Prophets from the Past

“They err in vision, they stumble in judgment. For all tables are full of vomit and filth; no place is clean.” (Isaiah 28:7-8 NKJV)

Isaiah rebukes the leaders of Jerusalem. He criticizes their impaired judgment, corruption, and deceit. The leaders do not take well to being disparaged. Since the leaders are unwilling to change, Isaiah prophesies that God will get His message across in a different language that will get people’s attention. The rulers remain scornful. They believe they can do whatever they want without consequences. They think they have immunity because they are in power. They are convinced that no one can see through their deceptions. 

What happens when oppression, corruption, and deceit are allowed to continue unchecked? Exasperation builds up cumulatively. When acts of peaceful protests and symbolic civil disobedience do not move the needle on injustice, emotions boil over. Like a dormant volcano, first there is rumbling, then smoke, then an eruption of lava that destroys everything in its path. Neither apathy nor denial will circumvent the upheaval. Violence is always destructive, yet under tremendous pressure, it is understandable. 

I shall conclude with the following quote by Martin Luther King, Jr. It was written in 1967, but it is still applicable in 2020. 

“Certain conditions continue to exist in our society, which must be condemned as vigorously as we condemn riots. But in the final analysis, a riot is the language of the unheard. And what is it that America has failed to hear? It has failed to hear that the plight of the Negro poor has worsened over the last few years. It has failed to hear that the promises of freedom and justice have not been met. And it has failed to hear that large segments of white society are more concerned about tranquility and the status quo than about justice, equality and humanity. And so in a real sense our nation’s summers of riots are caused by our nation’s winters of delay. And as long as America postpones justice, we stand in the position of having these recurrences of violence and riots over and over again. Social justice and progress are the absolute guarantors of riot prevention.”- Dr. Martin Luther King