In the section on slavery, God shows His regard for human life. We are, after all, made in His image, given His breath and designed to reflect His character and values. Through Christ, we are reborn and spend the rest of our lives living in reverent imitation of Him.
Murder then, is the antithesis of this idea. To take another life is to attack God—an act that He doesn’t take lightly.
In Exodus 21:12, God talks about the punishment for one person taking the life of someone else. But He’s not unjust; if the death was accidental, there’s leniency. If the death was on purpose though, that person was to be “removed from the altar.”
It’s easy to take this as a spiritual metaphor. To be “removed from the altar of God” in a spiritual sense is to exist outside of His fellowship. You can’t worship, sacrifice, or partake in any feast days or celebrations because you’re physically distant from those acts.
But I’m not sure that’s what this means (or, at least, not the only thing). In those days, it was common practice for someone to seek sanctuary near the tent of God, sometimes even physically grabbing the horns of the altar to plead for your life.
This is exactly what Joab did in 1 Kings 2:28-34. After his failed attempt to seize the throne for one of David’s other sons (instead of Solomon), he ran into the Temple and took hold of the altar. He foolishly assumed that his position would give him safety; instead, Solomon had him killed where he stood and his body was physically removed from the altar.
This event shows the value that God places on life itself. For the entirety of 2 Samuel, Joab used murder as a way to secure his place, eliminating his enemies one by one. When judgment finally came to his doorstep, not even the sanctity of the Temple could keep justice from having it’s full effect.
Surprisingly, God doesn’t mandate the death penalty very often. Exodus 21 is one of the only places in Scripture that discusses when it should happen, and it does so for very specific reasons.
Exodus 21:15 – A person that strikes his parents is put to death.
Exodus 21:16 – Someone who kidnaps another is put to death.
Exodus 21:17 – Someone who curses their parents is put to death.
Exodus 21:18-36 – If a man injures another, he makes restitution as deemed appropriate.
These laws should show us how seriously God takes our handling of relationships, especially with those who are we are supposed to help and honor. In a way, murder is a form of theft, except instead of stealing property, we’re stealing life. That’s the antithesis of God who gives life.
Removing someone from the altar is the only way to maintain the integrity of God’s worship. Someone who has zero regard for the life of other humans can’t be expected to worship God, because to revere God is to respect others. Only a murderer forgets that.
