The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 110

walls, Men learn to command well by first obeying well, Even Christ's own prepam- tion for active service was fo110d in filial obedience at home; and be is not only our perfect example, who shows us what to do, he is also our omnipotent Saviour, who will givo us stren!':th to do it, Be it ours to repent not only of sin in general, but of the sin of disobedience to parents. Let us ask hi~ forgiveness 9.ij well as theirs, if the lal ter is yot possible. Let us implore his renewing grace that we may henceforth keep this and every command, not only because it is written in the Book, but because the love of it is graven on our hearts. It will be no small addition to the joy of retroqpect, if, as we afterwards look back on our home life, we can think of it as one of filial loyalty on ons side and of parental delight on the other I Ver. 17.-The sixth commandment. The religion of the temper. I(- a preacher were to announce this as a text in one of our Christian congregations, some of his hearers might be disposed to say, "Such a text might be appropriate enough if the preacher were expounding the Word of God to Zulus, but for us civilized, not to say Christianize,], people, it is out of place!" Obviously such a remark would be based on an acknow- lcd"'ed fact, that murder is one of those sins against God which are also a crime against hu~an law, and that no one in a congregation of ordinary character would be likely to dream of committing it. That is so, But we are apt to forget that ever. among Christian congregations it was not always so. When Peter is writing to believers, be deems it needful to say, "Let none of you suffer as a murderer," etc. And even now, in heathen lands, in many an audience of men just reclaimed from barbarism, it might be necessary for a missionary to preach from this text, adhering to it simply in the negalive form, " Thou shalt not kill." In endeavouring now to "open it up" for pulpit use, we would recall to the reader some elementary principles concerning the law already named. 1. That the Law was first given in infantine form. God laid down precepts rather than assigned reasons. 2. That the form in which the Divine Being could put the most effective guard around human life.was by a stern and strong prohibition like this, proclaimed amid thunder and lightning, terror and flame. 3. That though the form of the precept is negative, yet it has a positive significance, of such depth and breadth that, even though we may shrink with horror from transgressing the former, it is by no means an elementary stage of Christian character which any one has reacheu if he attains to the latter. So far were the Jewish rabbis from catching the spirit of this command, that they dealt with it as if the negative prohibitions of the act of murder were the whole of its meaning. Our Lord, in his Sermon on the Mount, shows us how much deeper than this the precept goes (see Matt. v. 21-26). And the AposUe Paul, in Rom. xiii. 9, 10, indicates what positive virtue must be cultivate.d, the maintenance of which will make it impossible to transgress the sixth command- ment. If we include in our Homily a notice of these later teachings, it may appear that, even with:au our advances, there is something here for us to study, some holy prnctice for us yet to strive after, urged upon us by weighty reasons, which, though not presented in the world's childhood, are set in full force in "these last days." Let us, then- I. LOOK AT TilE MEANING OF THIS COM.MAND. It is sixfold. 1. It forbids the taking of human life from passionate vindictiveness. The Hebrews had, as we have, two verbs with the distinctive meanings of "to kill" and "to murder." \Ve sec in the quotation in Matt. xix. 18, and from the reference in Matt. v. 21, that the Saviour regards tho command as a prohibition of passionate lawlessness, But even bad we not that light from Chris-t's teaching, the legislation of Moses himself would shut us up t,;, the same conclusion. For in the administration of justice and in necessary war, the taking or life w~s conrnrnnded (see Numb. xv. 85; xxx.v. 31; Exod. xxi. 12-14).. ~~, that, unless we recrard the lawrriver as settin" enactment a(}'ainst enactment, there 1s Ill lliis comnrnndment a prohibitign of passionat~ outbreaks, b~t neither of capital punish- ment nor necessary war. 2. It forbids any carelessness by which the life or weal of our 1!e!ghbonr would b~ risked (Exod, xxi. 28, 29). Wherever human life is ris_ked by insuf- hc1cnt precaution, there is a breach of the sixth commandment. 3. It forbids that anger which takes the form of a revengeful spirit. So Christ teac~es. This prec~pt strikes at lhe thoughts nnd intents of the heart. Every time a schoolboy angnly lifts a hand to hurt his school-fellow, he is breaking in spirit this commandment. 4. It forbids DEl1 TERONO.UY, 11 98 THE BOOK OF DEUTERONOMY. [oH. V. 1-33,