The sixth commandment says, "You shall not murder." (Exodus 20:13) Some versions of the Bible, such as the King James, render this verse as, "Thou shalt not kill," but the word would be more appropriately translated as "murder" because the intent is that people would not unlawfully take the life of another. Several examples of the unlawful taking of a life include a killing that is premeditated with malice aforethought, a killing that takes place during in a fit of rage in the heat of the moment, or a killing that occurs as a result of or during the commission of some other type of crime. Later in the Bible we'll find the Lord laying out circumstances under which capital punishment is legal. We will also find Him not condemning killings that take place during battle and, in some cases, instructing the Israelites to completely wipe out certain wicked, pagan tribes in Canaan. So we see that the sixth commandment is speaking of the taking of a human life under the type of circumstances our own legal system today would consider "murder", not the taking of a human life in war, in self defense, or as punishment for a capital crime.
I am not here to argue for or against capital punishment. I have mixed feelings about it myself and maybe you do too. I am just pointing out the fact that it was legal, on the pages of the Bible, to carry out capital punishment if the case met certain conditions and if the person's crime was witnessed by the required number of persons to establish guilt beyond a shadow of a doubt. Some of the laws that will be given to the Israelites in the Old Testament are stricter than some of the laws we follow today and the death penalty could be administered for offenses we'd never consider a capital offense in our own times. When we study those laws we'll be discussing some possible reasons why the Lord laid down such strict rules while the nation of Israel was forming.
But in all societies of the world and since the beginning of time, as far as we know, all cultures appear to recognize the intentional, unlawful taking of human life as "murder". It is the absolute worst crime one person can perpetrate against another.
Now we move on to the seventh commandment. "You shall not commit adultery." (Exodus 20:14) The first four commandments regard how a person is to treat the Lord. The last six commandments regard how a person is to treat his fellow man. We've already taken a look at the commandments to honor our parents (and, by extension, to have care and concern for all the elderly) and to not take a human life unlawfully. Now we look at the commandment that says not to treat our marriage partner cruelly.
Our relationship with the Lord should be the most important relationship in our lives, but right after that comes our relationship with our spouse. Time and time again the Bible compares the relationship between a husband and wife to the relationship between the Lord and Israel or to the relationship between Christ and the church. Marriage is holy and sacred in the eyes of God. Within the bonds of marriage is the only place God considers sexual relations to not be a sin. Marriage is the foundation of the home and provides a stable environment for the raising of children. Marriage has a civilizing effect on the individuals involved and on society as a whole. God has placed His stamp of approval on it and He considers it such a holy institution and such an unbreakable covenant that He only recognizes divorce and remarriage as being legal when one marriage partner has committed adultery against the other. (Matthew 19:9) The innocent party has the right to divorce the unfaithful partner and find another marriage partner if he or she wants to do so. But the breaking up of marriages and homes could be avoided if the persons involved would obey the seventh commandment and not commit adultery in the first place.
I don't think the Bible is saying a couple cannot separate for a time under certain conditions, although even then the goal is that the problem would be corrected and the couple would reconcile. (For this type of marital advice for Christian couples, you may consult 1 Corinthians 7). But there are reasons why a person might have to leave the marital home for their own physical, emotional, or mental safety. If a marriage partner is being abusive to their spouse or children then I don't feel the Bible commands anyone to remain in a home that is not safe, and generally you won't find the pastors of mainstream denominations advising anyone to remain in an abusive situation. Separation is sometimes necessary for safety or as a method of trying to get the marriage partner to correct other behaviors that are seriously harmful to the family, such as when that person has descended deeply into addiction. The Bible also says that if one marriage partner becomes a Christian and the other does not, and if the unbeliever wants to leave the believer, the believer is not to try to force them to remain in the home. (1 Corinthians 7:15) But in all these cases we've just outlined, the Bible doesn't seem to be telling the innocent party to file for divorce. These waters are murky, to be sure, and in our society today the innocent party may actually feel compelled to file for divorce due to legal, financial, and custodial reasons. Very few church leaders or church members in these times would condemn the idea of a person divorcing their spouse for certain very serious issues that are capable of tearing marriages and families apart. But Biblically speaking we only find adultery being named as legal grounds for divorce and it's only under those circumstances that we find remarriage valid in the eyes of God.
Adultery breaks the most sacred covenant between human beings. It has a ripple effect that spreads out far and wide, like when you throw a pebble into a pond. It affects at least one marriage---two if both the people involved in the illicit relationship were married. It affects the children, not just children who still live in the home but also the adult children, for their family life will never be the same. It affects the in-laws who are deeply saddened by the breakup of their child's marriage. The parents of the innocent party will experience pain and indignation on behalf of their grown child. The parents of the guilty party will feel all sorts of emotions, but will likely spend many years wishing their child had kept his or her marriage vows and had not brought unnecessary pain into the lives of their spouse and children. Adultery can affect a person's career and work relationships, especially if their illicit relationship involved someone they work with. It can affect a person's standing in the community; some of their friends and neighbors will cut off contact with them to show solidarity with the innocent party. The commission of adultery, and the consequences of that act, can follow a person for the rest of his or her life. It can affect the innocent spouse and the children and many other members of the family for the rest of their lives. The Lord considers it such a serious offense that He placed it on the ten commandment list right after murder.
Tomorrow we take a look at the final three commandments.
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