A Pattern for Ferguson

Acts 17:5 "But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people."

The Jews disagreed with Christianity. Sure many Jews believed and even more were civil. However, the minority went after Paul because Paul was teaching what was right(eous). Good things were happening in Thessalonica and intolerant Jews couldn't stand that!

Most people cling to our own believes. It's really hard to let go, even of things that are not right. The Jews always clung to bondage. It is their heritage having been slaves in Egypt. After escaping physical bondage, they skewed God's Law and put themselves in spiritual bondage. Moses said "Pharaoh, let my people go!"; he didn't so there was a war fought! Moses fought the Pharaoh and Moses won! It wasn't by armaments Moses won, but by the miracles of God!

Shortly after their freedom was won the Israelites built themselves a golden calf. They spiritually put themselves into bondage again and Pharaoh symbolically became their master. Egypt from which they were saved, represented "sin" and Pharaoh was symbolic of the devil. Just as God delivered the Israelites from the bondage of sin by water, Jesus Christ delivers mankind from sin by his blood!

As a result of their rebellion thousands suffered the consequences of their disobedience. God slew them in the desert. God had grace on the remainder and they wandered forty years in the desert. They never made it to Canaanland, representative of Paradise, a land of milk and honey! Those who had never lived in Egypt (sin) were allowed into this new land which God gave to the Jews because he made a deal with Abraham (The Abrahamic Covenant).

Basically, the agreement was one of grace: you shall prosper, but there was a condition: follow me (God). They were no longer to be in bondage to sin, but have freedom under God! God provided regulations to Moses to ensure the bargain was kept (The Mosaic Law). Rather than obeying regulations as free men would, they obeyed out of fear of destruction. It wasn't the love of God and others that they did "good", but because it was required in their minds. Jews always did that then and thereafter. They still endeavor to keep the Law, not out of love, but out of obedience!

That brings the reader to where Paul was in Thessalonica. The Jews were free men under Roman law, but they were still in bondage to regulation. Pharaoh was still their slave-master, but their hearts weren't enlightened to realize it!   Those free Jews were free range. They followed Paul and taunted him and his fellow Christians.  We see from Acts 17 above that the Jews had no faith in what Christ taught and "moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar"!

What happened in Thessalonica happened in Ferguson and elsewhere!

Roman rule had a large degree of unfairness. The Jews were second-class people and didn't even have Roman citizenship. Their freedom was great, but Roman citizens had greater freedom. Citizens were required to obey Caesar's fair laws, but the Jews enslaved themselves by adding the yoke of their own making. By this time Mosaic Law had been expanded to the extent that as Jews even lived what would be routine lives, they sinned every step.  Christianity emancipated them entirely, but they failed to accept the freedom which Jesus provided.

Lincoln's war resulted in freedom from involuntary servitude. However, many former slaves had been slaves so long, that they continued in that capacity long after they had liberty. There is security in bondage. When enslaved, a person works hard, but the slave has security in their needs being met! With freedom comes responsibility. With emancipation comes hard work! In slavery people MUST work hard for the master, in freedom people have the RESPONSIBILITY to work because of their freedom. Because a former slave loves their freedom so much, it's a privilege to work for oneself and even choose their own vocation!

Any previous reader knows that my belief is that there, in God's will, is no "wall of separation between state and religion". Some of our founders believed that because of persecution, but the Constitution was written with the guidance of Divine Providence. Therefore, my commentary will now move on to political things because civility and religion are forever intertwined since civil people are a product of God's Law like it or not!

A few Jewish antichristian zealots in Thessalonica fomented anger and gathered lewd men of the baser sort. Those base people, since most Jews were not religious, most likely became a mob for the sake of being rebellious. Under Roman rule, Jews weren't happy campers! This mob had nothing against Jesus nor Paul. It was the Roman rule which infuriated them. In psychology this is called "transference". Someone has to suffer for unfairness, and in this case it was innocent Christians. It was easier to mob unarmed civil Christians than it was to appeal to Caesar and risk 40 lashes!

In Ferguson, I see the same situation! Blacks, who were freed long ago had a certain dependence ingrained. During Reconstruction the government took the place of "master" and provided safety, education and basically cradle to grave security. Much of the black race, out of naivety, were still in bondage, not to a slave master, but to the government. During Reconstruction it was Republicans and the Military master who provided comfort to the former slaves. That misguided effort was an attempt at being fair. It was an attempt to correct inequalities. However, that was a misguided effort and fostered dependence. The Fourteenth Amendment freed the slaves, but Reconstruction re-enslaved them! The slaves had returned to Pharaoh and because they didn't see him, in their minds the master ceased to exist.

During Lyndon Johnson adminstration, Reconstruction was revived. The Great Society was instituted. The Great Society was no more than a resurrection of ante-bellum slavery! The new master became the one who provided security. It is the government who now becomes the master and his slave superintendents returned from seclusion. Slave-holding Democrats were resurrected in The Great Society. They were the Democrats who raised their ugly heads from Reconstruction. These former Klan members became the new slave-holders! Because of "free stuff" just like the collard greens and fatback back in the south (their Egypt), blacks gave up their emancipation and returned to bondage under the care of Democrats who even today control their every move!

The Great Society made dogs of human people. Democrats throw out a bone, some even have some scrap meat on the, and the pack goes after it! Sometimes they don't get the bone, but when Democrats ring the Pavlovian bell, the "dogs" still salivate. The Clintons are masters at throwing a few bones and the masters keep their authority and power over their slaves by deceiving the blacks to vote for their master!

In Ferguson there was anger, Just as in Thessalonica, a few grumbling leaders gathered a mob because the system is against them. That part is right. Like Jewish Law which wields the power, in Ferguson it was the same race which gathered their own base and lewd fellows to use mob violence. It too was transference! The Jews were oppressed by the Romans, but because of Roman fair treatment, the Jews enslaved themselves. It was of their own making that they were unsatisfied, but they blamed the Christians!

In Ferguson the bondage of blacks there was of their own making. They  voted into power those Democrats of their own race who enslaved them. They were rightfully angry for the system is unfair to them! However, they transferred their anger to others. It is civilization and fair people at whom their anger was directed instead of those who by policy keep them in chains!

We can learn from history. We can learn from scripture. People have ears to hear and eyes to see, yet they do not hear not do they see. As such black people have put a lock on their own chains and then turn to the slave supervisor to unlock them. Al Sharpton, for love of money and power, keeps the key to Ferguson and like places securely in the safety of New York Democrat progressives; safely in the capitol of The Great Society!