PK’s Ponderings
Rapper Kanye West is in the Bible!
(but then again, so are
you and I)
Kanye West recently may
have won three Grammy’s for the way his music and voice sounds, but something
he has recently said is hitting notes of discord with some. You may remember Mr. West as the young man
who, during a live telethon for victims of Hurricane Katrina, blurted out
“President Bush hates black people!”
Well, it seems that Mr. West, no matter how lowly he may think of our
President, thinks enough of himself to claim: “I changed the sound of music more than one time...
For all those reasons, I'd be a part of the Bible. I'm definitely in the
history books already.”
Well, rather than beat
up on Mr. West for such a self-centered and egotistical statement, I believe I
would instead encourage and enlighten Mr. West that he should no longer spend
energy wishing to be in the Bible. For,
you see, he is in the Bible, but then again, so are you and I. You may not find our proper names listed in
the pages of the 66 books of Scripture, but we are there, just the same, as
evidenced by the following references:
The
Lord has looked down from heaven
upon the sons of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after
God. They have all turned aside;
together they have become corrupt; there is no one who does good,
not even one. Psalm 14:2-3
And
do not enter into judgment with Thy servant, for in Thy sight no man living is
righteous. Psalm 143:2
Indeed,
there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who
never sins. Ecclesiastes 7:20
For
all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are
like a filthy garment; and all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities,
like the wind, take us away. Isaiah
64:6
Now
we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law,
that every mouth may be closed, and all the world may become accountable to God
. . . for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:19, 23
Therefore,
just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and
so death spread to all men, because all sinned. Romans 5:12
But, the Bible is not
primarily about us, it is about our God, and His plan to seek and redeem
sinners in order that we should become worshipers of Him. Paul’s words capture this sentiment in 1 Timothy 1:15-17:
It
is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came
into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. And yet
for this reason I found mercy, in order that in me as the foremost, Jesus
Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience, as an example for those who
would believe in Him for eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal,
invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
Do you hear Paul’s worship of God after his
awareness of the supremacy of Christ? We
should not be surprised that we are in the Bible, as sinners, but perhaps
surprised and humbled to see ourselves as worshippers of God because of the
necessary work of Christ!
Let us pray for Kanye
West. Although evidently gifted in the
eyes of the world, he is a troubled man, having previously compared himself to
a suffering Jesus on the cover of one magazine, and professing addictions to
pornography and sex. This pop culture
icon is in need not of our ire, even though he is provoking the anger of God
Himself. But let him have our pity and
prayers as those who have been saved from our own self-centered and grievous
sins and the wrath of God that was due them.
May God be patient,
merciful and one day glorified in the life of Mr. West.
And may He be patient,
merciful and every day glorified in you and me.
