O.J. Simpson’s Terrible Legacy

By David Ettinger

Bad Memories
I’ll never forget the pall that fell over the newsroom at the El Paso Herald-Post on Oct. 3, 1995. The verdict for the O.J. Simpson trial was due that day, and when it came time to be announced, all activity ceased as we gathered around the T.V. sets scattered throughout the premises.

When Simpson was proclaimed “innocent,” there was more than a dread silence in the newsroom. There were muffled sighs and gasps of shock. Why? Justice had been denied. A double-murderer was allowed to leave the courtroom a free man.

It was a day filled with bad memories for me. It was a day when justice was trampled, evil was exalted, and a nation reaped the fruit of its growing godlessness.

Fact-Checking
The newsroom of the El Paso-Herald-Post had staff from various backgrounds and political beliefs (mostly liberal), yet, we were in agreement over the injustice committed. But to make sure I wasn’t glossing over the facts in favor of emotion, I spoke with five attorney acquaintances to see what they thought from a professional perspective.

My lawyer neighbor said, “I’m not surprised. After all, this is O.J., the trial was in L.A., so I’m definitely not shocked.”

I replied, “But what about the facts and the case the prosecutors presented.”

He said, “The evidence was air-tight. The jury let a guilty man go.”

The other four attorneys ALL agreed.

Yes, multitudes of guilty men and women have been unjustly declared innocent when they were clearly guilty, but in my lifetime no one as famous as O.J. Simpson and no trial more infamous than his for his brutal slayings of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman.

A Horrid Turning Point
I believe this trial proved a turning point in America with regard to matters of justice. A select group of people was given the power to determine such a high-impact, high-stakes case, and they allowed preference and bias – not facts – to win the day.

On that day, O.J. Simpson won and America lost – and we lost big.

The Bible – particularly the Book of Proverbs – has much to say about the guilty being declared innocent.

• Proverbs 17:15: “Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent – the Lord detests them both.”
• Proverbs 24:24: “Whoever says to the guilty, ‘You are innocent,’ will be cursed by peoples and denounced by nations.”
• Proverbs 24:25: “But it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and rich blessing will come on them.”

More and more guilty offenders are being let off the hook as justice in the U.S. is being ever more trampled upon (the Jussie Smollett case is one recent example). America continues to reap what it sows. With each passing year we raise our voices boldly to God and tell Him to go away and leave us to our own devices.

This is exactly what He has been doing. For Western Christians who are convinced and even “prophesy” that a new Golden Age of righteousness is coming upon us BEFORE the return of Christ, I think you are deluded, refuse to look at reality, and hear what you choose to hear.

For me, the U.S. changed for the worse on Oct. 3, 1995, and we’ve been spiraling downward ever since. As for O.J., I believe he can still repent and give His life to Christ, but if not, this is what he has to look forward to: “Anyone tormented by the guilt of murder will seek refuge in the grave; let no one hold them back” (Proverbs 28:17).

Tagged: American Corruption, Injustice, Justice Denied, O.J. Simpson Trial, Obeying God, The Old Testament, theology

Posted in: Application, Bible study, Bible teaching, Commentary, Culture, Current Events, Deterioration of the U.S., Devotional, Editorial/Blog, Justice, Moral Corruption, Obeying God, Old Testament, theology