Pastor, I Have a Question July-August 2014

QUESTION: Was Moses a murderer? Now it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens. And he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren. So he looked this way and that way, and when he saw no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand (Exodus 2:11-12).
ANSWER: There is no confusion about the action: Moses killed him. But to kill someone is not necessarily to murder him. Killing is a very specific act; murder is not just an act, rather it involves intent, a matter of thought and of the heart. Murdering can be done in our hearts by severe hatred even if we do not actually physically harm anyone. I am inclined to agree with Kretzmann that there is no statement in the Bible saying that Moses murdered the Egyptian or that he was “censured for it.”
Killing a human being is not the same as murder. While the Fifth Commandment forbids murder, God does not forbid all killing. Not all killing is sinful. God grants to government the sword: the authority to punish criminals and to protect the innocent. Christians serving in the military or in law enforcement act on behalf of the government. When our vocation demands it, we are permitted to kill, when it is necessary.
Moses did not stand trial in Egypt for his act. The allegations against him were not proven. We can surmise that Pharaoh believed Moses had committed some crime. He tried to kill Moses. We also must suspect that Moses felt some pang of conscience. Before killing the Egyptian, he looked around to see if anyone was around to see what he was about to do. He also hid the body. The next day when it became clear to him that his act was known he fled. This might be interpreted as a sign of guilt. The text, however, merely states that Moses killed the Egyptian, not that he was convicted of murder.
Then he said, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” (Exodus 2:14). It doesn’t seem as if Moses had a vocation of authority at this time. It doesn’t seem as if Moses had governmental authority as a soldier or policeman. He acted on his own.
The text does tell us that Moses went to the aid of a Hebrew, one of his own people. Even if the government should consider such an act as murder, we will aid others if their lives are threatened. The deacon Stephen stated, “Now when he was 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 and avenged him who was oppressed, and struck down the Egyptian” (Acts 7:23–24).
The most important issue is whether or not God considered Moses to be a murderer. Unlike when David sinned against Uriah the Hittite, we have no account that God called Moses to repentance for this act. In Exodus 3, God told Moses that it was safe to return to Egypt because those who had sought his life were dead.
Moses was a sinner. He was a child of Adam. He was one for whom Jesus died. Jesus suffered the penalty for all sins. Moses was washed clean in the blood of the Savior. The great saints of the Bible were great only because we have a great Savior. In Jesus, we have mercy and God’s grace.
The strength of our church is this: We are dedicated to letting the Bible interpret itself. The Bible speaks for itself. We ought not add to it or subtract from it. Moses killed the Egyptian. We need not say more.
Rev. Charles Keeler
Resurrection Lutheran Church
Winter Haven, FL
cjohnk@aol.com