The united kingdom of Israel lasted through just three kings: Saul, David and Solomon. It was formed, flourished and then divided, all in about 120 years. The Ten tribes of the northern kingdom ("Israel") made Samaria the capital of their new nation, though some Israelites stayed in Jerusalem because of religious devotion and the desire to be near Solomon's temple.
The two kingdoms coexisted for about 270 years, followed by the capture of Israel by the Assyrians in about 720 B.C. The time of the two kingdoms was problematic. The two nations couldn't deny that they had once been connected, but were not always allies during the wars of the period. The Assyrian capture marked the end of the historical record of the Ten Tribes, thus referred to as the "Lost Ten Tribes".
Even so, the Israelites did not completely disappear, and when the Assyrians moved people from other parts of their empire into the area, a merger of peoples and religious beliefs took place. The people became known as "Samaritans".
This group still occupied the land when a group of Jews were allowed to return to Jerusalem by the decree of Cyrus the Persian, having served in what had been Babylon, then later part of the territory ruled by the Medes and Persians. This return, which involved only a small group of Jews, took place about two hundred years after the capture of Israel and sixty years after Judah's capture by the Babylonians.
A chief goal of this repatriated group of Jews was to rebuild the temple, which was begun even without the Ark of the Covenant, which was never recovered. The Samaritans at first insisted that they participate in this project, but then, when their request was denied by the Jews, they built their own competing temple at Gerizim. This act cemented hard feelings between the two groups which continued into the life of Jesus, a full five hundred years later.
Jesus' choice of referring to a Samaritan in a parable given in response to a question from one of the Pharisees ("Who is my neighbor?") was therefore deliberate. In our day, the term "mullah" or "NAZI" would have the same effect. Since we could receive help from someone we might normally resent, it follows that we are responsible to offer aid to any of our Heavenly Father's children, whether the need is large or small, and whether or not we feel the person needing help deserves it. We are ALL each others' neighbors.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Esther, The Old Testament
Esther's story is remembered each year at the Jewish Feast of Purim, when the Book of Esther is read and celebrated the Jews outliving the plot of the wicked royal official Haman. It's one part history, one part Story Time and one part relief from a happy ending.
But what about Esther herself? It's true that she had to exercise some courage to save the local Jews, herself included, but she had no original plan to be noble. If anything, it seems that she thought she had left the Jews behind when she became Queen. It was Mordecai, her relative and a mid-level management official in the king's court, who convinced her that their fates were all tied together and that it was up to her to prevent to prevent the mass slaughter planned by the schemer Haman.
So poor Esther had no choice but to be brave, for her own sake at least. If her plan could save the lives of other Jews, well, so much the better. She could then go back to the good life as the lucky queen of a vast kingdom.
What for me is the disappointment of the story is that when the thick-headed King Ahasuerus finally realizes through Esther that he has almost been tricked into having to stand aside and watch his own execution order carried out against the Jews, he then turns with redoubled anger on the plotters and makes them the victims. At the moment when Esther or Mordecai could have intervened on the side of mercy by asking that the plotters be banished or imprisoned, they silently watch the slaughter intended for them, unsparing to women and children and totaling, according to the record, some fifty thousand people. No doubt Esther and Mordecai were thereafter honored by the Jews, but one can't help wondering if they ever felt sorry for not intervening on behalf of humanity.
But what about Esther herself? It's true that she had to exercise some courage to save the local Jews, herself included, but she had no original plan to be noble. If anything, it seems that she thought she had left the Jews behind when she became Queen. It was Mordecai, her relative and a mid-level management official in the king's court, who convinced her that their fates were all tied together and that it was up to her to prevent to prevent the mass slaughter planned by the schemer Haman.
So poor Esther had no choice but to be brave, for her own sake at least. If her plan could save the lives of other Jews, well, so much the better. She could then go back to the good life as the lucky queen of a vast kingdom.
What for me is the disappointment of the story is that when the thick-headed King Ahasuerus finally realizes through Esther that he has almost been tricked into having to stand aside and watch his own execution order carried out against the Jews, he then turns with redoubled anger on the plotters and makes them the victims. At the moment when Esther or Mordecai could have intervened on the side of mercy by asking that the plotters be banished or imprisoned, they silently watch the slaughter intended for them, unsparing to women and children and totaling, according to the record, some fifty thousand people. No doubt Esther and Mordecai were thereafter honored by the Jews, but one can't help wondering if they ever felt sorry for not intervening on behalf of humanity.
Monday, October 15, 2012
Joseph's Suppot Group, The Doctrine and Covenants
It's something of a miracle that the young Joseph Smith had any supporters at all. He wasn't even twenty-five years old, and had no special background that would seem to qualify him as a religious leader. His education was spotty, his family had no heritage of wealth or leadership. Of course, there was no church history except the claim of restoration, no buildings, no operations manual, and no real clue as to what would happen next to insure that this infant organization wouldn't be strangled in its own crib.
What Joseph did have, right from the first, was the ability to speak with power and sincerity that caused people to change their minds about him. Sure, he needed help, but he was willing to give help as well, and put himself in the lead in projects that involved hard work and personal risk.
Then The Book of Mormon came into existence, thanks in part to donations that helped pay for the printing, a major sum at the time. Those close to Joseph concluded that this book could not have sprung from the mind of someone of any background without inspiration.
I suppose the men who knew Joseph Smith at first must have wondered many things. Why would God choose this young man for this formidable set of tasks, although the Bible had several similar instances? Could there be a position for me in this new Kingdom which would allow my name to be more widely known? What could I do to help this young man deal with the complexities of this wicked world?
Some of these men, young by current standards but living during a time when lives were shorter in pre Civil War America, brought their questions directly to Joseph, and he in turn took them to Christ in prayer. Today's volume called the Doctrine and Covenants is made up of revelations given in answer to these and other questions, which, taken as a whole, provide an outline for this new Church's organization and procedures.
Most of the answers are not given in great detail, and so required an even higher level of faith for these men. Some have names that are well known today, particularly Brigham Young and John Taylor, both later presidents of the church. Others are well known within the Church, but not outside of it because of their coming short of total faithfulness: Oliver Cowdery, Martin Harris, David and other members of the Whitmer family and some others.
The shortcomings of these early followers seem foolish now, a full 180 plus years later when the Church exists almost everywhere in the world. I can't help personally feeling that these men who joined the cause when it was brand new may be judged with a different standard than we who live today and see the evidence of how greatly the Lord has blessed this once humble organization led by an unlettered young man from a farm in New England.
What Joseph did have, right from the first, was the ability to speak with power and sincerity that caused people to change their minds about him. Sure, he needed help, but he was willing to give help as well, and put himself in the lead in projects that involved hard work and personal risk.
Then The Book of Mormon came into existence, thanks in part to donations that helped pay for the printing, a major sum at the time. Those close to Joseph concluded that this book could not have sprung from the mind of someone of any background without inspiration.
I suppose the men who knew Joseph Smith at first must have wondered many things. Why would God choose this young man for this formidable set of tasks, although the Bible had several similar instances? Could there be a position for me in this new Kingdom which would allow my name to be more widely known? What could I do to help this young man deal with the complexities of this wicked world?
Some of these men, young by current standards but living during a time when lives were shorter in pre Civil War America, brought their questions directly to Joseph, and he in turn took them to Christ in prayer. Today's volume called the Doctrine and Covenants is made up of revelations given in answer to these and other questions, which, taken as a whole, provide an outline for this new Church's organization and procedures.
Most of the answers are not given in great detail, and so required an even higher level of faith for these men. Some have names that are well known today, particularly Brigham Young and John Taylor, both later presidents of the church. Others are well known within the Church, but not outside of it because of their coming short of total faithfulness: Oliver Cowdery, Martin Harris, David and other members of the Whitmer family and some others.
The shortcomings of these early followers seem foolish now, a full 180 plus years later when the Church exists almost everywhere in the world. I can't help personally feeling that these men who joined the cause when it was brand new may be judged with a different standard than we who live today and see the evidence of how greatly the Lord has blessed this once humble organization led by an unlettered young man from a farm in New England.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Satan: The Bible
The time between the lives of Job, discussed in this space last week, and Jesus would have been thousands of years. Nevertheless, Satan seems to have a similar attitude judging from his words in Job Chapter 1 compared to his temptation of Jesus recorded in Mark 1.
At first glance it seems that Satan uses different approaches in these situations, but his approach to Jesus is simply the flip side of the same coin. He does not speak directly to Job tempts him to renounce to renounce his faith by taking away all he has, including his health.To Jesus, who may have been weakened at the end of a long fast, he makes extravagant promises to grant material riches in the private hope of robbing God of His Only Begotten. We can't know exactly how he views everyone, Perhaps he doesn't see people as individuals at all, but merely as prospective followers. Regarding Job, Satan, in so many words, says to God, "Of course Job serves you. You have made him rich, respected and blessed him with anything a person may possess.You have indulged his every whim. He'd be a fool not to serve you. But just put him in my hands, and you'll find out that his devotion really is phony. All he wants is to keep the 'good times' going at his tent."
The sales pitch to Jesus is based on the same human frailty:"I can make you king of the world right here and now, but you'll have to make up your mind, because I won't make the offer more than once. We both know you'll be serving me sometime. You might as well make the most of it."
Doubtless, Satan knew that reversing the entire Plan of Salvation in one obvious ploy was not likely, but he had nothing to lose. Satan seems in both cases to think very little of people. He had already known millions of them, and had observed how inconstant they are, and how eager to go for something "here and now" rather than focusing on Eternity. This line of thought, that men and women are just no good and cannot be trusted, has a single-word name - cynicism.
A cynical nature came easily to Satan, and it comes just as easily to people today. It is often employed as a substitute for wisdom, which, after all, comes only with extended time and effort. A cynical approach also serves the purpose of appearing to exalt the cynic by lowering the status of everyone else, a natural, but unattractive, human tendency.
At first glance it seems that Satan uses different approaches in these situations, but his approach to Jesus is simply the flip side of the same coin. He does not speak directly to Job tempts him to renounce to renounce his faith by taking away all he has, including his health.To Jesus, who may have been weakened at the end of a long fast, he makes extravagant promises to grant material riches in the private hope of robbing God of His Only Begotten. We can't know exactly how he views everyone, Perhaps he doesn't see people as individuals at all, but merely as prospective followers. Regarding Job, Satan, in so many words, says to God, "Of course Job serves you. You have made him rich, respected and blessed him with anything a person may possess.You have indulged his every whim. He'd be a fool not to serve you. But just put him in my hands, and you'll find out that his devotion really is phony. All he wants is to keep the 'good times' going at his tent."
The sales pitch to Jesus is based on the same human frailty:"I can make you king of the world right here and now, but you'll have to make up your mind, because I won't make the offer more than once. We both know you'll be serving me sometime. You might as well make the most of it."
Doubtless, Satan knew that reversing the entire Plan of Salvation in one obvious ploy was not likely, but he had nothing to lose. Satan seems in both cases to think very little of people. He had already known millions of them, and had observed how inconstant they are, and how eager to go for something "here and now" rather than focusing on Eternity. This line of thought, that men and women are just no good and cannot be trusted, has a single-word name - cynicism.
A cynical nature came easily to Satan, and it comes just as easily to people today. It is often employed as a substitute for wisdom, which, after all, comes only with extended time and effort. A cynical approach also serves the purpose of appearing to exalt the cynic by lowering the status of everyone else, a natural, but unattractive, human tendency.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Job, Old Testament
Philosophers and scholars have written on the Book of Job for centuries. Part of why this attention continues is that so many questions remain unanswered: Who wrote this book, and why was most of it put into Hebrew verse? Just who was this man Job, whose story seems to read as much like a fable as a factual account? If he was an Israelite, why is his heritage it not mentioned? And just where was this place, Uz ("ooze"), where Job was a prominent citizen?
And there are theological questions as well. Do God and Satan meet from time to time, talking "smack" to one another and throwing out sporting propositions in which people are both the "things" wagered on and the stakes? What are we to make of Job's wife and his friends who can't quite resist the temptation to drag a confession from Job as he lay in cruel pain? And, of course, there's the question "What does this mean to me?"
It's hard to know just where fact and fiction diverge in this book, so unlike the rest of the Bible. Clearly, there is a great deal of poetic license taking place here.
Without going into detail about the misfortunes Job suffered almost simultaneously, he shows himself as a person worthy of respect. He knows somehow that God is involved in his pain, which he accepts without much complaint. What he seems to really want is the answer to the question everyone asks some time in life: "Why me?" Neither his wife, who advises "Curse God and die" nor his empathy-lacking friends are able to offer any help. Almost as puzzling is the final answer implicit in the voice of the Lord: "Don't ask." Finally, Job's blessings are restored. We are not told how the informal wager with Satan is settled.
Not all Bible students would be aware that the Latter Day Saints have something to say on the veracity of this whole matter, though it is somewhat indirect. A book of scripture made up of revelations given to Joseph Smith contains a short passage linking him to the ancient Job. Brother Joseph is counseled during a particularly difficult time in his life. He is imprisoned under dubious charges over several months in a decrepit jail in Liberty, MO. The Lord offers encouragement, then mentions that his situation is better than Job's because his loyal friends still stood with him.
It's possible, of course, to compare real people to fictional ones like Captain Ahab or Romeo and Juliet. But comparing the pain experienced by a person to that of a character would lose all meaning. This alone causes LDS members who think about such things to conclude that Job must have been a real person, whatever the details of his actual life.
And there are theological questions as well. Do God and Satan meet from time to time, talking "smack" to one another and throwing out sporting propositions in which people are both the "things" wagered on and the stakes? What are we to make of Job's wife and his friends who can't quite resist the temptation to drag a confession from Job as he lay in cruel pain? And, of course, there's the question "What does this mean to me?"
It's hard to know just where fact and fiction diverge in this book, so unlike the rest of the Bible. Clearly, there is a great deal of poetic license taking place here.
Without going into detail about the misfortunes Job suffered almost simultaneously, he shows himself as a person worthy of respect. He knows somehow that God is involved in his pain, which he accepts without much complaint. What he seems to really want is the answer to the question everyone asks some time in life: "Why me?" Neither his wife, who advises "Curse God and die" nor his empathy-lacking friends are able to offer any help. Almost as puzzling is the final answer implicit in the voice of the Lord: "Don't ask." Finally, Job's blessings are restored. We are not told how the informal wager with Satan is settled.
Not all Bible students would be aware that the Latter Day Saints have something to say on the veracity of this whole matter, though it is somewhat indirect. A book of scripture made up of revelations given to Joseph Smith contains a short passage linking him to the ancient Job. Brother Joseph is counseled during a particularly difficult time in his life. He is imprisoned under dubious charges over several months in a decrepit jail in Liberty, MO. The Lord offers encouragement, then mentions that his situation is better than Job's because his loyal friends still stood with him.
It's possible, of course, to compare real people to fictional ones like Captain Ahab or Romeo and Juliet. But comparing the pain experienced by a person to that of a character would lose all meaning. This alone causes LDS members who think about such things to conclude that Job must have been a real person, whatever the details of his actual life.
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