Killing and one's neighbor
In Genesis 9:6, God instructs Noah, "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man."
The question is why did God insitute the commandment not to kill when He told Noah that execution for murderer was what He wanted?
The Ten Commandments were given, partly, to teach mankind how to live with one another in righteousness and to please God. For example, we honor our parents, do not steal from one another, do not lie about one another or have sex with someone who is not our spouse. In the same vein of loving one's neighbor, we do not take their life for personal gain, such as revenge or theft or to have their wife, which is what King David did (2 Samuel 11).
Jesus took this commandment and explained it further by saying, "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment ..." (Matthew 5:21-22).
The intent of the commandment was not to prohibit the punishment of murderers or war, but to prevent the vicious cycle of retribution.
An interesting cultural example is the movie Godfather, not the most "Christian" film. At one point, Michael Corleone is in Italy, hiding in a small village, and asks where all the men are. He is told that they are all dead because of vendetta killings. That is the kind of madness that the commandment is meant to hinder.
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