When Thousands of Rams Were Not Enough

In 1787, William Wilberforce sat in the garden of his estate at Holwood House in Kent, wrestling with a question that would define his life. He was a wealthy member of Parliament, a man who could have funded grand cathedrals or endowed a thousand religious charities. England's churches were full on Sundays. Hymns rose from every parish. Yet across the Atlantic, British ships carried human beings in chains below their decks, and respectable Christians profited from every voyage.

Wilberforce understood something that the prophet Micah had declared twenty-seven centuries earlier. God was not impressed by the lavishness of Israel's worship — not by thousands of rams, not by rivers of olive oil, not even by the most costly sacrifice a parent could imagine. The Almighty had brought His people out of Egypt, guided them through the wilderness, and protected them from Balaam's curse. And what did He ask in return? Not spectacle, but substance: do justice, love mercy, walk humbly with your God.

For the next forty-six years, Wilberforce did exactly that. He endured mockery, death threats, and repeated legislative defeats. He could have retreated into comfortable piety. Instead, he pursued justice until the Slavery Abolition Act passed in 1833, three days before his death.

God's requirement has never changed. He is not looking for grander performances. He is looking for people who will walk out of the sanctuary and into the streets where mercy is needed most.