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How Does the 6th Commandment Apply to Killing in Military Combat?

July 6, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

The Ten Commandments as Wisdom, Not Rules

In a Q&A episode responding to listener questions about the Ten Commandments, Tim Mackie and Jon Collins return to a theme that runs through the entire series: the commands are not a simple rulebook but an invitation to wisdom—creative, context-sensitive moral reasoning that looks different in every situation.

Ancient Law Codes and the Story Behind the Rules

A listener from Johannesburg asked whether the Ten Commandments were simply borrowed from other ancient Near Eastern law codes like the Code of Hammurabi. Tim acknowledged the surface similarities but argued for a deeper reframing. Biblical law is not "influenced by" ancient law codes; it is an expression of ancient Near Eastern legal tradition, sharing conventions and literary forms with other collections from the region.

But the crucial difference lies in the story underneath. In the Code of Hammurabi, the king receives wisdom from the sun god and produces laws as an expression of royal justice. In the Bible, the laws emerge from a covenant relationship—marriage language—between Yahweh and an entire people, not just a king. "I will be your God, and you will be my people" frames the commands as expressions of intimate loyalty to the God who rescued Israel from slavery. That story-world is unique, even when individual laws look similar to their neighbors'.

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What you'll learn

  • 1 (00:06) **Opening & Context** - Tim and Jon introduce the Q&A episode for the Ten Commandments series, acknowledging the complex questions submitted.
  • 2 (01:24) **How the Ten Commandments Relate to Ancient Near Eastern Law Codes** - Kaliso from Johannesburg asks about the influence of codes like Hammurabi's on the biblical laws.
  • 3 (10:50) **Top Question #1: The Second Commandment & Idols** - The most repeated question concerned the prohibition against making images of God and its application to modern art, film, and media like "The Chosen."
  • 4 (19:00) **The Danger of Misrepresenting God with Words** - Tim and Jon explore the wisdom of the second and third commandments as they apply to verbal and conceptual images of God.
  • 5 (25:18) **Top Question #2: The Fifth Commandment & Honoring Difficult Parents** - Leanne, a mental health therapist, asks how to apply "honor your parents" when parents are abusive, dangerous, or aging without insight.
  • 6 (35:04) **Top Question #3: The Sixth Commandment & Killing in Military Combat** - Kyle asks how "do not kill" applies to God commanding military killing in the Old Testament and to modern Christians serving in the military.
  • 7 (44:47) **Wrestling with the Military Question as a Follower of Jesus** - Tim and Jon explore the complexity of applying Jesus' non-violent ethic to modern military service.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

Tim Mackie Jon Collins

Show Notes

The 10 Commandments Q+R (E16) — How do modern artistic depictions of God and Jesus relate to the 2nd Commandment? How do we honor aging parents well or honor abusive and dangerous parents? And how do the 10 Commandments stand apart from other ancient Near Eastern law codes? In this episode, Tim and Jon respond to your questions from the 10 Commandments series. Thank you to our audience for your thoughtful contributions to this episode!

CHAPTERS

  1. Intro (0:00-1:23)
  2. How Do the 10 Commandments Stand Apart From Other Ancient Near Eastern Law Codes? (1:23-10:50)
  3. How Do Modern Artistic Depictions of God and Jesus Relate to the 2nd Commandment? (10:50-18:24)
  4. Can We Diminish God by How We Talk About Him (Like Saying, “God Is Love”)? (18:24-25:17)
  5. How Do We Honor Aging Parents Well or Honor Abusive and Dangerous Parents? (25:17-34:56)
  6. How Does the 6th Commandment Apply to Killing in Military Combat? (34:56-52:52)
  7. What Are Other Positive Implications of the 8th Commandment? (52:52-58:03)
  8. Conclusion (58:03-1:01:29)

OFFICIAL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

View this episode’s official transcript.

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