Prejudice
Cambridge Dictionary: An unfair and unreasonable opinion or feeling, especially when formed without enough thought or knowledge. It also means disliking a group of people for no good reason, or having an irrational dislike or hostile view of a person based on their race, religion, gender or age.
We are living in an age where prejudice is now being exercised against peoples, ethnic groups, and folks who have originated from different countries, and, just as Cambridge Dictionary stated, in many cases, there is no valid reason for harboring such a hostile view against those who are at the receiving end of the stick.
Entire communities are being prejudiced against, as hostile views are cultivated with unfounded rumors, and manipulation of the facts. It is worthy of note that the Cambridge dictionary also suggests that the hostile views against certain races, and religions are often formed without a knowledge of the facts.
In other instances, it is just the result of deeply held hatred against certain groups of people, for no valid reason. It is a very sad and regrettable situation we find ourselves in, but this the reality we are living in.
Thus, the Christian who chooses to serve The Lord, according to the dictates of conscience will also find himself or herself on the receiving end of prejudices which are meritless, and as such, it is something we will have to confront and deal with, sooner or later, in a godly manner.
We are living in very volatile times, and there is the growing tendency to get riled up or ticked off at the injustices and cruelties that are being meted out to the less fortunate daily. Now, while it’s Scriptural for the Christian to have righteous indignation, we must exercise wisdom and Godly prudence, when dealing with the issue of prejudice.
Injustices and warranted cruelties to any member of the human family should bother the Christian, for if it does not disturb the conscience, it means that the work of salvation, which makes us sensitive to right and wrong has stalled out.
What the Christians does about it is another matter, but the knowledge of grave injustices should bother you. If we live aloof from the realities on the ground and if we encase ourselves in our little cocoon, then we could become isolated, insulated, and tone deaf to the suffering of our neighbors next door.
The good Samaritan was not only deeply bothered by the cruelty and injustice he had seen, just like the Levite and the priest who also beheld the wounded man, he also took positive steps to try and mitigate the situation and he alleviated the suffering, in that stranger whom he did not know.
The religion of Christ will never make the Christian indifferent to suffering humanity. Instead, it ought to awaken sympathy and empathy, and move us to take positive Biblical steps to help out in whatever ways we can, not only by our prayers, but by ways and means that God approves of.
The religion of Christ is a hands-on experience, for it calls into active exercise our tenderest sympathies in the everyday trials and tribulations of everyday folk. That’s why God makes special mention of those who are bothered in their minds by evils that are done in the land. Let’s read:
Ezekiel 9: 4 And the Lord said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.
The ways in which we deal with volatile situations involving prejudice of any sort, would determine the outcome which in turn would determine whether or not God would be glorified or dishonored by actions taken and words that are spoken.
The Christian living in this current environment will have to learn how to keep his cool under prejudice, and the craving for justice, or the desire for revenge will have to be controlled and relinquished in some circumstances, so that the beauty of truth and the radiance of a Christlike character will shine through.
The reason for this is that situations can spin out of control very quickly if one’s raw nerves are touched, especially on the issue of unjust racial biases, which has become deeply rooted in the national psyche in some instances.
The Scripture teaches us that we should not suffer as evil doers, but if folks suffer, because of our faith, that is noteworthy. So, there will be times when you might have to grit your teeth and pray like you never prayed before while you behold situations unfolding that may be very difficult to watch.
There is a godly way to disarm prejudice, and there is an ungodly way to deal with it. The principles, ways and means that persons adopt, or subscribe to will reveal who is seated on the throne of the heart.
Some persons believe that the only way to disarm prejudice is with a baseball bat, a machete, a sword, and a bullet. Others track, what might seem to be a different course, by harboring rage and deep hatred and resentment in silence, while others might speak out against it.
The Christian has to be very careful of the ways and means he or she will adopt, for it can trigger victory or defeat in the conflict with the powers of darkness as was the case with Peter. It is one of satan’s most successful strategies to tick you off for reasons that may seem to be valid, or that are actually valid.
He did succeed in ticking Moses off, just before he entered the promised land. He also ticked off David in the wilderness, as great injustice and ingratitude was done to him and his men. He ticked off John, and his brother James, for what seemed like a valid reason, when the Samaritans refused to let Christ pass through their town.
He ticked off the apostle Paul, and Barnabas when they had a bitter argument between themselves in so much that they had to part ways. And the prince of darkness also succeeded in ticking of the entire conference when they had that first meeting in Acts chapter 15. Let’s read:
Acts 15: 37 And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark.
38 But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work.
39 And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other: and so, Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus.
You and I are not any different, and even though we may sit in church looking all nice and cute, beware, lest he also tick you off and cause you to blow a fuse in the public square, and thus, bring reproach upon the cause of Christ.
Disarming prejudice in a godly manner is something the you and me in the here and now will have to be accustomed to because very difficult days are ahead for all those who will refuse to bow. In fact, the days of earth’s final conflict for the true Christ will be the same as they were for Jacob, who was targeted with prejudice by his brother Esau.
Remember, the meaning of the word prejudice, as is rendered by Cambridge dictionary means: An unfair or unreasonable opinion or feeling, especially when formed without enough thought or knowledge.
This leads us into our study for today, because Esau had formed an unreasonable prejudice, opinion and feeling about his brother, without enough thought or knowledge, just like the meaning of the word in the Cambridge dictionary.
Jacob had spent many years in exile, and during that time he had become a changed man through God’s grace. Since the time when he fled for his life he has been baptized, and is now an elder in the church in good and regular standing, but Esau apparently did not know this.
As far as Esau knows, it’s the same old crook coming back to his old tricks of wheeling and dealing and as far as Esau is concerned, he will have none of it. He has had it up to here with Jacob, and now it is time for justice to be served. These were Esau’s thoughts of prejudice.
Thus, Esau, who had harbored hatred, and revenge for the birthright he had sold to Jacob, wasn’t in any good mood, when he learned of Jacob’s approach. All of the bad feelings and animosities he cherished for years in his heart now sprung up, and bore fruit in actions that were akin to getting even.
Jacob, knowing that he himself had practiced fraud in obtaining the birthright, was filled with reproach and remorse for the course of action he had taken, and thus, in order to preempt any malice on Esau’s part, he now takes positive remedial steps to cool down his brother’s frayed nerves.
Not only does he pray, but he does all that he can to avert the mortal threat that was heading his way. He uses words like lord, and servant, in referring to his relationship to Esau, he being the servant, and Esau being the lord, so that, if at all possible, kind words may head off what could turn into a very volatile or deadly situation. Let’s read:
Genesis 32:3 And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom.
4 And he commanded them, saying, thus shall ye speak unto my lord Esau; your servant Jacob saith thus, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed there until now.
5 And I have oxen, asses, flocks, and menservants, and women-servants: and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight.
The phrases “My lord Esau” and “Your servant Jacob speak volumes of a man in contrition, who does not want to ruffle any feathers, a man who is also willing to avoid trouble at all costs, because of previous misconceptions, skirmishes, misunderstandings, and actual misdeeds that were done in former years.
Jacob also goes a step further by basically telling his brother that he now very rich. Now, why would he tell his brother this? He speaks like this to show that he will not be a threat to Esau’s prosperity, if for any reason prejudice in his brother’s heart may have led Esau to believe that Jacob was coming back to claim his share of the pie in the will that his parents made.
At this point, we have a bit of bad news for you, for Jacob’s efforts fell on deaf ears and instead of peace he is now facing the prospect of annihilation from a family member who is bent on revenge. Let’s read:
Genesis 32:6 And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, we came to your brother Esau, and he also is coming to meet you, and there are four hundred men with him.
7 Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed: and he divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, and herds, and the camels, into two bands;
8 And said, If Esau comes to the one company, and smites it, then the other company which is left shall escape.
There are times when soothing words do not do the trick and you just might have to go one step further in disarming prejudice. When you have a ticked off family member on your heels, you might have to go over and beyond to try to allay their concerns, even if those concerns might be unwarranted.
Sometimes, the family member may not know that you are a changed person, and thus, like Jacob, you may have to do things that you wouldn’t usually do under different circumstances. Thus, Jacob ups the game, and he determines to send several presents to his brother Esau, to show him that he really isn’t a threat to his prosperity.
According to the narrative, Jacob now goes to the nearest ATM, and he withdraws a bucket load of cash to send to Esau. He also sends Esau a number of valuable Crypto currencies and stable coins, and he divides them up into several distinct gifts, so that Esau will get the message, that he wants peace and not war.
Observe carefully how Jacob divides up the gifts and how he goes to great lengths to space them out for he is trying his best to disarm Esau’s prejudice with multiple rounds of kindnesses and contrite words.
In other words, Jacob is trying his best to make the deepest impression on Esau’s mind, that he has no bad intentions or malice in his heart, and instead he desires reconciliation, not confrontation by showing him great favor. In today’s U.S currency, Jacob sent over half a million dollars in gifts to avoid the threat of confrontation. Let’s read:
Genesis 32: 13 And he lodged there that same night; and took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother;
14 Two hundred she goats, and twenty he-goats, two hundred ewes, and twenty rams,
15 Thirty milch camels with their colts, forty kine, and ten bulls, twenty she asses, and ten foals.
16 And he delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by themselves; and said unto his servants, pass over before me, and put a space between drove and drove.
17 And he commanded the foremost, saying, When Esau my brother meets you, and asks you, saying, whose art thou? and where goest thou? and whose are these before thee?
18 Then thou shalt say, they be thy servant Jacob's; it is a present sent unto my lord Esau: and, behold, also he is behind us.
19 And so commanded he the second, and the third, and all that followed the droves, saying, on this manner shall ye speak unto Esau, when ye find him.
20 And say ye moreover, Behold, thy servant Jacob is behind us. For he said I will appease him with the present that goes before me, and afterward I will see his face; peradventure he will accept of me.
However, try as he might, Esau is not buying it and he is still on his way, determined as ever to revenge the birthright which Jacob had duped his father into giving him. There are times when try as you might, you cannot get a family member off your back even after you have done your very best in speaking kind Christlike words, and parting with several crypto in an effort to make peace.
There are some folks who do not respond favorably to kindness, because the thirst for revenge prevents them from seeing your genuine efforts at making reconciliation. Thus, in order to get that proverbial monkey off your back, you will have to turn to God alone, if peradventure He may see fit to send you a Cherub to solve your problem.
This is what Jacob had to do, for all of his efforts to appease Esau had fallen on deaf ears, and therefore, in sheer desperation, he withdraws into his closet to have a serious talk with God. God then responds in the positive, and He sends a Cherub to shake down Esau from his high horse of prejudice.
There are times when you would have to leave your situation in God’s hands, for only He can deliver you from certain perilous circumstances, and since He is the same yesterday, today, and forever, we can trust Him to do what He does best. Let’s read:
Genesis 32:9 And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the Lord which said unto me Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee:
10 I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant; for with my staff, I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands.
11 Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children.
24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.
24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.
25 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.
26 And he said, let me go, for the day is breaking. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.
27 And he said unto him, what is thy name? And he said, Jacob.
28 And he said, thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
29 And Jacob asked him, and said, tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, wherefore is it that you ask after my name? And he blessed him there.
Apparently, the real fight was with God and not with Esau, because Jacob needed the full and complete surrender of his will to God. When Christ met him in battle at the river Jabbok, Jacob did what most of us would do in a similar situation, which is to try and choke the assailant. Thus, the question is: Have we ever fought with The Lord and prevailed?
The word ish (אִישׁ) in Hebrew means man. The word רַע (ra) in Hebrew means evil, and the word El (אֵל) in Hebrew means God. Thus, you will have Ish-Ra El or Israel, meaning that God reaches over the abyss of Ra, (Evil) which has separated God from man, and Christ takes our hand to save us by His power alone, from ourselves as well as from Esau and his hosts, or his ghosts.
If the story had ended there, we would have praised The Lord and gone our merry way rejoicing, but we came across something that is worthy of our utmost consideration. Apparently, the story isn’t only about Jacob, it is about us, who are living today, who may have to pass through similar circumstances. Let’s read:
[The Great Controversy pp 618] As Satan influenced Esau to march against Jacob, so he will stir up the wicked to destroy God’s people in the time of trouble. And as he accused Jacob, he will urge his accusations against the people of God. If he could blot them from the earth, his triumph would be complete.
[The Great Controversy pp 618] Jacob’s night of anguish, when he wrestled in prayer for deliverance from the hand of Esau, represents the experience of God’s people in the time of trouble. Yet he leaves nothing undone on his own part to atone for the wrong to his brother, and to avert the threatened danger.
So should the followers of Christ, as they approach the time of trouble, make every exertion to place themselves in a proper light before the people, to disarm prejudice, and to avert the danger which threatens liberty of conscience.
The question is: What should the remnant people of God be doing to place themselves in a proper light before the people, to Disarm Prejudice? Like old Jacob, is it possible that they too may have to go to the ATM, or would they in some special cases find it necessary to shell out some Bitcoin and Crypto, as Jacob found it necessary to do?
Christians who remain trapped in debt, or who are caught up in the vicious cycle of credit, would find it necessary, sooner or later, to place themselves in a proper light before the people to disarm the type of prejudice that will be coming our way.
The beast of Revelation 13 and 14 should not find us riddled with irreconcilable debt, owing the IRS, and being late on payments that are due for that will put persons in a very compromised position, where the beast will view persons as a liability, not an asset.
If the beast views certain Christians as a liability, let it be for spiritual reasons, but not because we didn’t do our due diligence in temporal matters. When the princes of Babylon exercised prejudice against the prophet Daniel, the only problem they could find in him was prayer.
But in all other temporal matters, Daniel came out flawless, for he was not found habitually late on his payments, he was not in arrears with his landlord, and his electric bill and water bill were all on time.
In addition to this, in his political life, he did not tell any lies, he did not embezzle the public funds for his personal gain, and his immediate family members were not found to be beneficiaries of policies that he put in place as president, for he was faithful both in private and public life. Let’s read:
Daniel 6:1 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom a hundred and twenty princes, which should be over the whole kingdom;
2 And over these three presidents; of whom Daniel was first: that the princes might give accounts unto them, and the king should have no damage.
3 Then Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.
4 Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no occasion nor fault; because he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him.
In other words, Daniel disarmed prejudice, so that if the other officials insisted on finding fault with him, it would be with his religion, not the temporal issues some Christians in our day so often stumble on.
If Daniel was found to be unfaithful on a horizontal level, very great reproach would have been brought upon the cause of God, and he most likely would’ve buckled under the heavy load of guilt. At this time it is fitting that we observe again that statement made by the servant of The Lord, for it applies to all who are preparing for crunch time. Let’s read:
[The Great Controversy pp 618] The followers of Christ, as they approach the time of trouble, should make every exertion to place themselves in a proper light before the people, to disarm prejudice, and to avert the danger which threatens liberty of conscience.
Now it’s high time that we get our act together, now is the time to tie up all loose ends, to try and mend all broken relationships, and the axe that you might have to grind with fellow members of the church, is to be addressed and put to rest, before crunch time comes around.
The reason for this is that at that time, many former members of the remnant church will be used by the prince of darkness to stir up prejudice or animosity against the faithful, in an effort to bring them down to their level.
Remember, Esau was Jacob’s brother, they went to the same church, sat in the same Sabbath school, and received the same religious instruction from a God-fearing father and mother. Consider carefully what is being said, because sacred history has a way of repeating itself. Let’s read:
Matthew 10: 36 And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
[Last Day Events pp 156] We have far more to fear from within than from without. Unbelievers have a right to expect that those who profess to be keeping the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, will do more than any other class to promote and honor, by consistent lives, by their godly example and their active influence, the cause which they represent.
[The Great Controversy pp 608] As the storm approaches, a large class who have professed faith in the third angel’s message, but have not been sanctified through obedience to the truth, abandon their position, and join the ranks of the opposition.
Men of talent and pleasing address, who once rejoiced in the truth, employ their powers to deceive and mislead souls. They become the most bitter enemies of their former brethren.
When Sabbath-keepers are brought before the courts to answer for their faith, these apostates are the most efficient agents of Satan to misrepresent and accuse them, and by false reports and insinuations to stir up the rulers against them.
God is more practical and down to earth in all of the instructions He gives us therefore, if there are issues that need to be addressed and resolved, whether in the temporal, spiritual, social or financial realm, the time is now when persons should appropriate those instructions given, lest in the time of testing, we are weighed in the balances, and found wanting.
We therefore end with a passage of Scripture which should help us better understand the urgency of the moment, and we hope and pray that God will make the rough places plain as we cooperate with Him, so that He may be glorified in His peculiar people Let’s read:
Romans 13: 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.
13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
God Bless!