The carnage that left 57 dead at Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao on November 23 has left us all wondering for what barbarity and primitive acts has been committed not just to the Maguindanao populace but for us all. This begs us not just a simple what? Or why? But a condition that existed already and burst out of control, finally the devil has been exposed for what it is. Political violence that marked many provinces is a color that has co-existed among many

especially during times of election; for there to be a political system that would be essentially democratic, certificate of candidacies must be filed and witnessed by the people. Fear and the savage barbarity that were inflicted among those who were about to file their candidacies can only be described as a looming failure of democracy in Maguindanao. Nevertheless, this does not have to be the future of our political system, neither should it repeated elsewhere if we allow justice to reign supreme in our midst.

When there were just two brothers on earth, they could not agree on anything. They cannot get along even on matters of worship. One has to dominate and eventually kill his own brother to maintain his position. People proved harder than the stone to move, for even Jesus said that if we do not praise Him, the inanimate will rise up and clap their hands. Cain’s sin is the result of unresolved conflict which became an open door for the devil to oppress him and later to kill his own brother. Wherefore should he kill him? The Bible speaks plainly–because his deeds were evil and his brother were righteous. From this, we can understand that the acts of Cain are truly evil and his profane offering was just a symbol if not an example of his many evil deeds. He is a tiller of the ground, whose mind is captive to the ways of the devil. Farming is good but when our minds are given to the ways of the world, then this is evil. The murder of Abel resulted to the release of death on the earth.

Even the ground cave in and won’t produce any fruit because of the blood of the righteous that was spilt on it. In Genesis 4:5-7 we are told that Cain’s offer was rejected and he became very angry, “but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell.  Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? “If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.” Two men who were both taught by their father how to offer their sacrifices before God gave their rendition of worship, one was accepted and the other rejected. God’s rejection is not so much to put down Cain, but a means to awaken him to his senses that his profane offering is not fit for the One he wants to worship. The only solution to this is “to do well.” God did not even point out that his offering was profane! He encouraged Cain saying, why are you depressed? Why is your countenance fallen? But if you do well, won’t your face be lifted up? Nevertheless, if you do not do well, sin is waiting to grab you, but you must overcome it.

Our obstrusive view that selfish ambition must rise up like a protruding mountain before others can be hard to swallow and even to give up. Yet when ambition, no matter how lofty and noble it is if it gets in the way of others, if it is not legitimate, if it is debased why should we pursue it? We have been condemning the Abu Sayyafs and even the treacherous acts of MILF but this murder of more than 50 men and women in one day can only be described as catastrophic failure. I question the humanity of those who did this gruesome murder, and much more, I question the authority of those who seem to be governing officials in the area but could not do anything else on what had happened. This is assault to our basic human rights, the freedom to file for a candidacy and challenge the leadership in the area is not a family feud, but rather an exercise of democracy that everyone has the right to do. To interpret this as challenging ones leadership is to narrow down and make democracy fit to our feudal thinking, which has no room in this modern world. Cain killed as a result of his anger. Men will always try to kill whenever hatred is unresolved and reconciliation and forgiveness is not found within one’s vocabulary. This act has no place in a modern society, much more in true leadership. A godly, servant leadership will not be insecure even when challenged by the younger or another clan because his trust is not on his gun or his money but on the Almighty. The problem is, we always try to rationalize and bring our table feuds into the ballot box or into the community at large.

This act is bringing back the old ways of thinking into our present society which has no room for this. All murders must be brought to trial and made to pay no matter how influential they are in Maguindanao! Justice must be served if we want to make precedents that are righteous in this land. Without true justice, no righteousness will be served, and fear will be the boss of everyone in that place. This is the reason why the foundation of God’s throne is righteousness and justice (Psalm 89:14) because no true authority can be established without the proceeds of righteousness and justice in the area. If the government will allow the fear of man to bind her hand and not serve justice for the sake of the 57 killed, then we know that this is just the beginning of the release of even greater death, more gruesome than what happened now.

The murderers have become bolder each step of the way because of the prevalence of lawlessness in the area. Whenever we don’t serve true justice for the others, greater danger looms before us. You have only sent a message of how incompetent and how fearful you are of these terrorists. Our fear of man will not only hinder us of true justice but will bind us to not move and do the right things, this will end up to confusion and every evil thing. The death of the 57 is the mark of a boldman, proclaiming himself as a king in Maguindanao but his reign of terror has been sealed because exposure of these acts of darkness has become widespread and the call for justice will reverberate not only in the Philippines but also abroad. If there are march for justice in your area, or if you can organize one, go and do it.

We must be alert, we must be proactive and we must right this evil whose epic proportions is a conflict between light and darkness. Justice must be served! As James has written, this happened because of selfish ambition, ^“For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing” (James 3:16). The fact that even the government backhoe and bulldozer was there only proves the participation of the local government in the heinous crime, and in the deliberate attempt to cover this up with lies, mud and gravel. God has forbid this to happen so that quickly the news of it spread into the islands. During these times, many journalists have given up their lives for the sake of proclamation of truth, but these seeds of life, were meant to give full meaning and cast down this evil found in Maguindanao; death is defeated because Calvary won by His resurrection. Where the enemy has tried to release so much death and destruction, it can also become a place of rest, relaxation, life and revival because where sin abounds, so is His grace also upon His people.

As I have been seeking the Lord concerning these things, God gave me the following,
“No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.

For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another; not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous.

Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.

Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” (1 John 3:9-16)

These verses tell us that there is no life abiding among those who commit crime, and instead they are dead. All unrighteous deeds are evil and has its origin with the devil. Murder is the result of allowing hatred and anger to dwell in our hearts. Since this is done by the spirit of this world, we can overcome by the Spirit of God, showing love, care and true respect to others. Love never fails. To those who established their leadership by hype, self-promotion, and fear, they will find themselves trying to maintain this by their own hands of power. The insecure will always tend to be the most callous, obstrusive and obstinate holders to power. They have been drunk, fatted by the blood of many innocents but their time has come to decapitate their heads off the leadership in this land. This massacre is too egregious to simply be allowed to pass us by without bringing justice for the sake of the 57 dead.

“For the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, And His ears attend to their prayer, But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” (1 Peter 3:12)

Solomon wrote that if the sentence against an evil deed is not punished quickly, men will become more evil. This observation has not stopped getting our nod, and if we will just let this pass us by without quickly bringing to justice anyone, then more blood will flow. Let us pray that justice be served and that boldness will come upon all the people of Maguindanao, Sultan Kudarat and Cotabato City so that they will cry out for deliverance from this deception and evil.