How many thou shalt not in the bible

Such students tend to associate New Testament Christianity with peace as Jesus himself famously called on others to turn the other cheek when confronted with violence. I find I often have to restrain myself a bit when I respond.

Not because I am upset with the student, of course, but because I feel tempted to cover too much in my response. These passages do not have God himself do the killing; he keeps somewhat aloof. Indeed, if we treat the Hebrew Scriptures as a historical source, the ancient Israelites were often at war with their neighbors or enemies and so it is not surprising that their scriptural texts would reflect this violent reality. Make no treaty with them and show them no mercy.

Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey. Indeed, we have not even considered the many explicit references to the divinely approved executions of various sinners e. What then, as my students sometimes wonder, is the distinction between killing and murder? Although they intuitively sense there is a difference, it is always popular discussion when we engage the topic in class.

Primarily, it is a legal distinction. All murder involves killing, but not all killings are considered murders. Murder represents an unlawful killing.

Soldiers who kill in combat during the course of a war, for example, kill their enemies, but such killings have not typically been considered murder. Do not fear or panic or be in dread of them, for the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory. Let him go back to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man dedicate it.

See to it yourself. Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.

Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority?

Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.

Only know for certain that if you put me to death, you will bring innocent blood upon yourselves and upon this city and its inhabitants, for in truth the Lord sent me to you to speak all these words in your ears.

Though he has escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live. He sits in ambush in the villages; in hiding places he murders the innocent. His eyes stealthily watch for the helpless; he lurks in ambush like a lion in his thicket; he lurks that he may seize the poor; he seizes the poor when he draws him into his net.

The helpless are crushed, sink down, and fall by his might. Your eye shall not pity him, but you shall purge the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, so that it may be well with you. The murderer shall be put to death. And if he struck him down with a stone tool that could cause death, and he died, he is a murderer. Or if he struck him down with a wooden tool that could cause death, and he died, he is a murderer. The avenger of blood shall himself put the murderer to death; when he meets him, he shall put him to death.

And if he pushed him out of hatred or hurled something at him, lying in wait, so that he died, You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

And I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ. In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth.

Therefore let your words be few. For a dream comes with much business, and a fool's voice with many words. When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vow. It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women.

So what do you say? Gather together, yes, gather, O shameless nation, before the decree takes effect —before the day passes away like chaff— before there comes upon you the burning anger of the Lord , before there comes upon you the day of the anger of the Lord. Seek the Lord , all you humble of the land, who do his just commands; seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the Lord. For Gaza shall be deserted, and Ashkelon shall become a desolation; Ashdod's people shall be driven out at noon, and Ekron shall be uprooted.

Woe to you inhabitants of the seacoast, you nation of the Cherethites! The word of the Lord is against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines; and I will destroy you until no inhabitant is left.

King Belshazzar made a great feast for a thousand of his lords and drank wine in front of the thousand. When Jesus came, He clarified the law, teaching what God truly desired from His people. The Law did not just dictate what actions people should or should not take, but also what the condition of the heart ought to be.

The Lord wants people to be like Him, holy and righteous, which is an internal condition as much as it is external action. Jesus came and released Christians from the burdens of the law, because He served as the final sacrifice in atonement for the sins of the world. But He also came to uphold and fulfill the law, including the Ten Commandments.

People struggle to live upright lives that line up with their values, set by the first ten rules. Wilmington, H. Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers Inc. Bethany Verrett is a freelance writer and editor.

She maintains a faith and lifestyle blog graceandgrowing. Shoebox Collection Week is Here! Plus Toggle navigation. Password Assistance. Email address. Bethany Verrett. Share Tweet Save. Sandra Hamer Smith.