by Rolaant McKenzie
June 23, 2024
Stephen Vincent Benét (1898-1943) was an American poet, novelist, and writer of short stories. One of his best-known short stories, for which he won the O. Henry Award, was The Devil and Daniel Webster (1936). It tells the story of a badly struggling New Hampshire farmer named Jabez Stone, who signs a contract with Mr. Scratch (the devil) for seven years of prosperity in exchange for his soul and is later defended in a very unusual court by a fictionalized version of the famous lawyer, statesman, and orator Daniel Webster (1782-1852).
When Mr. Scratch comes to fulfill the contract, Stone, out of desperation, seeks the help of Webster to get him out of it. Though Stone’s signature and the contract are clear, Webster demands a trial since this is the right of every American. Mr. Scratch agrees, as long as he can choose the judge and jury.
The door of Stone’s home opens, and an infernal jury enters. All of them are Americans who were infamous for the evil deeds they had done in life, such as the notorious pirate Edward Teach, also known as Blackbeard. Presiding over the court is John Hathorne, the unrepentant “hanging judge” of the Salem witch trials. Mr. Scratch is the prosecutor.
It is clear that the trial is rigged against Webster. The jury openly mocked both him and Stone. “You’ll fry like a battercake once we get you where we want you,” they exclaimed. They also jeered whenever the judge sustained Mr. Scratch’s objections and overruled all of Webster’s. In spite of this, the eloquence of Webster in his closing statement so moved this biased jury that it found for the defendant, Stone. Shortly afterward, the sound of a rooster signaled the break of dawn, and the judge and jury disappeared in a puff of smoke. Webster tore up the contract, Stone was set free, and Mr. Scratch was booted out of the house.
Some elements of Stone’s trial bear resemblance to kangaroo courts that have occurred in various places and times in history, such as the “People’s Court” of Nazi Germany (1934-1945) and the “struggle sessions” of the Cultural Revolution of communist China (1966-1976). If there was a jury, it would have sided with a hostile judge and prosecutor to condemn the unfortunate people brought before the tribunal. In most cases, appearing in such a court was tantamount to a death sentence.
Lawfare, a word that has become part of the American vernacular, describes the use of the legal system to intimidate, harass, damage, or destroy political adversaries and deprive individuals of their rights and property. This strategy for power and control has been employed by judges, attorney generals, district attorneys, and prosecutors in a number of states, counties, and metropolitan areas. What many of these have in common is that they have received large amounts of money for their election campaigns from billionaire George Soros, a major donor of Marxist causes and politicians.
The Bible says in Proverbs 11:1, “Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD, but a just weight is His delight.” In many of the areas where these elected officials preside, the just weight has been abandoned to a great extent, and the scales of justice are tilted in favor of political allies and classes, even if they commit serious crimes, and against anyone they perceive to be a political opponent committing no legitimate offense or a minor infraction. Many times, disfavored people who commit nothing worthy of fines or punishment are brought before a rigged court to face a hostile jury, prosecutor, and judge, with the outcome often leading to harsh consequences that destroy their lives.
One example includes the rioting, property destruction, injuries, and deaths done in 2020 by those belonging to Marxist organizations such as Antifa and Black Lives Matter. Many of these criminal activities took place in areas where Soros-funded district attorneys presided, and as a result, the general rule for those involved if they were arrested was to let them go free or apply the lightest possible charges.
Conversely, if Christians prayed outside an abortion facility and sought to offer women other alternatives to killing their babies, damaging nothing and harming no one, these same kinds of legal officials would apply the harshest charges and make sure they were brought before a judge and jury who would seek to imprison them for years.
In his article for the March 2024 issue of Imprimis (a publication of Hillsdale College), “Rogue Prosecutors and the Rise of Crime,” Cully Stimson wrote of the unequal justice of Marxist, Soros-funded prosecutors and judges contributing to the rise of crime in the areas in which they preside. He noted that so many have been distracted by national politics and elections that they neglect to pay attention to the kinds of people being elected to these positions locally. Many do not even know who their state or local district attorney is. He urged his readers to pay close attention to these local elections and be involved because, more than national elections, they have a far greater impact on public safety and moving the legal system closer to being a justice system.
But there is a court we all must face without exception (Hebrews 9:27). As with Jabez Stone, the devil acts as the prosecutor, accusing us of our sins before God, the Judge (Zechariah 3:1-5). Like Stone, there is no question of our guilt, for all have sinned against God (Romans 3:23), and there is no bribing or bargaining with this Judge, and there is no jury that can be moved by any eloquence we may have to escape eternal punishment.
However, there is a far better defense attorney than Daniel Webster. He is the Son of God, Jesus Christ (Romans 8; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Hebrews 7:25; 1 John 2:1-2). His eloquence is the nail prints in His hands and feet where His blood was shed on the cross for sinners. His resurrection from the dead conquered sin, death, and the devil. If anyone trusts in Him as his Advocate before God the Father, then the accusations brought by the devil are nullified and cast away forever (Micah 7:18-19).
Just as Webster canceled the contract condemning Stone by tearing it up when he was declared not guilty, so Jesus covers all who trust in Him with His robe of righteousness and cancels the certificate of our sin debt by nailing it to the cross when we are declared not guilty by God (Romans 5; Colossians 2:13-14).
While it is right to recognize rigged courts on earth as being very harmful to society and seek to make them equitable, it is far more important to understand that the court of heaven, the one that really matters, is rigged for you and not against you if you trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, receiving by faith His righteousness so that you can stand before God in peace.
© 2024 Rolaant McKenzie – All Rights Reserved
E-Mail Rolaant McKenzie: rolaant@gospeloutreach.net
Website: http://www.gospeloutreach.net/
