OJ Simpson will be released from prison in October after serving nine years in prison. Most of you remember the OJ Simpson trial where he was found not guilty of murder in 1994. There was a combination of outrage and cheers that separated the country over the verdict. Several years later, the family of Ronald Goldman sued OJ in a personal liability suit where they were awarded a judgment of $33.5 million dollars. Fast forward to 2008 OJ was convicted of armed robbery and kidnapping. The armed robbery and kidnapping charges led to the prison sentence that today, OJ was paroled from.
What will happen when OJ is released from prison? The chances are that this controversial figure will not fade from the spot light anytime soon. Some people feel that the 2008 conviction was belated justice for escaping a conviction of murder charges in 1994. I saw an interview with Ron Goldman's father today. Mr. Goldman was visibly upset by the parole boards decision. Any parent living in his shoes would be. How does a person cope with a situation like this when justice was not served here on earth in Goldman's eyes?
We are never going to find justice here on earth. No matter how great of a legal system we have, there are flaws. Things don't always work the way they are supposed to. Our county will still have injustices even though we seek justice. Where does God come into play with situations like this?
Are we released from prison by God?
The story of the rise and fall of OJ made me think of KIng David in the Bible. If you are unfamiliar with the book of 2 Samuel, David has an affair with Bathsheba. David gets Bathsheba pregnant, so he sends her husband Uriah into battle to die. David was punished for his evil acts. The punishment came in several different forms. In David's story, God gave him a choice for his punishment.
2 Samuel 24:13 NASB So Gad went to David, told him the choices, and asked him, “Do you want three years of famine to come on your land, to flee from your foes three months while they pursue you, or to have a plague in your land three days? Now, think it over and decide what answer I should take back to the One who sent me.”
In life we do not get to choose our destiny. God gets to determine what happens and what does not. Maybe in the case of OJ Simpson, God wanted him to serve time in prison. OJ Simpson could not escape justice like he did the first time. See, it is hard when we do not see justice here on earth. The Bible tells us that we will all give an account of our actions someday. We will not be able to lie our way out of our actions. There will not be a jury of 12 peers to decide our fate either. God is the ultimate judge, and he will hand out judgment as he sees fit. We need to put our trust in God. We must find comfort in knowing that God will properly handle all transgressions that have been made against us.