The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1943-11-05
THE SACREDNESS OF
HUMAN LIFE


HUMAN LIFE
LESSON TExT-Exodus 2o:13: Matthew
GOLDEN TExT-Whosoeve hateth his
brother Is murderer.[I John BIS.
Human life is sacred-and there
is very important reason why that
is true. 1t is not because of any law
of man, but finds it's foundation in
the fact that God created man in
His own likeness and image. Be-
cause that is true, no man has any
right to take the life of another for
any cause except at the direct COM
mand of God. Only by the orderly
process of law for the protection of
society and in accordance with the
Word of God may there be any such
action by man toward man.
Both of these truths are declared
in Scripture in Gods covenant with
Noah (Gen. 9:5, 81, which was made
possibly thousand years before the
Ten Commandments were given to
Moses.
One cannot deny that human life
is held rather cheaply in many
places today. War helps to create
that attitude on the part of nations
which makes them count boys and
girls, yes, mere babies, as "war ma
terial."
But not only in war is life care
lessly destroyed. We decry the
slaughter of innocents" on the
highway, unnecessary death in in
dustry, yes, even in the home.
1. The Prohibition Of Murder
(Exod. 20:13).
The word ''kill'' in this command
ment is one which means a violent
and unauthorized taking of life, and
is therefore more properly translat-
ed murder"
Not all killing is murder. A man
may kill another entirely accidental
ly, or he may be the duly consti-
tuted legal officer carrying out the
law Of the land in taking the life of
one who has forfeited his right to
live because he has slain another.
There is also the right of self
defense, be it Individual or collec-
tive as in war. But these are the
only exceptions; let us not attempt
to justify any other.
Murder is more prevalent than
most of us suppose. Some years
ago we were told that there was a
murder every forty minutes in our
land. With the general increase of
crime, and of drunkenness (which
so often incites murder), the cur
rent figures would probably show an
increase.
Do not forget the deaths, the de-
struction of life, by avoidable auto
mobile accidents. Some of these
were really murder because the one
responsible drove with defective
brakes, dangerous tires, or while he
was intoxicated. Add to these the
deaths in industry caused by failure
to provide proper safeguards or
healthy working conditions, and by
the exploitation of child labor, and
we say that we should cry aloud,
''Thou shalt do no murder"
III. The Provocation to Murder
Matt. 5:21, 22).
Murder finds it's provoking cause
in the heart of man. Our Lord was
concerned about correcting the de-
sires rather than to apprehend the
offender after the act had been COM
mitted. It is the better way, and
the more effective one.
In this matter of murder, Jesus
cut right through the outward as
poets of the matter and pointed out
that an angry hatred in the heart is
the root Of all murder. If we hate,
we have murder in our hearts. Cir
cumstances may hinder it's fulfill
ment, but the danger is always there
until we remove the cause.
Just being angry-calling our
brother s'raca" (the modern equiv
alent of which is nobody THEREBY,
and calling him ''thou fool" which
Classics him as morally worth
les" these are the three dread
full downward steps to murder. And
they begin in anger.
May God help those of us who
have strong feelings that we may
not yield them to the devil in such
anger against our brotheri
III. The Prevention Of Murder
(Matt. 5:23-26, 38-45).
Prevention with. God means more
than putting up a barrier to keep us
from killing. He deals with the
heart, and thus puts the whole life
right. 1t is not even a question of
how we may feel against our BROTH
er. If he has aught against us we
are to do all we can to win him. He
may be unreasonable, grasping, and
unfair. However, the spirit that win
win him is not that of retaliation or
sullen submission to the inevitable,
but rather a free and willing going
even beyond what is required.
1t is clear from other scriptures
that our Lord does not mean that
wicked and INSCRIPTIONS men are to
be permitted to defraud and destroy
Gods people. At the same time.
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