Most of us probably think of thugs as dim-witted, brutal hoodlums who do harm to any who are unfortunate enough to be found in their path. Well, ok, maybe this is because that’s what a thug is… today.

But did you know that ‘thugs’ were originally members of a religious sect in India that apparently came into being sometime in the 1300’s? They were worshipers of Kali, the Hindu goddess of destruction. They worked by befriending travelers, gaining their trust, and when they were confident that nothing was suspected, they would suddenly rush upon them, strangling them with a ‘sacred’ sash and then plundering their goods.

During their centuries long reign of terror, it has been estimated that hundreds of thousands of unsuspecting innocents died at their hands. It wasn’t until the 1830’s that the British colonial government brought sufficient force to bear, killing, imprisoning, and otherwise suppressing members of the cult and ending their crimes.

Now that you have a general knowledge of who the thugs were and what they did, how do you feel towards those who took action to stop them? Likely, you believe as I do that they were heroes who did the world a great service by eradicating such a violent and barbarous group of murderers. Indeed, the government was doing exactly what God established governments to do, ‘bearing the sword’ to punish evildoers and protect its citizens (Romans 13:1-5).

Do we not hear, in our own day, some who criticize authorities for not doing more to put a stop to criminal activity. We demand that modern day ‘thugs’ be stopped and brought to justice and decry the evils we see reported on the news and in the papers. Some even ask, “How can God allow such evil to exist?”
Problem is, He has brought many to justice through the millennia, but often been harshly criticized for doing so.

Some have even labeled God as a criminal for teaching the people of Israel to war against their enemies. They overlook the fact that God was using Israel as His arm of justice against nations steeped in similar and worse wickedness than described above. Their warfare was specifically designed to wipe out ‘thugs’ and much worse, and also to prevent such evil from spreading into their own ranks.

God taught His people:

But you shall utterly destroy them… so that they may not teach you to do according to all their detestable things which they have done for their gods, so that you would sin against the Lord your God.     Deuteronomy 20:17-18

God even delayed the Israelites’ entry into the promised land for hundreds of years, telling Abraham that, ‘The iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete’, Genesis 15:16.

God was patient, but when their evil was complete, He rendered justice and judgment. I believe that this is what God has always done. Pray that He continues to do so. If He doesn’t, who will save the rest of us from the ‘thugs’ of today?

First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be
made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may
lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 1st Timothy 2:1-2

Marty Kessler