One Person Can Make a Difference

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William Wilberforce (1759–1833) Fought tirelessly for ending the slave trade, at a time when many accepted it as an ‘economic necessity’. He awakened the conscience of many of his fellow countryman and made slavery appear unacceptable.

William was born of a wealthy family in Hull, England, in 1759. Hull was a port city, which means that young William saw with his own eyes the cruel institution of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. He knew the stench of the ships in port that traveled a three-legged journey carrying manufactured goods from England to Africa, slaves from Africa to the Americas, and raw goods back to England. When he was only 14 years old, William wrote a letter to the newspaper to complain about the atrocities of the Atlantic slave trade.

In his youth, William didn’t care much for religion. But he began to consider it after the winter of 1784 when he went on a long journey with a friend named Isaac Milner. Milner, a strong Christian, led William to study the Bible while they traveled together. William was attentive to his friend’s teachings, but not convinced of his need for Christ. That would change after William spent time with a minister in London known for speaking out against slavery, John Newton. Do you know who John Newton was? He was one of many who owned a slave ship and used it to traffic goods and slaves from one continent to the next. In coming to know Christ as his Savior, John Newton repented of his misdeeds and wrote one of the world’s most famous hymns, “Amazing Grace.” You probably know it. The words of that hymn are a powerful testimony of Newton’s life—dramatically changed by grace.

John Newton encouraged William Wilberforce not only to know Christ personally, but also to live for Him and fight against the slave trade in the British Empire. William took some time to ponder his calling. But on December 7, 1785, he committed his life to Christ and submitted his career to God’s will. Once he yielded to the idea of fighting the slave trade, William Wilberforce (who was hardly more than five feet tall and less than a 100 pounds) was unstoppable, unwavering, and nearly unbearable to be around. His mission consumed him. William’s inroad of influence on the matter of the slave trade was his position in the British Parliament.

You see, starting in 1780, he held a seat in Parliament until 1825 (that’s 45 years!). Known for his eloquence, William was approached by a group of abolitionists and Quakers to draft several bills in Parliament to change the British laws that allowed for slavery. William obliged wholeheartedly, but unfortunately, the first several bills went nowhere. In 1789, he gave a strong speech to the House of Commons. In it, he said:

“Never, never, will we desist till we have wiped away this scandal from the Christian name, released ourselves from the load of guilt, and extinguished every trace of this bloody traffic.”

So, year after year, William Wilberforce fought. His friends in the Clapham Sect helped him along the way and fueled his inspiration. They realized that the key to their success would be to change public opinion toward slavery. To make known the horrors of the slave trade, they carried out a mass campaign of literature distribution and created graphic billboards. Petitions were gathered, tours of slave ships were arranged, and the public gradually became aware of what was really happening to the African people captured across the sea.

After 20 years of relentless work, the final break for Wilberforce came in the winter of 1807 when his team sneaked a bill into session that focused on stopping British ships from providing French colonies with slaves. (As usual, the British and the French were not getting along at this time, and so the British didn’t want to help the French in any way.) Indirectly, the bill put restrictions on all slave ships and this brought the slave trade to a screaming halt in the British Empire! The Parliament quickly realized it had been duped, but it nevertheless voted to pass the bill, titled “Abolition of the Slave Trade Act.” This happened on February 23, 1807. In a room filled with strong emotion, William Wilberforce, sitting at his place in Parliament, bent forward with his head in his hands and cried.

William’s success motivated him to tackle other issues that plagued England. Before he died, this small-framed man with a big heart served in more than 60 societies dedicated to improving the morals and manners of the English. But in the forefront of all this, William Wilberforce was concerned for those who were still trapped in slavery. You see, he had successfully passed a bill in Parliament that stopped ships from trading slaves from Africa, but that bill did nothing to protect the people who were already caught up in slavery in England and the British West Indies.

So William Wilberforce continued to fight injustice! With fellow abolitionists, he founded the African Institution to try to heal the wounds inflicted on Africans. He created settlements for slaves who were set free. And he tried to sway other nations into abolishing slavery in their countries. Radicals in the Parliament gave Wilberforce little credit for his efforts. They believed the emancipation of slaves would ruin the job market for poor workers at home. It was a war between ethics and greed.

So William Wilberforce continued to fight injustice! With fellow abolitionists, he founded the African Institution to try to heal the wounds inflicted on Africans. He created settlements for slaves who were set free. And he tried to sway other nations into abolishing slavery in their countries. Radicals in the Parliament gave Wilberforce little credit for his efforts. They believed the emancipation of slaves would ruin the job market for poor workers at home. It was a war between ethics and greed.

In 1825, William Wilberforce retired from Parliament to spend more time with his wife of 28 years and their six children (whom he loved dearly). Do you think retirement stopped him from campaigning against slavery? The answer is, no. It didn’t. William recruited a younger member of Parliament to keep up his work.

Now, here’s the best part of the story:

On July 26, 1833, just a few days before William Wilberforce died, he was told that Parliament passed the Emancipation Act—freeing all the slaves of the British Empire! William, on his deathbed, knew his fight had not been in vain. He died with peace of having accomplished his life’s mission. What a beautiful ending to a life dedicated to others.

Judges 6 HCSB

1 The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord handed them over to Midian seven years, 2 and they oppressed Israel. Because of Midian, the Israelites made hiding places for themselves in the mountains, caves, and strongholds. 3 Whenever the Israelites planted crops, the Midianites, Amalekites, and the Qedemites came and attacked them. 4 They encamped against them and destroyed the produce of the land, even as far as Gaza. They left nothing for Israel to eat, as well as no sheep, ox or donkey. 5 For the Midianites came with their cattle and their tents like a great swarm of locusts. They and their camels were without number, and they entered the land to waste it. 6 So Israel became poverty-stricken because of Midian, and the Israelites cried out to the Lord. 7 When the Israelites cried out to Him because of Midian, 8 the Lord sent a prophet to them. He said to them, “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I brought you out of Egypt and out of the place of slavery. 9 I delivered you from the power of Egypt and the power of all who oppressed you. I drove them out before you and gave you their land. 10 I said to you: I am Yahweh your God. Do not fear the gods of the Amorites whose land you live in. 11 The Angel of the Lord came, and He sat under the oak that was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash, the Abiezrite. His son Gideon was threshing wheat in the wine vat in order to hide it from the Midianites. 12 Then the Angel of the Lord appeared to him and said: “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” 13 Gideon said to Him, “Please Sir, if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened? And where are all His wonders that our fathers told us about? They said, ‘Hasn’t the Lord brought us out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to Midian.” 14 The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and deliver Israel from the power of Midian. Am I not sending you?” 15 He said to Him, “Please, Lord, how can I deliver Israel? Look, my family is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house.” 16 “But I will be with you,” the Lord said to him. “You will strike Midian down as if it were one man.” 17 Then he said to Him, “If I have found favor in Your sight, give me a sign that You are speaking with me. 18 Please do not leave this place until I return to You. Let me bring my gift and set it before You.” And He said, “I will stay until you return.” 19 So Gideon went and prepared a young goat and unleavened bread from a half bushel of flour. He placed the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot. He brought them out and offered them to Him under the oak. 20 The Angel of God said to him, “Take the meat with the unleavened bread, put it on this stone, and pour the broth on it.” And he did so. 21 The Angel of the Lord extended the tip of the staff that was in His hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread. Fire came up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the Angel of the Lord vanished from his sight. 22 When Gideon realized that He was the Angel of the Lord, he said, “Oh no, Lord God! I have seen the Angel of the Lord face to face!” 23 But the Lord said to him, “Peace to you. Don’t be afraid, for you will not die.” 24 So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it Yahweh Shalom. It is in Ophrah of the Abiezrites until today. 25 On that very night the Lord said to him, “Take your father’s young bull and a second bull seven years old. Then tear down the altar of Baal that belongs to your father and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. 26 Build a well-constructed altar to the Lord your God on the top of this rock. Take the second bull and offer it as a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah pole you cut down.” 27 So Gideon took 10 of his male servants and did as the Lord had told him. But because he was too afraid of his father’s household and the men of the city to do it in the daytime, he did it at night. 28 When the men of the city got up in the morning, they found Baal’s altar torn down, the Asherah pole beside it cut down, and the second bull offered up on the altar that had been built. 29 They said to each other, “Who did this?” After they made a thorough investigation, they said, “Gideon son of Joash did it.” 30 Then the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son. He must die, because he tore down Baal’s altar and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.” 31 But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Would you plead Baal’s case for him? Would you save him? Whoever pleads his case will be put to death by morning! If he is a god, let him plead his own case because someone tore down his altar.” 32 That day, Gideon’s father called him Jerubbaal, saying, “Let Baal plead his case with him,” because he tore down his altar. 33 All the Midianites, Amalekites, and Qedemites gathered together, crossed over the Jordan, and camped in the Valley of Jezreel. 34 The Spirit of the Lord took control of Gideon, and he blew the ram’s horn and the Abiezrites rallied behind him. 35 He sent messengers throughout all of Manasseh, who rallied behind him. He also sent messengers throughout Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, who also came to meet him. 36 Then Gideon said to God, “If You will deliver Israel by my hand, as You said, 37 I will put a fleece of wool here on the threshing floor. If dew is only on the fleece, and all the ground is dry, I will know that You will deliver Israel by my strength, as You said.” 38 And that is what happened. When he got up early in the morning, he squeezed the fleece and wrung dew out of it, filling a bowl with water. 39 Gideon then said to God, “Don’t be angry with me; let me speak one more time. Please allow me to make one more test with the fleece. Let it remain dry, and the dew be all over the ground.” 40 That night God did as Gideon requested: only the fleece was dry, and dew was all over the ground.

1) Gideon Heard

2) Gideon Worshiped

3) Gideon Called

4) Gideon Followed

Judges 7 NKJV

1 Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him rose early and encamped beside the well of Harod, so that the camp of the Midianites was on the north side of them by the hill of Moreh in the valley. 2 And the Lord said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’ 3 Now therefore, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and afraid, let him turn and depart at once from Mount Gilead.’ ” And twenty-two thousand of the people returned, and ten thousand remained. 4 But the Lord said to Gideon, “The people are still too many; bring them down to the water, and I will test them for you there. Then it will be, that of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ the same shall go with you; and of whomever I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ the same shall not go.” 5 So he brought the people down to the water. And the Lord said to Gideon, “Everyone who laps from the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set apart by himself; likewise everyone who gets down on his knees to drink.” 6 And the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men; but all the rest of the people got down on their knees to drink water. 7 Then the Lord said to Gideon, “By the three hundred men who lapped I will save you, and deliver the Midianites into your hand. Let all the other people go, every man to his place.” 8 So the people took provisions and their trumpets in their hands. And he sent away all the rest of Israel, every man to his tent, and retained those three hundred men. Now the camp of Midian was below him in the valley. 9 It happened on the same night that the Lord said to him, “Arise, go down against the camp, for I have delivered it into your hand. 10 But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant, 11 and you shall hear what they say; and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp.” Then he went down with Purah his servant to the outpost of the armed men who were in the camp. 12 Now the Midianites and Amalekites, all the people of the East, were lying in the valley as numerous as locusts; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the seashore in multitude. 13 And when Gideon had come, there was a man telling a dream to his companion. He said, “I have had a dream: To my surprise, a loaf of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian; it came to a tent and struck it so that it fell and overturned, and the tent collapsed.” 14 Then his companion answered and said, “This is nothing else but the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel! Into his hand God has delivered Midian and the whole camp.” 15 And so it was, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, that he worshiped. He returned to the camp of Israel, and said, “Arise, for the Lord has delivered the camp of Midian into your hand.” 16 Then he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet into every man’s hand, with empty pitchers, and torches inside the pitchers. 17 And he said to them, “Look at me and do likewise; watch, and when I come to the edge of the camp you shall do as I do: 18 When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then you also blow the trumpets on every side of the whole camp, and say, ‘The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!’ ” 19 So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outpost of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just as they had posted the watch; and they blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers that were in their hands. 20 Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers—they held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing—and they cried, “The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!” 21 And every man stood in his place all around the camp; and the whole army ran and cried out and fled. 22 When the three hundred blew the trumpets, the Lord set every man’s sword against his companion throughout the whole camp; and the army fled to Beth Acacia, toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel Meholah, by Tabbath. 23 And the men of Israel gathered together from Naphtali, Asher, and all Manasseh, and pursued the Midianites. 24 Then Gideon sent messengers throughout all the mountains of Ephraim, saying, “Come down against the Midianites, and seize from them the watering places as far as Beth Barah and the Jordan.” Then all the men of Ephraim gathered together and seized the watering places as far as Beth Barah and the Jordan. 25 And they captured two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they killed at the winepress of Zeeb. They pursued Midian and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side of the Jordan.