WHERE RACISM RULES
In the summer of 2020 several news agencies reported the story of Meghan Markle’s rendezvous with destiny. According to her closest friends, Ms. Markle stated that “she was destined” to leave her posh life in the UK and return to America. Why? Destiny brought her back to America so she could be at the forefront of the war on systemic racism there. The reports told of Meghan’s consultations with Oprah Winfrey and other celebrities on how she can be a part of the solution. Her confidants stated, “Meghan feels like her mission (to combat racism in America) goes far beyond acting. She said she wants to use her voice for change and hasn’t ruled out a career in politics.”
But Meghan didn’t need to come to the U.S. to hunt down and purge away racism. Racism exists everywhere people are found. For its exclusive location is in every human heart. Yet racism is only one of the many symptoms of a disease which afflicts the whole human race. That sickness is sin. “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). “For the heart of man is deceitful above all things and desperately sick” (Jeremiah 17:9). That was God’s diagnosis. And He should know best. For He alone can search the heart and examine its motives (Jeremiah 17:10).
It’s commendable that someone should seek to eliminate racial hatred among people. But I don’t think Americans need one more celebrity to lecture them on how evil they are. It usually has an unintended adverse effect.
Instead of preaching to others, it would be far better if we all came down from our pedestals, joined the rest of the human race, and admit our own tendency toward racism. After all, according to the Bible we’re all made out of the very same stuff and all suffer from the same disease. Why, then, should we expect our hearts to be any more pure and righteous than the hearts of others. By condemning the racism in others, aren’t we just getting our own self-righteous kicks? And aren’t we inciting God’s judgment against ourselves (Matthew 7:1-4)?
Plus, we’re repeating the catastrophic mistakes of the past that will result in far more harm than good. Consider the early days of the American Civil War. At the beginning it seemed so clear to the North whose cause was righteous and whose was evil. But I wonder if the Union’s righteous zeal to punish the South for its treason and slavery was a little too offensive to God. It would explain why the North suffered so many staggering defeats early on. It was only after so many defeats in the first half of the War that the North humbled itself before God and observed days of humiliation and fasting. Only when the North cast off its sanctimonious attitude, did it begin to find success.
In a way it reminds me of the events recorded in the Book of Judges, chapters 19-21. These chapters tell of Israel’s civil war, when it responded to the sins of one of its own tribes. How did it all start? A woman was gang-raped and murdered in the Benjamite town of Gibeah. When word of this atrocity reached the rest of Israel, the other eleven tribes rose up in “righteous anger.” They demanded that Benjamin hand over the offenders that they might be punished. To make sure that Benjamin complied, they showed up with an army of 400,000.
But Israel’s show of force and its sanctimonious attitude did not have its desired effect. Instead of cowering before the other eleven tribes, Benjamin took offense at Israel’s swagger and heavy-handed tactics. It stood its ground and refused to hand over the sex offenders. “Very well, then,” said the eleven tribes. “We’ll punish you along with them.”
But the first two battles of this civil war proved disastrous for the “good guys.” The rest of Israel, with its huge army, was routed by the “bad guys.” Only after their second defeat, did Israel humble itself before God. Only then did they examine themselves and confess their sins to Him. And only after they did this did God give them victory.
But the overall effect of their military expedition was disastrous. Israel nearly annihilated its brother tribe of Benjamin. Only 600 Benjamite warriors survived! The rest of the tribe – tens of thousands of men, women, and children – all perished. And remember, this was all supposed to be justice for the rape and murder of one woman.
But the irony didn’t stop there. To repopulate the tribe they just slaughtered, Israel concocted a plan whereby the 600 surviving Benjamites were allowed to kidnap the same number of young girls to be their wives. So those who sought to punish a sexual offense against one woman, sanctioned sexual offenses against hundreds of other women. This is the level of tragedy that occurs when we sanctimoniously seek to purge and punish the evil we see in others, but fail to acknowledge the evil in our own hearts.
George Floyd’s murder back in May 2020 was criminal and tragic. But the protests and riots it triggered took the lives of dozens of other innocent people. If we include all the violence that’s occurred in the wake of defunding and disbanding police, the number of victims is many times more. Some of the dead were police. Some were innocent bystanders. Many were children.
Were their deaths justified by the one death of George Floyd? Didn’t their lives matter as well? Are we merely repeating the same tragedy we saw in the North’s “righteous” zeal to punish the South and in Israel’s sanctimonious zeal to punish sexual violence? In both those conflicts brother was waging war against brother. But God will never choose sides in such conflicts when the sin we seek to punish resides in the hearts of both combatants.
And, believe me, racism exists in every human heart. Meghan Markle didn’t have to leave the UK and travel back to California to fight systemic racism. Racism doesn’t originate from systems, institutions, or governments. Racism originates from our own hearts (Matthew 15:18-19).
And if we dare to think ourselves immune to harboring racist feelings, then we’re probably more susceptible than anyone. For we, of all people, are the least on our guard against them. We’re too busy looking for evil in others to pay attention to our own hearts. Only those who acknowledge their own sin and frailty – and who plead to God for forgiveness and strength, can ever hope to find deliverance from such inner hatred and corruption.
Would you like to find where racism rules so you can destroy it? Then look no further than your own heart.
PRAYER: Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any hurtful way in me and lead me on the path to eternal life. Amen.
(Information from: https://metro.co.uk/2020/06/20/meghan-markle-believes-was-destined-leave-uk-fight-racism-us-12878484/)