Ethics Week 10 – Sixth Commandment – Part 1

Ethics Week 10 – 6^th Commandment

Intro

-           The next three commandments are linguistically short

• One word with the Hebrew for NOT
• But have some of the most extensive applications

Theological Background

-           God is the Lord of Life

• Gen 1:30
• Gen 2:7
• Man’s existence is physical and spiritual

-          Death as the summary of the result of Adam’s fall

• Gen 2:17
• Gen 3:19
• Everyone has a limited lifespan
  • No escape or rapture coming – mortality has always been part of who we are
  • Adam’s death was clearly spiritual as he did not immediately die physically – so his death that day was not physical

-          Spiritual death is loss of fellowship with God

• Eph 2:5
• Jesus died to sin for us – sacrifice – death – victim of murder
  • Rom 6:2-4

-          The bible is a book about life and death

• 2 Cor 5:4
• Ethics must involve a sacredness to our view of life

-          First prohibition against bloodshed

• Gen 9:5-6

-          WLC Q 135

-          WLC Q 136

-          Shocking that they include lack of cheerfulness?

• Prov 17:22

-          Linguistic

• Ratsakh – most often refers to killing that is unlawful or forbidden
• Not used for killing animals or killing in war
• Different from English word murder
  • It also applies to manslaughter and negligent homicide
    • Deut 19:5
    • Ex 21 :12-14
    • Num 35:9-34
    • Josh 20:1-9
    • Avenger of Blood
      • Cities of refuge
        • If it were judged to be an unintentional killing the slayer was safe inside the walls of the city of refuge
        • Until the death of high priest then free to return
        • Assumed to have been careless with human life
          • Seriousness of human life ins scripture

-          New Testament teaching on the commandment

• Jesus Traces causes of carelessness to human life  to the heart
  • Matt 5:21-26
  • Says sixth commandment forbids
    • Anger and verbal abuse as well
    • Also Lev 19:16-17
      • Not new with Jesus – Jesus did not change the law contrary to popular belief
      • I John 3:15
      • James 1:20
• Importance of resolving anger linked to this commandment
  • MTT `8: `5-20
    • Burden on the offended
    • Gal 6:1-2
    • I John 3:14-16

Love Vengeance and Self Defense

-           Ethic of Love taught by Jesus by quoting OT texts

• Matt 22:34-40
  • Deut 6:5
  • Lev 19:18
    • Grudges
• Exodus 23:4
  • How to treat enemies
  • Prov 24:17
  • Rom 12:20
    • Quoting Proverbs 25:21-22
• Mosaic law extends the commandments to those sojourning within Israel
  • Lev 19:34
• NT extends to all peoples through the gospel
  • Luke 10:25-37

-          Vengeance is the work of God alone

• Man is to avoid taking vengeance
  • Prov 20:222
  • Prov 24:29
  • Rom 12:14-21
• God’s work in vengeance
  • Deut 32:35
  • Ps 94:1
  • I Thess 4:6
• God appoints the family and by extension the state to be His instrument of justice
  • Rom 13:1-7
  • Gen 9:6
  • Ex 21:23-25
  • Btu God forbids individual human beings from carrying out vengeance
    • Matt 5:38-42
    • Endure
      • I Peter 2:13-3:17

-          Self Defense

• Matthew 5:38-42 –
  • Not a prohibition on self defense
  • Not seek payback for ourselves
• Endure unjust suffering
  • I Peter 2:13-3:17
• Defensive killing only when the sun ahs not risen
  • Ex 22:2-3
  • Presumption of less than lethal remedies during daylight

The sixth Commandment and Punishment

-           Theories of Punishment

• Authority must function with consequences for violating that authority
• Motives for Punishment
  • Deterrent
    • Punish to keep others from committing crime
    • Deut 13:11
    • Lev 1:1-17 – see seriousness of sin
    • Focus on General Society
    • Reformation
      • Punish the criminal for his own good
      • Like church discipline – goal is restoration
        • I Cor 5:5
        • 2 Cor 2:5-11
        • Prov 22:15
        • Focus on the Offender
      • Restitution
        • Those responsible for loss compensate those who have lost
        • Ex 22: 5,6, 12
        • Double restitution for theft
          • Ex 22: 4, 7, 9
          • Focus on the Victim
      • Restraint
        • Removal of perpetrator from society
          • So called purpose of prison
          • Not found really in scriptural law
          • Closest equivalence is sending them away from the society
            • Ex 12:19
            • Ex 30:33, 38
            • Ex 31: 14
            • Exile is closes to imprisonment in scripture
      • Taxation
        • Speed traps – no scriptural authorization
      • Retribution
        • Punish because the criminal deserves it
        • Objectively left to God

-          Observation

• “other motives for punishment become unjust if they are not based on a theory of just deserts (Cs Lewis).  If deterrence is the only consideration, one can justify punishing innocent people for the deterrence value.  On that basis it is not important that the person punished be guilty, only that he appear guilty to the public.  If reformation is the only issue, one can argue that everyone should be punished, since we could all use a bit of reforming.  Btu clearly such a reformation program is unjust unless the law identifies which people deserve top be place in a program of reform.
  • Show the primacy of retribution – JUSTICE
    • Lex talions
      • Eye for an eye