“So Joseph went after his brothers, and found them at Dothan. They saw him from a distance, and before he came near to them, they conspired to kill him. They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer. Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; then we shall say that a wild animal has devoured him, and we shall see what will become of his dreams.” But when Reuben heard it, he delivered him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.” Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but lay no hand on him”—that he might rescue him out of their hand and restore him to his father. So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the long robe with sleeves that he wore; and they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.” Genesis 37:17-24

School Shooting Number 2:

“On January 4, 2018, Police say a bullet entered an office window and ended up lodged in a 3-ring binder in the administrative offices of the New Start High School in Seattle Washington. The shooting happened around 1:30 p.m. The school was advised to go into lockdown after two shots were fired outside the building. The school remained in lockdown until dismissal at 3:25 p.m. Only one of the rounds entered the school’s administrative offices. No one was injured in the shooting.” (http://b-townblog.com/2018/01/04)

Many schools throughout our country are situated in urban centers. As such, the safety of the neighborhoods that surround the schools impacts the safety of the school, including the children who walk or ride back and forth to classes. There have been numerous instances throughout our country where a bystander(s) has been shot/killed when they have been hit by a stray bullet – including children walking to and from school. As you have discerned by these early devotionals, the people who claim that eighteen school shootings have occurred since the beginning of 2018 include shootings that do not include someone coming into the school proper and opening fire. But, as long as we continue to solve our arguments by shooting one another, or stabbing one another, then innocent bystanders, including children, will continue to be in danger.

As the above text implies, families and strangers alike have turned to murder or the threat of murder to resolve differences since the beginning of time. Cain killed his brother Abel out of jealousy and resentment. Joseph’s brothers almost killed him out of anger and jealousy. Although we no longer live in the “Wild, Wild West”, where differences were more often settled with pistols than fists, it sure seems as if we are returning to the wild, wild west mentality in 21^st century America. However, instead of pistols, we are using AR 15’s and “bump stocks”.

When we are pondering solutions to the ever increasing violence in our society, we must first remember that we are all part of a fallen humanity – a broken humanity since the time of Adam and Eve. Eventually Joseph will forgive his brothers by telling them that “What you intended for evil, G-d intended for good, to save the lives of many people” (Genesis 50:20). For our society to turn evil into good requires all of us to work together, in love, with mercy, and empowered by the Grace of G-d in Jesus Christ. As long as hate continues to establish itself in the city and town square, then needless deaths will continue to fill our lives. I for one would choose love….

Pastor Dave