The Ten Commandments #6 & #8

“High-Five” in one hand and hold up the “pointer finger” of the other. Then, point the pointer finger outward at your friend (or family member) and say, “Don’t commit murder!!” Then say, “Lucky for you, this thing wasn’t loaded.” (That part is optional! Ha!)

“Do not murder.” Exodus 20:13

Today, we are focusing on Commandments 6 & 8. If you remember, we already learned Commandment #7 when we learned #3 because they both deal with infidelity. (#3 deals with spiritual adultery, while #7 deals with physical adultery.)

6 & 8 are my kids’ favorites. Let dig-in.

6th COMMANDMENT: Hold up a “High-Five” in one hand and hold up the “pointer finger” of the other. Then, point the pointer finger outward at your friend (or family member) and say, “Don’t commit murder!!” Then say, “Lucky for you, this thing wasn’t loaded.” (That part is optional! Ha!)

“Do not murder.” Exodus 20:13

There is an ongoing debate among pacifists concerning the 6th Commandment and how it is to be interpreted as pertains to War and the Death Penalty. To be exact, the Commandment does not prohibit killing. It does not say, “Thou shalt not kill,” as many wrongly assume. Commandment #6 does prohibit murder. It says, “Do not murder.” This is entirely different from when the government punishes a heinous crime versus when a soldier fulfills his duties. There are times when taking another human life is absolutely necessary and lawful in the eyes of God. I recall an interview with U2 lead singer Bono when he commented on this very issue. He described how his personal political views, and his alignment with pacifist organizations like Amnesty International, did not always jive with the realities of imminent danger. He said he always considered himself a pacifist until he saw a man with a gun in his backyard. He told the reporter how he grabbed a knife and would have used it to defend his family. He said he did not doubt that he would have killed the intruder if necessity demanded it.

8th COMMANDMENT: Hold up a “High-Five” in one hand and three fingers on the other hand. Say, “I stole the bread, and I EIGHT (ate) it!

“Do not steal.” Exodus 20:15

Images of Les Misérables come flooding in…stealing bread in times of trouble. Seriously, do we have to go into the intricacies of stealing? It is simply taking what is not yours.

So, how are you doing so far? Can you recite all of them so far? #1…..#2….#3…..#4…..#5…..#6……#7……#8…..