Justice Served Fresh

I've always had a soft spot for the marginalized and the oppressed. Since having moved to Africa, injustice hits me that much harder, because I encounter it so frequently. Almost daily, I see a number of things that just make me want to scream:Boys are "taken in" by schools and sent out to beg. If they accept my bread for themselves instead of money for the mosques, they may be beaten. A man takes another wife without informing his first (or second or third) wife. These women are beaten for being less-than-obedient. An orphaned family member is treated like a servant because she has nowhere else to go. Government officials fill their pockets with aid money. A woman selling water gets mobbed because a generous person bought water "for everyone" without thinking that there wasn't actually enough for everyone. 

And these are just the few stories I hear.The list goes on, but it's not limited to the third world. We shudder from stories we hear of the West: a man who shoots school children, people trampled in shopping malls, murder "justified" for one reason or another, etc. Does it ever stop? Living here (and really anywhere if you look deep enough) can quickly make you one of two extremes: furious or apathetic. Admittedly, I've been both.

All the hurt drove me to the Word of God for answers. This year, I'm reading through the Bible and focusing on God's perspective on the matter of right, wrong, and justice. I mean, if it breaks my heart, how can God stand it? He hears the hidden tears of victims every day. I just hear emotionlessly recounted stories. Their blood cries out to Him directly. I often have no clue. 

From what I've seen, it all boils down to love. I should've seen that coming. After all, God is love, right?. But to dig a bit deeper, I've seen true depth in His justice. No one can ever claim that God is apathetic to right and wrong. He hears, He cares deeply, and He acts with a vengeance against wrong. He establishes laws to protect the poor, the slaves, the unloved, and even the land. Truly, injustice in the Old Testament seems to merit death, exile, or intense punishment. As bystanders, most of us would heartily agree. You can't just let people get away with these things!

So, what about today? Why hasn't God just zapped the modern slave traders, the oppressors, the murderers? I think the better question is this: do we really want Him to? Are you really just a bystander? Have you ever taken advantage of someone? said an unkind word? lusted after someone? let your selfishness hurt someone? hated someone? Have you ever been too proud to even apologize for these things?

Then, the question is this: why hasn't God zapped you and me?

There it is, again: Love. 

"But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Rom 5:8)

God was in the ultimate conflict. He is the perfect judge who loves and values all people. He cares infinitely about the person you're slandering, hating, and using. We are an unjust, evil lot, and He really should destroy us. But he cares about us. Conflict. How can He let us get away with all we do to one another? It's not right!In the Old Testament, He allowed scapegoats... Literally. Purified goats to take on the His people's sin. They were killed or exiled after taking on the people's sins. Wrong is serious. There must be restitution. These goats were punished, and justice was served. But was that enough? The people had to continually slaughter these animals. How could dead goats ever change dead hearts? 

Enter, Jesus, Father God incarnate. He lived the perfect life. He stepped into the darkest parts of our world and personally experienced great injustices. He met needs in His life, and He solved The Conflict with His death. He is the scapegoat for all humanity. He overcame death to prove His legitimacy and to show that with Him we can overcome. If we let Him be our scapegoat, He goes one further. More than just die for our injustices, He also promises to change our hearts. Good deeds may be nice, but they don't change who we are. At the end of the day, we're all unjust people. There are no innocent juries, no bystanders. In Christ, God gives us the power to become what we could never be: just with God and one another. 

So, for me living life, justice means listening to the Father's example of love. It means caring about people enough to stand up for what's right while simultaneously bringing the wrong-doers to restoration. That's a God-sized task.

That's not my name

*insert Ting Ting's song*

They call me Mariam...

They call me Reese...

They call me Stan...

They call me Dot...

...that's not my name.

That's not my name.

That's not my name.

That's not my.... name.

Ridiculous songs aside, it's a funny on-going discussion in Team BK as to whether or not names important. As one who easily forgets people's names, I wish they weren't. I mean, I remember people's words and life stories with no problems. So, if I forget someone's name but can tell you all about them, it's no big deal, right? Unfortunately, It seems that I'm the only one with that opinion. I may feel no need to defend the correct pronunciation of my name, but others really get angry about it. So what if Burkinabé give me a new name? If it's easier for them to remember and shout at me in the market, that's cool with me.

So, hear my thoughts: What is a name, really? Is it just some words my parents gave to distinguish me from other kids in a crowd? Does it prophesy my destiny?

Shouldn't I still be the same person, even if you forget my name? Does it change who I am to call me by something else? I mean, call a chair: a chair, sigilan dò, une chaise, or whatever you choose. You're still going to sit in it all the same.

As I've been reading through and studying the book of Daniel, this idea really stuck out in light of our running discussion. To set the scene, the Israelites are in Babylonian exile. From among a bright, young group of people we see four Jews that really stuck out: Haananiah, Mishael, Azariah, and Daniel.

As they entered their new home, the Babylonians tried to redefine them. In fact, Shadrach, Meshack and Abed-Nego are probably better cemented in history by their Babylonian names. However, we don't see it changing who the Lord had made them. In spite of the fact that Babylonians called them stuff like "Belonging to Aku" or "Servant of Nego," these youths didn't change. In the integrity of their lifestyles, they proved that they still owned their true names:
-"God is my judge"
-"God has been gracious"
-"Who is who God is?"
-"God has helped"

So, it's encouraging to me regardless of what people or culture may say that you are, you don't have to play into that identity. In Christ, God has called you His child, righteous, and loved. That's quite the name.


" The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name."

-Rev 3:12