"Murder," He (God) wrote. "Don't do it."

When we think of murderers, we think of Jeffrey Dalhmer with human body parts hidden in a refrigerator; or Vladimir Putin waging war on innocent Ukrainian civilians or a mentally ill young man with an assault rifle mowing down nineteen Uvalde elementary students on their last day of school. We don’t envision 12-and-14-year-old junior high girls as murderers. But back in September, 2013, a 12-year-old and 14-year-old were arrested for murder, not by hand, not by bombs, not by bullets, but by Facebook. Rebecca Sedgwick jumped from the top of an abandoned concrete plant. Authorities said the 14-year-old girl was Rebecca's chief tormenter, and the girl who posted a taunting message on the Internet about what had happened.

"Yes, I bullied REBECCA and she killed herself but I-D-G-A-F."

I thought social media like Facebook was a place where you connected with friends. Apparently, it is a place for murderers to connect as well. Facebook is not the only unlikely place for murderers.

There might be murderers here to include you and me. We have the potential to literally and spiritually murder people. That is why God posted NK on Facebook long before there was a Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. It was on Commandgram—the first-generation social media of the Ten Commandments where Moses hid his face from the face of God as God texted out NK on tablets of stone. It stands for “No Killing”—the sixth commandment of the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments are not about rules, but relationship between God and man and man and God. He wants to be our God and you, his people. He doesn’t want us killing each other.

So, what constitutes killing in the eyes of God? Can a Facebook post or a malicious text constitute murder?

There are two sides to murder. We see one side in the Old Testament in Exodus 20:13 and the other side in the New Testaments in Matthew 5:21-26.

We see the literal side of killing in the Old Testament, and the spiritual side in the New. Text an angry friend “NK”. They need to know that anger is often the genesis of killing, the motivation of murder. Anger can be the “W” of our WMD—weapon of mass destruction, and WSD—weapons of spiritual destruction. They both bring with them a stiff penalty—God’s judgment—death. NK is God’s way of saying W.G.A.R.C.A.R.—what goes around comes around.

First, in the Old Testament, killing literally means murder by hand. We see that in the key word “ratsach” in Exodus 20:13. To kill—ratsha—means to murder with premeditation and intentionality.

13 "You shall not murder. Exodus 20:13

While Hebrew language possesses seven words for killing, the word used here—ratsach —appears forty-seven times in the Old Testament. Wherever it appears, the context is the same—plans of the hand to kill. In other words, someone planned it in their mind and intended with their hands to take a life. And you don’t even have to get your hands bloody to do it. David hands were clean, but his mind and motive were the same—kill Uriah, the husband of the woman he was having an affair with. You know the story in 2nd Samuel 12:

9 'Why have you despised the word of the LORD by doing evil in His sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon. 2Sam 12:9.

David’s best friend Nathan got David to confess that he placed Uriah in the front lines with orders from his generals to withdraw their support. Uriah didn’t stand a chance. He would go to his grave never knowing that David was the father of the baby Bathsheba was carrying. David didn’t raise a sword, but the blood of Uriah was on his hands. It was a murder of omission, but murder just the same.

King Ahab intentionally and with premeditation murdered Naboth. The king wanted Naboth’s garden by any means necessary. In 1Kings 21:9, King Ahab went crying to his gangster-wife—Jezebel—who arranged by a bogus trial the execution of Naboth. Ahab didn’t pull the trigger, but he loaded the gun for his evil wife to fire. It was murder by omission, but murder just the same.

15 And it came about when Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, "Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth, the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money; for Naboth is not alive, but dead." 1 Kings21:15

Murder by any means necessary—commission or omission—is still murder by hand and killing with a plan. Both will receive the judgement hand of God. Look what God did to Ahab.

…'Thus says the LORD, "In the place where the dogs licked up the blood of Naboth the dogs shall lick up your blood, even yours." 1 Kings 21:19

W-G-A-R-C-A-R—“What goes around, comes around” means this: if you planned it, you will pay for it in kind. The dogs that lick up the innocent, will east on heels of murderers.

Gen 9:6 "Whoever sheds man's blood, By man his blood shall be shed, For in the image of God He made man.

Text someone you know whose hands are clean but their minds are stained with plans to do someone in, in all sorts of ways that don’t always draw blood, but cause hurt, harm and intentional danger in subtle ways. Text them “NK”. It’s God’s way of saying W.G.A.R.C.A.R.—what goes around comes around. Murder is not only literal, but spiritual. We kill by WMD—weapons of “mouth” destruction.

In the New Testament, to kill spiritually means to murder by mouth, rooted in angry. This is according to Jesus’ spiritualize, transcendent view of Commandgram 6: Thou shall not kill. Anger is the root of spiritual murder; the mouth is it’s spiritual weapon. Look at Matthew 5:21-22.

21 "You have heard that the ancients were told: 'You shall not commit murder' and 'Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.' 22 "But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever shall say to his brother, 'Raca,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever shall say, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. Matthew 5:21-22.

Anger words wound the spirit. If there is so much anger in your heart that words from your mouth assassinate, you1br will have a day in the high court of God’s justice.

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Angry words killed Rebecca Sedgwick and will be judged. Listen to the bloody, bully words that her classmates pointed at her: “Nobody cares about you.” “You seriously deserve to die.” “Drink bleach and die.” “How much Advil do you have to overdose in order to die?” On September 9, 2013, she had enough. She jumped to her death. She was in the 7thgrade. The girls who bullied her were acquitted in a court of man. They were placed in psychological counseling. But they will forever be identified as the girls who made Rebecca jump. They will answer to God.

Be quick to squash the anger that divides you and your brother before your words turn to WSD—weapons of spiritual destruction. Before you go to the table, go to your brother.

24 leave your offering there before the altar, and go your way; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering. Matthew 5:24

Words wound the wounded. Conspiracy theorist and talk show host, Alex Jones’ words continue to add injury to insult to the families of 26 people killed in the 2012 Sandy Hooks school shooting. He said in court this week, “I’m through apologizing”. Jones had previously said of the shooting, It’s as phony as a $3 bill.” He broadcasted from his radio platform (and made money from it), that Sandy Hooks was a hoax. The presumed slain kids were actors. The parents were insincere. Hear this Mr. Jones: Murders by mouth will have its day in the high court of God’s justice because words kill.

Words belittle, devalue. When LGBTQ+ students held a rally at BYU, and were murdered by mouth by Christian protesters hurling insults and misinformation, allies of the “rainbow students dressed as angels with huge fabric wings to protect the rainbow student. The wings were used as shields against murderous words: “Groomers”; “Pedophile”; “You’re going against God,” “Stop protecting the homos”. The angels replied: “…if we stand together, there’s safety.”

The Proverbists would call these angels in wings wise according to Proverbs15:12:

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. 2The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool spouts folly.…Proverbs 15:1,2.

Text NK to someone you know who is unwise with their words, who in the process have wound many a family, friends and foes. NK is God’s way of saying W.G.A.R.C.A.R.—what goes around comes around.

Conclusion

The 6th commandment says: do not kill. It means do not murder. We murder in two ways. We literally murder with our hands by taking, with premeditation and intentionality, a God-imaged life. David was an accessory to this kind of murder, but it was murder none-the less. Ahab murdered Naboth by omission, but it was murder none the less.

But we also murder spiritually when we get so angry, we say things that kills the spirit of a person. It’s murder by mouth according to Jesus.

You don’t have to be a Jeffrey Dalhmer with human body parts hidden in your refrigerator, Vladimir Putin waging war against the innocent in Ukraine or be an armed gunman at a school yard mowing down kids to be a murder. You can go to church and kill. You can raise a family and murder. You can be in junior high and push someone to their death. We have it in us. We must guard against it. So, text someone you know who may not know the mouth can be a WMD (weapon of “mess” destruction). Text them NK. It’s God way of warning us: W.G.A.R.C.A.R.—what goes around comes around.