cursed

martin luther king jr gave a speech about 57 years ago on the steps of the lincoln memorial in washington dc.

one hundred years [after the emancipation proclamation] the negro is still not free

the negro is not free today either but his slavery does not come from outside himself, from oppressive governments or slave traders or racist systems in the south. today he enslaves himself.

at the time mlk gave his speech, the reverend walked hand in hand with white men and women, with other black men and women, dressed in suits and dresses, the same attire many people of the time wore to attend a sunday service at church. all of these men and women respected each other. they respected those who opposed them, even though they despised the racism and intolerance their enemies supported. they did not resort to violence. they did not destroy property or steal or murder black policemen or destroy black businesses. they marched. they sang Christian hymns. they prayed and they spoke. mlk largely achieved what he set out to achieve. police brutality began to decrease. black men and women received the right to vote and desegregation began.

why is the black not yet free today?

martin luther king jr's speech was not a prayer to God, but an appeal to men. mlk pleaded to men to give him grace. he asked for the favor of men. he did not place his faith in God but in sinful, weak, cowardly men. it was a noble effort but ultimately always destined to fail. 

cursed is the man who trusts in mankind and makes flesh his strength

black prosperity began to rise after the emancipation proclamation but obviously there remained much injustice. can we compare church attendance in the black community today to church attendance during and after slavery? i doubt anyone even has data on this but i will wager the disparity is enormous. the fact is that difficult situations drive us to God. God takes his time but he redeems the evil deeds of men and causes blessing to come from them. of course we should fight against injustice, but as believers, that is not our priority. God created us to glorify him, to give honor to him, to praise him in the midst of pain and trust him to bring glory to himself and not to trust in men to correct injustice. God commands us to preach the Gospel, not to primarily right the wrongs of inherently unjust systems created by inherently unjust men. the best men can do is punish evil but we fail miserably when it comes to preventing it.

But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for [authority] does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.

injustice lies within every one of us. mlk believed he could change the hearts of men and through laws eliminate the hatred that resides inside of us. instead he enabled it. men began to trust in men and not in God and when these authorities inevitably failed them, the blacks returned hatred for hatred. their god of laws and government and authority betrayed them. this was an obvious and foreseeable conclusion.

God alone changes hearts. God alone convicts men of sin, enables them, not superficially, but honestly, to choose righteously and compassionately. any appeal to men and the strength of men will ultimately fail. at the same time, each of us is responsible to him and any blame we place on others will fall on us just as quickly. every single one of us who trust in ourselves or in others have cursed ourselves.

we have no hope in men, in their laws, in their ability to choose justly. our only hope is God. but he allows injustice. he allows sin and death and hatred. he allows these things so we seek him and acknowledge that only in him are hope and truth and righteousness. he does not want us to be satisfied with this world for it is not our home.

All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. They desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.

none of us will ever be satisfied with this earth. we are not meant to be.