Kill or Not?

Ecclesiastes 3:2-3 "a time to be born , and a time to die...a time to kill, and a time to heal..."
~ Versus ~
Exodus 20:13 "Thou shalt not kill"

Is there a contradiction?

First, lets look at Exodus 20:13. The Hebrew word for the English word “kill” is ratsach {raw-tsakh'}. According to Strong’s Lexicon, the Hebrew word ratsach means “to murder, premeditated, slay intentionally, and to assassinate (#7523).” This kill is usually associated with anger, hate, attack, envy, evil and jealousy. A great example is a random homocide.

The English word “kill” in Ecclesiastes 3:2-3 is the Hebrew word “harag {haw-rag'}” which means “to slay, kill, destroy, ruin, out of hand.” The word harag has been used to implicate murder. However, its normal use is to mean just simply “to kill.” This kill is usually associated with necessity, defense, kill, destroy, ruin and refuse. A great example is the necessity in deer hunting for food.

Both words mean “to kill,” so how are we to tell when its appropriate to kill or not kill? Well, that just takes common sense. When Moses got the commandment “Thou shall not kill,” did that mean that Moses should not eat meat from a hunted animal? No, its obvious that God was saying that he should not intentionally murder anyone in cold blood out anger or hate!

Is it murder to defend your country from foreign invaders who want to destroy your home, way of life and family? Is it murder when policemen shoots back at gangsters who just robbed a liquor store? Is it murder when you accidentally or mistakenly forgot a gun was loaded and your little brother found it and shot himself dead? Is it murder to go out and hunt deer to feed you and your family? The answer to all of these questions are obviously “No.”

Is it murder to plan a day to come to your school and shoot the Principal and certain students? Is it murder to intentionally slip some cyanide into a persons drink? Is it murder to load a rifle and shoot at the President from a rooftop across the street while he is giving a speech? Is it murder to get so angry at someone that you hit them over the head with a baseball bat as hard as you possibly can swing the bat? The answer to all these questions are obviously, “Yes.”

A Short Quiz:

Which one is the murderer?
1. A powerful dictator who uses his military to attack a peaceful nation in order to subdue the government, cause havoc and kill most of the civilian population.
2. A President who defends his country by sending troops to attack the dictators military installations, army and weapons with minimal military and civilian casualties.

Yes, the answer is number 1. It doesn’t take a genius to figure it out. Why? Because of the intention. That’s the difference between murder and killing. Even though the results are the same, they are different in the heart and at the core and that's where is matters most.

Concerning murder, Easton’s Bible Dictionary says “willful murder was distinguished from accidental homicide, and was invariably visited with capital punishment (Num. 35:16, 18, 21, 31; Lev. 24:17). This law in its principle is founded on the fact of man's having been made in the likeness of God (Gen. 9:5, 6; John 8:44; 1 John 3:12, 15).

There is no contradiction.