Why murders are aplenty in Old Testament while none in New Testament Church?

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Do not murder – was one of the sacred commandments of the Old Testament. Life is God-breathed. No man has the authority to curtail it. Yet we find a number of murders in the Old Testament either before or after the law was given through Moses.

First let’s consider the period prior to the law. Fallen Adam’s first child Cain murdered his brother Abel. Jacob’s sons Simeon and Levi killed Hamor and Shechem (Gen 34:26) to secure their sister Dinah and killed all the males in the city. Moses killed an Egyptian (Ex 3:12) when he saw him beating a fellow Hebrew.

After the law was given, we rather see an increase of it. At the fall of Jericho, Joshua and team destroyed the city and put to death its men and women (Josh 6:21). They had to kill many to capture Canaan.  Through the times of Judges, we see more of it. Saul has slain his thousands and David his tens of thousands (1 Sam 18:7) the people sang as they danced. The list of murders goes on and on through the times of the kings of Judah and Israel.

Why did the people of Old Testament fail to obey the law – Do not murder. Why there was a surge in the murders after God gave the law to Moses?

Let us turn over to the New Testament now. The Jews attempted to stone the lady to death who was caught in the act of adultery (John 8). Jesus timely prevented it with his historical verdict that the one who has not sinned may stone her (John 8:7). The crowd surrendered to his divine rhetoric and slipped away. A murder was prevented here.

Peter attempted a murder of the soldier who came to arrest Jesus (John 18:10). However, Jesus stepped in and healed him and cautioned Peter that the one who lifts the sword will die by it. Paul and his team stoned Stephen to death. Paul the Jew destroyed many Christians. Did Paul the Christian murder someone? No, not at all. After his conversion, he became the fragrance of Christ for the known world then. The worst of all murders is the crucifixion of Christ. To crown it all, Jesus forgave all his assassins from the cross.

Most of the disciples of Jesus were martyred. We see no violence against the assassins by the church. We do not see the church unleashing an attack on Herod and family for the murder of the disciple James.

 

From a history of murders, the church moved to 

forgiving its murderers

What drove this dramatic transformation in the lives of people in New Testament? It could well be explained using Paul’s epistles.  

But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desires. For apart from the law, sin was dead. When the commandment came, sin revived. For sin taking occasion by the commandment deceived me and by it killed me (Rom 7:8,9,11). So, sinful nature of man grabbed the opportunity to drag people into sins with the arrival of law.

Should we blame the law for our misdeeds? No, not all for we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin for what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate I do (Rom 7:14,15). Law of Moses could define sin but couldn’t set man free from it.

So, who can save man from this wretched state of sinfulness? Paul has the answer for this most crucial question.

O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God – through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Rom 7:24,25)

Jesus the lamb takes away the sin. Jesus alone can save mankind from this wretched condition. For law was given through Moses, but Grace and Truth came through Jesus (John 1:17) and sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace (Rom 6: 14)

So, Grace available through Jesus made all the difference. Grace through Jesus alone can destroy sin’s dominion over mankind. This made the difference in New Testament. Church of New Testament lived under God’s grace, and they found themselves adhering to the Law without having to chase it.

Let’s surrender our lives to God’s Grace through Jesus, so that the grip of sin would be loosed from our lives.

 

Prakash T John

 

#Grace, #Sin, #Donotmurder

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