Today's Scripture Reading (June 7, 2022): 1 Chronicles 20
In the sixteenth century,
Britain became involved in the slave trade. The buying of slaves from Africa
changed Britain’s reputation on the world stage. As a result of the purchased
slaves, Britain became a world superpower, both economically and militarily.
But it came at a great moral cost. The very slaves that had made a Britain a great
power on the world stage were often treated worse than animals. Britain was caught in
what was quite likely slavery at its very worst. But they had been blinded by
the power that they had attained.
Enter William Wilberforce.
Wilberforce was a politician who began his career in 1790 and he became a
politician who had some serious moral questions about the slave trade. And
slowly, he became the foremost abolitionist in Britain. William Wilberforce
possessed the courage to see slavery for what it really was, a moral crime
against people who were as valuable in the sight of God as the Britain’s were
themselves. Wilberforce began to gather a group of likeminded people around
him, hoping to drive Britain from the slave trade. Together, they worked hard,
dedicating their careers to the abolishment of slavery in Britain. On July 26,
1833. Wilberforce finally heard the message for which he had been waiting. The
British government officially made concessions that would finally end slavery
in Britain and her colonies. The process had finally started for the freeing of
over 800,000 slaves almost three decades before the beginning of the civil war
in the United States, a war which would decide the slavery issue in that country.
Three days after the
government announced the end of slavery, Wilberforce died. But the real legacy
of William Wilberforce wasn’t what he did. It was the people in Britain and all
over the world who wanted to follow in Wilberforce’s footsteps. William
Wilberforce became the inspiration for other groups to continue the fight
against slavery. And even today, people who strongly believe in the equality of
all races owe debt of gratitude the work of William Wilberforce and all those
who continued the fight because of him and after him.
David had fought the Giant
Goliath at a time when the army was so scared that they quivered just hearing Goliath speak. But David proved that even giants could be beaten.
And he became the inspiration for a generation of giant slayers, including Elhanan son of Jair who killed Lahmi, Goliath’s brother. But
even more important than the Giant slayers who followed David’s example was
that because of his courage, David had inspired a country who believed that
they could win against any enemy, regardless of how many giants lined up on the
other side of the battle.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading:
2 Samuel 11
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