Ask the Word about Violence
One does not get far in the biblical narrative to find the first heinous act of violence. In the second generation of humanity, one brother spills the blood of another. Cain murders Abel, for a reason that comes right from the heart—jealousy! The pattern is set. Something simple like jealousy left unchecked, left to grow and deepen and intensify, leads to acting out in violence.
Check it out - God warned Cain: “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.”
This is really an amazing statement. Jealously leads to anger, and that sin is predatory, crouching at the door, looking to possess Cain. Violence, in other words, is often the tipping point after resentment turns to rage. What can be done about violence? God told Cain he had better “master” the pathology of his soul. He did not, and blood was spilled.
God’s response to Cain: “...your brother’s blood cries to me from the ground.”
Boom! That's straight from scripture, Genesis 4:10.
And so does the blood of many of our brothers today, still crying.
Violence is the result of a pathology of the soul. Violence does not begin with standing armies, generational ethnic hatred, longstanding social inequities. Violence is as close to us as our own hearts.
A bit later in Genesis, a profound principle is laid down regarding the moral wrongness of violence:
“Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man.” Genesis 9:6.
This is early in the biblical account. It is foundational. Most importantly, it links to the fundamental reality that violence against human beings is wrong because human beings were made in the image and likeness of God. There is a worth, a value, a dignity, to every human life, in other words, that makes selfish, deliberate or unprovoked violence a moral offense.
Let us pray -
Lord God, crime is on the increase within our cities.
From the depths of our hearts we pray that you will comfort, heal, and bless all victims of crime.
We ask that you protect all people from this evil.
We pray especially for life-changing conversion for all criminals and the violent —
remove all evil form their hearts,
fill them with your goodness and love
that they may cease their evil works
and that our cities and land be free from the
scourge of crime and violence.
We pray also for the grace to purge ourselves of all violence—
in our own thoughts and actions,
in our family life,
in our friendships,
in relationships with others
Lord, we commit to refrain from violent acts.
We choose to focus our words to settle conflicts not provoke them.
We further swear to teach others, especially our youth,
that violence is too quick an answer
that produces irreparable, life-long
and threatening results.
We dedicate ourselves to peace.
Amen Jesus! Amen! Amen!
SCRIPTURE
1 Thessalonians 5:15
"Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else."
Check it out - God warned Cain: “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.”
This is really an amazing statement. Jealously leads to anger, and that sin is predatory, crouching at the door, looking to possess Cain. Violence, in other words, is often the tipping point after resentment turns to rage. What can be done about violence? God told Cain he had better “master” the pathology of his soul. He did not, and blood was spilled.
God’s response to Cain: “...your brother’s blood cries to me from the ground.”
Boom! That's straight from scripture, Genesis 4:10.
And so does the blood of many of our brothers today, still crying.
Violence is the result of a pathology of the soul. Violence does not begin with standing armies, generational ethnic hatred, longstanding social inequities. Violence is as close to us as our own hearts.
A bit later in Genesis, a profound principle is laid down regarding the moral wrongness of violence:
“Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man.” Genesis 9:6.
This is early in the biblical account. It is foundational. Most importantly, it links to the fundamental reality that violence against human beings is wrong because human beings were made in the image and likeness of God. There is a worth, a value, a dignity, to every human life, in other words, that makes selfish, deliberate or unprovoked violence a moral offense.
Let us pray -
Lord God, crime is on the increase within our cities.
From the depths of our hearts we pray that you will comfort, heal, and bless all victims of crime.
We ask that you protect all people from this evil.
We pray especially for life-changing conversion for all criminals and the violent —
remove all evil form their hearts,
fill them with your goodness and love
that they may cease their evil works
and that our cities and land be free from the
scourge of crime and violence.
We pray also for the grace to purge ourselves of all violence—
in our own thoughts and actions,
in our family life,
in our friendships,
in relationships with others
Lord, we commit to refrain from violent acts.
We choose to focus our words to settle conflicts not provoke them.
We further swear to teach others, especially our youth,
that violence is too quick an answer
that produces irreparable, life-long
and threatening results.
We dedicate ourselves to peace.
Amen Jesus! Amen! Amen!
SCRIPTURE
1 Thessalonians 5:15
"Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else."
Comments
Post a Comment