Deceived by the Heart

Jeremiah 17:9 - The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?

I thought of this verse today when reading about the grand jury decision on the death of Michael Brown.  I read the testimony of officer Darren Wilson, and have seen the protests, both when Michael died, and now, after the decision not to prosecute officer Wilson.

The Michael Brown case is news because Michael was black and officer Wilson is white.  Reading officer Wilson’s testimony, there are elements that would tend to explain and even justify what he did (the grand jury saw this, as well), but, the one question that officer Wilson can’t answer with any certainty is: would the outcome have been the same if Michael Brown was white? 

Not to compare the two, but the accusations of rape against Bill Cosby are also in the news.  I couldn’t help but notice that most of the women that have come forward fit a certain pattern at the time of the alleged assault: late teens, and white.  Given what we have heard so far, what conclusion can we draw about Bill Cosby:  that he, a black man, sought out white teenaged girls to assault, that he was an “equal opportunity” predator, or that he is an innocent man that is a victim of false accusations?  Bill can provide an answer (at least to himself) that differentiates the first two from the last, but discerning between the first two (if he is guilty) would be much more difficult.

Racism is but one aspect of a wicked heart, and look what devastation it can cause.  And, if we examined our actions (especially our sinful ones), what other destructive motives would we find?  I believe this is what the Holy Spirit, through Jeremiah, was getting at. And, He gives us the answer in the very next verse:

Jeremiah 17:10 - I Jehovah search the heart, I try the reins, even to give to each man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.