How do we stop one brother from killing another?

Ecclesiastes 1:9: The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the Sun.
10 Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? It hath been already of old time, which was before us.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

For sure, there is nothing really new under the Sun. Whatever is going on in the world today, you can look somewhere in the Word of God and find the original template of your current situation.

Challenge

Before us today, in Bermuda and the world, there is the challenge of brothers killing brothers.

Young men have turned weapons upon those who look just like them and who, in some cases, literally come from the same genealogical tree.

So the challenge before you is clear. How do you influence one brother not to harm another brother?

Well, the truth is that this will not occur by the will or the words of mankind.

No, it will take the transforming power of The Almighty Power of God to enact change upon the hearts of the young people.

Let’s take a look at the template.

Genesis 27:41: And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: And Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob.

Jacob had taken Esau’s stuff — his most valuable possessions (The Birthright and The Blessing). This brought on Esau’s rage so much that Jacob had to flee (be on the run) for his very life.

That is why Jacob ended up in Laban’s household.

There was blood to be spilt in the heart and mind of Esau when he last saw his brother. 

Jacob knew in his heart and mind what he had done and what he deserved.

Those brothers were divided because of Jacob’s wrong actions.

There was family division. There was a distance between relatives. There was hatred where there should be love.

That is what occurs when one person values things more than relationships.

Devaluation

When possession matters more than people, there is a general devaluing of people so that it becomes ‘easy’ to keep your possessions and kill people.

Yes, the love of money (mammon/things/possessions) is the root of all evil. 

You may wonder how people can mercilessly kill another.

What you must understand is that their god is money and that the love-root is evil, and an evil tree does what an evil tree is.

One of the comments that you may hear today is, “I don’t understand how they can do this.”

I understand. When you remove the influence of God in the life of your child, you automatically, by default, enable the influence of anti-God.

Where there is a lack of Godly love, there will be an increase of ungodly hate.

Our challenge in Bermuda is real.

Will you choose to place your children in Sabbath School or Sunday School?

Will you make way for your child to be shaped and moulded by godly youth programmes?

Oh, let me be clear, the youth programmes that will nurture the good fruit within our children involve God.

You cannot escape the fact that God is the solution and that you must not allow your own ‘bad’ God experiences to hinder your child from acquiring those basic godly principles that govern living a life of love, joy, and peace.

How sad, when you see the runaway spirit. 

That is what we see in Jacob as he is not willing to confront his wrong.

Sadly, that is what you can also see today as many run away from God instead of running into the loving arms of God.

Respice Finem.

Next week: How Brothers can unite once again.

Dr Maria A Seaman is the pastor of Shekinah Worship Centre, North Shore Road, Hamilton Parish.