Since Sunday of last week, the horrific mass shooting in Las Vegas has dominated the news and has probably been a matter of your prayers and conversation with others.
Once again, as in the past, many are asking the questions, why were so many innocent lives taken in a senseless act of violence? Does God really care? If He does care, why did He allow this to take place? If God is an all knowing, all-powerful, loving God, why did He not prevent this from happening? These and many other important questions that many people are asking are not easy to answer. Do not expect to have a satisfactory answer for every question you are asked concerning terrible events such as this.
8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9
Our answers can only be as Biblical as we know God’s Word. Our answers can only speak of who God is and about His love as we have experienced God and His love in our intimate relationship with Him.
As Christians, because of our personal and intimate relationship with God and as a result of our daily fellowship with Him in His word and in prayer, we should know who our God is, His Character, what He has done and what He promises to do because of who He is. Most important, we should know why and how God loves us, and what He has done through Christ Jesus to reestablish the fellowship severed by sin and hindered by our sin nature. From our relationship with God and familiarity of His Word, He gives us what is necessary to derive our answers to the many difficult questions asked concerning horrific events such as the mass shooting in Las Vegas.”
But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,”
1 Peter 3:15
Matt Slick Christian Apologist wrote these words right after the Sandy Hook shooting and they also very much apply to the recent events in Las Vegas.
“Suffering is the result of human sin. The world is not the way that God created it and because of that, all are vulnerable to the effects of sin in the world. Why does one person suffer and another does not? Why do catastrophes happen to some and not to others? It is because sin is in the world. But there will come a day when the Lord will return and cleanse this world of all sin and all suffering. So, if we want God to stop evil and suffering, then He must stop all of it. We have no problem with this when it means stopping a catastrophe, or a murder, or a rape. But what about when someone thinks of something evil? Evil is destructive whether it is acted out or not. Hatred and bigotry in someone’s heart is wrong. If it is wrong, and if God is to stop all evil, then He must stop that person from thinking his own thoughts. To do that, God must remove his freedom of thought. Furthermore, which person on the earth has not thought something evil? God would be required, then, to stop all people from exercising their free will. This is something God has chosen not to do. Therefore, we could say that one of the reasons that God permits evil and suffering is because of man’s free will.”
5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
Colossians 4:5-6
The horrific events such as what took place in Las Vegas with 59 killed (at the writing of this article) are becoming a much too common occurrence that should never be understood as normal or just more statistics. Sandy Hook in 2012, 27 killed. Orlando Florida in 2016, 49 killed. Virginia Tech in 2017, 32 killed. We also need to be careful not to become emotionally desensitized to atrocities such as these because of the excessive information we receive by the many sources of news that are available to us.
A similar horrific massacre of the innocent took place just after Jesus’ birth. It is very probable that many more innocent lives of babies and children were senselessly taken than at Sandy Hook.
Matthew 2:16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.
Matthew 2:1-18 is one of, if not the most horrible events recorded in the gospels. Please take the time and read this portion to realize the significance of this event that took place shortly following the birth of Jesus.
Describing how horrific Herod was, does not in any way justify or reduce the seriousness of his actions or the impact of those actions on the families affected. Personally knowing who God is helps us answer some of the very difficult questions of this passage. What we need to be careful of is adding to or assuming what happened in this event.
Yes, Mary and Joseph heard of the murder of the innocent ones of which they probably knew some of the families affected, verses nineteen and twenty clearly states that they were aware of the danger of returning to Israel.
After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.”
The following verses tell us that God also knew before hand of horrendous events that happened and the remaining danger afterwards. Jeremiah 16:17, My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from me, nor is their sin concealed from my eyes.
Hebrews 4:13, Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
The importance of knowing God’s Word and relationally knowing who God is and His love is not just for our own benefit. Our relationship with God will also always help us to answer many of the difficult questions about senseless acts of violence that others might have.
Pastor John
