Israel was called to be a holy nation serving the one true living God. No fewer than 10 times in Deuteronomy God commands the Israelites that “You must purge the evil from among you.” Indeed the punishment for a stubborn and rebellious son was stoning so that “all Israel will hear of it and be afraid ”. This means that they had no gaols or other means of detaining offenders. One of the possible reasons was that at the time of the giving of the law the Israelite community was a nomadic community – moving from place to place on their way to the promised land. Looking at the list of punishments from Leviticus 20 one has to question why, for what seems relatively minor offences, the death penalty is commanded. If only they would avail themselves of the one true shedding of innocent blood for the forgiveness of sins – for everyone across all ages – the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
This is one of the issues for the Jewish community today, with no temple or tabernacle to present their sacrifices, as to how they gain atonement for their sins. Note that they were still banished from the Garden even though their sin had been atoned for. At the time when Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden, after taking the forbidden fruit, God himself killed an animal to make clothing for them, not only to cover their nakedness, but as a sign that innocent blood had to be shed for their sin. The Israelites were however commanded in a particular case to shed innocent blood – the blood of animal sacrifices – as it is only by the shedding of innocent blood that sins are forgiven. The destruction of the nations in the promised land prior to Israel taking possession was commanded by a just God in righteous judgement “due to the wickedness of these nations” (Deuteronomy 9:4-5). So we are starting to see that God allows the Israelite community to kill in order to exercise judgement but really detests the shedding of innocent blood – “You must purge from Israel the guilt of shedding innocent blood” (Deuteronomy 19 and 21). 2 Kings 21 and 24 detail the “filling of Jerusalem” with innocent blood that “the Lord was not willing to forgive”. There are a further 4 references to not shedding innocent blood in Deuteronomy 19 and 21.Ī further clue comes when Israel is facing destruction. Note that the killer was not just declared innocent and allowed to return to their normal life, but rather had to remain in the protection of the city of refuge otherwise the avenger of blood was still allowed to kill the killer outside of the city of refuge. preventing the avenger from shedding innocent blood (Exodus 23:7). accidental, then the killer was allowed to live and the avenger of blood was not permitted to avenge, ie. If indeed the killing was unintentional, ie. The cities of refuge were places where a killer could flee and plead his case if the killing had been unintentional. To paraphrase, if you killed someone, the next of kin – the avenger of blood – is allowed to pursue and kill you. When something is mentioned 4 times in the Bible then we really should take notice. In Numbers 35, Deuteronomy 4, Deuteronomy 19, and Joshua 20 we read about cities of refuge. The first clue comes from what is commanded to be done to someone who is indeed guilty of breaking the 6th Commandment. But surely to do so would involve not only killing but murder? Reading a bit further in Deuteronomy 7, where Israel is commanded to drive out the nations from the promised land, in verse 2 we read “you must destroy them totally.” Again in 1 Samuel 15:3 we read, “Do not spare them put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.” So this is not killing or murder but genocide – and it is commanded from God! There are no less than 10 punishments which require the perpetrator to put to death. Leviticus 20 starts to outline the various punishments for sin. Leviticus is considered by many as the Book of the Law that is found in the temple when an Israelite king decides to re-open the temple after a period of backsliding by the Jewish nation. Taking any command or passage from the Bible in isolation is fraught with danger so let us consider this important issue in the wider context of scripture. For Christians working in the military, taking this commandment in isolation can and does cause moral issues. The 6th commandment in verse 13 simply reads, “Thou shalt not kill”, or in some translations “You shall not murder”. In Exodus 10 we see the giving of the 10 Commandments to the Israelites.
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