This post first appeared on Kineti and is authored by Judah Gabriel Himango, one of Tabernacle of David’s teachers.
 |
| After police killed suspect George Floyd by kneeling on his neck during his arrest, riots broke out across the US and quickly turned violent, with looters smashing windows and stealing from businesses. |
This weekend we celebrated Shavuot, the 3,500+ year anniversary of the giving of the 10 Commandments, which instruct us to avoid murder, theft, coveting.
But this weekend saw murder, theft, looting, #riots2020.
On this same Shavuot holiday 2000 years ago, a momentous, civilization-changing event took place: God poured out his spirit on human beings in a tangible miracle manifested at the Temple in Jerusalem in front of thousands of witnesses. The evidence of God’s spirit in a person include gentleness, patience, self-control, goodness.
But this weekend saw little fruit of God’s spirit, but instead violence, unbridled rage, wickedness, hatred.
The commandments are still needed, still relevant as ever.
God’s spirit is still needed, still as relevant as ever.
And where there is a void of these, there is civilizational chaos.
It’s strange to me to have to write a post that says murder and looting are wicked. Isn’t it already obvious? Yet I see some Jews and Christians justifying violent riots. “Systemic racism” is the justification. We must dismantle white patriarchy.”
No.
You don’t get to go outside of the law just because you perceive injustice within it. That’s not how justice works. As God says in the Bible, pre-empting our cries against injustice, “I will avenge.” If God is just, God will ultimately have the final say over injustice. Not you.
There are racist cops, there are bad apples, there are injustices within the judicial system. Their existence does not justify looting, assault, theft, coveting, hatred of races and classes other than your own. That’s still wickedness, and it undermines the initial injustice of the death of George Floyd.
Dear reader, start with yourself. Do you have God’s commandments in your life? Do you have God’s spirit in your life? Is there good fruit proving that?
