He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8
I don't know about you but there are times when I am more interested in history than I am in the future. I mean there are only so many times a mobile phone can get smaller and there must be a limit to the number of cup holders you can fit in your hover car. After a while the glorious technological future ahead becomes a little bit shiney and ever so slightly boring. But the past, the past is often colourful, exciting, gritty, real, inspiring and thought provoking. If we want to reach our destiny, we have to understand our legacy. History books can often teach us more than the latest trendy book on culture.
I have just finished reading a short book called "The story of slavery" which traces our brutal past regarding the slave trade throughout human history. From China to Egypt, all over the globe, we (especially the UK) have a diabolical record of mistreating other human beings for our own personal gain.
As I read about the great sacrifice of men like William Wilberforce in this country and Abraham Lincoln in the USA, I often wonder how other legitimate decent (even "Christian" ) men could stand by and let such awful stuff go on around them?
I marvel at Wilberforces determination and passion to bring down a cruel dynasty but I fail to understand why the tide was so strong before it turned. How could anyone allow men, women and children to be shackled, chained to one another, crammed in a boat and dragged across the world just so people can have an extra lump of sugar, a nice bar of chocolate and an extra pair of hands on the farm?
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. Edward Burke
Looking at history we see that "good" people were often insensitive to the injustice around them for different reasons. Maybe they choose not to look beyond the veil of their own "comfort culture" to see the world through the eyes of others. Maybe they chose to listen to the crowd and not the creator. Maybe they did not admit their own sense of pride, hatred, prejudice and selfishness. Maybe it was simply easier to do nothing. Either way, these are all big "history lessons" we could do with heeding right now in 2009.
There were two men having a conversation about God and one of them says to the other "If I could see God right now, I would ask him how could he sit back and do nothing when there is so much suffering and injustice going on in the world around him." The other friend listened and then said in return "Yeah thats a good point, but you know what, I am afraid that God would ask me the same question..."
I am desperate for the history books not to record that we were another generation of good people who allowed evil to prevail by doing nothing.
I pray that as the "body of christ" here on this earth we will begin to take up our responsibility and calling to stand up against the injustice we see... in the far off country... in the sweat shop... in the family home.... in the office staff room... on the playground.... in ourselves.
Isaiah 61 clearly says:
The Lord God has put his Spirit in me,
because the Lord has appointed me to tell the good news to the poor.
He has sent me to comfort those whose hearts are broken,
to tell the captives they are free,
and to tell the prisoners they are released.
I used to think that these verses were about bringing "spiritual freedom" to people by God's power. Now I am not so sure. So What do you think?
Yes Dave!!!
ReplyDeleteThis is so so true and challenging! I've been thinking recently about what it means to live as Isaiah 61 says... God has put His Spirit in us BECAUSE he has appointed us to do these things! Thankyou Jesus that you guide us and lead us into these things... To live in his love and his mercy and his righteousness. What a humbling way to live - constantly putting others before ourselves. It's so counter-cultural to how the world tells us to live... But God has enabled us to COMFORT, bring FREEDOM and RELEASE those who are in bondage... It's time for God's people to 'stand up and shake off the dust'!... God help us to see the people around us through you eyes, and give us your heart to bring your justice into lives and nations!
Just watched 'tears of the sun' which ends with the Burke quote....freaky.
ReplyDeletegreat stuff. challenging.
I love making history with you and our babies Dave - COME ON!!
ReplyDeleteInteresting I should read this right now. Have just been watching The Stand on God TV (its on again Sunday 1st at 5pm) which talks about the very issue of justice (specifically human traficking/modern day slavery).
ReplyDeleteIsaiah 58 also talks about the same sort of thing:
""Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?
Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?"
As Christians its easy to say we are praying for people who are worse off than us, but God works through US, our bodies doing His work. We pray for justice in the world, for the starving to have food, for the unloved to have love... well what are we doing about it? James 1:23-24 says: "Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like." then in verse 27 it goes on to say "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."
I read something written by Israel Houghton - he talked about how a lot of Christians (myself included I guess) go through their Bible and, in their minds, rip out pages they don't like. We read verses about going and helping the poor, and we think 'I'll do it when I have more money/I'll do it when I have more time/I'll do it when...' And it goes on. We read stuff like Matthew 19:21 and think, 'That doesn't apply to me, that applies to someone else.'
But the Bible isn't a 'pick n' mix' selection, we can't choose which bits we want to follow and which bits we don't. Sure, maybe some of us have different gifts than others. But to 'act justly' isn't classed as a gift, its classed as a requirement.
Great post :)