Lessons from the Past Should Prepare Us for Today

What an incredible week this has been!  The "Arab Spring" is merely two years old and already it is coming apart at the seams.  That which began in Egypt in January 2011 and led to the overthrowing of President Mubarak and to a quasi-democratic government of now President Morsi is under attack.  Thousands of Egyptians have once again occupied Tahrir Square in Cairo demanding another change in government.  The promises of the Muslim Brotherhood that looked so promising two years ago, have been shown to be empty of the hope that was promised.  Egypt's economy teeters on the brink of total collapse.  Unemployment has sky-rocketed.  Tourism, once a mainstay in Egypt's economy, has become almost non-existent because of the continued unrest within the country.  Egypt's Coptic community has experienced nothing but persecution since the "Arab Spring" occurred.  The people are wanting something better.  They have discovered that all the "Arab Spring" did for them was to change the title and form of the autocratic dictatorship under which they had lived.  Sharia Law and the Muslim Brotherhood certainly did nothing to help improve the plight of most Egyptians - in fact, they made it worse.  Today is the deadline that the Egyptian military leaders have imposed upon President Morsi to come up with a plan to resolve the crisis, or they will issue their own plans. 

The American government is now caught in a bind.  We supported the "Arab Spring" two years ago.  Although President Mubarak had been among a handful of those Arab leaders with friendly ties to the United States, we cast our lots with the crowds in Tahrir Square and demanded a change.  And the change occurred.  Now a new "Arab Spring" has arrived and there is hesitancy as to how to proceed, which side to cast our lots with this time. 

And the strife continues almost unabated in Syria.  I read a report in the paper this morning that any type of peace-conference between the Assad Regime and the various rebel factions will not occur until at least sometime in September, at the earliest.  And so the bloodshed continues.  The American government is now providing weaponry of some type to the rebels, but there is little knowledge that these rebels might not turn around and use those weapons to attack Israel or even American interests in the region.  Israel stands with forces ready should anything happen on their northern doorstep on the Golan Heights. 

The world continues to be filled with unrest.  Riots and demonstrations in Hong Kong as they clamor to be separated from the Beijing government.  Unrest in Turkey as many grow uneasy with the possibilities of an increased Islamic presence within the government of Turkey.  For years, Turkey has prided itself on its secular Islamic government.  It seems that almost everywhere you look, people are unhappy and dissatisfied.

Then I began to think through the pages of history past.  In the late 1760's the colonists grew unhappy with the way that King George III and the British Parliament were making demands upon them.  Many of those colonists had made the perilous voyage across the Atlantic in the hopes of securing an independent way of life, absent the constraints that had been placed upon them.  Now those constraints had finally found them in the forms of taxes and fees that they found unnecessary.  And, so a rebellion occurred.  We call it the War of Independence.  And we will celebrate an important date in that War tomorrow - the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  At the heart of the American cry for independence were those principles that were found within the Bible.  Jefferson stated as much in the Declaration when he wrote these words: "that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among them are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."  Here was a biblical call for liberty.  And, as one reads the records of that Second Continental Congress as they debated whether to issue such a Declaration or not, one certainly can ascertain that those delegates sought the leading of God.  (By the way, an excellent book on this topic is "Founding Brothers" written by Joseph Ellis; a book I highly recommend.) 

Now, the "elephant in the room" there within the hallowed halls of Independence Hall was the issue of slavery.  All the delegates knew that the slavery question had to be dealt with - but, as with so many politicians today, they simply "kicked the can down the road" to let another generation deal with it.  And, 80 years later, that issue of slavery reared its ugly head such that it could no longer be ignored. 

This week marks the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg and the Fall of Vicksburg.  Such simultaneous victories marked the beginning of the end of the Confederacy and their dreams of perpetuating slavery as a way of life in the South.  Over a million homes and lives were forever changed because of the Civil War.  Yet, slavery was abolished.  Another step was taken toward the realization of those principles that the "founding brothers" had declared in Philadelphia three-quarters of a century before.  Oh there would still be years before those principles would find solid ground into which to root, but the Civil War prepared the ground for those seeds to be sown. 

As I look out over the world today, I see people and nations struggling with similar issues that those colonists experienced nearly two and a half centuries ago.  But with this difference - I do not see those national struggles today drawing upon God for wisdom in the pursuit of their dreams.  I do not see the influence of the Bible upon the hearts of those seeking for change.  I believe, friends, that God blessed our nation because our nation sought God's heart at the very beginning.  Oh we can argue whether they used the same spiritual words we use today, but the fact remains that those brave men who met in Philadelphia on a hot July day in 1776, believed in their hearts that God had led them to this moment and so committed themselves and their new nation to Him.  Oh if we could only go back and grasp that spirit today!