Today’s Scripture Reading (May 2,
2014): Ezekiel 9
It is a
little disappointing that the first round of the NBA playoffs has been hijacked
by the Donald Sterling saga. The first round of the playoffs have featured some
excellent match ups which, even though I am a basketball fan, I know is not
always the case in the NBA. But in the middle of all of the excitement and unexpectedly
close series comes the racism charge against Sterling. The result of the charge
seems to be that there is more talk about what Sterling said than about the
great games being played out on the court.
So in steps
Commissioner Adam Silver. After reviewing the evidence and deciding that there
was truth in the charges, which is not all that surprising considering Sterling’s
checkered past with regard to race relations, Silver announces that he has
arrived at the punishment – a punishment that comes in three steps. First,
Sterling is banned from basketball for life. He is no longer to be making any
basketball decisions or negotiations or to have anything to the do with the
team that he owns (the Los Angeles Clippers). Second, Sterling has been fined
2.5 million dollars, the maximum allowable fine under the NBA constitution. All
of the money will go to charities that deal with race issues. And the last part
of the punishment is that Silver says that he will do everything in his power
to force Sterling to sell the Clippers. This is an action that Mark Cuban, the
owner of the Dallas Mavericks, calls justified but “a slippery slope.” In the
end, it is likely that Sterling will pass off the Clippers to a younger family
member, and for a while try his hand at running the Clippers as a puppet master
– the man no one sees that is standing in the background pulling the strings.
Silver’s
action was proper and quick, Regardless of how hard it may be to actually enforce
the punishment handed out, it has received favorable reviews from players,
ex-players, and fans alike. Silver recognized that something needed to be done
and that it could not wait for a meeting. Silver moved and received the praise
from those around the basketball world that he deserved for taking the action
and doing it quickly. But at the same time we realize that the fight isn’t
over. It will probably take years and many battles in the courtroom to get this
settled. But, in the end, it will be worth the fight. There is truly no room
for this kind of racist attitude in basketball, or any other place in our
world.
The vision
of Ezekiel continues. God has presented the evidence to Ezekiel and now he is
calling for those who will execute the punishment. The call for judgment is
quick. What starts on this day of Ezekiel’s life will also take time to be
brought into fulfillment - but there is no doubt that it will be fulfilled. And
in the end, the world will be a better place - because what God is doing on
this day what must be done if God really wants to bring his blessing on his people.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Ezekiel
10
Personal Note: Happy Birthday to my
brother-in-law, Laurie. I hope you have a great day.
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