Rev. Don Campbell

Deuteronomy 21-23

THOUGHT FOR TODAY, March 18, 2019

“FUGITIVE SLAVES”

In the darker days of our history when people made in the image of God were bought and sold like cattle—and often treated worse, there were laws that were known as The Fugitive Slave Acts: “The Fugitive Slave Acts were a pair of federal laws that allowed for the capture and return of runaway slaves within the territory of the United States. Enacted by Congress in 1793, the first Fugitive Slave Act authorized local governments to seize and return escaped slaves to their owners and imposed penalties on anyone who aided in their flight. Widespread resistance to the 1793 law led to the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, which added more provisions regarding runaways and levied even harsher punishments for interfering in their capture” (History.com). It was not until June 28, 1864, after the Civil War had begun that the acts were repealed—probably more on tactical grounds than humanitarian ones.

These facts are referenced not to open a debate on why the Civil War was fought, but to show the gross hypocrisy of many of the so-called religious leaders of the day. These leaders ran to the Old Testament to get their support for slavery in all its disgusting forms. They conveniently ignored, as hypocrites are prone to do, plain statements in Scripture which contradicted their misuse of the word of God. One such law that is relative to the fugitive slave acts in found in today’s reading: “You shall not give up to his master a slave who has escaped from his master to you. He shall dwell with you, in your midst, in the place that he shall choose within one of your towns, wherever it suits him. You shall not wrong him” (Deuteronomy 23:15-16).

Some racists in the church fled to Paul’s sending the runaway slave Onesimus back to his owner Philemon as evidence of God’s support of such things as runaway slave acts and Jim Crow laws. They ignore what Paul really said. First, he said that he could have commanded Philemon to do what was right, but he wanted it to be a matter of Philemon’s goodness not compulsion (vv.8, 14). Second, he said that Philemon should receive Onesimus back not as a slave, but as a brother in Christ (vv. 15-16). Finally, he said that he was confident of Philemon’s obedience and that he would do even more than Paul instructed (v. 21).

Although there may be as many as 46 million slaves in the world today, the thought I wish to stress from the passages reviewed today is how many people misuse Scripture to support this cause or that cause, so long as the cause fits neatly into their ideological and political views. When we view any political party as the party of God and question the Christianity of all who disagree with our party, we prostitute the very cause we claim to espouse. When we pontificate that this person or that person in or seeking office is God’s anointed, we are false prophets and peddlers of religion.

Paul instructions to Timothy regarding the appointment of elders in the church is just as important in our electing (ordaining) political leaders: “Never be in a hurry to ordain a man, or you may be making yourself responsible for his sins. Be careful that your own life is pure” (1 Timothy 5:22, J. B. Phillips Translation). Paul gives a long list of sins in Romans 1:28-32. When we approve of those who practice these sins, we are as guilty as they are: “Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.”

CONNECTIONS – Luke 4:18-19, Hebrews 6:13-20

1. Do you know anyone whose “personal brand” is pride (the quality of having an excessively high opinion of oneself or one’s importance), insolence (rude and disrespectful behavior), boastfulness (showing excessive pride and self-satisfaction in one’s achievements, possessions, or abilities)?
Are they your hero?

2. Jesus did not come to establish a political party nor to abolish slavery, but to free those enslaved to sin, which is every person living outside of his grace: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19). In Satan eyes, we are all fugitive slaves, but there is a place of refuge where he cannot touch us. Read about it in Hebrews 6:13-20.

“Link to YouTube Video – He Knows My Name”