Lord’s Day 40
Q106. Does this commandment only talk about killing?
No. By forbidding murder, God teaches us that he hates the root of murder: envy, hatred, anger, and wanting to get revenge. In God's eyes, all of these are murder.
Scripture Proofs — King James Version
Proverbs 14:30
“A sound heart the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones.”
Romans 1:29
“Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,”
Romans 12:19
“Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.”
Galatians 5:19–21
“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are ; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”
1 John 2:9–11
“He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.”
1 John 3:15
“Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.”
Parent Guide
Discuss this question together
Discussion Questions
- 1
What does the catechism say are the roots of murder?
- 2
How can envy or anger be as serious as murder in God's eyes?
- 3
When have you felt jealous of someone, and what happened in your heart?
Illustration
A thermometer shows the temperature inside a room, not just at the window. God reads the temperature of our hearts, not just our outward actions. Envy and hatred register on God's thermometer even when no one else can see them.
Application
If you catch yourself feeling envious of a classmate or sibling this week, name it honestly in prayer. Ask God to replace that envy with gratitude for what he has given you. Because God sees the heart, confessing hidden sins to him is a good habit to build.