“…[Y]e slew [Zacharias] between the temple and the altar.”                                                                                                                                         (Matthew 23)

“Hatred stirreth up strifes…”  (Proverbs 10)

“But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without cause shall be in danger of the judgment [of murder]…  (Matthew 5)

“From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?”  (James 4)

 

When you study criminology your find four (4) motives for murder. 1. Revenge,  2. Sex,  3. Drugs,  4. [Love of] money.  However when you study human depravity and human behaviour and an objective source, such as the Word of God,  We find Scripture demonstrating the root of murder is anger and hatred. When Scripture says anger it doth not mean irritation or annoyance, but anger and hate that is dwelt upon and thought about for lengths of time. As a man thinketh so is he, if a person dwells upon resentment (anger) long enough that person is more and more likely to act upon that anger, that resentment, that bitterness, and that hatred.

“Hatred stirreth up strife,” says the wise man. Think of a witch stirring her potions in a cauldron, she stands there thinking and meditating upon the harm her potion will cause, she will undoubtedly work herself up and get herself excited with the anticipation of working her work.  This is how anger, hate, bitterness, and resentment works within a person. A persistent resentment, and anger without a cause builds up to action.  Judas, before he betrayed the Master thought upon it, it did not just pop into his head to sell his Friend to the enemy.  Absolom didn’t wake up one (1) morning and decide to kill Amnon, who raped their sister. Likewise Cain and Able fit the pattern, Abel was most likely the favourite and that stirred up hatred, and resentment.

Anger without cause, bitterness, resentment, and hatred are a perfect storm for lusting after murder.  There is the murder of the body, and there is the murder of reputation, careers, and a person’s future, Isaiah asks, who will declare His generation, speaking of Christ still to come. He speaks of the future that the Man Jesus could have had if he had not been murdered, risen, and ascended to His Glory.

Who shall declare [h]is generation? This is a fitting question for our time. Allegations, whispers, gossip, backbiting, a person “just sayin,’ ”   or asking, “Did you hear?” with intentions of spreading the word, small w. All of this tripe can kill or murder a person’s reputation and life. What is the Christ-ian to do with this?

If the Christ-ian is told something that is rumour or gossip, the Christ-ian should shut all of it down quick and fast, tell the silly murderer of a person’s reputation to stop spreading the evil seeds of destruction.  Go to the person in question and see how you might be a help meet. Methinks this is a Christ-like solution…”Get thee behind [M]e, (s)atan.”

Skuttlebut, gossip, rumours, locker room talk, backbiting all of it has one (1) origin and that origin is (s)atan. (s)atan, we are told is a liar and a murderer from the beginning. You see, lying and murder go together, Hatred, resentment, bitterness, anger without a cause is all of the wicked one (1). Therefore, Reader, when you take part in this, you are taking part with (s)atan’s agenda and are (s)atan-like and not Christ-like.

Ask God to put a guard upon thy lips, as David did. Ask God to put out the fire that is your tongue. Keep quiet, and love thy neighbor and do unto them as you would have them do unto you.

As to revenge, sex (adultery and fornication), drugs, and [love of] money, these things ought not be in our lives anyway. If these things be there and they beset you, pray against it, If these thorns in the flesh assault you, Keep the faith. Sometimes, the besetting sin is to keep us humble, not an excuse or a provision to indulge, we should still fight against besetting sins.  “…Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.”  Easily said, and typed, i know. But therein is the power to overcome.

Godspeed.