The Ten Commandments

Theology of Self-Defense-1

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Biblical Law

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2024-03-25

Synopsis: John Weaver argues that the sixth commandment, 'Thou shalt not kill,' is properly understood as a prohibition of murder, and that its positive requirement is the preservation of life. He demonstrates from Scripture and colonial American history that self-defense is not only permitted but obligatory for Christians. Using examples from the Old Testament, the law of God, and the actions of godly men, he shows that taking life in defense of oneself or others is righteous when done on God's terms. The lecture emphasizes the duty to protect family and congregation, and challenges pacifist interpretations by highlighting the biblical mandate to preserve life.

[John Weaver] I want you to open your Bibles, if you would please, to the book of Exodus chapter 20. We're just going to read one verse tonight, and I'm going to be covering a lot of other verses as well. When we're talking about the biblical doctrine of self-defense, I have so many messages on this subject that I would really love to preach all of them, but I cannot. But I've got messages like, Lord teach us to fight, based on Psalm 144 and verse 1. to teach them war based on Joshua chapter 3, how to fight like a Christian, two messages on that, and many, many more. So this is something that's been very special to my heart, and I think that if you understand and grasp tonight, what we're going to share with you that it might really enlighten you and help you. So in Exodus chapter 20 and verse 13, the Bible says very plainly, thou shalt not kill. Most people understand that, or at least they think they understand that. And the truth is, many people do not understand because there is not only a negative here, there is a positive, which I will clarify a little bit later.

[John Weaver] One of my favorite stories happens to be about the old pilgrim who was walking to church. And as he was walking to church, he had his blunderbuss on his shoulder. And one of the men of the community came up to him and said, Pastor, do you not believe that God is absolutely sovereign? He said, most certainly I do. Well, he said, Pastor, he said, if you believe that God is sovereign, do you believe that he's ordained the day of your death? He said, absolutely. He said, well, Pastor, if you believe that God is sovereign and if you believe that God has ordained the day of your death and when it comes your time to die, you're going to die, there's not one thing you can do about it. Here's my question. Why are you carrying that blunderbuss on your shoulder? The pastor said, that's simple. In case I meet an Indian whose time it is to die.

[John Weaver] So he believed in the doctrine of self-defense, that is for sure. Most of us, have really never understood that our forefathers not only went around armed all of the time, but they also went armed when they were in church. I have an old book in my library. The title is The Sabbath of Puritan New England. It was written by a woman, Alice Morse Earl, but thankfully that book has been reprinted and the second chapter in that book is extremely valuable. It is very informative. It tells us not only how, but why our forefathers went around armed even on the Lord's Day and in the assembly of the saints as well. In fact, the interesting thing is the pastors then told those people who loaded their weapons that not to discharge them on the Sabbath unless it was at an Indian or a wolf, which was their two greatest enemies at that particular time.

[John Weaver] It was Trumbull, who happened to be the historian of Connecticut, who actually made a little jingle in his MacFingle concerning the carrying arms of church. Here's what he wrote. So, once, for fear of Indian beating, our grandsires wore their guns to meeting, each man equipped each Sunday morn, with psalm book, shot, and powder horn, and looked in form as almost grant, like the ancient true church militant." And so, that was his little rhyme on carrying to church. In the formation of our nation, many, many, in fact, it was a law that you had to carry arms on the Lord's day. For instance, in 1640 in Massachusetts, it was ordered that the attendants of church should carry a competent number of pieces fixed and complete with powder and shot and swords each Lord's Day to the Meeting House. So, swords were demanded as well as rifles. In Connecticut, in 1643, those who failed to bring their arms to church were fined twelve cents for each offense. Now, we think twelve cents is nothing, but back then, twelve cents was really something.

[John Weaver] In 1644, a law demanded that the fourth part of a trained band of men, that is trained fighting men, that they were obligated to come to church each Sunday and the sentinels were ordered to keep their matches lit in case they had to shoot those match locks. So I've just often wondered what it must have been like in an early church sitting back smelling all the smoke coming from the matches, but they were there ready to fire if needed to be. In 1692, the Connecticut legislature ordered that one-fifth of the soldiers in each town must attend the Sunday meeting. So these soldiers then were demanded that they attend in order that they might protect the congregation at that particular time. So in colonial America, church security was often mandated by law.

[John Weaver] and sometimes with the militia being there as well. Hence, in 1619, there was a statute in Virginia that required not only attendance, but that all such as bear arms shall bring their pieces, swords, powder, and shot with them under penalty of a three shilling fine if they did not. It says this was phrased in 1623 to require that all men that are fitting to bear arms shall bring their pieces to church. And so it was also made a statute in 1738. So the Plymouth colonies as well as the southern colonies really demanded that all men in the congregation bear arms. In fact, there is a painting, of course, most of you know, George Bolton's painting on pilgrims going to church, showing them walking three abreast with their muzzle loaders or their blunderbusses on their shoulders as well.

[John Weaver] And that was basically true. That's basically what happened. In the mid-17th century, the gun carrying to church was also mandated in Plymouth by law as well. And of course Connecticut also required everyone to bring a musket and a sword as well. So the early militia and the men of the churches were concerned then primarily about Indian attacks. But in 1743 in South Carolina again there was a law mandated that they must bring their weapons to church and swords as well.

[John Weaver] Many of our modern day habits which we never even stop to consider actually come from what happened during the colonial period. I don't know if you ever noticed this or not. In fact, I can look around right now and just see one or two out. But I was raised in church. If there was a special meeting during the week, my father and mother and my sister and I were there.

[John Weaver] We were there Sunday morning. We were there Sunday night. We were there Wednesday night. And I made an observation as a young man. And I did not understand it, but I just observed it, that most of the men sat on the ends of the pews. In fact, look around tonight. Most of them are like that tonight. Well, one or two exceptions. And I often wondered why. Well, the truth of the matter is this came from a custom in colonial America. where the men stacked their muskets in the aisle. And they sat on the edge of the pews so that they could quickly grab those muskets if the Indians attacked or if some other danger arose. The women and the children were on the inside and thus they would not hinder the men, they would not be in the way if danger happened to arise and therefore the men would be able to quickly get their weapons and of course then defend their families as well.

[John Weaver] Now, this next little tidbit I find very interesting. Meaning people do not have never even thought about this. Have you ever noticed that when the preacher gets through preaching? Usually there's a prayer and he will go to the front of the church and stand there while everybody files out. And you say, oh, yeah, I understand that. I mean, he goes back there to greet everyone and to shake their hands.

[John Weaver] No, that's not the reason. That's not the purpose. If you just wanted to shake my hand, you could come up here as easily as I could go back there. If you want to shake Pastor Robert's hand, you could come up here as easily as he could go back there. How in the world did this happen? Because the pastor was the under shepherd. He was the man that was most responsible for the flock. Are you listening?

[John Weaver] The pastor who was always a good shot, and usually had one of the finest weapons in the neighborhood, preached with that loaded weapon by his pulpit, and when he finished, he took that weapon and went to the front of the church, opened the door, looked out, made sure there was safety in his assembly, then the men filed out, and then the women and children filed out. So the pastor going to the front of the church was basically him being the lookout for danger because he was the under shepherd and he was responsible. So in Concord, New Hampshire, once again, they stack their arms in the middle of the church aisle as well.

[John Weaver] Now, in June 17, 1775, at the onset of the war for independence, There was a law passed that all churches within 20 miles of the seacoast had to have their weapons at the church. All men had to have them. Of course, by the time the war was over in 1783, the wisdom of that was certainly discovered.

[John Weaver] Now, I have a question for you. I've just given you a lot of history. I could have given it in greater detail, but here it is. In light of this history, were our forefathers correct? Were they biblical? And the answer, of course, is yes, they were biblical and yes, they were correct. So my next question would be this. Do you consider this fact in light of the situation that we're facing today to be also biblical and correct?

[John Weaver] Some of you may or may not know about what happened in Cape Town, South Africa on July the 25th, 1993. It was some of Nelson Mandela's African communists who came to St. James Church, the largest evangelical church in South Africa, that had over a thousand people in attendance that night. And so these communist guerrillas opened the side doors, lobbed grenades in, and then opened fire with AK-47s Blowing people to bits and shooting as many as they could shoot. People were diving behind the pews if they could. Another door opened and another communist guerrilla went to throw a hand grenade, but one missionary with frontline fellowship was armed. And he drew out his pistol and began to shoot at the one guerrilla who was going to lob the grenade. And the man did not lob the grenade. He did not open fire with his AK.

[John Weaver] In fact, he turned and ran because he was being shot at. And then the rest of them ran and the missionary followed him out and emptied his weapon into the fleeing car. The police in that area credited this missionary was saving at least a hundred lives. He was the only one in that entire church building that was armed. And he used that weapon to defend those people there.

[John Weaver] Now, just I want you to stop and think about this. Let's ask the question, what's the missionary right to use that weapon? What's the missionary right to fire that weapon in the church building? Let me ask you another way. Do you think those Christians in that building would say, well, wait a minute, we've got to die anyhow. Why not die today? Let's just die today. Let's die at the hands of these communist guerrillas. Would you say that they were not spiritual enough if they did not want to die, if they did not want to sacrifice their lives?

[John Weaver] The truth of the matter is this. Let me ask you a question. Had you much rather for righteousness to triumph or for evil to triumph? I don't know about you, but I much prefer the Christian to live than the communist to die. I don't know about you, but I'd much rather for righteousness to prevail than for evil to prevail. Do we need such today? Well, when you stop and think what is happening in this country, and if you are here on Wednesday night, I will be sharing some things with you, but I will point this out right now.

[John Weaver] Did you realize that within the last six years, attacks on local churches have risen over 800%. 800%. Here's just some of them. In Richmond, California, three hooded men walked into the Gethsemane Church of God, opened fire, and then fled the scene. They shot a 14-year-old boy and a 19-year-old man. Here on March the 8th, 2009, Maryville, Illinois, Terry Joe Sedelec, 27, walks into the First Baptist Church, shoots Pastor Fred Winters dead, point blank. And some other men grabbed him to wrestle him down. He had a knife.

[John Weaver] Some of them were cut, but yet they did catch him. Knoxville, Tennessee, a gunman opens fire in a church during a youth performance, killing two people and injuring seven. Here's another one in Colorado. Three people were killed and five wounded in two shooting rampages, one in a missionary school in suburban Denver, and another in a church in Colorado Springs. The gunman was actually taken down by an armed guard at that particular church. In Missouri, the Missouri Micronesian Church, a man walked in and killed a pastor. and two other churchgoers. In 2007, there was a standoff between police and the suspect in the shooting of three people at a Moscow, Idaho Presbyterian Church that ended with three dead, including a police officer. I can multiply these. In fact, here's one in College Park, Georgia, not too far from me, where a 27-year-old airman died being shot at a church where he had once worked as a security guard. The First Baptist Church in Texas, during a youth meeting, someone walked in and just simply opened fire.

[John Weaver] Seven people were killed during that particular attack. Lakeland, Florida. Authorities and family members say a man shot and killed his wife at their Lakeland home and then shot two others at a nearby church. Here's the point. People are going absolutely insane and absolutely crazy today. Used to, you would think that you were safe at home and you were safe in church. Communists always like to attack you where you are most vulnerable, and that's when you think you're the safest at home or in a church building.

[John Weaver] When you look at Exodus chapter 20 and verse 13, it's very simple where God says, Thou shalt not kill. May I point out the fact that the Ten Commandments are God's law. They're not Jewish law. You'll find Jewish law in the Mishnah, the Gemara, and the Talmud. You'll find God's law in the Bible. Our Lord Himself spoke out against the Jewish law in Matthew chapter 15 and Mark chapter 7. And He said, with your traditions you make void the law of God. So when we have The law given to us in Exodus chapter 20 and Deuteronomy chapter 5, it is indeed God's law, it is indeed biblical. Now, we have to understand what it means when God says, Thou shalt not kill. First of all, in the Hebrew it actually means, Thou shalt not do any murder. And when it's translated in the New Testament in the Greek, the Greek says, Thou shalt not do any murder.

[John Weaver] In other words, we are not to take a life except on God's terms. Many times life is taken, but it is not murder. The command is, thou shalt not murder, thou shalt not take life unjustly, or let me put it like this, thou shalt not take life but accept on God's terms. Now, without me going over all of these passages, I can give you actually 19 reasons in the Bible why life may be lawfully and legitimately taken on God's terms. And it is true, sometimes this refers to the civil magistrate, but it's still the taking of life. For instance, life is to be taken for murder, but not for accidental killing.

[John Weaver] You'll find that in Exodus chapter 21. Life is to be forfeited, listen to this one, for striking or cursing a parent. You'll not only find that in Exodus 21, Leviticus 20, Proverbs chapter 20, but also in the book of Matthew chapter 15 and Mark chapter 7. Life may also be taken for kidnapping, Exodus chapter 21. The death penalty is given for adultery in Leviticus chapter 20. The death penalty is also given for incest in Leviticus chapter 20. The death penalty is pronounced for bestiality in Exodus chapter 22. It's also demanded for sodomy. and homosexuality, Leviticus chapter 20. It's also demanded for unchastity, Deuteronomy 22. It's also demanded for the rape of a virgin, which is Deuteronomy 23. For witchcraft, you'll also find that in Exodus 22. For the offering of human sacrifice, Leviticus chapter 20. Also for incorrigible delinquency. Wow! You'll find that one in Deuteronomy chapter 21. And believe it or not, the death penalty is even required for blasphemy. You'll find that in Leviticus 24. For Sabbath desecration, Exodus 35, Numbers 15. How about this one?

[John Weaver] You'll find the death penalty for the propagation of false doctrine. Deuteronomy 13. Also, refusing to abide by the decision of a biblical Court of Law demands the death penalty as well in Deuteronomy 17. And then, of course, refusing to restore the bail or the pledge, Ezekiel chapter 18, the death penalty is demanded. So here are 18 reasons why life may be lawfully taken on God's terms.

[John Weaver] Now, there's another reason, and I'm not adding to the Word of God because it's taught in the Word of God. And that is self-defense. You see, the sixth commandment forbids all violence. Let me make a point very clear. When God forbids anything, at the same time, He forbids everything that would lead up to it. Okay? So when God says, Thou shalt not commit adultery, That also forbids lusting, covetousness, and anything that would ultimately end in the act of adultery. When God said thou shalt not murder, at the same time He is forbidding anger, ill will, anything that would lead up to murder. So, God says thou shalt not kill or thou shalt not murder.

[John Weaver] Now, God's law is always stated in negative terms with the exception of two commandments. Remember the Sabbath day and honor thy father and thy mother. There are only two positives in the Ten Commandments. But each of these positives are undergirded throughout the Bible by a lot of negatives as well. So, here's what you should be doing. Whenever you read a negative in the Bible, you should ask what the positive is. Whenever you read a positive in the Bible, you should be asking what the negative is. So, if I read, Thou shalt not commit adultery, I should be asking what is the positive. The positive is, Thou shalt live a holy, righteous, sanctified life. Thou shalt not steal, what be the positive?

[John Weaver] That you must earn your own living, according to the Bible, working with your hands, doing that which is good, that you may have to give to him that needeth. In other words, you're not a taker, you're not a covetous individual, you're an honest man, you're a worker, and of course you are more than willing to give and willing to share. So when God says, Thou shalt not kill, then the positive is, Thou shalt preserve life. So the positive then, of the sixth commandment, is that we must preserve life, that would include our life, the life of our family, and the life of others as well. So based upon the sixth commandment, let me put it like this, self-defense is obligatory. God demands it. If you do not defend yourself, then you are guilty of violating the sixth commandment. We are obligated to defend ourselves. Why? Because, say if Kevin walked up to me and said, Pastor, I'd just like to kill you. And I say, well, do whatever spins your wheels.

[John Weaver] If it'll make you happy, go ahead and do it. I'm going to heaven anyhow. If I allowed him to do that, then I'm violating the sixth commandment. Because I have a duty, I have a responsibility, I have an obligation to preserve my life. And if in preserving my life, I end up having to take his life, It is lawful and it is legal because I would be in obedience to the sixth commandment.

[John Weaver] Now, so you've got to understand, once again, that self-defense is indeed obligatory. Now, if we do not defend ourselves, we are not preserving our lives. Some of you fellas have been in the military. Have you ever thought about Article 3 of the United States Military Code? Let me read it to you. If I am captured, I will continue to resist by all means available. I will make every effort to escape and to aid others to escape.

[John Weaver] I will accept neither parole nor special favors from the enemy. So we are taught that if we are captured by the enemy, we have a duty, we have an obligation to escape. We have a duty and obligation to help others escape. Why? It's not just so that we can bring back information to the commanding officer. It's based upon the sixth commandment. We have a duty to preserve our lives and the lives of others. So if I am captured, I'm going to make every effort that I can to escape. You need to read some of the lives of those Scottish Covenanters. When they were captured and thrown in the Tower of London, they did everything they could to escape. Many of them did escape. Some were captured while they were trying to escape.

[John Weaver] And they said, well, Lord, we obeyed your law. And if you want me to die, I'm willing to die for your honor and your glory. But they kept trying to escape until their death.

[John Weaver] Now, In other words, this is indeed the sixth commandment. Now, is self-defense wrong or wicked? And the answer is absolutely not. If we kill to preserve life, it is not wicked, it is righteous. Someone says, well, can you prove that to me? I think I can, if you believe the Bible. First of all, I would say this. Most everyone encourages Christians to emulate their Heavenly Father.

[John Weaver] I mean, be ye holy as I am holy, saith the Lord. Of course. Let me just give you this. Do you know what God said to Hezekiah, to Isaiah? I'm going to give it to you five times. I'm going to read it. Listen to this. 2 Kings 19, verse 34. God says, For I will defend this city to save it for my own sake and for my servant David's sake. Now, what did God just say? I will defend this city.

[John Weaver] Wow, the Assyrians wanted to capture Judah and Jerusalem. I mean, after all, they had taken Samaria, they had taken the northern kingdom. So God tells Hezekiah, I'm going to defend this city. He said it again in 2 Kings 20, verse 6, God said to Hezekiah, and I will add unto thy days fifteen years, and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city for mine own sake and for my servant David's sake.

[John Weaver] What did he just say? I will defend this city. I'm going to do it. And then in Isaiah chapter 31 in verse 5, as birds flying, so will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem. Defending also He will deliver it, and passing over it, He will preserve it. And then in Isaiah 37 verse 35, again, God said, for I will defend this city for my own sake and for my servant David's sake. And one more time in Isaiah 38 and verse 6, he said, I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city. Now, here's my question. Did God defend Judah and Jerusalem? Well, yes, he did. Did God, in defending Judah and Jerusalem, take lives? Did He kill? And the answer is yes. In fact, if you were to read Isaiah 37, verse 36, then the angel of the Lord went out and smote the Assyrian army, 185,000 And when they awoke the next morning, they were all dead men. That is, those few that God did not kill.

[John Weaver] Now, here's my question. Could God have delivered Judah and Jerusalem without killing those Assyrians? Yeah. Did you know? Do you remember? He delivered Samaria from the Syrians. How did he do that? He caused them to hear a noise, and they said, the king of Samaria has hired Terhaka, the king of the Ethiopians, against us. And they fled and left everything. He just caused them to hear a noise.

[John Weaver] But in this instance, he didn't do that. He slew 185,000 Assyrian soldiers.

[John Weaver] Now, is anyone going to be so wicked and so blasphemous? as to charge God with murder? He certainly killed Him in defending the city. I want to challenge you to do something. I want to challenge you to read through the Psalms. And just note how many times David says, the Lord is my defense. The Lord is my defender. In the Lord I will trust. Over and over, David says that. Psalm 89, he said, for the Lord is our defense. So if God defended Judah and Jerusalem, and God is our defense, we may understand that God is certainly going to defend us.

[John Weaver] And it's never wrong for you and I to emulate our Heavenly Father. So when there arises a necessity in our lives, To defend ourselves, we must remember that God himself did that. He defended his people.

[John Weaver] Now, let me explain something. I've said this so many times. You and I really need to grasp these principles and we need to grasp these scriptures. Here's why. If you ever get into a situation that you actually have to defend yourself, It's too late for you to stand there and say, Lord, what can I do? I mean, what should I? Lord, I don't even know what to do. If you don't know what to do when it's time to do something. It's too late for you. You better understand, you better grasp.

[John Weaver] I will tell you this. I've never heard anyone in my entire life. I've never shot anyone. I don't want to shoot anyone. I don't want to hurt anyone. But I don't want to be hurt either. And I don't want to be shot. And I don't want my wife to be hurt or shot. I don't want you to be hurt or shot. I'm simply pointing out the fact we need to understand what we can do in light of God's word.

[John Weaver] Someone's going to object and say, well, yeah, but wait a minute, Brother Weaver, what God does. And what we do are two totally different things. Well, in one sense of the word, that is true because we are certainly not God. But one thing about it, when you study the scripture and you find out what God demands and what God does, for instance, if you were just simply to read through the book of Judges, and especially when you get to Judges chapter 10 and verse 1, let me read it.

[John Weaver] And after Abimelech, there arose to defend Israel, Tola, the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar, and he dwelt in Shamir and Mount Ephraim. Now, listen to what it said. And there arose to defend Israel. May I ask you. Who raised up the judges? It was God. For what purpose did he raise up those judges? And that was to defend Israel, to defend his people. That is exactly what those judges did. They went to war. Read about Jephthah. Read about Ehud. Read about these men and see how they defended Israel. God raised them up for that particular purpose.

[John Weaver] Now, let me show you something else. I want you to turn in your Bibles very quickly to 2 Samuel, chapter 23. 2 Samuel, chapter 23. In this passage, you're going to read about some of David's mighty men. We're not going to go over all of these men. They certainly all deserve recognition, but I want to point out just a couple of them. And I want you to see what is happening. Look in the book of 2 Samuel, chapter 23, and let's begin reading there with verse 8. Look at this. These be the names of the mighty men whom David had, the tachomite that sat in the seat, chief among the captains, the same as Adino, the Esnite, and he lift up his spear against 800 whom he slew at one time. Now, that doesn't mean he threw it and got 800 skewered at one time, but he took it in one battle. He killed 800 with his spear. Watch verse 9. And after him was Eliezer, the son of Dodo, the Aholite, one of the three mighty men with David, when they defied the Philistines that were there, gathered together to battle, and the men of Israel were gone away.

[John Weaver] Now, look what Eliezer did. He arose and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto the sword. And the Lord wrought a great victory that day, and the people returned after him only to spoil." Now, wait a minute. Look at verse 10 again. He, this is Eleazar, he arose and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto his sword. In other words, he fought so valiantly and with such intensity that when he got through fighting, his hand clave into his sword. In other words, someone had to prise those fingers away from the sword. So Eliezer is the man who's killing all of these wicked men. But note, if you would, verse 10. The Bible says, and he arose and smoked the Philistines until his hand was weary. And his hand clave into the sword, and the Lord brought a great victory that day. Now, how did the Lord get a great victory that day? It was Eleazar who was doing the fighting. It was Eleazar who was sustained by God and empowered by God and doing the work of God.

[John Weaver] And God wrought a great victory. Look, if you would, in verse 11. Here it is again. And after him was Shammah, the son of Aji the Harite. And the Philistines were gathered together in a troop, where was a piece of ground full of lintels, and the people fled from the Philistines. But he, Shammah, stood in the midst of the ground and defended it, and slew the Philistines, and the Lord wrought a great victory. Note, if you would, he was the one doing the fighting, But it was the Lord who wrought the victory. Why? Because God enabled him, God empowered him, God strengthened him.

[John Weaver] In other words, what we have to understand is this. We must learn to use the means that God has ordained, while at the same time we are trusting God to make those means effectual. Great men in the Bible used swords, they used bows, they used knives, they used other weapons, but yet they trusted in the Lord to deliver them. It was not the power of the weapon, it was the power of God.

[John Weaver] You need to read Psalm 44. They got not the land in possession by their own arm, neither did their sword save them, but it was thou, O God." In other words, yes, Israel had to fight to conquer the land, but it was God who was giving them the victory. It was God who was making them effectual in their fighting. So clearly then, we must use the means, but at the same time, we must trust in the Lord. Do you understand this?

[John Weaver] That weapons are actually Nothing in and of themselves. You could ask me. Well, Pastor. Do you sleep with a loaded weapon in your bedroom? I most certainly do. Several. You say, well, you're trusting in that weapon. No, I'm not. I'm trusting in the Lord. Because you see, if God does not awaken me in time, if there's a violent breaking into my house, if God doesn't awaken me in time, and if God doesn't enable me to grab that weapon and shoot straight, my weapon is absolutely useless. I could have 40, 50 cal machine guns in my bedroom. I could have a bazooka. I could have a mortar. I could have anything in there. None of them would do me a bit of good if God did not open my eyes and awaken me and enable me to fight. I'm not trusting in a weapon. A weapon is useless without God and His grace and His mercy.

[John Weaver] Now, let me point something out. I want you to look in Acts chapter 7. This one is very clear, Acts chapter 7. And let's begin reading there with verse 22, Acts chapter 7, verse 22. I can quote some of these verses, but I want you to see them. Look at Acts chapter 7, verse 22. The Bible is talking about Moses. And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptian and was mighty in words and deeds.

[John Weaver] And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel. And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian. For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them, but they understood not." Now, note if you would, Moses saw an Egyptian smiting a Hebrew. And he defended the Hebrew and he killed the Egyptian. Here's the interesting thing. Nowhere in the Bible, Old Testament or New Testament, is Moses condemned for killing this Egyptian. In fact, you might say he's commended because God listed him in the heroes of faith in Hebrews chapter 11. But you say, but Moses had to flee. He had to get out of Egypt and flee to the land of Midian. Yes, he did.

[John Weaver] But not because he violated God's law, but only because the tyrant Pharaoh was after him who did not regard God's law. And by the way, I have a message on this as well. means of resistance to tyranny. One of the means that we may biblically use is flight. You say, if you flee, you're a coward. No, no, no, no. Don't say that. Because the sovereign God of heaven and earth told Joseph, take the child and flee into Egypt. Now, there are problems with flight. But all Moses was doing was getting out of the way of a tyrant who was intent on murdering him for doing that which was right. So nowhere in the Bible is Moses condemned for defending his brother.

[John Weaver] Now, when you get to 1 Samuel 17, you don't have to turn there because you know the story of Goliath and David. Everyone was afraid of Goliath. No one wanted to fight Goliath. till little David came along, seventeen approximately. And he told King Saul, let not the king's heart fail, I'll go and fight him. Saul said, how in the world can you do that? You're but a youth and he's been a soldier since his youth. David said, well, God delivered me out of the paw of the lion, paw of the bear, and this uncircumcised Philistine, he'll fall just like them. And so Saul dressed him in his armor. And you know what he said?

[John Weaver] I can't go on these. I haven't proved these. So he took his sling and picked up five smooth stones. What did Goliath do? When he saw David, he was incensed. What? You're sending a kid out here to fight me? I'm a professional warrior. Do you think I'm a dog? And then he looked at David and said, come to me and I will give your meat to the fowls of the air. I will kill you. David said, you come to me against me, but I come to you in the name of the Lord and the Lord will give me the victory and I will take your head.

[John Weaver] Now, let me ask you a question. Do you think David intended to kill Goliath? Well, of course, Goliath intended to kill David. And once David swung that stone and knocked him out, he went up and took Goliath's own sword and cut his head off. Yeah, he intended to kill him. Was he right? And absolutely he was right. So Goliath was the one who purposely and deliberately pressed the attack. Not David. David was the defender.

[John Weaver] Now, let me show you some things that God has commanded. I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Exodus, chapter 22. And I want you to look at the first three verses. This is very interesting. I have a whole series on biblical law. And this chapter deals particularly with the law of restitution. but it gives more than just restitution. In Exodus chapter 22 and verse 1, the Bible says, if a man steal an ox or a sheep and kill it or sell it, he shall restore five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep.

[John Weaver] If a thief be found breaking up and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him. But if the sun be risen upon him, there shall be blood shed for him, for he should make full restitution. If he have nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft."

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to note how God allows for the taking of life in certain situations. Also, you have here, I wish I had time just to deal with this chapter on the law of restitution. Look in verse 1. He said, if a man shall steal an ox or a sheep and kill it, or son it, he shall restore five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep. Why in the world is there a difference in ratio of restitution? You'll find sometimes in the Bible there's a two-fold restitution, there's a four-fold restitution, there's a five-fold restitution, and in the book of Proverbs there's a seven-fold restitution. The restitution is based upon the value and the usefulness of the item that is stolen.

[John Weaver] So, if Randy has a fine little car that his wife likes to drive around, and yet he's got an old work truck that's full of his tools, I wonder which one he'd rather have stolen. The little car or the old truck full of tools? The little car would be a sheep. You can shear a sheep and you can eat the meat. The work truck is an oxen. Yeah, you can use his hide for leather, you can eat the meat, but you can plow with him. And so the ratio of restitution is based upon the value of that which is stolen.

[John Weaver] But look what God says in verse two, if a thief be found breaking up and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him. Now, then he goes on in verse three and said, if the sun be risen upon him, there shall be blood shed for him.

[John Weaver] Now, let me explain this. First of all, verse two deals with a thief breaking in at night. You can't see who He is. You don't know whether He's armed or not. You have no earthly idea. And God says if you shoot Him and He dies, there should be no blood shed for Him. He had no business breaking in. Now, when we think of breaking in, we normally think of breaking into our homes.

[John Weaver] And probably that's how the law would look at it today. But if you look at verse 1, He said,"...if a man shall steal an ox or a sheep, Ox and sheep don't live in the house. They're in the barn. So here's somebody that's breaking into the barn to steal private property. God says, if you shoot him, he's at night, there's to be no blood shed for him. Then he says in verse three, if the sun be risen upon him, then blood shall be shed for him, for he should make full restitution.

[John Weaver] If ye have nothing, then ye shall be sold for his theft." In other words, during the daylight hours you can see him to recognize him. You can also see whether or not he's armed.

[John Weaver] Now there would be a lawful way that you could kill him during the daytime as well. What would that be? If he's armed and he points that weapon at you, then you have the perfect right to defend yourself. But God said if he has no weapon, and if you know who he is, Don't kill it. Just make it make restitution. If we followed the Bible when it comes to restitution, we would have very little crime in this country.

[John Weaver] You heard that old expression. Crime doesn't pay. That's only under biblical law. It does pay. That's why we have so many criminals today under humanistic law. OK, so God says you can take his life. I was preaching in Greenville years ago. And I had a man come up to me, he said, I want to ask you a question. I said, ask me. He said, what would you do if you woke up during the night and a man was breaking in your bedroom window?

[John Weaver] I looked at him, I said, well, if I get my hands on a gun, I would shoot him. If I couldn't get my hands on a gun, I'd take a baseball bat and I'd hit him upside the head. He said, I don't think you ought to do that. I said, what do you think I ought to do? He said, I think you ought to go in another room and pray about it. I said, you mean to tell me you think I should be in a room praying when he's in there raping my wife or murdering my children? I said, sir, let me tell you something. I would pray. When he stuck his head through that window coming in my bedroom, I would draw that baseball bat back and I'd say, Dear Lord, please don't let me miss him this time. Pow!

[John Weaver] And I would swing it. That's how I would pray. That's what the Bible says. If he's breaking in and it's night, you don't know who he is. You don't know whether he's armed or not. God says he can be, life can be taken lawfully in that instance. I want you to open your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 23. I mentioned some of these things earlier. I certainly won't have time to deal with all of them, but I want you to notice this one. Deuteronomy, chapter 23.

[John Weaver] This is a powerful, powerful passage. Let's say it's Deuteronomy 22, verse 23 is what I want. Deuteronomy 22, verse 23. Look at this. The Bible says, if a man be found lying with a woman married to a husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that labored the woman and the woman. So shalt thou put away evil from Israel. If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto a husband, and a man find her in the city and lie with her, then you shall bring them forth both out of the gate of the city, and you shall stone them with stones, that they die. The damsel," watch it now,"...because she cried not, being in the city, and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbor's wife, so thou shalt put away evil from among you." Now watch verse 25,"...but if a man findeth betrothed damsel in the field, and the man force her, and lie with her, then the man only that lay with her shall die." But in the damsel thou shalt do nothing.

[John Weaver] There is in the damsel no sin worthy of death. For as when a man rises up against his neighbor, enslave him, even so it is in this matter. For he found her in the field, and the troth damsel cried, and there was none to save her."

[John Weaver] Now, here's a very interesting comparison. First of all, God says here's a man that finds a woman in the city, and he lays with her, And God says you're to bring both the man and the woman out of the city and stone them that they both die.

[John Weaver] Now the damsel in the field, if she is attacked, now it's the man only who's to be put to death. What is the difference? Well, I don't know if you've noticed this or not, but here it is. The Bible says the woman in the city is to be put to death Because she cried not out. In other words, she was consenting to the sin. She was consenting to the crime. And since she was consenting, she's worthy of death, just like the man is worthy of death. Hang on. When you get to the damsel in the field. The man attacks her. She cries. There's no one out in the field. But it's later discovered. God says, put him to death, let her live. Hmm. What is the difference? The difference is this. The woman in the city. If she had cried out.

[John Weaver] That meant that anyone and everyone who heard her would have the responsibility to save her. The woman in the field cried and there was no one to hear. There was no one to save her. So the man is to be put to death. I hope you're thinking, because this is a perfect illustration of the possessed side of the sixth commandment, thou shalt preserve life." Anyone who hears someone screaming and begging for help is responsible to help save that individual. Hang on.

[John Weaver] Here's a very famous case. It happened in 1964. I've never forgotten it. A woman by the name of Kitty Genovese. She was brutally raped and murdered. She was stabbed 17 times on a sidewalk. And left for dead. She cried, she screamed, she begged for help. Thirty-eight people had either heard or observed some part of the crime, but did not lift a finger to save her. A few undoubtedly called the police. By the time the police got there, all they could do was draw a line around the dead woman. Are you listening? According to God's law, those 38 people who stood by and did nothing are just as guilty of murder as the man who stabbed her and killed her.

[John Weaver] Because we have a responsibility To preserve life. I want to show you something, I want you to turn to two passages, I want you to turn to Deuteronomy 22, which you're already there, but go ahead and find Exodus chapter 23. Exodus chapter 23. Find that one. And since you're in Deuteronomy 22, let's go there first. I want you to watch this, I'll explain it. Deuteronomy 22, verse 4. In fact, let's begin reading with verse 1. Watch it.

[John Weaver] Thou shalt not see thy brother's ox or his sheep go astray, and hide thyself from them. Thou shalt in any case bring them again unto thy brother. And thy brother be not nigh unto thee, or if thou know him not, then thou shalt bring it unto thine own house. And it shall be with thee until thy brother seek after it, and thou shalt restore it unto him again. In like manner shalt thou do with him, with his ass, so shalt thou do with his raiment, and with all the lost thing of thy brothers, which he hath lost, and thou hast found, shalt thou do likewise. Thou mayest not hide thyself."

[John Weaver] Now hang on, look at verse 4. "'Thou shalt not see thy brother's ass, or his ox fall down by the way, and hide thyself from them. Thou shalt surely help him to lift them up again.' So, if you see your brother's horse stuck in a mud hole, and by the way, that happened to me one time. I let my horse go down to a sandy stream to drink water and the sand gave way and he was up to his chest in sinking sand. Thankfully, someone did stop and help me get my horse out. But God says you can't hide yourself. If you see an animal in danger, you can't hide yourself. You're bound to help.

[John Weaver] You say, well, wait a minute, Brother Weaver. I'd be glad to help my neighbor. I'd be glad to help my brother any time, any day. Wonderful.

[John Weaver] Now, look in your Bible, Zechariah chapter 23, if you would please. Let's begin with verse four. Exodus 23 and verse 4, here it is, God said, If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again. If thou see the ass of him that hated thee, lying under his burden, and would not forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him. You see a cow having difficulty having a calf?

[John Weaver] You know that's your neighbor or that's your enemy. God said it doesn't matter. You can't hide yourself. You are duty-bound. You're responsible to help deliver that animal and save that animal's life. Why am I telling you this? Because it is an argument from the lesser to the greater. If God holds you accountable and responsible to help save and preserve the lives of animals, how much more does He hold you accountable and responsible to help save the lives of mankind?

[John Weaver] I was preaching in Indianapolis, Indiana, and I was dealing, actually, with Romans 13. And I came up with something on self-defense. I don't know, just passing. And after the service, a young man came up with his wife and three or four little children. They said, Pastor, he said, I've got to tell you something. I said, what is it? He said, I don't agree with what you just said about defending yourself. I said, you don't.

[John Weaver] I said, what would you do? If a man broke into your house to attack your wife and harm your children. So help me, this is what he said. He said, I would go off and I'd be praying about it. And I looked at him, I said, sir, I just want to tell you, I'm so thankful I'm not your wife and I'm not your child. Now. Let me point something out.

[John Weaver] I don't know if you've ever noticed this or not. But God has instilled even in animals a desire to protect their lives and to protect their young. When Alice and I lived in Greenville, South Carolina many, many, many years ago, and there were some bushes out in front of our house, flower bushes, and a mockingbird had made her nest in one of them, and our neighbor's tomcat came stalking and walking across our lawn. Guess what? That mama mockingbird dive-bombed his head repeatedly until she ran him and out of the yard. What was she doing? She was just protecting her young.

[John Weaver] I was raised on a farm. We used to have to deal with pigs around sows. If you don't know how to pick up a pig without him squealing, you're in trouble. That sow will eat you alive. You know how to pick up a pig without him squealing? Pick him up by his tail. You put your hand under his stomach, he's going to squeal. You pick him by his tail, he will not squeal. But I've seen men chased by sows. Isn't it strange? You look around, I don't care what animal it is, that animal will defend itself. If God allowed animals to do that and did not allow us to defend our lives, It would be a terrible anomaly.

[John Weaver] But our Lord said it like this in Matthew chapter 10 in verse 31, fear you not, therefore, what did you say? You are of more value than many sparrows. And if God will allow birds and if God will allow other animals to defend themselves, he most definitely allows us because we are more valuable to him than many animals. Thou shalt not kill. That is, thou shalt not take life except on God's terms. But the positive is thou shalt preserve life. So learn this tonight.

[John Weaver] I don't care what situation you're in. I don't care what circumstance you face. You have a duty. You have a responsibility. You have an obligation before God to preserve life. That means your life, the life of your wife, your children, your neighbors, your friends. And what did our Lord say in John 15 verse 13? Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

[John Weaver] Yes, there is a biblical doctrine of self defense. Now you're going to ask me, but Brother Weaver, what are you going to do with that passage in the New Testament when Peter drew out his sword? And our Lord said, Peter, put that sword back up in your scabbard. What are you going to do about that passage? You'll have to come back tomorrow night to find out. Because it's there. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we ask you for your grace and your mercy and your goodness and kindness. And Lord, we do pray, Lord, that you would help us. Give us understanding. Strengthen us, Lord. May we, Lord, have a heart that is tender and yet, Lord, a heart that is strong. May we stand fast in your word. In the name of Jesus Christ we ask and pray. Amen.

Theology of Self-Defense-1

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	326241024343659
Subject	Biblical Law
Course	The Ten Commandments
Genre	Sermon
Date	2024-03-25
Dictation Name
Book	Book 108: Theology of Self Defense — Chapter 1
Source Timed Segments	87

Formatted Transcript

Introduction and Historical Context

Weaver introduces the topic of self-defense, referencing Exodus 20:13 and sharing historical anecdotes about colonial Americans carrying arms to church, including laws mandating it.

Scripture Reading — Exodus 20:13

I want you to open your Bibles, if you would please, to the book of Exodus chapter 20. We're just going to read one verse tonight, and I'm going to be covering a lot of other verses as well. When we're talking about the biblical doctrine of self-defense, I have so many messages on this subject that I would really love to preach all of them, but I cannot. But I've got messages like, "Lord, Teach Us to Fight," based on Psalm 144 and verse 1, "To Teach Them War" based on Joshua chapter 3, "How to Fight Like a Christian," two messages on that, and many, many more. So this is something that's been very special to my heart, and I think that if you understand and grasp tonight what we're going to share with you, that it might really enlighten you and help you. So in Exodus chapter 20 and verse 13, the Bible says very plainly, "Thou shalt not kill." Most people understand that, or at least they think they understand that. And the truth is, many people do not understand because there is not only a negative here, there is a positive, which I will clarify a little bit later.

One of my favorite stories happens to be about the old pilgrim who was walking to church. And as he was walking to church, he had his blunderbuss on his shoulder. And one of the men of the community came up to him and said, "Pastor, do you not believe that God is absolutely sovereign?" He said, "Most certainly I do." "Well," he said, "Pastor," he said, "if you believe that God is sovereign, do you believe that He's ordained the day of your death?" He said, "Absolutely." He said, "Well, Pastor, if you believe that God is sovereign and if you believe that God has ordained the day of your death and when it comes your time to die, you're going to die, there's not one thing you can do about it. Here's my question. Why are you carrying that blunderbuss on your shoulder?" The pastor said, "That's simple. In case I meet an Indian whose time it is to die."

So he believed in the doctrine of self-defense, that is for sure. Most of us have really never understood that our forefathers not only went around armed all of the time, but they also went armed when they were in church. I have an old book in my library. The title is "The Sabbath in Puritan New England." It was written by a woman, Alice Morse Earle, but thankfully that book has been reprinted and the second chapter in that book is extremely valuable. It is very informative. It tells us not only how, but why our forefathers went around armed even on the Lord's Day and in the assembly of the saints as well. In fact, the interesting thing is the pastors then told those people who loaded their weapons not to discharge them on the Sabbath unless it was at an Indian or a wolf, which was their two greatest enemies at that particular time.

It was Trumbull, who happened to be the historian of Connecticut, who actually made a little jingle in his "McFingal" concerning the carrying of arms to church. Here's what he wrote: "So, once, for fear of Indian beating, our grandsires wore their guns to meeting, each man equipped each Sunday morn, with psalm book, shot, and powder horn, and looked in form as almost grant, like the ancient true church militant." And so, that was his little rhyme on carrying to church. In the formation of our nation, many, many—in fact, it was a law that you had to carry arms on the Lord's day. For instance, in 1640 in Massachusetts, it was ordered that the attendants of church should carry a competent number of pieces fixed and complete with powder and shot and swords each Lord's Day to the Meeting House. So, swords were demanded as well as rifles. In Connecticut, in 1643, those who failed to bring their arms to church were fined twelve cents for each offense. Now, we think twelve cents is nothing, but back then, twelve cents was really something.

In 1644, a law demanded that the fourth part of a trained band of men, that is trained fighting men, that they were obligated to come to church each Sunday and the sentinels were ordered to keep their matches lit in case they had to shoot those matchlocks. So I've just often wondered what it must have been like in an early church sitting back smelling all the smoke coming from the matches, but they were there ready to fire if needed to be. In 1692, the Connecticut legislature ordered that one-fifth of the soldiers in each town must attend the Sunday meeting. So these soldiers then were demanded that they attend in order that they might protect the congregation at that particular time. So in colonial America, church security was often mandated by law. and sometimes with the militia being there as well. Hence, in 1619, there was a statute in Virginia that required not only attendance, but that all such as bear arms shall bring their pieces, swords, powder, and shot with them under penalty of a three shilling fine if they did not. It says this was phrased in 1623 to require that all men that are fitting to bear arms shall bring their pieces to church. And so it was also made a statute in 1738. So the Plymouth colonies as well as the southern colonies really demanded that all men in the congregation bear arms. In fact, there is a painting, of course, most of you know, George Boughton's painting on pilgrims going to church, showing them walking three abreast with their muzzle loaders or their blunderbusses on their shoulders as well.

And that was basically true. That's basically what happened. In the mid-17th century, the gun carrying to church was also mandated in Plymouth by law as well. And of course Connecticut also required everyone to bring a musket and a sword as well. So the early militia and the men of the churches were concerned then primarily about Indian attacks. But in 1743 in South Carolina again there was a law mandated that they must bring their weapons to church and swords as well. Many of our modern day habits which we never even stop to consider actually come from what happened during the colonial period. I don't know if you ever noticed this or not. In fact, I can look around right now and just see one or two out. But I was raised in church. If there was a special meeting during the week, my father and mother and my sister and I were there.

We were there Sunday morning. We were there Sunday night. We were there Wednesday night. And I made an observation as a young man. And I did not understand it, but I just observed it, that most of the men sat on the ends of the pews. In fact, look around tonight. Most of them are like that tonight. Well, one or two exceptions. And I often wondered why. Well, the truth of the matter is this came from a custom in colonial America where the men stacked their muskets in the aisle. And they sat on the edge of the pews so that they could quickly grab those muskets if the Indians attacked or if some other danger arose. The women and the children were on the inside and thus they would not hinder the men, they would not be in the way if danger happened to arise and therefore the men would be able to quickly get their weapons and of course then defend their families as well.

Modern Church Attacks and the Need for Defense

Weaver recounts the 1993 St. James Church attack in South Africa and lists recent church shootings in the U.S., emphasizing the rising threat and the need for armed defense.

Some of you may or may not know about what happened in Cape Town, South Africa on July the 25th, 1993. It was some of Nelson Mandela's African communists who came to St. James Church, the largest evangelical church in South Africa, that had over a thousand people in attendance that night. And so these communist guerrillas opened the side doors, lobbed grenades in, and then opened fire with AK-47s, blowing people to bits and shooting as many as they could shoot. People were diving behind the pews if they could. Another door opened and another communist guerrilla went to throw a hand grenade, but one missionary with Frontline Fellowship was armed. And he drew out his pistol and began to shoot at the one guerrilla who was going to lob the grenade. And the man did not lob the grenade. He did not open fire with his AK.

In fact, he turned and ran because he was being shot at. And then the rest of them ran and the missionary followed him out and emptied his weapon into the fleeing car. The police in that area credited this missionary with saving at least a hundred lives. He was the only one in that entire church building that was armed. And he used that weapon to defend those people there.

Now, just I want you to stop and think about this. Let's ask the question, was the missionary right to use that weapon? Was the missionary right to fire that weapon in the church building? Let me ask you another way. Do you think those Christians in that building would say, "Well, wait a minute, we've got to die anyhow. Why not die today? Let's just die today. Let's die at the hands of these communist guerrillas." Would you say that they were not spiritual enough if they did not want to die, if they did not want to sacrifice their lives?

The truth of the matter is this. Let me ask you a question. Had you much rather for righteousness to triumph or for evil to triumph? I don't know about you, but I much prefer the Christian to live than the communist to die. I don't know about you, but I'd much rather for righteousness to prevail than for evil to prevail. Do we need such today? Well, when you stop and think what is happening in this country, and if you are here on Wednesday night, I will be sharing some things with you, but I will point this out right now.

Did you realize that within the last six years, attacks on local churches have risen over 800%? 800%. Here's just some of them. In Richmond, California, three hooded men walked into the Gethsemane Church of God, opened fire, and then fled the scene. They shot a 14-year-old boy and a 19-year-old man. Here on March the 8th, 2009, Maryville, Illinois, Terry Joe Sedelec, 27, walks into the First Baptist Church, shoots Pastor Fred Winters dead, point blank. And some other men grabbed him to wrestle him down. He had a knife.

Some of them were cut, but yet they did catch him. Knoxville, Tennessee, a gunman opens fire in a church during a youth performance, killing two people and injuring seven. Here's another one in Colorado. Three people were killed and five wounded in two shooting rampages, one in a missionary school in suburban Denver, and another in a church in Colorado Springs. The gunman was actually taken down by an armed guard at that particular church. In Missouri, the Missouri Micronesian Church, a man walked in and killed a pastor and two other churchgoers. In 2007, there was a standoff between police and the suspect in the shooting of three people at a Moscow, Idaho Presbyterian Church that ended with three dead, including a police officer. I can multiply these. In fact, here's one in College Park, Georgia, not too far from me, where a 27-year-old airman died being shot at a church where he had once worked as a security guard. The First Baptist Church in Texas, during a youth meeting, someone walked in and just simply opened fire.

Seven people were killed during that particular attack. Lakeland, Florida. Authorities and family members say a man shot and killed his wife at their Lakeland home and then shot two others at a nearby church. Here's the point. People are going absolutely insane and absolutely crazy today. Used to, you would think that you were safe at home and you were safe in church. Communists always like to attack you where you are most vulnerable, and that's when you think you're the safest at home or in a church building.

The Sixth Commandment: Negative and Positive

Weaver explains that 'Thou shalt not kill' means 'Thou shalt not murder,' and that the positive command is to preserve life, making self-defense obligatory.

When you look at Exodus chapter 20 and verse 13, it's very simple where God says, "Thou shalt not kill." May I point out the fact that the Ten Commandments are God's law. They're not Jewish law. You'll find Jewish law in the Mishnah, the Gemara, and the Talmud. You'll find God's law in the Bible. Our Lord Himself spoke out against the Jewish law in Matthew chapter 15 and Mark chapter 7. And He said, "With your traditions you make void the law of God." So when we have the law given to us in Exodus chapter 20 and Deuteronomy chapter 5, it is indeed God's law, it is indeed biblical. Now, we have to understand what it means when God says, "Thou shalt not kill." First of all, in the Hebrew it actually means, "Thou shalt not do any murder." And when it's translated in the New Testament in the Greek, the Greek says, "Thou shalt not do any murder."

In other words, we are not to take a life except on God's terms. Many times life is taken, but it is not murder. The command is, "Thou shalt not murder," "Thou shalt not take life unjustly," or let me put it like this, "Thou shalt not take life but except on God's terms." Now, without me going over all of these passages, I can give you actually 19 reasons in the Bible why life may be lawfully and legitimately taken on God's terms. And it is true, sometimes this refers to the civil magistrate, but it's still the taking of life. For instance, life is to be taken for murder, but not for accidental killing. You'll find that in Exodus chapter 21. Life is to be forfeited, listen to this one, for striking or cursing a parent. You'll not only find that in Exodus 21, Leviticus 20, Proverbs chapter 20, but also in the book of Matthew chapter 15 and Mark chapter 7. Life may also be taken for kidnapping, Exodus chapter 21. The death penalty is given for adultery in Leviticus chapter 20. The death penalty is also given for incest in Leviticus chapter 20. The death penalty is pronounced for bestiality in Exodus chapter 22. It's also demanded for sodomy and homosexuality, Leviticus chapter 20. It's also demanded for unchastity, Deuteronomy 22. It's also demanded for the rape of a virgin, which is Deuteronomy 23. For witchcraft, you'll also find that in Exodus 22. For the offering of human sacrifice, Leviticus chapter 20. Also for incorrigible delinquency. Wow! You'll find that one in Deuteronomy chapter 21. And believe it or not, the death penalty is even required for blasphemy. You'll find that in Leviticus 24. For Sabbath desecration, Exodus 35, Numbers 15. How about this one?

You'll find the death penalty for the propagation of false doctrine. Deuteronomy 13. Also, refusing to abide by the decision of a biblical Court of Law demands the death penalty as well in Deuteronomy 17. And then, of course, refusing to restore the bail or the pledge, Ezekiel chapter 18, the death penalty is demanded. So here are 18 reasons why life may be lawfully taken on God's terms.

Now, there's another reason, and I'm not adding to the Word of God because it's taught in the Word of God. And that is self-defense. You see, the sixth commandment forbids all violence. Let me make a point very clear. When God forbids anything, at the same time, He forbids everything that would lead up to it. Okay? So when God says, "Thou shalt not commit adultery," that also forbids lusting, covetousness, and anything that would ultimately end in the act of adultery. When God said, "Thou shalt not murder," at the same time He is forbidding anger, ill will, anything that would lead up to murder. So, God says, "Thou shalt not kill" or "Thou shalt not murder."

Now, God's law is always stated in negative terms with the exception of two commandments. "Remember the Sabbath day" and "Honor thy father and thy mother." There are only two positives in the Ten Commandments. But each of these positives are undergirded throughout the Bible by a lot of negatives as well. So, here's what you should be doing. Whenever you read a negative in the Bible, you should ask what the positive is. Whenever you read a positive in the Bible, you should be asking what the negative is. So, if I read, "Thou shalt not commit adultery," I should be asking what is the positive. The positive is, "Thou shalt live a holy, righteous, sanctified life." "Thou shalt not steal," what be the positive?

That you must earn your own living, according to the Bible, working with your hands, doing that which is good, that you may have to give to him that needeth. In other words, you're not a taker, you're not a covetous individual, you're an honest man, you're a worker, and of course you are more than willing to give and willing to share. So when God says, "Thou shalt not kill," then the positive is, "Thou shalt preserve life." So the positive then, of the sixth commandment, is that we must preserve life, that would include our life, the life of our family, and the life of others as well. So based upon the sixth commandment, let me put it like this, self-defense is obligatory. God demands it. If you do not defend yourself, then you are guilty of violating the sixth commandment. We are obligated to defend ourselves. Why? Because, say if Kevin walked up to me and said, "Pastor, I'd just like to kill you." And I say, "Well, do whatever spins your wheels."

If it'll make you happy, go ahead and do it. I'm going to heaven anyhow. If I allowed him to do that, then I'm violating the sixth commandment. Because I have a duty, I have a responsibility, I have an obligation to preserve my life. And if in preserving my life, I end up having to take his life, it is lawful and it is legal because I would be in obedience to the sixth commandment.

Biblical Examples of Righteous Killing

Weaver cites God's defense of Jerusalem, the judges of Israel, David's mighty men, Moses, and David vs. Goliath as examples of righteous killing in defense.

I mean, "Be ye holy as I am holy, saith the Lord." Of course. Let me just give you this. Do you know what God said to Hezekiah, to Isaiah? I'm going to give it to you five times. I'm going to read it. Listen to this. 2 Kings 19, verse 34. God says, "For I will defend this city to save it for my own sake and for my servant David's sake." Now, what did God just say? "I will defend this city."

Wow, the Assyrians wanted to capture Judah and Jerusalem. I mean, after all, they had taken Samaria, they had taken the northern kingdom. So God tells Hezekiah, "I'm going to defend this city." He said it again in 2 Kings 20, verse 6, God said to Hezekiah,

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 20:6

"And I will add unto thy days fifteen years, and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city for mine own sake and for my servant David's sake."

What did he just say?

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 20:6

"I will defend this city. I'm going to do it."

And then in Isaiah chapter 31 in verse 5, "As birds flying, so will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem. Defending also He will deliver it, and passing over it, He will preserve it." And then in Isaiah 37 verse 35, again, God said,

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 20:6

"For I will defend this city for my own sake and for my servant David's sake."

And one more time in Isaiah 38 and verse 6, he said,

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 20:6

"I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city."

Now, here's my question. Did God defend Judah and Jerusalem? Well, yes, he did. Did God, in defending Judah and Jerusalem, take lives? Did He kill? And the answer is yes. In fact, if you were to read Isaiah 37, verse 36, then the angel of the Lord went out and smote the Assyrian army, 185,000. And when they awoke the next morning, they were all dead men. That is, those few that God did not kill.

Now, here's my question. Could God have delivered Judah and Jerusalem without killing those Assyrians? Yeah. Did you know? Do you remember? He delivered Samaria from the Syrians. How did he do that? He caused them to hear a noise, and they said, "The king of Samaria has hired Tirhakah, the king of the Ethiopians, against us." And they fled and left everything. He just caused them to hear a noise.

But in this instance, he didn't do that. He slew 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. Now, is anyone going to be so wicked and so blasphemous as to charge God with murder? He certainly killed them in defending the city. I want to challenge you to do something. I want to challenge you to read through the Psalms. And just note how many times David says, "The Lord is my defense. The Lord is my defender. In the Lord I will trust." Over and over, David says that. Psalm 89, he said, "For the Lord is our defense." So if God defended Judah and Jerusalem, and God is our defense, we may understand that God is certainly going to defend us.

And it's never wrong for you and I to emulate our Heavenly Father. So when there arises a necessity in our lives to defend ourselves, we must remember that God himself did that. He defended his people. Now, let me explain something. I've said this so many times. You and I really need to grasp these principles and we need to grasp these scriptures. Here's why. If you ever get into a situation that you actually have to defend yourself, it's too late for you to stand there and say, "Lord, what can I do? I mean, what should I? Lord, I don't even know what to do." If you don't know what to do when it's time to do something, it's too late for you. You better understand, you better grasp.

I will tell you this. I've never heard anyone in my entire life. I've never shot anyone. I don't want to shoot anyone. I don't want to hurt anyone. But I don't want to be hurt either. And I don't want to be shot. And I don't want my wife to be hurt or shot. I don't want you to be hurt or shot. I'm simply pointing out the fact we need to understand what we can do in light of God's word.

Someone's going to object and say, "Well, yeah, but wait a minute, Brother Weaver, what God does and what we do are two totally different things." Well, in one sense of the word, that is true because we are certainly not God. But one thing about it, when you study the scripture and you find out what God demands and what God does, for instance, if you were just simply to read through the book of Judges, and especially when you get to Judges chapter 10 and verse 1, let me read it.

Scripture Reading — Judges 10:1

"And after Abimelech, there arose to defend Israel, Tola, the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar, and he dwelt in Shamir and Mount Ephraim."

Now, listen to what it said.

Scripture Reading — Judges 10:1

"And there arose to defend Israel."

May I ask you. Who raised up the judges? It was God. For what purpose did he raise up those judges? And that was to defend Israel, to defend his people. That is exactly what those judges did. They went to war. Read about Jephthah. Read about Ehud. Read about these men and see how they defended Israel. God raised them up for that particular purpose.

Now, let me show you something else. I want you to turn in your Bibles very quickly to 2 Samuel, chapter 23. 2 Samuel, chapter 23. In this passage, you're going to read about some of David's mighty men. We're not going to go over all of these men. They certainly all deserve recognition, but I want to point out just a couple of them. And I want you to see what is happening. Look in the book of 2 Samuel, chapter 23, and let's begin reading there with verse 8. Look at this.

Scripture Reading — 2 Samuel 23:8-12

"These be the names of the mighty men whom David had, the Tachmonite that sat in the seat, chief among the captains, the same as Adino the Eznite, and he lift up his spear against 800 whom he slew at one time."

Now, that doesn't mean he threw it and got 800 skewered at one time, but he took it in one battle. He killed 800 with his spear. Watch verse 9.

Scripture Reading — 2 Samuel 23:8-12

"And after him was Eliezer, the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David, when they defied the Philistines that were there, gathered together to battle, and the men of Israel were gone away."

Now, look what Eliezer did. "He arose and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto the sword. And the Lord wrought a great victory that day, and the people returned after him only to spoil." Now, wait a minute. Look at verse 10 again. He, this is Eleazar, he arose and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto his sword. In other words, he fought so valiantly and with such intensity that when he got through fighting, his hand clave into his sword. In other words, someone had to prise those fingers away from the sword. So Eliezer is the man who's killing all of these wicked men. But note, if you would, verse 10. The Bible says, "And he arose and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary. And his hand clave into the sword, and the Lord brought a great victory that day." Now, how did the Lord get a great victory that day? It was Eleazar who was doing the fighting. It was Eleazar who was sustained by God and empowered by God and doing the work of God.

And God wrought a great victory. Look, if you would, in verse 11. Here it is again. "And after him was Shammah, the son of Agee the Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered together in a troop, where was a piece of ground full of lentils, and the people fled from the Philistines. But he, Shammah, stood in the midst of the ground and defended it, and slew the Philistines, and the Lord wrought a great victory." Note, if you would, he was the one doing the fighting, but it was the Lord who wrought the victory. Why? Because God enabled him, God empowered him, God strengthened him.

In other words, what we have to understand is this. We must learn to use the means that God has ordained, while at the same time we are trusting God to make those means effectual. Great men in the Bible used swords, they used bows, they used knives, they used other weapons, but yet they trusted in the Lord to deliver them. It was not the power of the weapon, it was the power of God. You need to read Psalm 44. "They got not the land in possession by their own arm, neither did their sword save them, but it was thou, O God." In other words, yes, Israel had to fight to conquer the land, but it was God who was giving them the victory. It was God who was making them effectual in their fighting. So clearly then, we must use the means, but at the same time, we must trust in the Lord. Do you understand this?

That weapons are actually nothing in and of themselves. You could ask me. "Well, Pastor. Do you sleep with a loaded weapon in your bedroom?" I most certainly do. Several. You say, "Well, you're trusting in that weapon." No, I'm not. I'm trusting in the Lord. Because you see, if God does not awaken me in time, if there's a violent breaking into my house, if God doesn't awaken me in time, and if God doesn't enable me to grab that weapon and shoot straight, my weapon is absolutely useless. I could have 40, 50 cal machine guns in my bedroom. I could have a bazooka. I could have a mortar. I could have anything in there. None of them would do me a bit of good if God did not open my eyes and awaken me and enable me to fight. I'm not trusting in a weapon. A weapon is useless without God and His grace and His mercy.

Now, let me point something out. I want you to look in Acts chapter 7. This one is very clear, Acts chapter 7. And let's begin reading there with verse 22, Acts chapter 7, verse 22. I can quote some of these verses, but I want you to see them. Look at Acts chapter 7, verse 22. The Bible is talking about Moses. "And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptian and was mighty in words and deeds."

"And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel. And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian. For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them, but they understood not." Now, note if you would, Moses saw an Egyptian smiting a Hebrew. And he defended the Hebrew and he killed the Egyptian. Here's the interesting thing. Nowhere in the Bible, Old Testament or New Testament, is Moses condemned for killing this Egyptian. In fact, you might say he's commended because God listed him in the heroes of faith in Hebrews chapter 11. But you say, "But Moses had to flee. He had to get out of Egypt and flee to the land of Midian." Yes, he did.

But not because he violated God's law, but only because the tyrant Pharaoh was after him who did not regard God's law. And by the way, I have a message on this as well. Means of resistance to tyranny. One of the means that we may biblically use is flight. You say, "If you flee, you're a coward." No, no, no, no. Don't say that. Because the sovereign God of heaven and earth told Joseph, "Take the child and flee into Egypt." Now, there are problems with flight. But all Moses was doing was getting out of the way of a tyrant who was intent on murdering him for doing that which was right. So nowhere in the Bible is Moses condemned for defending his brother.

Now, when you get to 1 Samuel 17, you don't have to turn there because you know the story of Goliath and David. Everyone was afraid of Goliath. No one wanted to fight Goliath till little David came along, seventeen approximately. And he told King Saul, "Let not the king's heart fail, I'll go and fight him." Saul said, "How in the world can you do that? You're but a youth and he's been a soldier since his youth." David said, "Well, God delivered me out of the paw of the lion, paw of the bear, and this uncircumcised Philistine, he'll fall just like them." And so Saul dressed him in his armor. And you know what he said? "I can't go on these. I haven't proved these." So he took his sling and picked up five smooth stones. What did Goliath do? When he saw David, he was incensed. "What? You're sending a kid out here to fight me? I'm a professional warrior. Do you think I'm a dog?" And then he looked at David and said, "Come to me and I will give your meat to the fowls of the air. I will kill you." David said, "You come to me against me, but I come to you in the name of the Lord and the Lord will give me the victory and I will take your head."

Now, let me ask you a question. Do you think David intended to kill Goliath? Well, of course, Goliath intended to kill David. And once David swung that stone and knocked him out, he went up and took Goliath's own sword and cut his head off. Yeah, he intended to kill him. Was he right? And absolutely he was right. So Goliath was the one who purposely and deliberately pressed the attack. Not David. David was the defender.

God's Law on Self-Defense and Property

Weaver examines Exodus 22:1-3, showing that killing a night intruder is lawful, and Deuteronomy 22:23-27, illustrating the duty to rescue those in danger.

Now, let me show you some things that God has commanded. I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Exodus, chapter 22. And I want you to look at the first three verses. This is very interesting. I have a whole series on biblical law. And this chapter deals particularly with the law of restitution. But it gives more than just restitution. In Exodus chapter 22 and verse 1, the Bible says, "If a man steal an ox or a sheep and kill it or sell it, he shall restore five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep."

"If a thief be found breaking up and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him. But if the sun be risen upon him, there shall be blood shed for him, for he should make full restitution. If he have nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft." Now, I want you to note how God allows for the taking of life in certain situations. Also, you have here, I wish I had time just to deal with this chapter on the law of restitution. Look in verse 1. He said, "If a man shall steal an ox or a sheep and kill it, or sell it, he shall restore five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep." Why in the world is there a difference in ratio of restitution? You'll find sometimes in the Bible there's a two-fold restitution, there's a four-fold restitution, there's a five-fold restitution, and in the book of Proverbs there's a seven-fold restitution. The restitution is based upon the value and the usefulness of the item that is stolen.

So, if Randy has a fine little car that his wife likes to drive around, and yet he's got an old work truck that's full of his tools, I wonder which one he'd rather have stolen. The little car or the old truck full of tools? The little car would be a sheep. You can shear a sheep and you can eat the meat. The work truck is an oxen. Yeah, you can use his hide for leather, you can eat the meat, but you can plow with him. And so the ratio of restitution is based upon the value of that which is stolen.

But look what God says in verse two, "If a thief be found breaking up and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him." Now, then he goes on in verse three and said, "If the sun be risen upon him, there shall be blood shed for him." Now, let me explain this. First of all, verse two deals with a thief breaking in at night. You can't see who he is. You don't know whether he's armed or not. You have no earthly idea. And God says if you shoot him and he dies, there should be no blood shed for him. He had no business breaking in. Now, when we think of breaking in, we normally think of breaking into our homes.

And probably that's how the law would look at it today. But if you look at verse 1, He said, "...if a man shall steal an ox or a sheep," ox and sheep don't live in the house. They're in the barn. So here's somebody that's breaking into the barn to steal private property. God says, if you shoot him, he's at night, there's to be no blood shed for him. Then he says in verse three, "If the sun be risen upon him, then blood shall be shed for him, for he should make full restitution." "If he have nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft." In other words, during the daylight hours you can see him to recognize him. You can also see whether or not he's armed.

Now there would be a lawful way that you could kill him during the daytime as well. What would that be? If he's armed and he points that weapon at you, then you have the perfect right to defend yourself. But God said if he has no weapon, and if you know who he is, don't kill him. Just make him make restitution. If we followed the Bible when it comes to restitution, we would have very little crime in this country. You heard that old expression. "Crime doesn't pay." That's only under biblical law. It does pay. That's why we have so many criminals today under humanistic law. OK, so God says you can take his life. I was preaching in Greenville years ago. And I had a man come up to me, he said, "I want to ask you a question." I said, "Ask me." He said, "What would you do if you woke up during the night and a man was breaking in your bedroom window?"

I looked at him, I said, "Well, if I get my hands on a gun, I would shoot him. If I couldn't get my hands on a gun, I'd take a baseball bat and I'd hit him upside the head." He said, "I don't think you ought to do that." I said, "What do you think I ought to do?" He said, "I think you ought to go in another room and pray about it." I said, "You mean to tell me you think I should be in a room praying when he's in there raping my wife or murdering my children?" I said, "Sir, let me tell you something. I would pray. When he stuck his head through that window coming in my bedroom, I would draw that baseball bat back and I'd say, 'Dear Lord, please don't let me miss him this time.' Pow!"

And I would swing it. That's how I would pray. That's what the Bible says. If he's breaking in and it's night, you don't know who he is. You don't know whether he's armed or not. God says he can be, life can be taken lawfully in that instance. I want you to open your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 23. I mentioned some of these things earlier. I certainly won't have time to deal with all of them, but I want you to notice this one. Deuteronomy, chapter 23.

This is a powerful, powerful passage. Let's say it's Deuteronomy 22, verse 23 is what I want. Deuteronomy 22, verse 23. Look at this. The Bible says, "If a man be found lying with a woman married to a husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman and the woman. So shalt thou put away evil from Israel. If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto a husband, and a man find her in the city and lie with her, then you shall bring them forth both out of the gate of the city, and you shall stone them with stones, that they die. The damsel," watch it now, "...because she cried not, being in the city, and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbor's wife, so thou shalt put away evil from among you." Now watch verse 25, "...but if a man find a betrothed damsel in the field, and the man force her, and lie with her, then the man only that lay with her shall die. But in the damsel thou shalt do nothing."

"There is in the damsel no sin worthy of death. For as when a man rises up against his neighbor, and slayeth him, even so it is in this matter. For he found her in the field, and the betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save her." Now, here's a very interesting comparison. First of all, God says here's a man that finds a woman in the city, and he lays with her, and God says you're to bring both the man and the woman out of the city and stone them that they both die.

Now the damsel in the field, if she is attacked, now it's the man only who's to be put to death. What is the difference? Well, I don't know if you've noticed this or not, but here it is. The Bible says the woman in the city is to be put to death because she cried not out. In other words, she was consenting to the sin. She was consenting to the crime. And since she was consenting, she's worthy of death, just like the man is worthy of death. Hang on. When you get to the damsel in the field. The man attacks her. She cries. There's no one out in the field. But it's later discovered. God says, put him to death, let her live. Hmm. What is the difference? The difference is this. The woman in the city. If she had cried out.

Duty to Preserve Life: Animals and Humans

Weaver uses Deuteronomy 22:1-4 and Exodus 23:4-5 to argue from lesser to greater: if we must help animals, we must certainly help humans, including through self-defense.

"Thou shalt not see thy brother's ox or his sheep go astray, and hide thyself from them. Thou shalt in any case bring them again unto thy brother. And if thy brother be not nigh unto thee, or if thou know him not, then thou shalt bring it unto thine own house. And it shall be with thee until thy brother seek after it, and thou shalt restore it unto him again. In like manner shalt thou do with him, with his ass, so shalt thou do with his raiment, and with all the lost thing of thy brothers, which he hath lost, and thou hast found, shalt thou do likewise. Thou mayest not hide thyself."

Now hang on, look at verse 4. "Thou shalt not see thy brother's ass, or his ox fall down by the way, and hide thyself from them. Thou shalt surely help him to lift them up again." So, if you see your brother's horse stuck in a mud hole, and by the way, that happened to me one time. I let my horse go down to a sandy stream to drink water and the sand gave way and he was up to his chest in sinking sand. Thankfully, someone did stop and help me get my horse out. But God says you can't hide yourself. If you see an animal in danger, you can't hide yourself. You're bound to help.

You say, "Well, wait a minute, Brother Weaver. I'd be glad to help my neighbor. I'd be glad to help my brother any time, any day." Wonderful. Now, look in your Bible, Exodus chapter 23, if you would please. Let's begin with verse 4. Exodus 23 and verse 4, here it is, God said,

Scripture Reading — Exodus 23:4-5

"If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again. If thou see the ass of him that hated thee, lying under his burden, and would not forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him."

You see a cow having difficulty having a calf?

You know that's your neighbor or that's your enemy. God said it doesn't matter. You can't hide yourself. You are duty-bound. You're responsible to help deliver that animal and save that animal's life. Why am I telling you this? Because it is an argument from the lesser to the greater. If God holds you accountable and responsible to help save and preserve the lives of animals, how much more does He hold you accountable and responsible to help save the lives of mankind?

I was preaching in Indianapolis, Indiana, and I was dealing, actually, with Romans 13. And I came up with something on self-defense. I don't know, just passing. And after the service, a young man came up with his wife and three or four little children. They said, "Pastor," he said, "I've got to tell you something." I said, "What is it?" He said, "I don't agree with what you just said about defending yourself." I said, "You don't."

Natural Instinct and Christ's Teaching

Weaver notes that God instilled self-defense in animals and that Jesus taught we are of more value than sparrows, reinforcing the duty to preserve life.

I don't know if you've ever noticed this or not. But God has instilled even in animals a desire to protect their lives and to protect their young. When Alice and I lived in Greenville, South Carolina many, many, many years ago, and there were some bushes out in front of our house, flower bushes, and a mockingbird had made her nest in one of them, and our neighbor's tomcat came stalking and walking across our lawn. Guess what? That mama mockingbird dive-bombed his head repeatedly until she ran him out of the yard. What was she doing? She was just protecting her young.

I was raised on a farm. We used to have to deal with pigs around sows. If you don't know how to pick up a pig without him squealing, you're in trouble. That sow will eat you alive. You know how to pick up a pig without him squealing? Pick him up by his tail. You put your hand under his stomach, he's going to squeal. You pick him by his tail, he will not squeal. But I've seen men chased by sows. Isn't it strange? You look around, I don't care what animal it is, that animal will defend itself. If God allowed animals to do that and did not allow us to defend our lives, it would be a terrible anomaly.

But our Lord said it like this in Matthew chapter 10 in verse 31,

Scripture Reading — Matthew 10:31

"Fear ye not, therefore,"

what did He say?

Scripture Reading — Matthew 10:31

"You are of more value than many sparrows."

And if God will allow birds and if God will allow other animals to defend themselves, He most definitely allows us because we are more valuable to Him than many animals. "Thou shalt not kill." That is, "Thou shalt not take life except on God's terms." But the positive is "Thou shalt preserve life." So learn this tonight. I don't care what situation you're in. I don't care what circumstance you face. You have a duty. You have a responsibility. You have an obligation before God to preserve life. That means your life, the life of your wife, your children, your neighbors, your friends. And what did our Lord say in John 15 verse 13? "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

Conclusion and Teaser for Next Lecture

Weaver concludes that self-defense is biblical and obligatory, and promises to address Peter's sword incident in the next session.

Yes, there is a biblical doctrine of self defense. Now you're going to ask me, "But Brother Weaver, what are you going to do with that passage in the New Testament when Peter drew out his sword? And our Lord said, 'Peter, put that sword back up in your scabbard.' What are you going to do about that passage?" You'll have to come back tomorrow night to find out. Because it's there. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we ask you for your grace and your mercy and your goodness and kindness. And Lord, we do pray, Lord, that you would help us. Give us understanding. Strengthen us, Lord. May we, Lord, have a heart that is tender and yet, Lord, a heart that is strong. May we stand fast in your word. In the name of Jesus Christ we ask and pray. Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

The Sixth Commandment as a Mandate to Preserve Life

Summary: The command 'Thou shalt not kill' prohibits murder but positively requires the preservation of life, making self-defense a duty.

Evidence: When God says, 'Thou shalt not kill,' then the positive is, 'Thou shalt preserve life.' So the positive then, of the sixth commandment, is that we must preserve life, that would include our life, the life of our family, and the life of others as well.

Biblical Precedent for Righteous Killing in Defense

Summary: Scripture provides many examples of God and godly men taking life in defense, demonstrating that such acts are not murder but obedience.

Evidence: Did God, in defending Judah and Jerusalem, take lives? Did He kill? And the answer is yes. In fact, if you were to read Isaiah 37, verse 36, then the angel of the Lord went out and smote the Assyrian army, 185,000.

The Obligation of Self-Defense

Summary: Self-defense is not optional; failure to defend oneself or others is a violation of the sixth commandment.

Evidence: If you do not defend yourself, then you are guilty of violating the sixth commandment. We are obligated to defend ourselves.

Historical Practice of Armed Church Attendance

Summary: Colonial American Christians regularly carried arms to church, a practice rooted in biblical principles and often mandated by law.

Evidence: In colonial America, church security was often mandated by law... In 1640 in Massachusetts, it was ordered that the attendants of church should carry a competent number of pieces fixed and complete with powder and shot and swords each Lord's Day to the Meeting House.

The Duty to Rescue and Protect Others

Summary: Biblical law requires intervention to save those in danger, and failure to do so makes one complicit in the harm.

Evidence: Anyone who hears someone screaming and begging for help is responsible to help save that individual.

Trusting God While Using Means

Summary: Believers must use weapons and other means of defense while ultimately trusting God for deliverance and effectiveness.

Evidence: We must learn to use the means that God has ordained, while at the same time we are trusting God to make those means effectual.

Key Arguments

The Hebrew and Greek words behind 'kill' mean 'murder,' not all taking of life.

Summary: The sixth commandment forbids unjust killing, not all killing, as evidenced by the original languages.

Evidence: First of all, in the Hebrew it actually means, 'Thou shalt not do any murder.' And when it's translated in the New Testament in the Greek, the Greek says, 'Thou shalt not do any murder.'

God's law provides many instances where taking life is lawful.

Summary: Weaver lists 18 capital offenses in the Old Testament, showing that God authorizes taking life under specific conditions.

Evidence: I can give you actually 19 reasons in the Bible why life may be lawfully and legitimately taken on God's terms.

God's own actions in defending Jerusalem set a precedent for self-defense.

Summary: Since God defended Jerusalem by killing Assyrians, and we are to emulate God, self-defense is righteous.

Evidence: If God defended Judah and Jerusalem, and God is our defense, we may understand that God is certainly going to defend us. And it's never wrong for you and I to emulate our Heavenly Father.

Moses' killing of the Egyptian was not condemned but implicitly commended.

Summary: Moses defended a Hebrew by killing an Egyptian, and Scripture never condemns this act, listing Moses among the heroes of faith.

Evidence: Nowhere in the Bible, Old Testament or New Testament, is Moses condemned for killing this Egyptian. In fact, you might say he's commended because God listed him in the heroes of faith in Hebrews chapter 11.

Exodus 22:2-3 permits killing a night intruder but not a daytime thief.

Summary: The law distinguishes between a nighttime break-in, where killing is allowed, and a daytime theft, where restitution is required.

Evidence: If a thief be found breaking up and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him. But if the sun be risen upon him, there shall be blood shed for him, for he should make full restitution.

The law of the crying damsel shows the duty to rescue those in danger.

Summary: Deuteronomy 22 contrasts the woman in the city who did not cry out with the woman in the field who did, illustrating the obligation to help when one hears a cry for help.

Evidence: The woman in the city. If she had cried out. That meant that anyone and everyone who heard her would have the responsibility to save her.

The duty to help animals implies a greater duty to help humans.

Summary: If God requires helping an enemy's animal in distress, how much more does He require defending human life?

Evidence: If God holds you accountable and responsible to help save and preserve the lives of animals, how much more does He hold you accountable and responsible to help save the lives of mankind?

Natural instinct and Christ's words affirm the value of self-defense.

Summary: God gave animals the instinct to defend themselves, and Jesus said we are of more value than sparrows, so self-defense is consistent with God's design.

Evidence: If God allowed animals to do that and did not allow us to defend our lives, it would be a terrible anomaly. But our Lord said... 'You are of more value than many sparrows.'

Scripture References

Exodus 20:13

Context: The sixth commandment, 'Thou shalt not kill,' is the foundational text for the lecture.

2 Kings 19:34

Context: God promises to defend Jerusalem, showing that defense is a divine attribute.

2 Kings 20:6

Context: God again promises to defend Jerusalem for His own sake and David's.

Isaiah 31:5

Context: The Lord of hosts will defend Jerusalem like birds flying.

Isaiah 37:35

Context: God declares He will defend Jerusalem.

Isaiah 38:6

Context: God promises to deliver and defend the city.

Isaiah 37:36

Context: The angel of the Lord kills 185,000 Assyrians in defense of Jerusalem.

Judges 10:1

Context: Tola arose to defend Israel, showing God raises up defenders.

2 Samuel 23:8-12

Context: David's mighty men fought valiantly, and the Lord wrought great victories through their fighting.

Psalm 44:3

Context: Israel did not possess the land by their own sword but by God's power, yet they still fought.

Acts 7:22-25

Context: Moses defended the Hebrew and killed the Egyptian, and was not condemned.

1 Samuel 17

Context: David killed Goliath in defense of Israel, and it was righteous.

Exodus 22:1-3

Context: Law regarding killing a thief breaking in at night versus daytime.

Deuteronomy 22:23-27

Context: Law of the betrothed damsel, illustrating the duty to rescue those crying for help.

Deuteronomy 22:1-4

Context: Duty to help a brother's animal in distress, not hiding oneself.

Exodus 23:4-5

Context: Duty to help even an enemy's animal, reinforcing the obligation to preserve life.

Matthew 10:31

Context: Jesus says we are of more value than many sparrows, implying greater right to self-defense.

John 15:13

Context: Greater love has no man than to lay down his life for his friends, supporting the duty to defend others.

Historical References

Colonial American church armed attendance laws

Context: Laws in Massachusetts (1640), Connecticut (1643), Virginia (1619, 1623, 1738), and Plymouth required men to bring arms to church.

Alice Morse Earle, 'The Sabbath in Puritan New England'

Context: Book describing how and why Puritans carried arms on the Lord's Day.

Trumbull's 'McFingal' rhyme

Context: A jingle about carrying arms to church: 'our grandsires wore their guns to meeting.'

St. James Church massacre, Cape Town, 1993

Context: Communist guerrillas attacked a church; an armed missionary saved lives by shooting back.

Kitty Genovese murder, 1964

Context: A woman was murdered while 38 witnesses did nothing; Weaver says they violated the sixth commandment.

Recent U.S. church shootings (2009-2010s)

Context: Weaver lists multiple church shootings to illustrate the rising threat and need for defense.

Important Quotes

Thou shalt not kill.

Significance: The foundational text of the lecture, which Weaver reinterprets as a prohibition of murder and a mandate to preserve life.

In case I meet an Indian whose time it is to die.

Significance: Illustrates the pilgrim's belief in God's sovereignty combined with the practical duty of self-defense.

So, once, for fear of Indian beating, our grandsires wore their guns to meeting, each man equipped each Sunday morn, with psalm book, shot, and powder horn, and looked in form as almost grant, like the ancient true church militant.

Significance: Historical rhyme showing the normalcy of armed church attendance in colonial America.

If you do not defend yourself, then you are guilty of violating the sixth commandment.

Significance: A strong statement of the obligatory nature of self-defense under God's law.

And the Lord wrought a great victory that day.

Significance: Shows that God gets the credit for victories achieved through human fighting, validating the use of means.

If a thief be found breaking up and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him.

Significance: Key biblical text permitting lethal force against a nighttime intruder.

Anyone who hears someone screaming and begging for help is responsible to help save that individual.

Significance: Summarizes the positive duty of the sixth commandment to rescue those in danger.

You are of more value than many sparrows.

Significance: Jesus' words used to argue that if animals defend themselves, humans have an even greater right to do so.

Discussion Questions

How does understanding the original Hebrew and Greek words for 'kill' change your view of the sixth commandment?

Context: Weaver argues that the command means 'do not murder,' not a blanket prohibition on taking life.

In what ways does the colonial American practice of carrying arms to church challenge modern assumptions about church security?

Context: Weaver provides extensive historical examples of armed church attendance being mandated by law.

How do the examples of God defending Jerusalem and raising up judges shape our understanding of self-defense as a godly act?

Context: Weaver uses these biblical precedents to argue that defensive killing is righteous.

What is the relationship between trusting God and using physical means of defense, according to Weaver?

Context: Weaver emphasizes that weapons are useless without God, but we must still use them.

How does the law of the crying damsel in Deuteronomy 22 inform our responsibility to intervene in violent situations today?

Context: Weaver uses this passage to argue that hearing a cry for help obligates one to act.

Why does Weaver argue that failing to defend oneself or others is a violation of the sixth commandment?

Context: He states that the positive command to preserve life makes self-defense obligatory.

How does the Kitty Genovese case illustrate the biblical principle of responsibility to preserve life?

Context: Weaver says the 38 witnesses who did nothing were as guilty as the murderer.

What does the command to help even an enemy's animal teach us about the value of life and our duty to protect it?

Context: Weaver uses Exodus 23:4-5 to argue from lesser to greater regarding human life.

Applications

Recognize self-defense as a biblical duty

Summary: Believers must understand that preserving life, including through force if necessary, is not optional but commanded by God.

Evidence: If you do not defend yourself, then you are guilty of violating the sixth commandment. We are obligated to defend ourselves.

Prepare mentally and spiritually for defense

Summary: Christians should study Scripture and be ready to act in a crisis, rather than being paralyzed by uncertainty.

Evidence: If you ever get into a situation that you actually have to defend yourself, it's too late for you to stand there and say, 'Lord, what can I do?'

Trust God while employing means of defense

Summary: Use weapons and other means, but rely on God for effectiveness, recognizing that means are useless without His enablement.

Evidence: I'm not trusting in a weapon. A weapon is useless without God and His grace and His mercy.

Protect your family and congregation

Summary: Men especially have a duty to safeguard their wives, children, and church community from violent threats.

Evidence: I don't want my wife to be hurt or shot. I don't want you to be hurt or shot.

Intervene to rescue those in danger

Summary: When you hear someone crying for help, you are biblically obligated to act to save them, not ignore the situation.

Evidence: Anyone who hears someone screaming and begging for help is responsible to help save that individual.

Reject passive pacifism in the face of evil

Summary: Allowing evil to triumph when you could stop it is not spiritual but sinful, as it violates the command to preserve life.

Evidence: Had you much rather for righteousness to triumph or for evil to triumph? I much prefer the Christian to live than the communist to die.

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T02:16:28Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T15:48:02Z

Clean Transcript

Theology of Self-Defense-1

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

I want you to open your Bibles, if you would please, to the book of Exodus chapter 20. We're just going to read one verse tonight, and I'm going to be covering a lot of other verses as well. When we're talking about the biblical doctrine of self-defense, I have so many messages on this subject that I would really love to preach all of them, but I cannot. But I've got messages like, "Lord, Teach Us to Fight," based on Psalm 144 and verse 1, "To Teach Them War" based on Joshua chapter 3, "How to Fight Like a Christian," two messages on that, and many, many more. So this is something that's been very special to my heart, and I think that if you understand and grasp tonight what we're going to share with you, that it might really enlighten you and help you. So in Exodus chapter 20 and verse 13, the Bible says very plainly, "Thou shalt not kill." Most people understand that, or at least they think they understand that. And the truth is, many people do not understand because there is not only a negative here, there is a positive, which I will clarify a little bit later.
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One of my favorite stories happens to be about the old pilgrim who was walking to church. And as he was walking to church, he had his blunderbuss on his shoulder. And one of the men of the community came up to him and said, "Pastor, do you not believe that God is absolutely sovereign?" He said, "Most certainly I do." "Well," he said, "Pastor," he said, "if you believe that God is sovereign, do you believe that He's ordained the day of your death?" He said, "Absolutely." He said, "Well, Pastor, if you believe that God is sovereign and if you believe that God has ordained the day of your death and when it comes your time to die, you're going to die, there's not one thing you can do about it. Here's my question. Why are you carrying that blunderbuss on your shoulder?" The pastor said, "That's simple. In case I meet an Indian whose time it is to die."
#2 | 1:09 to 2:00 | cleaned
So he believed in the doctrine of self-defense, that is for sure. Most of us have really never understood that our forefathers not only went around armed all of the time, but they also went armed when they were in church. I have an old book in my library. The title is "The Sabbath in Puritan New England." It was written by a woman, Alice Morse Earle, but thankfully that book has been reprinted and the second chapter in that book is extremely valuable. It is very informative. It tells us not only how, but why our forefathers went around armed even on the Lord's Day and in the assembly of the saints as well. In fact, the interesting thing is the pastors then told those people who loaded their weapons not to discharge them on the Sabbath unless it was at an Indian or a wolf, which was their two greatest enemies at that particular time.
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It was Trumbull, who happened to be the historian of Connecticut, who actually made a little jingle in his "McFingal" concerning the carrying of arms to church. Here's what he wrote: "So, once, for fear of Indian beating, our grandsires wore their guns to meeting, each man equipped each Sunday morn, with psalm book, shot, and powder horn, and looked in form as almost grant, like the ancient true church militant." And so, that was his little rhyme on carrying to church. In the formation of our nation, many, many—in fact, it was a law that you had to carry arms on the Lord's day. For instance, in 1640 in Massachusetts, it was ordered that the attendants of church should carry a competent number of pieces fixed and complete with powder and shot and swords each Lord's Day to the Meeting House. So, swords were demanded as well as rifles. In Connecticut, in 1643, those who failed to bring their arms to church were fined twelve cents for each offense. Now, we think twelve cents is nothing, but back then, twelve cents was really something.
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In 1644, a law demanded that the fourth part of a trained band of men, that is trained fighting men, that they were obligated to come to church each Sunday and the sentinels were ordered to keep their matches lit in case they had to shoot those matchlocks. So I've just often wondered what it must have been like in an early church sitting back smelling all the smoke coming from the matches, but they were there ready to fire if needed to be. In 1692, the Connecticut legislature ordered that one-fifth of the soldiers in each town must attend the Sunday meeting. So these soldiers then were demanded that they attend in order that they might protect the congregation at that particular time. So in colonial America, church security was often mandated by law.
#5 | 4:22 to 5:18 | cleaned
and sometimes with the militia being there as well. Hence, in 1619, there was a statute in Virginia that required not only attendance, but that all such as bear arms shall bring their pieces, swords, powder, and shot with them under penalty of a three shilling fine if they did not. It says this was phrased in 1623 to require that all men that are fitting to bear arms shall bring their pieces to church. And so it was also made a statute in 1738. So the Plymouth colonies as well as the southern colonies really demanded that all men in the congregation bear arms. In fact, there is a painting, of course, most of you know, George Boughton's painting on pilgrims going to church, showing them walking three abreast with their muzzle loaders or their blunderbusses on their shoulders as well.
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And that was basically true. That's basically what happened. In the mid-17th century, the gun carrying to church was also mandated in Plymouth by law as well. And of course Connecticut also required everyone to bring a musket and a sword as well. So the early militia and the men of the churches were concerned then primarily about Indian attacks. But in 1743 in South Carolina again there was a law mandated that they must bring their weapons to church and swords as well.
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Many of our modern day habits which we never even stop to consider actually come from what happened during the colonial period. I don't know if you ever noticed this or not. In fact, I can look around right now and just see one or two out. But I was raised in church. If there was a special meeting during the week, my father and mother and my sister and I were there.
#8 | 7:02 to 7:29 | cleaned
We were there Sunday morning. We were there Sunday night. We were there Wednesday night. And I made an observation as a young man. And I did not understand it, but I just observed it, that most of the men sat on the ends of the pews. In fact, look around tonight. Most of them are like that tonight. Well, one or two exceptions. And I often wondered why. Well, the truth of the matter is this came from a custom in colonial America where the men stacked their muskets in the aisle. And they sat on the edge of the pews so that they could quickly grab those muskets if the Indians attacked or if some other danger arose. The women and the children were on the inside and thus they would not hinder the men, they would not be in the way if danger happened to arise and therefore the men would be able to quickly get their weapons and of course then defend their families as well.
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Now, this next little tidbit I find very interesting. Many people have never even thought about this. Have you ever noticed that when the preacher gets through preaching, usually there's a prayer and he will go to the front of the church and stand there while everybody files out. And you say, "Oh, yeah, I understand that. I mean, he goes back there to greet everyone and to shake their hands."
#10 | 8:34 to 9:01 | cleaned
No, that's not the reason. That's not the purpose. If you just wanted to shake my hand, you could come up here as easily as I could go back there. If you want to shake Pastor Robert's hand, you could come up here as easily as he could go back there. How in the world did this happen? Because the pastor was the under shepherd. He was the man that was most responsible for the flock. Are you listening?
#11 | 9:02 to 9:29 | cleaned
The pastor, who was always a good shot, and usually had one of the finest weapons in the neighborhood, preached with that loaded weapon by his pulpit, and when he finished, he took that weapon and went to the front of the church, opened the door, looked out, made sure there was safety in his assembly, then the men filed out, and then the women and children filed out. So the pastor going to the front of the church was basically him being the lookout for danger because he was the under shepherd and he was responsible. So in Concord, New Hampshire, once again, they stacked their arms in the middle of the church aisle as well.
#12 | 9:31 to 10:21 | cleaned
Now, in June 17, 1775, at the onset of the war for independence, there was a law passed that all churches within 20 miles of the seacoast had to have their weapons at the church. All men had to have them. Of course, by the time the war was over in 1783, the wisdom of that was certainly discovered.
#13 | 10:22 to 10:48 | cleaned
Now, I have a question for you. I've just given you a lot of history. I could have given it in greater detail, but here it is. In light of this history, were our forefathers correct? Were they biblical? And the answer, of course, is yes, they were biblical and yes, they were correct. So my next question would be this. Do you consider this fact in light of the situation that we're facing today to be also biblical and correct?
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Some of you may or may not know about what happened in Cape Town, South Africa on July the 25th, 1993. It was some of Nelson Mandela's African communists who came to St. James Church, the largest evangelical church in South Africa, that had over a thousand people in attendance that night. And so these communist guerrillas opened the side doors, lobbed grenades in, and then opened fire with AK-47s, blowing people to bits and shooting as many as they could shoot. People were diving behind the pews if they could. Another door opened and another communist guerrilla went to throw a hand grenade, but one missionary with Frontline Fellowship was armed. And he drew out his pistol and began to shoot at the one guerrilla who was going to lob the grenade. And the man did not lob the grenade. He did not open fire with his AK.
#15 | 11:22 to 12:38 | cleaned
In fact, he turned and ran because he was being shot at. And then the rest of them ran and the missionary followed him out and emptied his weapon into the fleeing car. The police in that area credited this missionary with saving at least a hundred lives. He was the only one in that entire church building that was armed. And he used that weapon to defend those people there.
#16 | 12:38 to 13:08 | cleaned
Now, just I want you to stop and think about this. Let's ask the question, was the missionary right to use that weapon? Was the missionary right to fire that weapon in the church building? Let me ask you another way. Do you think those Christians in that building would say, "Well, wait a minute, we've got to die anyhow. Why not die today? Let's just die today. Let's die at the hands of these communist guerrillas." Would you say that they were not spiritual enough if they did not want to die, if they did not want to sacrifice their lives?
#17 | 13:09 to 13:45 | cleaned
The truth of the matter is this. Let me ask you a question. Had you much rather for righteousness to triumph or for evil to triumph? I don't know about you, but I much prefer the Christian to live than the communist to die. I don't know about you, but I'd much rather for righteousness to prevail than for evil to prevail. Do we need such today? Well, when you stop and think what is happening in this country, and if you are here on Wednesday night, I will be sharing some things with you, but I will point this out right now.
#18 | 13:46 to 14:16 | cleaned
Did you realize that within the last six years, attacks on local churches have risen over 800%? 800%. Here's just some of them. In Richmond, California, three hooded men walked into the Gethsemane Church of God, opened fire, and then fled the scene. They shot a 14-year-old boy and a 19-year-old man. Here on March the 8th, 2009, Maryville, Illinois, Terry Joe Sedelec, 27, walks into the First Baptist Church, shoots Pastor Fred Winters dead, point blank. And some other men grabbed him to wrestle him down. He had a knife.
#19 | 14:16 to 15:01 | cleaned
Some of them were cut, but yet they did catch him. Knoxville, Tennessee, a gunman opens fire in a church during a youth performance, killing two people and injuring seven. Here's another one in Colorado. Three people were killed and five wounded in two shooting rampages, one in a missionary school in suburban Denver, and another in a church in Colorado Springs. The gunman was actually taken down by an armed guard at that particular church. In Missouri, the Missouri Micronesian Church, a man walked in and killed a pastor and two other churchgoers. In 2007, there was a standoff between police and the suspect in the shooting of three people at a Moscow, Idaho Presbyterian Church that ended with three dead, including a police officer. I can multiply these. In fact, here's one in College Park, Georgia, not too far from me, where a 27-year-old airman died being shot at a church where he had once worked as a security guard. The First Baptist Church in Texas, during a youth meeting, someone walked in and just simply opened fire.
#20 | 15:01 to 16:14 | cleaned
Seven people were killed during that particular attack. Lakeland, Florida. Authorities and family members say a man shot and killed his wife at their Lakeland home and then shot two others at a nearby church. Here's the point. People are going absolutely insane and absolutely crazy today. Used to, you would think that you were safe at home and you were safe in church. Communists always like to attack you where you are most vulnerable, and that's when you think you're the safest at home or in a church building.
#21 | 16:15 to 16:50 | cleaned
When you look at Exodus chapter 20 and verse 13, it's very simple where God says, "Thou shalt not kill." May I point out the fact that the Ten Commandments are God's law. They're not Jewish law. You'll find Jewish law in the Mishnah, the Gemara, and the Talmud. You'll find God's law in the Bible. Our Lord Himself spoke out against the Jewish law in Matthew chapter 15 and Mark chapter 7. And He said, "With your traditions you make void the law of God." So when we have the law given to us in Exodus chapter 20 and Deuteronomy chapter 5, it is indeed God's law, it is indeed biblical. Now, we have to understand what it means when God says, "Thou shalt not kill." First of all, in the Hebrew it actually means, "Thou shalt not do any murder." And when it's translated in the New Testament in the Greek, the Greek says, "Thou shalt not do any murder."
#22 | 16:51 to 17:50 | cleaned
In other words, we are not to take a life except on God's terms. Many times life is taken, but it is not murder. The command is, "Thou shalt not murder," "Thou shalt not take life unjustly," or let me put it like this, "Thou shalt not take life but except on God's terms." Now, without me going over all of these passages, I can give you actually 19 reasons in the Bible why life may be lawfully and legitimately taken on God's terms. And it is true, sometimes this refers to the civil magistrate, but it's still the taking of life. For instance, life is to be taken for murder, but not for accidental killing.
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You'll find that in Exodus chapter 21. Life is to be forfeited, listen to this one, for striking or cursing a parent. You'll not only find that in Exodus 21, Leviticus 20, Proverbs chapter 20, but also in the book of Matthew chapter 15 and Mark chapter 7. Life may also be taken for kidnapping, Exodus chapter 21. The death penalty is given for adultery in Leviticus chapter 20. The death penalty is also given for incest in Leviticus chapter 20. The death penalty is pronounced for bestiality in Exodus chapter 22. It's also demanded for sodomy and homosexuality, Leviticus chapter 20. It's also demanded for unchastity, Deuteronomy 22. It's also demanded for the rape of a virgin, which is Deuteronomy 23. For witchcraft, you'll also find that in Exodus 22. For the offering of human sacrifice, Leviticus chapter 20. Also for incorrigible delinquency. Wow! You'll find that one in Deuteronomy chapter 21. And believe it or not, the death penalty is even required for blasphemy. You'll find that in Leviticus 24. For Sabbath desecration, Exodus 35, Numbers 15. How about this one?
#24 | 18:43 to 20:03 | cleaned
You'll find the death penalty for the propagation of false doctrine. Deuteronomy 13. Also, refusing to abide by the decision of a biblical Court of Law demands the death penalty as well in Deuteronomy 17. And then, of course, refusing to restore the bail or the pledge, Ezekiel chapter 18, the death penalty is demanded. So here are 18 reasons why life may be lawfully taken on God's terms.
#25 | 20:04 to 20:39 | cleaned
Now, there's another reason, and I'm not adding to the Word of God because it's taught in the Word of God. And that is self-defense. You see, the sixth commandment forbids all violence. Let me make a point very clear. When God forbids anything, at the same time, He forbids everything that would lead up to it. Okay? So when God says, "Thou shalt not commit adultery," that also forbids lusting, covetousness, and anything that would ultimately end in the act of adultery. When God said, "Thou shalt not murder," at the same time He is forbidding anger, ill will, anything that would lead up to murder. So, God says, "Thou shalt not kill" or "Thou shalt not murder."
#26 | 20:40 to 21:38 | cleaned
Now, God's law is always stated in negative terms with the exception of two commandments. "Remember the Sabbath day" and "Honor thy father and thy mother." There are only two positives in the Ten Commandments. But each of these positives are undergirded throughout the Bible by a lot of negatives as well. So, here's what you should be doing. Whenever you read a negative in the Bible, you should ask what the positive is. Whenever you read a positive in the Bible, you should be asking what the negative is. So, if I read, "Thou shalt not commit adultery," I should be asking what is the positive. The positive is, "Thou shalt live a holy, righteous, sanctified life." "Thou shalt not steal," what be the positive?
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That you must earn your own living, according to the Bible, working with your hands, doing that which is good, that you may have to give to him that needeth. In other words, you're not a taker, you're not a covetous individual, you're an honest man, you're a worker, and of course you are more than willing to give and willing to share. So when God says, "Thou shalt not kill," then the positive is, "Thou shalt preserve life." So the positive then, of the sixth commandment, is that we must preserve life, that would include our life, the life of our family, and the life of others as well. So based upon the sixth commandment, let me put it like this, self-defense is obligatory. God demands it. If you do not defend yourself, then you are guilty of violating the sixth commandment. We are obligated to defend ourselves. Why? Because, say if Kevin walked up to me and said, "Pastor, I'd just like to kill you." And I say, "Well, do whatever spins your wheels."
#28 | 22:39 to 23:40 | cleaned
If it'll make you happy, go ahead and do it. I'm going to heaven anyhow. If I allowed him to do that, then I'm violating the sixth commandment. Because I have a duty, I have a responsibility, I have an obligation to preserve my life. And if in preserving my life, I end up having to take his life, it is lawful and it is legal because I would be in obedience to the sixth commandment.
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Now, so you've got to understand, once again, that self-defense is indeed obligatory. Now, if we do not defend ourselves, we are not preserving our lives. Some of you fellas have been in the military. Have you ever thought about Article 3 of the United States Military Code? Let me read it to you. "If I am captured, I will continue to resist by all means available. I will make every effort to escape and to aid others to escape."
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"I will accept neither parole nor special favors from the enemy." So we are taught that if we are captured by the enemy, we have a duty, we have an obligation to escape. We have a duty and obligation to help others escape. Why? It's not just so that we can bring back information to the commanding officer. It's based upon the sixth commandment. We have a duty to preserve our lives and the lives of others. So if I am captured, I'm going to make every effort that I can to escape. You need to read some of the lives of those Scottish Covenanters. When they were captured and thrown in the Tower of London, they did everything they could to escape. Many of them did escape. Some were captured while they were trying to escape.
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And they said, "Well, Lord, we obeyed your law. And if you want me to die, I'm willing to die for your honor and your glory." But they kept trying to escape until their death.
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Now, in other words, this is indeed the sixth commandment. Now, is self-defense wrong or wicked? And the answer is absolutely not. If we kill to preserve life, it is not wicked, it is righteous. Someone says, "Well, can you prove that to me?" I think I can, if you believe the Bible. First of all, I would say this. Most everyone encourages Christians to emulate their Heavenly Father.
#33 | 25:51 to 26:25 | cleaned
I mean, "Be ye holy as I am holy, saith the Lord." Of course. Let me just give you this. Do you know what God said to Hezekiah, to Isaiah? I'm going to give it to you five times. I'm going to read it. Listen to this. 2 Kings 19, verse 34. God says, "For I will defend this city to save it for my own sake and for my servant David's sake." Now, what did God just say? "I will defend this city."
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Wow, the Assyrians wanted to capture Judah and Jerusalem. I mean, after all, they had taken Samaria, they had taken the northern kingdom. So God tells Hezekiah, "I'm going to defend this city." He said it again in 2 Kings 20, verse 6, God said to Hezekiah, "And I will add unto thy days fifteen years, and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city for mine own sake and for my servant David's sake."
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What did he just say? "I will defend this city. I'm going to do it." And then in Isaiah chapter 31 in verse 5, "As birds flying, so will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem. Defending also He will deliver it, and passing over it, He will preserve it." And then in Isaiah 37 verse 35, again, God said, "For I will defend this city for my own sake and for my servant David's sake." And one more time in Isaiah 38 and verse 6, he said, "I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city." Now, here's my question. Did God defend Judah and Jerusalem? Well, yes, he did. Did God, in defending Judah and Jerusalem, take lives? Did He kill? And the answer is yes. In fact, if you were to read Isaiah 37, verse 36, then the angel of the Lord went out and smote the Assyrian army, 185,000. And when they awoke the next morning, they were all dead men. That is, those few that God did not kill.
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Now, here's my question. Could God have delivered Judah and Jerusalem without killing those Assyrians? Yeah. Did you know? Do you remember? He delivered Samaria from the Syrians. How did he do that? He caused them to hear a noise, and they said, "The king of Samaria has hired Tirhakah, the king of the Ethiopians, against us." And they fled and left everything. He just caused them to hear a noise.
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But in this instance, he didn't do that. He slew 185,000 Assyrian soldiers.
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Now, is anyone going to be so wicked and so blasphemous as to charge God with murder? He certainly killed them in defending the city. I want to challenge you to do something. I want to challenge you to read through the Psalms. And just note how many times David says, "The Lord is my defense. The Lord is my defender. In the Lord I will trust." Over and over, David says that. Psalm 89, he said, "For the Lord is our defense." So if God defended Judah and Jerusalem, and God is our defense, we may understand that God is certainly going to defend us.
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And it's never wrong for you and I to emulate our Heavenly Father. So when there arises a necessity in our lives to defend ourselves, we must remember that God himself did that. He defended his people.
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Now, let me explain something. I've said this so many times. You and I really need to grasp these principles and we need to grasp these scriptures. Here's why. If you ever get into a situation that you actually have to defend yourself, it's too late for you to stand there and say, "Lord, what can I do? I mean, what should I? Lord, I don't even know what to do." If you don't know what to do when it's time to do something, it's too late for you. You better understand, you better grasp.
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I will tell you this. I've never heard anyone in my entire life. I've never shot anyone. I don't want to shoot anyone. I don't want to hurt anyone. But I don't want to be hurt either. And I don't want to be shot. And I don't want my wife to be hurt or shot. I don't want you to be hurt or shot. I'm simply pointing out the fact we need to understand what we can do in light of God's word.
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Someone's going to object and say, "Well, yeah, but wait a minute, Brother Weaver, what God does and what we do are two totally different things." Well, in one sense of the word, that is true because we are certainly not God. But one thing about it, when you study the scripture and you find out what God demands and what God does, for instance, if you were just simply to read through the book of Judges, and especially when you get to Judges chapter 10 and verse 1, let me read it.
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"And after Abimelech, there arose to defend Israel, Tola, the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar, and he dwelt in Shamir and Mount Ephraim." Now, listen to what it said. "And there arose to defend Israel." May I ask you. Who raised up the judges? It was God. For what purpose did he raise up those judges? And that was to defend Israel, to defend his people. That is exactly what those judges did. They went to war. Read about Jephthah. Read about Ehud. Read about these men and see how they defended Israel. God raised them up for that particular purpose.
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Now, let me show you something else. I want you to turn in your Bibles very quickly to 2 Samuel, chapter 23. 2 Samuel, chapter 23. In this passage, you're going to read about some of David's mighty men. We're not going to go over all of these men. They certainly all deserve recognition, but I want to point out just a couple of them. And I want you to see what is happening. Look in the book of 2 Samuel, chapter 23, and let's begin reading there with verse 8. Look at this. "These be the names of the mighty men whom David had, the Tachmonite that sat in the seat, chief among the captains, the same as Adino the Eznite, and he lift up his spear against 800 whom he slew at one time." Now, that doesn't mean he threw it and got 800 skewered at one time, but he took it in one battle. He killed 800 with his spear. Watch verse 9. "And after him was Eliezer, the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David, when they defied the Philistines that were there, gathered together to battle, and the men of Israel were gone away."
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Now, look what Eliezer did. "He arose and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto the sword. And the Lord wrought a great victory that day, and the people returned after him only to spoil." Now, wait a minute. Look at verse 10 again. He, this is Eleazar, he arose and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto his sword. In other words, he fought so valiantly and with such intensity that when he got through fighting, his hand clave into his sword. In other words, someone had to prise those fingers away from the sword. So Eliezer is the man who's killing all of these wicked men. But note, if you would, verse 10. The Bible says, "And he arose and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary. And his hand clave into the sword, and the Lord brought a great victory that day." Now, how did the Lord get a great victory that day? It was Eleazar who was doing the fighting. It was Eleazar who was sustained by God and empowered by God and doing the work of God.
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And God wrought a great victory. Look, if you would, in verse 11. Here it is again. "And after him was Shammah, the son of Agee the Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered together in a troop, where was a piece of ground full of lentils, and the people fled from the Philistines. But he, Shammah, stood in the midst of the ground and defended it, and slew the Philistines, and the Lord wrought a great victory." Note, if you would, he was the one doing the fighting, but it was the Lord who wrought the victory. Why? Because God enabled him, God empowered him, God strengthened him.
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In other words, what we have to understand is this. We must learn to use the means that God has ordained, while at the same time we are trusting God to make those means effectual. Great men in the Bible used swords, they used bows, they used knives, they used other weapons, but yet they trusted in the Lord to deliver them. It was not the power of the weapon, it was the power of God.
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You need to read Psalm 44. "They got not the land in possession by their own arm, neither did their sword save them, but it was thou, O God." In other words, yes, Israel had to fight to conquer the land, but it was God who was giving them the victory. It was God who was making them effectual in their fighting. So clearly then, we must use the means, but at the same time, we must trust in the Lord. Do you understand this?
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That weapons are actually nothing in and of themselves. You could ask me. "Well, Pastor. Do you sleep with a loaded weapon in your bedroom?" I most certainly do. Several. You say, "Well, you're trusting in that weapon." No, I'm not. I'm trusting in the Lord. Because you see, if God does not awaken me in time, if there's a violent breaking into my house, if God doesn't awaken me in time, and if God doesn't enable me to grab that weapon and shoot straight, my weapon is absolutely useless. I could have 40, 50 cal machine guns in my bedroom. I could have a bazooka. I could have a mortar. I could have anything in there. None of them would do me a bit of good if God did not open my eyes and awaken me and enable me to fight. I'm not trusting in a weapon. A weapon is useless without God and His grace and His mercy.
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Now, let me point something out. I want you to look in Acts chapter 7. This one is very clear, Acts chapter 7. And let's begin reading there with verse 22, Acts chapter 7, verse 22. I can quote some of these verses, but I want you to see them. Look at Acts chapter 7, verse 22. The Bible is talking about Moses. "And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptian and was mighty in words and deeds."
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"And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel. And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian. For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them, but they understood not." Now, note if you would, Moses saw an Egyptian smiting a Hebrew. And he defended the Hebrew and he killed the Egyptian. Here's the interesting thing. Nowhere in the Bible, Old Testament or New Testament, is Moses condemned for killing this Egyptian. In fact, you might say he's commended because God listed him in the heroes of faith in Hebrews chapter 11. But you say, "But Moses had to flee. He had to get out of Egypt and flee to the land of Midian." Yes, he did.
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But not because he violated God's law, but only because the tyrant Pharaoh was after him who did not regard God's law. And by the way, I have a message on this as well. Means of resistance to tyranny. One of the means that we may biblically use is flight. You say, "If you flee, you're a coward." No, no, no, no. Don't say that. Because the sovereign God of heaven and earth told Joseph, "Take the child and flee into Egypt." Now, there are problems with flight. But all Moses was doing was getting out of the way of a tyrant who was intent on murdering him for doing that which was right. So nowhere in the Bible is Moses condemned for defending his brother.
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Now, when you get to 1 Samuel 17, you don't have to turn there because you know the story of Goliath and David. Everyone was afraid of Goliath. No one wanted to fight Goliath till little David came along, seventeen approximately. And he told King Saul, "Let not the king's heart fail, I'll go and fight him." Saul said, "How in the world can you do that? You're but a youth and he's been a soldier since his youth." David said, "Well, God delivered me out of the paw of the lion, paw of the bear, and this uncircumcised Philistine, he'll fall just like them." And so Saul dressed him in his armor. And you know what he said?
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"I can't go on these. I haven't proved these." So he took his sling and picked up five smooth stones. What did Goliath do? When he saw David, he was incensed. "What? You're sending a kid out here to fight me? I'm a professional warrior. Do you think I'm a dog?" And then he looked at David and said, "Come to me and I will give your meat to the fowls of the air. I will kill you." David said, "You come to me against me, but I come to you in the name of the Lord and the Lord will give me the victory and I will take your head."
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Now, let me ask you a question. Do you think David intended to kill Goliath? Well, of course, Goliath intended to kill David. And once David swung that stone and knocked him out, he went up and took Goliath's own sword and cut his head off. Yeah, he intended to kill him. Was he right? And absolutely he was right. So Goliath was the one who purposely and deliberately pressed the attack. Not David. David was the defender.
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Now, let me show you some things that God has commanded. I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Exodus, chapter 22. And I want you to look at the first three verses. This is very interesting. I have a whole series on biblical law. And this chapter deals particularly with the law of restitution. But it gives more than just restitution. In Exodus chapter 22 and verse 1, the Bible says, "If a man steal an ox or a sheep and kill it or sell it, he shall restore five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep."
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"If a thief be found breaking up and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him. But if the sun be risen upon him, there shall be blood shed for him, for he should make full restitution. If he have nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft."
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Now, I want you to note how God allows for the taking of life in certain situations. Also, you have here, I wish I had time just to deal with this chapter on the law of restitution. Look in verse 1. He said, "If a man shall steal an ox or a sheep and kill it, or sell it, he shall restore five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep." Why in the world is there a difference in ratio of restitution? You'll find sometimes in the Bible there's a two-fold restitution, there's a four-fold restitution, there's a five-fold restitution, and in the book of Proverbs there's a seven-fold restitution. The restitution is based upon the value and the usefulness of the item that is stolen.
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So, if Randy has a fine little car that his wife likes to drive around, and yet he's got an old work truck that's full of his tools, I wonder which one he'd rather have stolen. The little car or the old truck full of tools? The little car would be a sheep. You can shear a sheep and you can eat the meat. The work truck is an oxen. Yeah, you can use his hide for leather, you can eat the meat, but you can plow with him. And so the ratio of restitution is based upon the value of that which is stolen.
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But look what God says in verse two, "If a thief be found breaking up and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him." Now, then he goes on in verse three and said, "If the sun be risen upon him, there shall be blood shed for him."
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Now, let me explain this. First of all, verse two deals with a thief breaking in at night. You can't see who he is. You don't know whether he's armed or not. You have no earthly idea. And God says if you shoot him and he dies, there should be no blood shed for him. He had no business breaking in. Now, when we think of breaking in, we normally think of breaking into our homes.
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And probably that's how the law would look at it today. But if you look at verse 1, He said, "...if a man shall steal an ox or a sheep," ox and sheep don't live in the house. They're in the barn. So here's somebody that's breaking into the barn to steal private property. God says, if you shoot him, he's at night, there's to be no blood shed for him. Then he says in verse three, "If the sun be risen upon him, then blood shall be shed for him, for he should make full restitution."
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"If he have nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft." In other words, during the daylight hours you can see him to recognize him. You can also see whether or not he's armed.
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Now there would be a lawful way that you could kill him during the daytime as well. What would that be? If he's armed and he points that weapon at you, then you have the perfect right to defend yourself. But God said if he has no weapon, and if you know who he is, don't kill him. Just make him make restitution. If we followed the Bible when it comes to restitution, we would have very little crime in this country.
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You heard that old expression. "Crime doesn't pay." That's only under biblical law. It does pay. That's why we have so many criminals today under humanistic law. OK, so God says you can take his life. I was preaching in Greenville years ago. And I had a man come up to me, he said, "I want to ask you a question." I said, "Ask me." He said, "What would you do if you woke up during the night and a man was breaking in your bedroom window?"
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I looked at him, I said, "Well, if I get my hands on a gun, I would shoot him. If I couldn't get my hands on a gun, I'd take a baseball bat and I'd hit him upside the head." He said, "I don't think you ought to do that." I said, "What do you think I ought to do?" He said, "I think you ought to go in another room and pray about it." I said, "You mean to tell me you think I should be in a room praying when he's in there raping my wife or murdering my children?" I said, "Sir, let me tell you something. I would pray. When he stuck his head through that window coming in my bedroom, I would draw that baseball bat back and I'd say, 'Dear Lord, please don't let me miss him this time.' Pow!"
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And I would swing it. That's how I would pray. That's what the Bible says. If he's breaking in and it's night, you don't know who he is. You don't know whether he's armed or not. God says he can be, life can be taken lawfully in that instance. I want you to open your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 23. I mentioned some of these things earlier. I certainly won't have time to deal with all of them, but I want you to notice this one. Deuteronomy, chapter 23.
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This is a powerful, powerful passage. Let's say it's Deuteronomy 22, verse 23 is what I want. Deuteronomy 22, verse 23. Look at this. The Bible says, "If a man be found lying with a woman married to a husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman and the woman. So shalt thou put away evil from Israel. If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto a husband, and a man find her in the city and lie with her, then you shall bring them forth both out of the gate of the city, and you shall stone them with stones, that they die. The damsel," watch it now, "...because she cried not, being in the city, and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbor's wife, so thou shalt put away evil from among you." Now watch verse 25, "...but if a man find a betrothed damsel in the field, and the man force her, and lie with her, then the man only that lay with her shall die. But in the damsel thou shalt do nothing."
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"There is in the damsel no sin worthy of death. For as when a man rises up against his neighbor, and slayeth him, even so it is in this matter. For he found her in the field, and the betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save her."
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Now, here's a very interesting comparison. First of all, God says here's a man that finds a woman in the city, and he lays with her, and God says you're to bring both the man and the woman out of the city and stone them that they both die.
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Now the damsel in the field, if she is attacked, now it's the man only who's to be put to death. What is the difference? Well, I don't know if you've noticed this or not, but here it is. The Bible says the woman in the city is to be put to death because she cried not out. In other words, she was consenting to the sin. She was consenting to the crime. And since she was consenting, she's worthy of death, just like the man is worthy of death. Hang on. When you get to the damsel in the field. The man attacks her. She cries. There's no one out in the field. But it's later discovered. God says, put him to death, let her live. Hmm. What is the difference? The difference is this. The woman in the city. If she had cried out.
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That meant that anyone and everyone who heard her would have the responsibility to save her. The woman in the field cried and there was no one to hear. There was no one to save her. So the man is to be put to death. I hope you're thinking, because this is a perfect illustration of the positive side of the sixth commandment, "Thou shalt preserve life." Anyone who hears someone screaming and begging for help is responsible to help save that individual. Hang on.
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Here's a very famous case. It happened in 1964. I've never forgotten it. A woman by the name of Kitty Genovese. She was brutally raped and murdered. She was stabbed 17 times on a sidewalk. And left for dead. She cried, she screamed, she begged for help. Thirty-eight people had either heard or observed some part of the crime, but did not lift a finger to save her. A few undoubtedly called the police. By the time the police got there, all they could do was draw a line around the dead woman. Are you listening? According to God's law, those 38 people who stood by and did nothing are just as guilty of murder as the man who stabbed her and killed her.
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Because we have a responsibility to preserve life. I want to show you something, I want you to turn to two passages, I want you to turn to Deuteronomy 22, which you're already there, but go ahead and find Exodus chapter 23. Exodus chapter 23. Find that one. And since you're in Deuteronomy 22, let's go there first. I want you to watch this, I'll explain it. Deuteronomy 22, verse 4. In fact, let's begin reading with verse 1. Watch it.
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"Thou shalt not see thy brother's ox or his sheep go astray, and hide thyself from them. Thou shalt in any case bring them again unto thy brother. And if thy brother be not nigh unto thee, or if thou know him not, then thou shalt bring it unto thine own house. And it shall be with thee until thy brother seek after it, and thou shalt restore it unto him again. In like manner shalt thou do with him, with his ass, so shalt thou do with his raiment, and with all the lost thing of thy brothers, which he hath lost, and thou hast found, shalt thou do likewise. Thou mayest not hide thyself."
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Now hang on, look at verse 4. "Thou shalt not see thy brother's ass, or his ox fall down by the way, and hide thyself from them. Thou shalt surely help him to lift them up again." So, if you see your brother's horse stuck in a mud hole, and by the way, that happened to me one time. I let my horse go down to a sandy stream to drink water and the sand gave way and he was up to his chest in sinking sand. Thankfully, someone did stop and help me get my horse out. But God says you can't hide yourself. If you see an animal in danger, you can't hide yourself. You're bound to help.
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You say, "Well, wait a minute, Brother Weaver. I'd be glad to help my neighbor. I'd be glad to help my brother any time, any day." Wonderful.
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Now, look in your Bible, Exodus chapter 23, if you would please. Let's begin with verse 4. Exodus 23 and verse 4, here it is, God said, "If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again. If thou see the ass of him that hated thee, lying under his burden, and would not forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him." You see a cow having difficulty having a calf?
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You know that's your neighbor or that's your enemy. God said it doesn't matter. You can't hide yourself. You are duty-bound. You're responsible to help deliver that animal and save that animal's life. Why am I telling you this? Because it is an argument from the lesser to the greater. If God holds you accountable and responsible to help save and preserve the lives of animals, how much more does He hold you accountable and responsible to help save the lives of mankind?
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I was preaching in Indianapolis, Indiana, and I was dealing, actually, with Romans 13. And I came up with something on self-defense. I don't know, just passing. And after the service, a young man came up with his wife and three or four little children. They said, "Pastor," he said, "I've got to tell you something." I said, "What is it?" He said, "I don't agree with what you just said about defending yourself." I said, "You don't."
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I said, "What would you do? If a man broke into your house to attack your wife and harm your children." So help me, this is what he said. He said, "I would go off and I'd be praying about it." And I looked at him, I said, "Sir, I just want to tell you, I'm so thankful I'm not your wife and I'm not your child." Now. Let me point something out.
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I don't know if you've ever noticed this or not. But God has instilled even in animals a desire to protect their lives and to protect their young. When Alice and I lived in Greenville, South Carolina many, many, many years ago, and there were some bushes out in front of our house, flower bushes, and a mockingbird had made her nest in one of them, and our neighbor's tomcat came stalking and walking across our lawn. Guess what? That mama mockingbird dive-bombed his head repeatedly until she ran him out of the yard. What was she doing? She was just protecting her young.
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I was raised on a farm. We used to have to deal with pigs around sows. If you don't know how to pick up a pig without him squealing, you're in trouble. That sow will eat you alive. You know how to pick up a pig without him squealing? Pick him up by his tail. You put your hand under his stomach, he's going to squeal. You pick him by his tail, he will not squeal. But I've seen men chased by sows. Isn't it strange? You look around, I don't care what animal it is, that animal will defend itself. If God allowed animals to do that and did not allow us to defend our lives, it would be a terrible anomaly.
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But our Lord said it like this in Matthew chapter 10 in verse 31, "Fear ye not, therefore," what did He say? "You are of more value than many sparrows." And if God will allow birds and if God will allow other animals to defend themselves, He most definitely allows us because we are more valuable to Him than many animals. "Thou shalt not kill." That is, "Thou shalt not take life except on God's terms." But the positive is "Thou shalt preserve life." So learn this tonight.
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I don't care what situation you're in. I don't care what circumstance you face. You have a duty. You have a responsibility. You have an obligation before God to preserve life. That means your life, the life of your wife, your children, your neighbors, your friends. And what did our Lord say in John 15 verse 13? "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."
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Yes, there is a biblical doctrine of self defense. Now you're going to ask me, "But Brother Weaver, what are you going to do with that passage in the New Testament when Peter drew out his sword? And our Lord said, 'Peter, put that sword back up in your scabbard.' What are you going to do about that passage?" You'll have to come back tomorrow night to find out. Because it's there. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we ask you for your grace and your mercy and your goodness and kindness. And Lord, we do pray, Lord, that you would help us. Give us understanding. Strengthen us, Lord. May we, Lord, have a heart that is tender and yet, Lord, a heart that is strong. May we stand fast in your word. In the name of Jesus Christ we ask and pray. Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T02:16:28Z

Theology of Self-Defense-1

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver argues that the sixth commandment, 'Thou shalt not kill,' is properly understood as a prohibition of murder, and that its positive requirement is the preservation of life. He demonstrates from Scripture and colonial American history that self-defense is not only permitted but obligatory for Christians. Using examples from the Old Testament, the law of God, and the actions of godly men, he shows that taking life in defense of oneself or others is righteous when done on God's terms. The lecture emphasizes the duty to protect family and congregation, and challenges pacifist interpretations by highlighting the biblical mandate to preserve life.

Introduction and Historical Context

Weaver introduces the topic of self-defense, referencing Exodus 20:13 and sharing historical anecdotes about colonial Americans carrying arms to church, including laws mandating it.

Scripture Reading — Exodus 20:13

I want you to open your Bibles, if you would please, to the book of Exodus chapter 20. We're just going to read one verse tonight, and I'm going to be covering a lot of other verses as well. When we're talking about the biblical doctrine of self-defense, I have so many messages on this subject that I would really love to preach all of them, but I cannot. But I've got messages like, "Lord, Teach Us to Fight," based on Psalm 144 and verse 1, "To Teach Them War" based on Joshua chapter 3, "How to Fight Like a Christian," two messages on that, and many, many more. So this is something that's been very special to my heart, and I think that if you understand and grasp tonight what we're going to share with you, that it might really enlighten you and help you. So in Exodus chapter 20 and verse 13, the Bible says very plainly, "Thou shalt not kill." Most people understand that, or at least they think they understand that. And the truth is, many people do not understand because there is not only a negative here, there is a positive, which I will clarify a little bit later.

Modern Church Attacks and the Need for Defense

Weaver recounts the 1993 St. James Church attack in South Africa and lists recent church shootings in the U.S., emphasizing the rising threat and the need for armed defense.

The Sixth Commandment: Negative and Positive

Weaver explains that 'Thou shalt not kill' means 'Thou shalt not murder,' and that the positive command is to preserve life, making self-defense obligatory.

Biblical Examples of Righteous Killing

Weaver cites God's defense of Jerusalem, the judges of Israel, David's mighty men, Moses, and David vs. Goliath as examples of righteous killing in defense.

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 20:6

"And I will add unto thy days fifteen years, and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city for mine own sake and for my servant David's sake."

What did he just say?

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 20:6

"I will defend this city. I'm going to do it."

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 20:6

"For I will defend this city for my own sake and for my servant David's sake."

And one more time in Isaiah 38 and verse 6, he said,

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 20:6

"I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city."

Scripture Reading — Judges 10:1

"And after Abimelech, there arose to defend Israel, Tola, the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar, and he dwelt in Shamir and Mount Ephraim."

Now, listen to what it said.

Scripture Reading — Judges 10:1

"And there arose to defend Israel."

Scripture Reading — 2 Samuel 23:8-12

"These be the names of the mighty men whom David had, the Tachmonite that sat in the seat, chief among the captains, the same as Adino the Eznite, and he lift up his spear against 800 whom he slew at one time."

Now, that doesn't mean he threw it and got 800 skewered at one time, but he took it in one battle. He killed 800 with his spear. Watch verse 9.

Scripture Reading — 2 Samuel 23:8-12

"And after him was Eliezer, the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David, when they defied the Philistines that were there, gathered together to battle, and the men of Israel were gone away."

God's Law on Self-Defense and Property

Weaver examines Exodus 22:1-3, showing that killing a night intruder is lawful, and Deuteronomy 22:23-27, illustrating the duty to rescue those in danger.

Duty to Preserve Life: Animals and Humans

Weaver uses Deuteronomy 22:1-4 and Exodus 23:4-5 to argue from lesser to greater: if we must help animals, we must certainly help humans, including through self-defense.

Scripture Reading — Exodus 23:4-5

"If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again. If thou see the ass of him that hated thee, lying under his burden, and would not forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him."

You see a cow having difficulty having a calf?

Natural Instinct and Christ's Teaching

Weaver notes that God instilled self-defense in animals and that Jesus taught we are of more value than sparrows, reinforcing the duty to preserve life.

But our Lord said it like this in Matthew chapter 10 in verse 31,

Scripture Reading — Matthew 10:31

"Fear ye not, therefore,"

what did He say?

Scripture Reading — Matthew 10:31

"You are of more value than many sparrows."

Conclusion and Teaser for Next Lecture

Weaver concludes that self-defense is biblical and obligatory, and promises to address Peter's sword incident in the next session.

Theology of Self-Defense-1

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	326241024343659
Subject	Biblical Law
Course	The Ten Commandments
Genre	Sermon
Date	2024-03-25
Dictation Name
Book	Book 108: Theology of Self Defense — Chapter 1
Source Timed Segments	87

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction and Historical Context: Weaver introduces the topic of self-defense, referencing Exodus 20:13 and sharing historical anecdotes about colonial Americans carrying arms to church, including laws mandating it.
Modern Church Attacks and the Need for Defense: Weaver recounts the 1993 St. James Church attack in South Africa and lists recent church shootings in the U.S., emphasizing the rising threat and the need for armed defense.
The Sixth Commandment: Negative and Positive: Weaver explains that 'Thou shalt not kill' means 'Thou shalt not murder,' and that the positive command is to preserve life, making self-defense obligatory.
Biblical Examples of Righteous Killing: Weaver cites God's defense of Jerusalem, the judges of Israel, David's mighty men, Moses, and David vs. Goliath as examples of righteous killing in defense.
God's Law on Self-Defense and Property: Weaver examines Exodus 22:1-3, showing that killing a night intruder is lawful, and Deuteronomy 22:23-27, illustrating the duty to rescue those in danger.
Duty to Preserve Life: Animals and Humans: Weaver uses Deuteronomy 22:1-4 and Exodus 23:4-5 to argue from lesser to greater: if we must help animals, we must certainly help humans, including through self-defense.
Natural Instinct and Christ's Teaching: Weaver notes that God instilled self-defense in animals and that Jesus taught we are of more value than sparrows, reinforcing the duty to preserve life.
Conclusion and Teaser for Next Lecture: Weaver concludes that self-defense is biblical and obligatory, and promises to address Peter's sword incident in the next session.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

The Hebrew and Greek words behind 'kill' mean 'murder,' not all taking of life.

The sixth commandment forbids unjust killing, not all killing, as evidenced by the original languages.

First of all, in the Hebrew it actually means, 'Thou shalt not do any murder.' And when it's translated in the New Testament in the Greek, the Greek says, 'Thou shalt not do any murder.'

God's law provides many instances where taking life is lawful.

Weaver lists 18 capital offenses in the Old Testament, showing that God authorizes taking life under specific conditions.

I can give you actually 19 reasons in the Bible why life may be lawfully and legitimately taken on God's terms.

God's own actions in defending Jerusalem set a precedent for self-defense.

Since God defended Jerusalem by killing Assyrians, and we are to emulate God, self-defense is righteous.

If God defended Judah and Jerusalem, and God is our defense, we may understand that God is certainly going to defend us. And it's never wrong for you and I to emulate our Heavenly Father.

Moses' killing of the Egyptian was not condemned but implicitly commended.

Moses defended a Hebrew by killing an Egyptian, and Scripture never condemns this act, listing Moses among the heroes of faith.

Nowhere in the Bible, Old Testament or New Testament, is Moses condemned for killing this Egyptian. In fact, you might say he's commended because God listed him in the heroes of faith in Hebrews chapter 11.

Exodus 22:2-3 permits killing a night intruder but not a daytime thief.

The law distinguishes between a nighttime break-in, where killing is allowed, and a daytime theft, where restitution is required.

If a thief be found breaking up and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him. But if the sun be risen upon him, there shall be blood shed for him, for he should make full restitution.

The law of the crying damsel shows the duty to rescue those in danger.

Deuteronomy 22 contrasts the woman in the city who did not cry out with the woman in the field who did, illustrating the obligation to help when one hears a cry for help.

The woman in the city. If she had cried out. That meant that anyone and everyone who heard her would have the responsibility to save her.

The duty to help animals implies a greater duty to help humans.

If God requires helping an enemy's animal in distress, how much more does He require defending human life?

If God holds you accountable and responsible to help save and preserve the lives of animals, how much more does He hold you accountable and responsible to help save the lives of mankind?

Natural instinct and Christ's words affirm the value of self-defense.

God gave animals the instinct to defend themselves, and Jesus said we are of more value than sparrows, so self-defense is consistent with God's design.

If God allowed animals to do that and did not allow us to defend our lives, it would be a terrible anomaly. But our Lord said... 'You are of more value than many sparrows.'

Scripture References

Exodus 20:13: The sixth commandment, 'Thou shalt not kill,' is the foundational text for the lecture.
2 Kings 19:34: God promises to defend Jerusalem, showing that defense is a divine attribute.
2 Kings 20:6: God again promises to defend Jerusalem for His own sake and David's.
Isaiah 31:5: The Lord of hosts will defend Jerusalem like birds flying.
Isaiah 37:35: God declares He will defend Jerusalem.
Isaiah 38:6: God promises to deliver and defend the city.
Isaiah 37:36: The angel of the Lord kills 185,000 Assyrians in defense of Jerusalem.
Judges 10:1: Tola arose to defend Israel, showing God raises up defenders.
2 Samuel 23:8-12: David's mighty men fought valiantly, and the Lord wrought great victories through their fighting.
Psalm 44:3: Israel did not possess the land by their own sword but by God's power, yet they still fought.
Acts 7:22-25: Moses defended the Hebrew and killed the Egyptian, and was not condemned.
1 Samuel 17: David killed Goliath in defense of Israel, and it was righteous.
Exodus 22:1-3: Law regarding killing a thief breaking in at night versus daytime.
Deuteronomy 22:23-27: Law of the betrothed damsel, illustrating the duty to rescue those crying for help.
Deuteronomy 22:1-4: Duty to help a brother's animal in distress, not hiding oneself.
Exodus 23:4-5: Duty to help even an enemy's animal, reinforcing the obligation to preserve life.
Matthew 10:31: Jesus says we are of more value than many sparrows, implying greater right to self-defense.
John 15:13: Greater love has no man than to lay down his life for his friends, supporting the duty to defend others.

Historical References

Colonial American church armed attendance laws: Laws in Massachusetts (1640), Connecticut (1643), Virginia (1619, 1623, 1738), and Plymouth required men to bring arms to church.
Alice Morse Earle, 'The Sabbath in Puritan New England': Book describing how and why Puritans carried arms on the Lord's Day.
Trumbull's 'McFingal' rhyme: A jingle about carrying arms to church: 'our grandsires wore their guns to meeting.'
St. James Church massacre, Cape Town, 1993: Communist guerrillas attacked a church; an armed missionary saved lives by shooting back.
Kitty Genovese murder, 1964: A woman was murdered while 38 witnesses did nothing; Weaver says they violated the sixth commandment.
Recent U.S. church shootings (2009-2010s): Weaver lists multiple church shootings to illustrate the rising threat and need for defense.

Important Quotes

Thou shalt not kill.

The foundational text of the lecture, which Weaver reinterprets as a prohibition of murder and a mandate to preserve life.

In case I meet an Indian whose time it is to die.

Illustrates the pilgrim's belief in God's sovereignty combined with the practical duty of self-defense.

So, once, for fear of Indian beating, our grandsires wore their guns to meeting, each man equipped each Sunday morn, with psalm book, shot, and powder horn, and looked in form as almost grant, like the ancient true church militant.

Historical rhyme showing the normalcy of armed church attendance in colonial America.

If you do not defend yourself, then you are guilty of violating the sixth commandment.

A strong statement of the obligatory nature of self-defense under God's law.

And the Lord wrought a great victory that day.

Shows that God gets the credit for victories achieved through human fighting, validating the use of means.

If a thief be found breaking up and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him.

Key biblical text permitting lethal force against a nighttime intruder.

Anyone who hears someone screaming and begging for help is responsible to help save that individual.

Summarizes the positive duty of the sixth commandment to rescue those in danger.

You are of more value than many sparrows.

Jesus' words used to argue that if animals defend themselves, humans have an even greater right to do so.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

How does understanding the original Hebrew and Greek words for 'kill' change your view of the sixth commandment?

[Context]

Weaver argues that the command means 'do not murder,' not a blanket prohibition on taking life.

[Question]

In what ways does the colonial American practice of carrying arms to church challenge modern assumptions about church security?

[Context]

Weaver provides extensive historical examples of armed church attendance being mandated by law.

[Question]

How do the examples of God defending Jerusalem and raising up judges shape our understanding of self-defense as a godly act?

[Context]

Weaver uses these biblical precedents to argue that defensive killing is righteous.

[Question]

What is the relationship between trusting God and using physical means of defense, according to Weaver?

[Context]

Weaver emphasizes that weapons are useless without God, but we must still use them.

[Question]

How does the law of the crying damsel in Deuteronomy 22 inform our responsibility to intervene in violent situations today?

[Context]

Weaver uses this passage to argue that hearing a cry for help obligates one to act.

[Question]

Why does Weaver argue that failing to defend oneself or others is a violation of the sixth commandment?

[Context]

He states that the positive command to preserve life makes self-defense obligatory.

[Question]

How does the Kitty Genovese case illustrate the biblical principle of responsibility to preserve life?

[Context]

Weaver says the 38 witnesses who did nothing were as guilty as the murderer.

[Question]

What does the command to help even an enemy's animal teach us about the value of life and our duty to protect it?

[Context]

Weaver uses Exodus 23:4-5 to argue from lesser to greater regarding human life.

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