#1 — The Sixth Commandment!
Our journey through the Ten Commandments for 2026 continues, and it has been an interesting journey for our family. Delving into each commandment has helped us look more closely at what they mean and how they apply to our lives. We’re also learning that these ancient commandments are just as relevant to us today as they were when they were first given to Moses and the Israelites on Mount Sinai. 🙏
In July, we explored the sixth commandment: “Do not commit murder.”
As we’ve worked through the commandments, we notice an interesting pattern. The first four focus on our relationship with God — our Creator and Heavenly Father. The fifth turns our attention to our earthly parents, and the remaining five speak to our relationships with others.
There is a progression here that we find profound: get the first five wrong, and the remaining five will be no better for you. Our relationship with God and the honour we show those He has placed over us lay the foundation for how we relate to everyone else.
And that is why I’ve titled this part of our journey “Love Your Neighbours .” As we move into the final five commandments, we turn our attention to what it means to love and live well with others.
Bible reading 📖
Exodus 20:13 NIV
[13] “You shall not murder.
Reflections 🙌
I remember the Ten Commandments very well from growing up, and I don’t recall the sixth commandment being worded as “You shall not murder.” The wording I remember was, “You shall not kill.”
During our family Zoom devotion in July, my brother enlightened us on the distinction between these two words. I found it interesting, so I looked up their dictionary definitions to better understand the difference.
Murder refers specifically to the unlawful and unjustified killing of a person, often with deliberate intent.
Kill is broader. It means to deprive someone or something of life, but it can also mean to put an end to something. It can refer to people, animals or even something figurative.
That distinction helped me appreciate why “You shall not murder” communicates the sixth commandment more precisely in modern English. At its foundation, God is establishing a fundamental principle for how we are to treat others: human life is valuable, and we are not to take it unjustly.
If we love our neighbours — our family, our friends, those around us and even those we encounter along the way — we are called to value and respect their lives.
In the New Testament Jesus takes this commandment deeper.
The sixth commandment is not simply about refraining from physically taking another person’s life. It also calls us to examine what is happening within our hearts. Anger, hatred, resentment, slander, lies and destructive thoughts can all cause harm. Words can wound. Reputations can be destroyed. People can be deeply hurt emotionally and mentally without us ever laying a hand on them.
Matthew 15:18-20 NIV
[18] But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. [19] For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. [20] These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”
What happens on the outside often begins on the inside. An unchecked heart can give rise to anger; anger can become resentment; resentment can become hatred; and hatred can lead to words and actions that cause real harm.
John makes this even more confronting:
1 John 3:15 NIV
[15] Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.
That certainly makes us stop and think.
So, “Do not murder” challenges us to look beyond our actions and examine our hearts, our thoughts, our words and the way we treat others.
That is why I’ve titled this “Love Your Neighbour #1 — The Sixth Commandment.” We are reminded that loving our neighbour begins within us. It is not simply about what we do; it is also about what we allow to take root in our hearts.
Our relationships with those around us matter, and they are shaped by our relationship with God and by the relationships we have with our parents — or those who have played that role in our lives.
So guard your hearts, my friends. ❤️ Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul, and love your neighbour as yourself. 🙏
The sixth commandment may be only four words — “You shall not murder” — but Jesus reminds us that God is concerned not only about people taking other lives unjustly or unlawfully, but He also cares about the heart we carry.
Prayer 🙏
Merciful Father,
Grant us hearts that are loving and forgiving, souls that are kind and compassionate, bodies that are strong, and minds filled with Your peace — the peace that surpasses all understanding.
Guard our hearts, Lord, and leave no room for anger, envy, resentment, hatred or bitterness — anything that can take root within us and draw us away from loving You and loving our neighbours.
Forgive us, Father, for the times we have failed You and hurt those around us through our words, thoughts or actions. Help us to be mindful of what we allow into our hearts and what we allow to come out of them.
Teach us to love as You have called us to love, to forgive as we have been forgiven, and to treat others with the same grace and mercy You continually show us.
May the love of God the Father, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us each day.
Amen. 🙏
To God be the glory always 🙏❤️
Idau Hahine 