Man in the Maze: israel

Showing posts with label israel. Show all posts

Thursday, September 29, 2011

ISAIAH SHOULD SEE WHAT'S GOING ON NOW

The ox knows its owner,

and the donkey its master's crib;

but Israel does not know,

my people do not understand.

Isaiah 1:3

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

AMOS - A PROPHET FOR THE HERE AND NOW

Amos was not a "professional" prophet, but a common man utilized by the Lord to deliver His Word to His people. "I am not a prophet, nor am I the son of a prophet ... but the Lord took me from following the flock and the Lord said to me, 'Go prophesy to My people Israel.' And now hear the Word of the Lord!" (Amos 7:14-16). He had no special training; he was not a graduate of the School of the Prophets (variously referred to as "bands" -- I Samuel 10:5, 10, and "companies" -- I Samuel 19:20, and "sons of the prophets" -- I Kings 20:35); nor was he descended from or related to any prophets.
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He was not even a citizen of Israel (the northern kingdom), but rather of Judah (the southern kingdom). Nevertheless, God sent him to Israel to proclaim the Word to the people of the northern kingdom. He was not a man of wealth, yet was sent to warn the wealthy; not a man of luxury, or one who was lazy, yet sent to those who were both. All of this was designed to separate the MAN from the MESSAGE. There was to be nothing about this man which would attract a personal following. It was the message God desired the people to focus upon, not the messenger!

Amos did most, if not all, of his prophetic work (the totality of which probably did not last over a year or so --- Amos 1:1) in the city of Bethel (Amos 7:10), where he was denounced by Amaziah the priest and forbidden to preach further in Israel.
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"Someone has described Amos as 'the first Great Reformer.' He was not of the school of the prophets, who by this time were disposed to cry what the people wanted ..... There was not in Amos the sympathy, warm love, and feeling of the statesman or citizen, but a cold sense of justice and right. He was the stern prophet of justice and righteousness. Hosea's spirit was summed up in the word lovingkindness; Amos' is summed up in the one word justice" (Homer Hailey).
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"The dark days in which he lived called for a man of sturdy moral fiber and fearlessness. Such was Amos. His character, molded in the harsh terrain of the wilderness of Tekoa, enabled him to stand before the priest and the people, proclaiming the word God had given him" (Expositor's Bible Commentary). "At the call of God he left his home in Judea as a mere layman to proclaim a hostile message in the proud capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Without any status as a recognized prophet, he braved the prejudice of the Ephraimite public to carry out faithfully his commission from God. A man of rugged convictions and iron will, he could not be deflected from his purpose even by the highest functionary of the Samaritan hierarchy" (Gleason L. Archer, Jr.).

This was a time when the fortunes of the northern kingdom (Israel) had reached one of their highest points of prosperity and peace. Jeroboam was able to extend his borders almost to those of the old Davidic kingdom. There was also peace with the southern kingdom (Judah). "After a long period of conflict during which Judah was in many respects subservient to Israel, there was now a spirit of co-operation and mutual enterprise resulting in a flow of trade and commerce between the two kingdoms" (New Layman's Bible Commentary).
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It was a time of great economic well-being and national strength. The increase in wealth also led to extensive building programs. The simple brick of earlier days gave way to buildings of hewn stone and ivory decorations. They had "winter houses" and "summer houses" (Amos 3:15). They had "houses of ivory" (Amos 3:15), and "houses of well-hewn stone" (Amos 5:11). They reclined on "beds of ivory" (Amos 6:4); sprawled on couches; ate and drank to their fill; anointed themselves with the finest oils; were surrounded by music (Amos 6:4-7). In short, they were "at ease in Zion" (Amos 6:1).
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"Concurrently with the increased wealth there was an associated rise in those social evils which characterized the prosperity of Solomon's reign; the rich became very rich and the poor became even poorer" (New Layman's Bible Commentary). "As their economic well-being and national strength continued to foster their security, an internal decay was eating at their vitals" (Expositor's Bible Commentary).
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There was a complete lack of social concern in the land. The rich would stop at nothing to increase their profits, including economic exploitation of the poor. Even the legal system was corrupted, and the poor had no recourse even in the courts. "The rich enjoyed an indolent and indulgent existence, urged on by the rapacity of their wives who demanded more and more luxuries" (New Layman's Bible Commentary).

"Back of all moral, social, and political corruption there lies a basic cause: Religious decay and apostasy" (Homer Hailey). The people were religious, but they were far from being spiritual. Their religion consisted of external acts --- they were putting on a show for God, but He was not fooled. "They prided themselves in their expensive 'church buildings.' They boasted of the numerous sacrifices which they offered, and of the fact that they offered them exactly as the Law prescribed ('legalism'). They gloried in their perfect attendance record at the worship services. They were well pleased with their efforts to sing praises to the Lord. But, by way of contrast, Amos rejected the idea that quantity, numbers, and external show was really religion!" (Willis). Some have criticized Amos for being a preacher of a "social gospel." However, "God made it clear that the heart of religion was to love God with all the heart, and to love one's neighbor as himself. Without these two elements, any number of external acts are meaningless to God" (Willis).

"The prophets had degenerated into time-servers, blinded with the complacency of the nation. Religion certainly flourished in the nation but it was a religion that was completely divorced from reality. There was a great deal of activism and outward show with crowds thronging the shrines at the times of the great festivals. Ritual was elaborate, but there was no true life and no evidence that real spiritual values had any place, and Yahweh was patronized with a presumption bordering upon arrogance" (New Layman's Bible Commentary).

"Extravagant religious ceremonies and rites were manifested on every hand. Tithes were offered every three days; free-will offerings were abundant and the amounts advertised (Amos 4:4-5). Religious fervor was high, but true spiritual devotion to God was utterly lacking" (Homer Hailey). "It was a religion which was empty in content, though full of ritual. Amos insisted that God had no time for ritualistic religion without heart" (New Layman's Bible Commentary).
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Edited from an essay by
Al Maxey
zianet.com

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

SACRED SPACE AND MURDER

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The traditional burial site of Abraham

is located in Hebron (in Arabic, al-Khalil) on the West Bank.

Two sites, the Cave of the Patriarchs and the Mosque of Ibrahim

(the Arabic name of Abraham) hallow this space, which is considered sacred by Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike.

Periodically during the past sixty years conflicts and tensions have intensified at this site. On February 25, 1994, however, the sacred space became the venue for mass murder. It was the Jewish holiday of Purim, a day commemorating the deliverance of Jews from extinction by their oppressors. As hundreds of Palestinian Muslim men and boys were gathering for prayer at the mosque, Baruch Goldstein, an American medical doctor living in the nearby Jewish settlement of Kiryat Arba, entered the mosque disguised as an Israeli soldier.

He opened fire with an automatic weapon,

killing twenty-nine and wounding many more

before being killed by those he sought to murder.

Were the repulsive story of a devout and deranged man

to end here, it would not be cited in this book.

Many individuals in all religions have perpetrated

horrific acts of violence. But, sadly, there is much more.

In the view of some extremist Jewish settlers and activists, Goldstein became a hero.

His grave became a pilgrimage site complete with streetlights, a sidewalk and paved area for people to gather,

and a cupboard with prayer books and candles.

The marble plaque on his grave reads,

"To the holy Baruch Goldstein, who gave his life

for the Jewish people, the Torah, and the Nation of Israel."

On the sixth anniversary of his attack in the mosque,

the BBC reported on a celebration by extremists who

gathered at his grave "dressed up as the gunman, wearing

army uniforms, doctors' coats, fake beards."

The story concluded by noting that an estimated

ten thousand people had visited his grave in six years.

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The overwhelming majority of Israelis find
the behavior of Goldstein and those who venerate him
as repugnant as do all people of goodwill.
Extremist settlers, however,
exhibit a religious zeal that can be frightening.
Many Israelis note that this zeal is one of the
largest obstacles to a negotiated peace with the Palestinians,
and yet the settlements in the occupied territories have
continued to grow as the government of Israel subsidizes them
with more than $300 million each year.
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From WHEN RELIGION BECOMES EVIL
by Charles Kimball
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Sunday, February 27, 2011

JEREMIAH THE FEARLESS

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From THE URANTIA BOOK
Part III, 97, 6
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While several teachers continued to expound

the gospel of Isaiah, it remained for Jeremiah to

take the next bold step in the internationalization

of Yahweh, God of the Hebrews.
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Jeremiah fearlessly declared that Yahweh

was not on the side of the Hebrews in their military

struggles with other nations. He asserted that Yahweh

was God of all the earth, of all nations and of all peoples.
Jeremiah’s teaching was the crescendo of the rising wave
of the internationalization of the God of Israel;
finally and forever did this intrepid preacher proclaim
that Yahweh was God of all nations, and that there was no Osiris
for the Egyptians, Bel for the Babylonians, Ashur for the Assyrians,
or Dagon for the Philistines.
And thus did the religion of the Hebrews share in that renaissance
of monotheism throughout the world at about and following this time;
at last the concept of Yahweh had ascended to a Deity level
of planetary and even cosmic dignity.
But many of Jeremiah’s associates found it difficult
to conceive of Yahweh apart from
the Hebrew nation.
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Jeremiah also preached of the just and loving God

described by Isaiah, declaring:
“Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love;
therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn you.”
“For he does not afflict willingly the children of men.”
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Said this fearless prophet:

“Righteous is our Lord, great in counsel and mighty in work.
His eyes are open upon all the ways of all the sons of men,
to give every one according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings.”
But it was considered blasphemous treason when,
during the siege of Jerusalem, he said:
“And now have I given these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar,
the king of Babylon, my servant.”
And when Jeremiah counseled the surrender of the city,
the priests and civil rulers cast him into
the miry pit of a dismal dungeon.
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