Growing with God: A daily devotional with Tonia Slimm.
Proverbs 28:17 (NIV)
Anyone tormented by the guilt of murder will seek refuge in the grave; let no one hold them back.
Proverbs 28:17 (MSG)
A murderer haunted by guilt is doomed—there’s no helping him.
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“A man who is burdened with the guilt of human blood (murder) will be a fugitive until death; let no one support him or give him refuge.” -AMPLIFIED
“It is neither safe nor prudent to do anything against conscience.”
~Martin Luther
Guilt, the God-given feeling that we experience when we have done something wrong. Guilt pricks our conscience, pointing out that we have done something wrong. It is the Holy Spirit convicting us that we have done something wrong in the sight of God.
“Conscience is the voice of God in the soul.” ~James H. Aughey
“A man guilty of murder is a fugitive, fleeing to the nearest hole in the ground but not escaping death’s cold pit. Don’t do anything to save him.” -(VOICE)
What we find Solomon turning his attention to now is the murderer and the guilt that he will live with. Solomon tells us that when someone intentionally takes the life of another human being he will spend the rest of his life living with the guilt of his actions.
“A murderer’s conscience will drive him into hell. Don’t stop him!” -(TLB)
At the very beginning of the Bible we can find the story of Cain and Abel, these were the sons of Adam and Eve. We will not go into the whole story, but we do need to remember that jealousy was at the root of what Cain did. Jealousy is resentment against another because they have something that you want. In Cain and Abel’s case, Abel had God’s favor and blessing, Cain did not. Why didn’t Cain have God’s favor, you may ask? It was because Cain did not give God his best.
When Cain saw that God accepted Abel’s gift and not his own he became angry and killed his brother, murder. After Cain’s actions we find recorded this conversation between God and Cain:
“God said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “How should I know? Am I his babysitter?” God said, “What have you done! The voice of your brother’s blood is calling to me from the ground. From now on you’ll get nothing but curses from this ground; you’ll be driven from this ground that has opened its arms to receive the blood of your murdered brother. You’ll farm this ground, but it will no longer give you its best. You’ll be a homeless wanderer on Earth.” Cain said to God, “My punishment is too much. I can’t take it! You’ve thrown me off the land and I can never again face you. I’m a homeless wanderer on Earth and whoever finds me will kill me.” God told him, “No. Anyone who kills Cain will pay for it seven times over.” God put a mark on Cain to protect him so that no one who met him would kill him. Cain left the presence of God and lived in No-Man’s-Land, east of Eden.” -Genesis 4:9-16 (MSG)
For the rest of his life Cain lived with the guilt of having killed his brother.
God has a very strong opinion about murder; He hates it. The Creator of the Universe created mankind in His own image. He breathed life into man, making him a living soul. God has a purpose and a plan for each and every one of those souls. For someone to cut another person’s life short makes God angry. The Bible tells us this:
“The Eternal searches the hearts of those who are good, but He despises all those who can’t get enough of perversion and violence. If you are evil, He will rain hot lava over your head, will fill your cup with burning wind and liquid fire to scorch your insides.” -Psalm 11:5-6 (VOICE)
God, addressing Noah and his sons, gave us a very good idea about His attitude about murder. God said to them:
“But your own lifeblood I will avenge; I will avenge it against both animals and other humans. Whoever sheds human blood, by humans let his blood be shed, because God made humans in his image reflecting God’s very nature. You’re here to bear fruit, reproduce, lavish life on the Earth, live bountifully!” -Genesis 9:5-7 (MSG)
By killing another human being the murderer shows contempt toward God. And God will not tolerate that contempt. In fact, God felt so strongly about this that when He gave Moses the Ten Laws one of them dealt specifically with murder.
“You shall not commit murder (unjustified, deliberate homicide).” -Exodus 20:13 (AMP)
And so there was no doubt in anyone’s mind He told the people of Israel the consequence of murder:
“If someone hits another and death results, the penalty is death. But if there was no intent to kill—if it was an accident, an ‘act of God’—I’ll set aside a place to which the killer can flee for refuge. But if the murder was premeditated, cunningly plotted, then drag the killer away, even if it’s from my Altar, to be put to death.” -Exodus 21:12-14 (MSG)
Jesus gave His followers an even higher standard to follow. He tole them this:
“You’re familiar with the command to the ancients, ‘Do not murder.’ I’m telling you that anyone who is so much as angry with a brother or sister is guilty of murder. Carelessly call a brother ‘idiot!’ and you just might find yourself hauled into court. Thoughtlessly yell ‘stupid!’ at a sister and you are on the brink of hellfire. The simple moral fact is that words kill.” -Matthew 5:21-22 (MSG)
“Hating people is like burning down your own house to get rid of a rat.”
~Harry Emerson Fosdick
John the Beloved wrote this to the churches at large about hate and murder:
“The way we know we’ve been transferred from death to life is that we love our brothers and sisters. Anyone who doesn’t love is as good as dead. Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know very well that eternal life and murder don’t go together.” -1 John 3:15 (MSG)
Finally, let us consider this directive that was given tot he children of Israel:
“Do not harbor a deep hatred for any of your relatives. If your neighbor is doing something wrong, correct him or else you could be held responsible for his sin.” -Leviticus 19:17 (VOICE)
“‘Do not hate a fellow Israelite in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in their guilt.” -Leviticus 19:17 (NIV)
My friend, be careful that you are not hating another, or physically committing murder; for if you do, that guilt will follow you for the rest of your life. God has placed strict guidelines and penalties in place so that we are not offending or provoking Him to anger. Let us be obedient to His commands. In doing so, we will not need to have guilt follow us through the journey of this life.
“We can serve God only with a clear conscience. An opaque one shall surely cause us to shrink back intuitively from God.” ~Watchman Nee
My Prayer:
Lord, God, examine my heart and see if I have committed hatred, murder in my heart. If I have, I ask that you will forgive me. Replace that anger, jealousy and hatred with your agape love for that person. May I never sear my God-given conscience. Lord, I humbly ask for your Holy Spirit’s guidance in this matter. Help me, Lord, to appreciate the sanctity and holiness of life as you do.
Growing with God 