Fortunately, Gods attitude towards racism and racist attitude is very clear and it is best demonstrated in His treatment of Miriam, Moses sister. Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite. “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses?” they asked. “Hasn’t he also spoken through us?” And the Lord heard this. (Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.) The anger of the Lord burned against them, and he left them. When the cloud lifted from above the tent, Miriam’s skin was leprous —it became as white as snow. Aaron turned toward her and saw that she had a defiling skin disease, and he said to Moses, “Please, my lord, I ask you not to hold against us the sin we have so foolishly committed. Do not let her be like a stillborn infant coming from its mother’s womb with its flesh half eaten away.” So Moses cried out to the Lord, “Please, God, heal her!” So Miriam was confined outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on till she was brought back. (Numbers 12:1-3, 9-13, 15 NIV) Cushite, is elsewhere rendered Ethiopian, as in 2 Samuel 18:21-32 it is rendered Cushite. Its plural, which occurs in Zephaniah, Daniel and 2 Chronicles, is uniformly translated as Ethiopians, following Septuagint. Ethiopia means dark skinned. The Greek word Αἰθίοψ (Aithiops), literary means burnt-face or dark skinned, was used as the term for black Africans. Therefore, Ziporrah, Moses wife, was dark skinned, meaning a black woman. It was her skin complexion that caused Miriam and Aaron to murmur against her and this murmuring displeased God because racial discrimination is foolish sin in the eyes of Jehovah. Miriam and her brother Aaron did not like their brother Moses wife because she was a Cushite (i.e an Ethiopian or a black woman) and so they talked ill of her. God was not pleased with their racist attitude and made Miriams skin to become leprous, a defiling skin disease. Moses had to plead with The Lord, Please, my lord, I ask you not to hold against us the sin we have so foolishly committed. Do not let her be like a stillborn infant coming from its mother’s womb with its flesh half eaten away. The consequence of this foolish sin of racism was that Miriam was confined outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on till she was brought back. Racism holds everybody from moving on till it is removed like a cancer from societys psyche. Those who cling onto racism risk Gods wrath and It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Hebrews 10:31 NIV) Dear believer do not harbour racism in your heart because It is a foolish sin in the eyes of God. If you were groomed with racism in your upbringing seek repentance and cleansing from the Holy God. If you have inclination towards racist attitude seek forgiveness and redemption from it before you fall into the hands of the living God. From my interaction with many believers I know there are many with insipid racism in them. This evil cancer has lingered its ugly head in the church of God from its inception. In America and in South Africa, where I reside, I know that Gods people are still separated by the pigmentation of their skin. They worship God separately and seek fellowship with those whose colour of skin looks like theirs. It is sinful conduct so to do, regardless of your so called culture or upbringing. Repent and seek to live like the new creation Christ has redeemed you to be. Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will (Romans 12:1-2 NIV)
Posted on: Tue, 15 Jul 2014 10:31:50 +0000
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