Bondage and Liberty--a Vicious Cycle

History repeats itself.

I love the story of the Maccabean revolt . Antiochus IV "Epiphanes" ("God manifest"), in his quest to control Egypt, tried to gain power of Palestine. When he saw the Jews' rebellion, he came down with an iron fist, offering pigs in the Jewish Temple and even putting an altar to Zeus in the Most Holy place on Dec. 25, 167 B.C. Further, he required all Jews to eat unclean food, which the Law forbade, and sent representatives to ensure the Jews complied.

Mattathias, a rural priest from Modein, welcomed the representatives with his sword, literally "tearing them a new one." Eventually his son, Judas Maccabeus, drove out the oppressors and cleansed the temple on Dec. 25, 164 B.C., exactly three years after it had been defiled.

But here is the ironic part....the descendants of Mattathias and Judas, who had fought so valiantly against the corrupt Syrians, became just as corrupt as their oppressors!! Simon, the son of Judas, dressed himself in purple (the color of royalty) and placed tablets throughout the country, informing the people of his valiant deeds, conspicuously leaving out his father and grandfather. Later, Alexander Jannaeus would crucify 800 Pharisees because they opposed his politics. Government corruption at its finest.

What strikes me is this vicious cycle of bondage to liberty to bondage. I'm no historian, but it seems to repeat itself. This had happened a long time before Mattathias when God delivered Israel from the Egyptians, only to be rejected by His people in favor of a king "like the nations" (1 Samuel 8:5). A casual reading of the Old Testament will show some of the kings of Judah and Israel to be just as or even more corrupt than their former oppressors.

How is the U.S. faring? You be the judge.

How is the church faring? In some places, very well. In others, no so much. Those who have been freed from their sins turn into cruel taskmasters, forcing others to conform to their traditions (Matt. 15:9). History truly repeats itself....I read a story about a minister in seminary who viciously attacked another institution that he considered to be doctrinally weak but later sought help from another minister, confessing that he (who was married with children and preaching) was addicted to pornography and had visited a prostitute on three occasions. All head, no heart.

Thank God that "for freedom Christ freed us" (Galatians 5:1). We are the captives of Jesus Christ the Righteous (Eph. 4:8; 1 John 2:2), not unrighteous man. May we have courage to follow our Lord to the cross and be abused by wicked men who love their traditions more than God. Perhaps through self-sacrifice God can work through us and break their hardened hearts.