, and brought forth those five kings unto
him out of the cave, the king of Jerusalem, the king of
Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the
king of Eglon.
24 And it came to pass, when they brought out those kings
unto Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel,
and said unto the captains of the men of war which went with
him, Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings.
And they came near, and put their feet upon the necks of
them.
25 And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be
strong and of good courage: for thus shall the LORD do to
all your enemies against whom ye fight.
26 And afterward Joshua smote them, and slew them, and
hanged them on five trees: and they were hanging upon the
trees until the evening.
27 And it came to pass at the time of the going down of the
sun, that Joshua commanded, and they took them down off the
trees, and cast them into the cave wherein they had been
hid, and laid great stones in the cave's mouth, which remain
until this very day.
28 And that day Joshua took Makkedah, and smote it with the
edge of the sword, and the king thereof he utterly
destroyed, them, and all the souls that were therein; he let
none remain: and he did to the king of Makkedah as he did
unto the king of Jericho.
29 Then Joshua passed from Makkedah, and all Israel with
him, unto Libnah, and fought against Libnah:
30 And the LORD delivered it also, and the king thereof,
into the hand of Israel; and he smote it with the edge of
the sword, and all the souls that were therein; he let none
remain in it; but did unto the king thereof as he did unto
the king of Jericho.
31 And Joshua passed from Libnah, and all Israel with him,
unto Lachish, and encamped against it, and fought against
it:
32 And the LORD delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel,
which took it on the second day, and smote it with the edge
of the sword, and all the souls that were therein, according
to all that he had done to Libnah.
33 Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish; and
Joshua smote him and his people, until he had left him none
remaining.
34 And from Lachish Joshua passed unto Eglon, and all Israel
with him; and they encamped against it, and fought against
it:
35 And they took it on that day, and smote it with the edge
of the sword, and all the souls that were therein he utterly
destroyed that day, according to all that he had done to
Lachish.
36 And Joshua went up from Eglon, and all Israel with him,
unto Hebron; and they fought against it:
37 And they took it, and smote it with the edge of the
sword, and the king thereof, and all the cities thereof, and
all the souls that were therein; he left none remaining,
according to all that he had done to Eglon; but destroyed it
utterly, and all the souls that were therein.
38 And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to Debir;
and fought against it:
39 And he took it, and the king thereof, and all the cities
thereof; and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and
utterly destroyed all the souls that were therein; he left
none remaining: as he had done to Hebron, so he did to
Debir, and to the king thereof; as he had done also to
Libnah, and to her king.
40 So Joshua smote all the country of the hills, and of the
south, and of the vale, and of the springs, and all their
kings: he left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all
that breathed, as the LORD God of Israel commanded.
Joshua 11:11-23
11 And they smote all the souls that were therein with the
edge of the sword, utterly destroying them: there was not
any left to breathe: and he burnt Hazor with fire.
12 And all the cities of those kings, and all the kings of
them, did Joshua take, and smote them with the edge of the
sword, and he utterly destroyed them, as Moses the servant
of the LORD commanded.
13 But as for the cities that stood still in their strength,
Israel burned none of them, save Hazor only; that did Joshua
burn.
14 And all the spoil of these cities, and the cattle, the
children of Israel took for a prey unto themselves; but
every man they smote with the edge of the sword, until they
had destroyed them, neither left they any to breathe.
15 As the LORD commanded Moses his servant, so did Moses
command Joshua, and so did Joshua; he left nothing undone of
all that the LORD commanded Moses.
16 So Joshua took all that land, the hills, and all the
south country, and all the land of Goshen, and the valley,
and the plain, and the mountain of Israel, and the valley of
the same;
17 Even from the mount Halak, that goeth up to Seir, even
unto Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon under mount Hermon:
and all their kings he took, and smote them, and slew them.
18 Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.
19 There was not a city that made peace with the children of
Israel, save the Hivites the inhabitants of Gibeon: all
other they took in battle.
20 For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts, that they
should come against Israel in battle, that he might destroy
them utterly, and that they might have no favour, but that
he might destroy them, as the LORD commanded Moses.
21 And at that time came Joshua, and cut off the Anakims
from the mountains, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and
from all the mountains of Judah, and from all the mountains
of Israel: Joshua destroyed them utterly with their cities.
22 There was none of the Anakims left in the land of the
children of Israel: only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod,
there remained.
23 So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the
LORD said unto Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance
unto Israel according to their divisions by their tribes.
And the land rested from war.
SUBJECT: Killing vs Murder
QUESTION: What is the difference between murder and
killing?
ANSWER
Notice this verse (Exodus 20:13): Thou shalt not kill.
This verse should be rendered, “Thou shalt not murder.”
There is a huge difference between “kill” and “murder”.
Look at what Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance shows for the
word “kill” in Exodus 20:13.
7523 ratsach (raw-tsakh');
a primitive root; properly, to dash in pieces, i.e. kill (a
human being), especially to murder:
KJV-- put to death, kill, (man-) slay (-er), murder (-er).
Note: Clearly,
this word is talking about murder rather than killing.
Notice the rendering of this word in the verses below…
Psalm 10:8
He sitteth in the lurking places of the villages: in the
secret places doth he murder the innocent: his eyes are
privily set against the poor.
Psalm 94:6
They slay the widow and the stranger, and murder (Strong’s
word 7523) the fatherless.
Jeremiah 7:9
Will ye steal, murder (Strong’s word 7523), and commit
adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and
walk after other gods whom ye know not;
Hosea 6:9
And as troops of robbers wait for a man, so the company of
priests murder (Strong’s word 7523) in the way by consent:
for they commit lewdness.
Matthew 19:18
He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no
murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not
steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,
In the New Testament, Strong’s Concordance shows the Greek
in this verse as…
5407 phoneuo (fon-yoo'-o);
from 5406; to be a murderer (of):
KJV-- kill, do murder, slay.
Romans 1:29
Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication,
wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy,
murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
Strongs’ word here is…
5408 phonos (fon'-os);
from an obsolete primary pheno (to slay); murder:
KJV-- murder, + be slain with, slaughter.
Note: All of
these verses render the word, “murder” rather than kill.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WAR AND
MURDER
Now let us look at something else that will help us to
understand this subject.
Take a look at the Blessings and Curses Chapters which are
Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28. These chapters outline the
blessings we, as a country or nation will have if we follow
God and the cursings or lack of blessings we will know if we
do not follow God and keep His commandments.
Leviticus 26:1-7
1 Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear
you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image
of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the
LORD your God.
2 Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I
am the LORD.
3 If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and
do them;
4 Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land
shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall
yield their fruit.
5 And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the
vintage shall reach unto the sowing time: and ye shall eat
your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely.
6 And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down,
and none shall make you afraid: and I will rid evil beasts
out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your
land.
7 And ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall
before you by the sword.
Note: Verse 7
shows that we chase our enemies and they shall fall before
the sword. Clearly, He would not hold us guilty for doing
what He commanded us to do.
Notice what the commentary says about this verse:
Leviticus 26:1-13
3. Victory and success in their wars abroad,
while they had peace and tranquility at home, v. 7, 8. They
are assured that the hand of God should so signally appear
with them in their conquests that no disproportion of
numbers should make against them: Five of you shall have
courage to attack, and strength to chase and defeat, a
hundred, as Jonathan did <1 Sam. 14:12>, experiencing the
truth of his own maxim (v. 6), that it is all one with the
Lord to save by many or by few.
~from
Matthew Henry's Commentary
Deuteronomy 28:6-7
6 Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed
shalt thou be when thou goest out.
7 The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against
thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out
against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.
Look at what the commentary says about this verse:
Deuteronomy 28:1-14
[6.] they should be victorious over their
enemies, and prosper in all their wars. If any were so
daring as to rise up against them to oppress them, or
encroach upon them, it should be at their peril, they should
certainly fall before them, v. 7. The forces of the enemy,
though entirely drawn up to come against them one way,
should be entirely routed, and flee before them seven ways,
each making the best of his way.
~from
Matthew Henry's Commentary
Now let us consider Exodus 12:21:
Exodus 21:12
He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put
to death. This is clearly speaking of murder and not
killing.
Notice the commentary:
Exodus 21:12-17
He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put
to death.
Capital Crimes. The sanctity of life is stressed by these
laws against murder, kidnapping, and violence. God curbs the
violence of sinful men by this sanction of strict justice. ~from
The Wycliffe Bible Commentary
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Read throughout the Old Testament how God went before Israel
in war. Read through Exodus and Joshua for example. You
will see the difference.
For additional help and understanding, get hold of Nave’s
Topical Bible and look under the subject of Homicide. There
are listed dozens of scriptures showing the difference
between killing and murder.
ANOTHER IMPORTANT ELEMENT
How having said all this…
Roman 14:23 tells us, “whatever is not of faith is sin”
which is to say that if we individually feel that something
is a sin to us, then it is. Despite all the scripture above
that proves that it is murder and not killing that we are
talking about, some may feel guilty for something they may
have done including either murder or killing. This is okay,
because there is repentance of sin.
At that moment you go before God in repentance for past
sins….YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY FORGIVEN.
Psalm 103:12-13
12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he
removed our transgressions from us.
13 Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD
pitieth them that fear him.
Isaiah 1:18
Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though
your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;
though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
Isaiah 43:25-26
25 I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for
mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.
26 Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare
thou, that thou mayest be justified.
Matthew 1:21
And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his
name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
Matthew 26:28
For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for
many for the remission of sins.
Acts 2:38
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one
of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of
sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Romans 4:7-8
7 Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven,
and whose sins are covered.
8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.
Hebrews 8:12
For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their
sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
1 John 2:1-2
1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye
sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the
Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours
only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
Note: We can
easily see that upon repentance that our sins are forgiven;
the slate is clean. If your husband and/or sons feel this
strongly about the past, they need only repent to have all
these past events to be wiped clean from their “record”.
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive
us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
---end---
FALSE GODS OF BIBLICAL TIMES
There is no question that to understand what "detestable
practices" the Word refers to in Ezekiel 16, Romans 1 and 1
Corinthians, it is important to know what was involved in
the worship of these false gods of Biblical times. Following
is some information from Nelson's Bible Dictionary and the
Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament:
From Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, 1986 and from
the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament:
"The pagan civilizations of Bible times worshiped many gods.
They had male and female deities, high and low gods,
assemblies of gods, priests and priestesses, and temples and
sacrifices. All the forces of nature that could not be
controlled or understood were considered supernatural powers
to be worshiped and feared. Most of the people of the
ancient world worshiped more than one god. These gods were
worshiped in the form of representative idols. This practice
is called idolatry. The pagan nations made statues or images
to represent the powers which they worshiped. Most of these
idols were in the form of animals or men. Each civilization
and culture had its own mythological structure, but these
structures were often quite similar. The names of the gods
may have been different, but their functions and actions
were often the same. The most prominent myth to cross
cultural lines was that of the fertility cycle. Many pagan
cultures believed that the god of fertility died each year
during the winter but was reborn each year in the spring.
"The ancient Babylonian and Assyrian goddess Ishtar
symbolized Mother Earth in the natural cycles of fertility
on earth. Many myths grew up around this female deity. She
was the goddess of love, so the practice of ritual
prostitution became widespread in the fertility cult
dedicated to her name. Temples to Ishtar had many priests
and priestesses, or sacred prostitutes, who symbolically
acted out the fertility rites of the cycle of nature. Ishtar
has been identified with the Phoenician Astarte, the Semitic
Ashtoreth, the Egyptian Isis, the Greek Aphrodite, and the
Roman Venus. Ishtar's male fertility counterpart was Tamuz
who was closely associated with the Canaanite fertility god,
Baal.
"Adremelech was a god worshiped by child sacrifice.
Egyptians gods were figures of men with heads of animal or
birds. The Canaanite god most often referred to is Baal who
was thought to provide productive forces of nature. Baal was
worshiped with much sensuality. As with the male shrine
prostitutes. Baal and related deities are also portrayed as
a mating bull, symbolizing fertility.
"Baal's mistress or lover was Anat. Anat is sometimes
identified with the queen of heaven in mentioned in
Jeremiah. Anat was the patroness of sex and passion. Lewd
figurines of this nude goddess, and various objects with
exaggerated sexual features have been discovered at various
archaeological sites in Palestine."
I went to a museum in Costa Rica that displayed similar
artifacts. These displays made the toys behind the counters
of the local "bookstores" look like a picnic.
From Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary
"Molech was the national deity of the Ammonites whose
worship was accompanied by the burning of children offered
up in sacrifice by their own parents. Chemosh was the
national god of the Moabites who was also worshiped with
child sacrifices. Ashtoreth was the ancient goddess of the
moon, sexuality, sensual love, and fertility and is often
associated with the worship of Baal. Zeus was the supreme
god of the Greeks. According to Greek mythology he was the
ruler of heaven and father of the other gods and mortal
heroes. Diana also called Artemis was the goddess of the
moon, hunting, wild animals, and virginity. Aphrodite was
the goddess of sensual love. In both the Old Testament and
the New Testament the people of God were surrounded by pagan
gods. The apostle Paul declared to the philosophers of
Athens, "I perceive that in all things you are very
religious". In the city of Athens, idols of pagan gods stood
on every street corner. The Athenians even erected an altar
"to the unknown god". Acts 17:22,23."
In worshiping any god, you must sacrifice something that the
god gives. To worship the god of fertility the people had
temple prostitution and offered child sacrifices. To worship
the sun or the river god, they would have festivals and
rituals involving the sun or the river. Now, in light of
this information let us look at Paul's writings in Romans
and in Corinthians. |