In this section of Deuteronomy we come to the conclusion of the exposition of the Sixth Commandment, "Thou shalt not kill." In the four laws found in our text we have commandments that insure the promotion of life. These laws deal with the positive outcome of obeying the negative command, Thou shalt not kill." Unfortunately, we sometimes tend to think of God's Law as a series of negations. This is due largely to the fact that only the Fifth Commandment, of all the Tenth has a totally positive formula: "Honor thy father and thy mother." However, mere negation is not virtue. It is true that spiritual virtue includes avoiding that which is evil, to be sure. But it also obligates the virtuous to do that which is good, as well. Some of the laws before us now command positive duty. We could derive a great deal of benefit from studying each of the laws individually, one per message. However, due to the length of Deuteronomy it may serve us better to compact these four into one message to facilitate our being able to finish the book! As we consider these four, let us keep in mind that they are developing the Sixth Commandment and are, thus, enhancing the protection of human life.