The events of last Sunday night in Las Vegas were despicable, people murdered and injured attending a concert below because a lunatic had the desire to kill high up from a hotel window. He fired down into the crowd and then cowardly took his own life when he knew the police were close. People were injured by gunfire. Some were trampled as the crowd fled in fear.
There were many acts of bravery. People stayed with the injured and tried to help even as the bullets continued to rain down upon them. They worked to get others out of the line of fire. One young man told the press that another young man he didn’t know died in his arms and he wanted the family to know that he didn’t die alone.
But, the injured were barely removed to hospitals when the rhetoric began. Once again there are calls for gun laws; once again people arguing against same.
I was thinking of what the devil told Eve in the Garden when he approached her with the temptation to disobey God … “For God knows that when you eat of it [the tree of the knowledge of good and evil] your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” [Gen 3:5 NIV]
Those in the Garden chose wrong. Now our eyes are certainly open and we know both good and evil. We, however, can choose correctly – God gave the invitation to Israel and it is still valid for us today. “I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life.” [Deut 30:19-20 NIV]
