The Price of Peace

Today's story doesn't come from the Bible. Yet, it is true, if one can consider dreams "true".

Years ago, shortly after we moved to the house we are in now, I had a dream. It was similar to dreams I had had before. Yet, this one affected me differently.

You see, I grew up in a culture without TV, or movies. I read books about real people and historical events. Corrie ten Boom was as familiar a name to me as Cinderella might be to other children. When other children were having nightmares about boogeymen and space aliens, I had nightmares based on what I had been filling my mind with: stories of persecution and war.

I understood early on that history repeats itself, and the importance of standing up for what is right and good. Although I didn't have many opportunities to actually stand up for anything, since my life was so sheltered.

Our culture taught pacifism. 

Personally, I embraced the goal of PEACE.

Peace is a beautiful thing: an important goal in this chaotic and busy world. "As much as possible, live at peace with all men." (Romans 12:18)  kind of ended up being my life goal. Of course, I often failed miserably, but peace was what I strove for.

Then, one night I had a dream. 

IT had come. The time we knew would eventually come, even to our quiet, rural neighborhood. The "bad guys", whoever they were (my dream didn't tell me) were rounding people up. People who were considered, "troublemakers".  I'm not sure why we were called: troublemakers, but most of my friends and family landed in that category.

I said nothing.

I continued on as if things were the same as one by one my friends and family were taken away. Doing what I could to subtly help, to stall the inevitable, but there really wasn't anything I could do to stop this.

One day they came for me. 

My neighbors and acquaintances assured the bad guys that I was no threat. I kept to myself and didn't make waves. I was nice to everyone. 

I was allowed to stay.

I watched the bad guys leave with the last of my people.

I smiled at my neighbors, but inside I was not happy.

I wanted to chase after the huge, armored trucks and shout, "TAKE ME TOO!".

But I stayed quiet. 

The rest of my life would be spent pretending to be someone I wasn't so that I could stay alive.

FOR WHAT?!

Was life so valuable that I would live a lie, alone?! 

One beautiful day, (in my dream world) I was with a group of people. Maybe we were in a neighbor's living room. They were smiling and happy. I smiled too and chatted with them, weighing my words so I wouldn't offend. -so, I wouldn't make waves. Ignoring comments that cut me inside. Not agreeing. Not disagreeing. Just being nice. 

Never again would I have a deep conversation with someone close to me about things that really mattered. No one left would understand. 

I went back to my home. So alone. 

Fed physically yet starving spiritually.

I woke up wishing I had made some waves. -wishing I had shouted the truth from the housetops. Somehow, sweet fellowship in a prison camp sounded more appealing than this life I had chosen by being nice. 

I told myself that, in time, I would find new friends, other people who would love the light and LIFE! Maybe I could bring peace yet. Maybe some of my acquaintances would change their opinion in favor of the truth.

I hid the truth carefully, hoping that someday someone would ask, and I would be able to tell them. But no one wanted to know.  They didn't care. They were proud of me for not making waves. But I wasn't proud of myself. 

I felt sick. I was worse than the "bad guys". At least they didn't hide who they were. People respected the confident, terrible ones. 

Was it respect I wanted? maybe. 

I thought it was freedom, but I had a sort of freedom. My needs were all met, and I could come and go freely. In my quiet home I could say whatever I wanted. No gates or bars kept me in, yet I was not free. 

I had that dream maybe 15- 20 years ago. But, unlike nightmares of being on the run, or hiding people in my closet, this one affected me. In fact, part of the reason I started this blog is because of that dream. I think, at first, I reacted by making too many waves and in the process offended and hurt people.  But my goal is to encourage everyone to speak the truth, in love, without fear.

I have a hard time believing that "bad guys" will come up our mountain road and start rounding people up. That would be a very extreme situation. But many situations have come up since then when I was gently reminded of that dream, and sometimes, I spoke the truth even if it might make waves. 

The Man who Forgot the Plan (part 3)

 This will probably be my final story in this series on King Saul. 

This section begins in I Samuel 14:47. 

King Saul's army has been very busy. It seems that being like everyone else and having a king, means that everyone wants a turn at testing just how strong your kingdom is. 

Saul's army was undefeated. in every battle, in every war, they came out on top. 

Our story begins when one day, Samuel came to visit Saul. It was time to remember a group of people whom God had been waiting to punish. Patiently giving them time to turn from their evil ways, the infamous Amalekites!

This is a tough story for me to write. How can I rejoice when people are destroyed? Even if they are 'bad guys'? 

My perspective of God is that He is a God of mercy. His will is that no one will perish. But He also doesn't force people to obey Him. Psalm 83 uses some strong language to describe what will happen to the enemies of God and His people. But the last two verses explain the reason. The goal is that the people will realize the power of God that is above all other powers. And that they will turn to Him and seek him. Sometimes a gentle whisper, a dream, or miracle turns people to God. Sometimes it takes war. I hate war. But the purpose is the same. That people will come to a realization that God exists.

 Before I talk more about the Amalekites, I want to go back to Jericho. You see, Jericho had a day when its time was up also. But, Rahab, and her family were spared. Why? Because they acknowledged two things. One: God is the one true God. He is greater than all other gods. Two: God has given Israel the land. Maybe I am ignorant, but I believe the story of Rahab proves that, here in I Samuel, if an Amalekite decided they agreed with those two truths, they would also have been spared. 

Another hint that backs up this theory is in I Samuel 15:6. Samuel warned the Kenites to leave the camp of the Amalekites. They had been kind to Israel and were spared. But evidently the Amalekites were too hard-hearted to take this warning for themselves as well. This wasn't a surprise attack. They had been warned, since the time of Moses, that this day was coming. But it is still very sad that it came.

Amalekite means, one who licks blood. Go ahead, google it! These nomadic people lived to steal, kill and destroy. Unlike the Philistines, who sent out their strongest warriors to fight the strongest men of their enemies, the Amalekites attacked the weakest and most vulnerable. 

The first time the Israelites met them was in the wilderness. The children of Israel had recently left Egypt. They were hungry and thirsty and hot. The weakest people lagged behind the caravan of newly escaped slaves, stopping frequently to rest. The bloodthirsty (literally) Amalekites watched from behind rocks and thickets, like jackals, ready to pounce. The Israelites posed no threat to them. They had nothing to offer them. They were both nomadic people at that time, traveling through a desert region. The Amalekites brutally attacked the weak people. The ones who couldn't defend themselves.

There are bad guys and then there are truly evil people.

Bad guys steal money. Evil people steal family pictures and burn them in front of their victims. They don't need, or even want the pictures, they just want to be cruel.

The Amalekites were evil. For some reason they decided to settle close to the same area as the Israelites did. As far as I know, Joshua wasn't instructed to destroy them. None of the prophets between Joshua and Saul were instructed to punish the Amalekites. Yet, often they were there, breathing down the backs of the people of God. Attacking when people were least expecting them too. Agag was the king of the Amalekites during the reign of Saul. King Agag was responsible for cruelly attacking many innocent people in the area -not just Israelites. Many mothers were grieving the loss of their children, because of King Agag. His name brought fear into the hearts of many in that region. 

So, when Samuel, the prophet of God, told King Saul that it was time to punish the Amalekites, Saul was ready to do just that. The goal of this battle was that no one would identify themselves as a bloodthirsty Amalekite anymore. The cultural traditions of killing the most vulnerable for the thrill of it would be destroyed. Every. Single. Item. Was to be destroyed. 

But King Saul didn't go into this battle to defend the weak and vulnerable people whom King Agag had tortured. He didn't attack Amalek to avenge the blood of the innocent. He went into battle thinking of himself. Another trophy on the wall. Another conquered king to add to his collection. He came back with booty and King Agag in chains. He proudly paraded them all the way home. 

King Saul's army destroyed the disgusting, creepy things they found, but some stuff was good. And some of the animals were in good shape, so they brought those along too. That sounds reasonable. It makes sense to not destroy useful things. But somehow, I am reminded of something I read somewhere. Maybe it was Abraham who said it, "That you won't be able to say, 'I made him rich.'" 

We follow this same concept today. Morally, would it be right to use money that was taken from drug dealers? Of course not. That money represents people's lives destroyed by destructive habits.

Samuel saw the situation through spiritual lenses. When he heard the parade of animals, he felt sick. King Saul, the charming young man whom he had anointed king, the first king of Israel, had fallen in love with himself. This was not the first time in his life Samuel had had to go to someone he loved very much and tell them God was not pleased with their choices. But, unlike Eli, who had agreed that he deserved the bad news, Saul defended his choices. He argued and explained and whined. He blamed the people. He cried. But Samuel didn't budge.

"To obey is better than sacrifice (I Samuel 15:22b)." Samuel told him. And then came the final blow. "Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king (I Samuel 15:23)."

More tears and pleading from the big king. Then begging Samuel to just come with him and pretend everything was okay so the people wouldn't know.

Finally, Samuel says, "Saul. I can't go with you. You have rejected the word of the God, so He has rejected you from being king."

With that Samuel turned to walk away. Saul grabbed Samuel to stop him from leaving and a piece of cloth tore off in his hand. Saul stood there holding the torn cloth. Samuel turned to face him, more sad than angry. "Just like that the Lord has torn the kingdom from you and given it to a neighbor who is better than you." 

Saul seemed to start off right. He sought God and listened to advice at first. But as he got more comfortable in his role as king, he forgot the purpose of the Kingdom of Israel. He made choices to exalt the name of Saul instead of the name of the LORD. So, God looked for someone else who had a better memory. David made some really, really bad decisions also. But David never lost sight of God's plan. He had a heart after God. 

The Man who Forgot the Plan (part 2)

 Sorry it took me so long to get back to the story of King Saul. I got distracted by Esther. 

Why Esther?

Because, I discovered that Saul and Esther were both from the tribe of Benjamin! Maybe you already knew that.  -maybe I heard it before too but forgot. I guess that's how it goes with "discoveries," they usually have previously been "discovered"! 

Hear me out though, not only were they from the same tribe, but the name, "Kish the Benjamite" appears in both Mordecai's and Saul's genealogies.   Mordecai's Grandfather was Shimei who, at one point, cursed Kind David! But, I am getting sidetracked. Let's go back to young King Saul, small in his own eyes, a new hero for the people of Israel.

1 Samuel chapter 13 contains the next main story in King Saul's life. It begins by recording that Saul was thirty years old when he became king and he reigned for forty-two long years. I don't know how old he was at this time, but he had been King long enough to get an army together. His son, Jonathan, was old enough to be a soldier. And, here come the Philistines. Their old rivals.

It seems the Philistines and Israelites fought regularly. I'm glad we have organized sports now. Football season is more palatable than war season. But, evidently battles were all the rage back then, so, for whatever reason, Jonathan decided to strike first that year. The Philistines were, understandably, upset and ready to fight. However, Jonathan's Dad had only given him 1,000 soldiers, and, now that the Philistines were bringing in the big guns, it was time to call in the reinforcements. 

As soon as Saul heard that his son was in over his head, he sent out the alarm. He called for the reserve soldiers and anyone who could help. Israelites near the battlefield watched as the Philistine army grew every day. Many people hid in caves, or cellars, or even fled the country. 30,000 Philistine chariots ready to fight against 3,000 Israeli soldiers. It didn't look promising.

But, now they had a king, just like the Philistines. The soldiers were scared, but they showed up, for the most part. Their king would tell them what to do.

Now, Saul knew that even though he was "king", he couldn't just go to war without God on their side. He knew they would need divine favor to win against the Philistine army. 

Samuel was the prophet at that time. He was the one who was in charge of making the sacrifices and communicating with God. Samuel told Saul he would meet him in Gilgal in 7 days.

So, here Saul is, waiting in Gilgal for Samuel to show up and bless the army so they can go to battle, but Samuel is nowhere around. The army is already super nervous. People are getting impatient, and some are leaving. Saul might not have an army left if Samuel doesn't show up soon.

Day 7 arrives, and Samuel still isn't there. The soldiers start packing up to go home. Wait! Saul is king, right? Why are we waiting for old Samuel? Saul knows where the animals are to sacrifice. He has watched Samuel do it many times.

"Go get the sacrifice!" he orders.

Soon Saul is offering sacrifices to God and asking for His blessing.

Of course, he is just finishing the ceremony when who should show up but Samuel! 

Saul went out to meet him, but he didn't even have a chance to say, "Shalom!" 

Samuel said, "WHAT... HAVE... YOU... DONE?" 

Evidently Saul knew more than he let on, because he knew exactly what Samuel was referring to. And, like any King, or human, he blamed everyone else. 

"The people said they were all going to leave, and the Philistines were right over there about to attack us, and you weren't coming! I HAD to sacrifice. I didn't want to, but they made me do it. It wasn't my fault!!" King Saul blubbered frantically.

Samuel didn't feel sorry for him, or for the people.

"That wasn't a very smart thing to do, Saul." Samuel said. "If you had made better choices, then God would have chosen to continue your line as King, but, since you decided you didn't need to listen to God's commandments, and you decided you could just make up your own rules about who could do the sacrificing around here, guess what? God has His eye on someone else who will make a much better king than you! This man has a heart after God." with that, Samuel left.

King Saul decided to regroup and see how many soldiers he had: 600

That was all that was left.

Not only that, but no one had swords except for Saul and Jonathan. See, the Philistines were the blacksmiths. So, if anyone needed anything sharpened, they had to cross enemy lines, including swords!

Well, they were in it too far to back out now. 

The Philistines were preparing to attack. 

Young Jonathan turned to his armor bearer and asked him if he would go with him to attack a group of Philistines. He had a great idea and the faith that God would help them, even though they were severely outnumbered. His armor bearer agreed, and they snuck off without telling Saul. They ended up climbing up a cliff area and killing 20 Philistines. 

I guess this really caught the Philistines off guard. I Samuel 14:15 says they all started shaking so badly that the ground trembled. 

Saul's watchman saw the once intimidating Philistine army melting away and immediately reported to Saul what he was seeing. It appeared someone was attacking their enemy.

"Quick! Count everyone and see who isn't here!" Saul commanded.

It was Jonathan and his armor bearer!

Saul went to talk with Abijah, the local priest. He was a grandson of Eli (the priest who raised Samuel). He asked him to bring the ark of the covenant. As Saul and Abijah talked the commotion got louder on the battlefield. Hebrews who had joined the Philistines switched sides and started fighting with Jonathan. People came out of hiding to join the fight. The Philistines were on the run, but the farther they ran the more Hebrews they met, running to join the fight. 

Saul quickly told his men (I guess the 600-man army that was still with him) that anyone who ate anything that day would be cursed. No stopping to eat! They had a war to win! 
By late afternoon the soldiers were dragging. The battle had led them into a wooded area. Jonathan hadn't heard his father's order. Seeing a beehive, he stuck the end of his spear into the hive and ate some honey. 

"Guys, come over here. I found some honey!" I imagine Jonathan inviting. 

Everyone just stood there staring at him. Exhausted from the battle, but loyal to the king. 

"Your Dad told us we would be cursed if we ate anything before sunset." someone explained,

Jonathan looked at these hardworking, brave men. They were obviously exhausted. A bit of honey would give them the boost of energy they needed to continue. But no one dared to cross the king. 

When night fell, the soldiers came across a heard of animals, they began killing them and eating the meat raw they were so hungry. 

Saul built an altar, so they could cook their meat. Then, he suggested they attack at night next time.

"As you wish." his loyal men agreed.

So, Saul went to find Abijah and ask him if God was okay with them continuing the fight at night. But, he received no answer.

"God isn't answering me! Who sinned? Somebody sinned!" Saul demanded. "Find out who sinned. Whoever sinned will die, even if it is my own son, he will die."

No one spoke. Jonathan was a hero. All he had done was eat a bit of honey. He hadn't even heard the command. He didn't deserve death. The command was a manmade rule and Saul was treating it as if it was a law of God. Not one person revealed Jonathan's "sin."

Saul was a king, not a priest, and definitely not a god! 

Saul drew lots and it came up that Jonathan was at fault. When he questioned him, Jonathan admitted his wicked act of eating honey during the day and agreed he deserved to die. 

The people wouldn't hear of it.

"If it wasn't for Jonathan we would have lost the battle!" they cried. "Please, he didn't do anything worthy of death."

Saul had no choice but to listen. He calmed down. He packed up and went home. Everyone went home, even the Philistines. 

And, that was the end of the battle. Israel had won. But, somehow, Saul had lost. He had lost the kingdom, Samuel's support, and the respect of the people. Even Jonathan didn't look at him the same way. Although it would be a long time before Jonathan would admit that his dad couldn't be trusted with the kingdom. This was the day Saul changed from being a humble servant of God, to a prideful, know-it-all. This was the beginning of the pride that led to his fall.

The Man Who Forgot the Plan (Part 1)

 King Saul has always puzzled me. I don't understand why he got in so much trouble. Why was God so angry with him that, not only did he take the throne from him, but His spirit as well? How can I write about something I don't understand? I don't know, but, maybe, together we can learn a little something about this famous man. Here goes...

Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin.

Birth order meant a lot back then.  Benjamin was the youngest son of Israel. So, when God heard Israel begging for a king, (so they could be like everyone else around them), he sent Samuel to the tribe of Benjamin to anoint a king. 

On the one hand, Saul was from the least of the tribes, but, within the tribe of Benjamin, Saul was the best! His dad, Kish, was a leader, a great man, quite famous in that part of the world at the time. Saul was tall, dark and handsome! The best of the best, that little Benjamin had to offer. 

Still, Saul was humble. He knew that he wasn't all that. He knew it is one thing to be the top of your class in a little small-town school, but quite another to be king of an entire nation.

He was out wandering around looking for his father's lost asses when Samuel found him. It was very unexpected. He started out seeking God and enjoying the presence of the Lord. Before long he found himself anointed as the King of Israel!

Most of Israel didn't know he was anointed king yet. 

This is how he got his title: 

The Ammonites surrounded Jabesh-Gilead, a town in Israel. The townspeople sent a message to King Nahash asking if they could make a peace treaty with him. What did he want? They were willing to become his slaves, pay him, whatever he asked.

"A peace treaty?! Sure! Absolutely!" the Ammonite King answered. "Let me cut out the right eye of everyone in your town and then we can have peace!" The blood-thirsty king was hungry for a fight.

The people of Gilead weren't too fond of that idea, so they asked for a week to think about the matter and see if anyone could fight for them. If they couldn't get an army together by then to fight, then they would let him. What other choice did they have?

Saul was out working in the field when he heard the news. He was so angry! This was not a fair fight at all! What kind of a king attacks peaceful, unarmed people? He sent a call out throughout the region asking for soldiers. He sent another message to the residents of Jabesh that by the time the sun got hot the next day, they would have help. The townspeople were so glad. They weren't alone. Help was on the way.

The residents of Jabesh sent a message to Nahash, king of the Ammonites: "We will come out tomorrow, and you can do what you want with us." That night, the people of Jabesh-Gilead slept. King Nahash and his army also slept. There would be bloodshed tomorrow. It would be a good day for these fierce warriors.

Early in the morning, Saul arrived with an army. He divided the soldiers into three groups. They attacked the middle of the enemy camp, fighting as soon as the Ammonites woke up. They fought all morning. By the time the sun got hot the enemy was so scattered that there weren't two of them next to each other. King Nahash had received the bloodshed he asked for.  Gilead was safe and Israel realized that they had a king! 

The people's response was interesting. I almost didn't include it here, but, as I am learning more about the significance of the story, I am thinking it might be more important than I thought. It tells a bit about human nature.

"Who was it that said Saul shouldn't be king?" the people demanded "Let's kill them!" 

Saul still had a good head on his shoulders though. And, he said, "No. No one is going to die today. God gave us victory and delivered us out of the hand of our enemies. God is our Savior. He saved us." 

Then Samuel invited the whole mob to Gilead. They offered sacrifices to God, appointed Saul as king, and had a great party!

It was a wonderful day!

We will leave Saul for now. Let's remember this moment. When God, Samuel and Saul were all on the same team. And, when Israel had victory over their enemies. I'm hoping to write more of the story in a few days. Maybe by this time next month I will understand a little bit more about Saul. 

Thank you for coming with me on this journey.

The Little I Can Do

   

Today I learned it is the 85th anniversary of Kristallnacht.

"Crystal night?" It must have been a beautiful, crisp, star-filled night...

No!

Broken glass is what was shimmering that night, and it wasn't above, but underfoot.

If you also don't know about Kristallnacht, it might be a good time to look it up. You see, October 7th, 2023 was eerily similar to November 9, 1938. Was the silent majority feeling sick and shocked that human beings were capable of such evil? Were people oddly confused about which side was in the right? Were there people, in their homes, who quietly pulled their children in close and explained to them that the war is between good and evil, darkness and light? Was it easy to see that this level of terror is NEVER appropriate? If so, they were probably like me and realized there was nothing they could do. Nothing, except lay in our warm, quiet beds and stare at the cold, dark ceiling and cry.

Why is our world so cruel?

I know why. I understand the war between good and evil didn't begin on October 7, 2023, or September 11, 2001, or even November 9, 1938.

The war began in a beautiful garden on a warm day full of light. Birds were singing. Fruit was hanging from beautiful trees. Crystal, clean water flowed all around. Everything was good, very good. But, the thing about good and the thing about light is, it is kind of boring. It is normal. So much so, that we easily forget it is even there. 

 Eve had never known pain. She didn't know what death was. Day after day of peace and harmony was boring. So, when an evil snake appeared and whispered in her ear that there was more to life than this, she listened. He suggested to her that God's Word might not be trustworthy. -not a BIG sin, nothing terrible or shocking. -just a little bit of doubt. -just a little bit of discontent, of discord. 

Where was Adam? Oh, he was right there with her! Did he help? Did he tell her the snake was wrong? Did he grab a rock and crush the snake's head? Did he rescue his wife from the enemy? No. Adam said NOTHING! He listened quietly. He watched passively as Eve reached out and plucked fruit off of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. They already knew GOOD!!! Why, oh why, did they desire to also know EVIL? And then, when she sat down to enjoy her snack, Adam sat down too and they ate the fruit together. I wonder if it tasted good. Maybe it didn't, maybe it was bitter, but they wanted it so bad they ate it, even if it was hard to swallow. They wanted so much to try something different.

Adam and Eve got what they wanted. They began to experience what we refer to as ..."life".

To be alive is to feel pain. How often do we fear some beautiful creature may be dead and then we hear them cry out in pain? What a wonderful sound to our ears! "It lives!" we shout!

We are all slowly dying. Suffering and hard things are all around us. But, this is what we call: LIFE!

We have learned, living in this fallen world, that we need darkness in order to see the light. We need to feel cold, in order to appreciate heat. We need to be in pain, to experience relief.

It is in the night that we long for the day. 

Are we done yet? Have we had enough of all of this knowledge? Or, do we still want to experience more?

Are we ready yet for the garden, or if given the chance, will we still look with longing at the tree that promises us so much more?

One thing the Holocaust, 9/11 and even 10/8, taught us is that it only takes a few evil men to corrupt good manners. It doesn't take a big crowd. The majority of the people will be confused and keep quiet and stay out of the way. The majority are easily controlled with fear tactics and propaganda.

But, we said, "never again". Remember when we said that? We grew up reading stories of ancient civilizations who slaughtered other humans for piddly reasons. We read about "Great Men", who did horrific things to their fellow humans. Remember what we said when we read those stories? Remember when we were so sure we would be on the side of GOOD? That we would never be tricked by that old trickster?

On October 10, 2023, my mind was accusing me, louder and louder, until it engulfed all of my thoughts: NEVER AGAIN!!!

But, I can't really keep it from happening again. I am not Esther, Grandma Moses, or Corrie ten Boom. Besides, even those brave women couldn't keep it from happening.

Then I heard a sad announcement. Jews across the world are hiding things that might give away the fact that they are Jews. They are taking the mezuzahs off of their doorposts. They are rolling up their Israeli flags and putting away their star of David jewelry. I felt like crying. This time it came out of my mouth: "Never Again!!! I promised you that you wouldn't ever have to run, or hide because of who you are!" I wasn't sure who I was talking to. Maybe it was to the Jews, or anyone, in my neighborhood who might feel that they need to hide.

Suddenly I didn't feel afraid, or sick anymore.

I opened my door to see if the mezuzahs that my mother-in-law had brought back from Israel were still there. The tiny boxes were still there, but they were empty. I ordered 2 mezuzah scrolls online. They were less than $5. They came in a few days. As I rolled them up and added them to my doorposts I spoke out loud. "I am not doing this because I believe these somehow protect me. Judaism is not my religion. I am not a Jew. I have never been to Israel. My understanding of scripture does not teach me to literally tape Bible verses, written in Hebrew to my doorposts. I am putting these on my doorposts, because, somewhere, someone is taking them off."

             

I also bought candles. On, Friday, October 13th, I sat down (a little after sundown... I always seem to be a bit late- besides, I'm not Jewish.) and I lit two candles. I covered my head and eyes and listened to a recording of a Jewish Mama reciting the Sabbath blessing. 

"This isn't for me that I am doing this. I have always felt a bit creeped out when people 'light a candle' for someone who died. What does that even mean?!" I explained to no on in particular. "I am doing this because, somewhere, there are two candlesticks that will not be lit tonight. Maybe they are half-broken in a pile of ashes. Maybe they are still sitting on a shelf, or table, surrounded by rotting flesh and blood stains. Maybe the Jewish Mama who would normally light them is in a tunnel in Hamas, not even sure what day it is. It is for them I light these Shabbat candles, and I will continue to do so every Friday night until ... "

...until what? 

I don't know.

Maybe until the hostages are released.

Maybe until peace comes to the middle east and to people all over the world.

Maybe until Jesus comes back.

Maybe... forever.

I can't turn back time and choose life and peace instead of death and evil. But, I can, in my little home, way up in these hills, make the world one candle brighter. It isn't much, I know. But, if a few evil people can change the world for bad, maybe a few good people can change the world for good.

I really don't want to believe that there are evil people. I really believe, deep within my soul, that everyone wants life and peace. Maybe their version of life and peace looks different from ours, but doesn't everyone want that? 

On October 7, 2023, I realized I was wrong.

They Deserve It

Jojo and I are reading in Genesis now. 

We recently read the story of Abraham buying a piece of land as a family burial plot. The formalities between Abraham and the children of Heth were quite amusing to our western mindset. 

When I read the well-known story that I want to focus on today I wonder if some of the intriguing aspects of this story are also formalities that I, living in a western culture, just can't quite grasp.

Yet, here I am, making a meager attempt to share this story with you.

Moses had risked his life to go back to Egypt. He had grown so much since he had stopped to see a burning bush. The sheep were being cared for by someone else and now he was herding a huge crowd of people through the wilderness.

Now, here he was, back on the mountain!

Alone in God's presence.

Hearing directly from heaven.

God handed Moses the stone tablets. The laws were written with the hand of God himself. How precious these words were. 

Moses had been communicating with God as you or I, might visit with a very good friend who we haven't seen in a long time. 

"You better get going now." God said. "Those people of yours, that you brought out of Egypt have defiled themselves. They made idols and they are worshipping them and claiming those are images of the one who brought them out of the land of Egypt."

God said he had noticed that these people were quite stubborn and didn't listen very well. He had an idea. "Moses, you stand aside for a bit and I will destroy them all and start over with you!"

This threat sounds horrific, but, I think it is a little bit like the children of Heth telling Abraham that he was such a great guy he could just have the land as a gift. Abraham knew the correct response was, "It is agreed. I will pay you 400 shekels of silver."

Moses, the one who could talk to God like we talk to another human, didn't skip a beat. "Lord! Please don't! You brought these people out of Egypt with great power and might! Remember the promises you made to Abraham, Isaac and Israel! Please, don't destroy your people!"

That was the right response.

Now Moses was ready to see what was at the bottom of the mountain.

Joshua met him on his way down the mountain. "Something is going on down there. I thought it was war at first, but it doesn't really sound like someone winning or losing. It almost sound like... music?!"

We're having a "Feast to the Lord", Aaron said. "The people gave me their gold, I threw it in the fire, and out came this calf!"

The calf, the dancing, the music, people running around naked. These people who were supposed to be Holy people of God, civilized, were having a rave party. 

Now it was Moses's turn to get angry. He ground the golden calf to powder and made the people drink it! 

God sent a plague to punish the people. But, Moses pleaded with God for the lives of the people. The people repented and God sent an angel to guide them and deliver them from their enemies.

"Yes, building and worshipping idols was a great sin." Moses agreed "But, if you are going to blot their names out of the book of life, blot mine out also."

Oh to have the kind of love that Moses had for his fellowman. The kind of love we should all have. But, sadly, far too often we are quick to condemn. "That's sad they are going through that, but, honestly, they kind of did bring it on themselves," we say as we sadly hear the bad news.

What if, instead, we acted like Moses and pleaded for their lives? What if we cried out for God to save them and heal them. What if our response to bad news wasn't to try to figure out who to blame, but, instead, to fall on our faces before the Throne of Mercy and ask Our All Powerful God to show Himself Strong on behalf of His people.

Somehow, I think amazing things would happen in our world, spiritually and physically, if we all had the meekness of Moses.

King Jehoshaphat a Friend to All

 I guess you have probably heard of Wicked Ahab, King of Israel and his Evil wife Queen Jezebel. Elijah was in Israel feeling like he was the only one who still loved God with all of his heart and having contests to prove God is REAL. More real than anyone or anything. Meanwhile the kings of Judah were following God's ways, for the most part. Including a king named Jehoshaphat.

King Jehoshaphat had a fairly peaceful reign. He set up people to teach God's laws and kept law and order in his kingdom. His Dad had fought with the king of Israel, but  Jehoshaphat was a peace-loving guy and figured he'd have a chat with King Ahab. I mean, what could go wrong? They were distant relatives, both descendants of Abraham. In fact, even closer than that! 

So, when King Ahab, (of Israel) invited King Jehoshaphat, (of Judah) to come over for a barbeque, he happily accepted the invitation. And, boy was it a feast! Jehoshaphat and his men feasted on mutton and beef roasted to perfection! At the end of the meal King Ahab invited King Jehoshaphat to join him on his next activity- a battle. Evidently fighting was one of the favorite pastimes of kings in those days. 

"Do you want to come with me to Ramoth-gilead?" the king of Israel asked.

"My men are as your men!" the king of Judah answered like an idiot. 

Of course, Jehoshaphat king of Judah had no way of knowing that King Ahab couldn't be trusted. 

"We can coexist. I have no idea why Dad didn't like this guy. He makes really good steaks!" 

But, the king of Judah hadn't forgotten his God. He politely asked if they could enquire of God before they went to battle, as that was his custom.

"Of course!" the king of Israel agreed as he called in his 400 favorite prophets with pomp and circumstance.

As the crowd of advisors stood at attention, their master asked them a question:

"Shall we go fight against Ramoth-gilead, or not?"

The 400 prophets answered in one accord, like they were robots: "Go up! God will deliver it into your hands!"

Now, Jehoshaphat wasn't as dumb as Ahab thought because he kind of didn't feel right about this. So, he turned to his buddy, the king of Israel, and said, "Umm, that's great, but, is there a prophet of the LORD besides these 400, that we could ask? -just to be sure?"

King Ahab got a bit quiet and everyone in the court kind of held their breath. I mean, the Queen of Israel had gone on a killing spree once killing prophets of the LORD, so it was kind of a touchy subject. 

"Well... there IS one guy." King Ahab admitted "But, I HATE him! He never prophesies good prophecies. He always tells me bad things are going to happen to me."

King Ahab looked sullen and pouty.

"Aw!" The optimistic King of Judah encouraged "Say it isn't so, oh King."

"What are you waiting for?" King Ahab barked at a nearby officer. "Go get Micaiah the son of Imla!"

 [Did you think I was going to say he called for the prophet Elijah? Well, somehow Elijah could never be found when Ahab wanted to find him. He only showed up when Ahab didn't want to find him.]

The two kings sat side-by-side in an open area by the gate of Samaria waiting for Micaiah. They were dressed regally, in their best robes. The 400 prophets entertained them while they waited. 

Zedekiah presented the kings with horns made of iron. "With these horns you will push your enemy until they are consumed!" 

All the prophets agreed. "Oh yes! Amen! Go up and prosper! The LORD will deliver them into your hand!"

Meanwhile the messenger is escorting Micaiah to the plaza:

 "Okay. Here's what is going on," he explained nervously. "King Ahab is surrounded by prophets who are all agreeing that he should go fight, but the king of Judah will only join him if he hears from God, like THE GOD! So, just go in, tell him all is good and you can go home. Let's not make the king mad today. Okay?"

Micaiah said, "As the LORD liveth, even what my God says, that is what I will speak."

The messenger didn't say anything more and soon the prophet of God was standing before the two kings. 

The crowd got quiet.

 The 400 prophets stepped back.

King Ahab, king of Israel, looked at the prophet with forced diplomacy. "Micaiah, should we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or should we forbear?"

Miciah matched him by answering what the king wanted to hear. Like a dutiful subject, he robotically answered, "Go up and prosper, your enemy will be delivered into your hand." 

The messenger took a deep breath and smiled. 

The 400 prophets nodded in unison. "Amen! Amen!" they muttered.

I don't know why he did it. Maybe he wanted to prove to his buddy, King Jehoshaphat, how mean the prophet of God was to him, I don't know, but King Ahab looked Micaiah straight in the eye and said, "How many times have I told you to only tell me the truth in the name of the LORD?"

"I saw the army of Israel scattered on the mountains like sheep without a shepherd, and I heard God say, 'These have no master, let them all go home in peace." Micaiah boldly answered.

Ahab turned to Jehoshaphat, "Didn't I tell you he wouldn't prophesy good about me?!"

A quite lively discussion followed with Micaiah ending up in the dungeon, but I want to focus more on Jehoshaphat in this story, so if you want to know more about that, read II Chronicles chapter 18.

After things quiet down a bit King Ahab smiles at King Jehoshaphat. "So, buddy! You still up for a battle? Hey, I'll let you wear my robe!"

"Sure!" Jehoshaphat says.

So off they go: The armies of Judah and Israel; King Jehoshaphat wearing Ahab's kingly armor; and King Ahab himself disguised as a common soldier. What could go wrong, right? The prophecy said the king of Israel was going to be killed. Jehoshaphat wasn't the king of Israel and, since King Ahab was disguised, he would be fine too! It was a great day to fight!!

The King of Syria talked with his captains as they planned their strategy. "Go capture the King of Israel!" he said. "Don't fight anyone else. I just want him!"

The armies got closer. It was easy to tell who was the king. He had his well-known robes on. The Syrian captains gave the commands and they began to chase King Jehoshaphat, king of JUDAH! I don't know what he said, but he began to holler something, and soon the Syrian army realized this was not Ahab, king of Israel. As they regrouped, some guy was playing around with his bow and shot an arrow at random. It flew out over the army of Israel and struck a man standing on the edge of the battlefield in his chariot. And, with that, the battle was over, because THAT was the REAL King of Israel. He was mortally wounded and the army of Israel was scattered and went home in peace.

 But, we aren't going to Samaria, Israel. We are following Jehoshaphat, King of Judah back home to Jerusalem.

The King of Judah and his men arrive at the city and were greeted by their friends and family. And, who should meet King Jehoshaphat, but his seer (or prophet), Jehu, the son of Hanani. 

"So, we go make friends with just anybody these days, huh? -being all buddy-buddy with people who hate the LORD? Helping ungodly people? Don't you realize you could have gotten yourself killed? God isn't too happy with you right now!" King Jehoshaphat grinned sheepishly. He kind of knew it was dumb, but, it was fun to go hang out with other kings sometimes and talk about kingly things. Yep, that was a pretty stupid thing to do. But, he was home now.

"It's a good thing you have done so much good and your heart is after God." Jehu said. 

Well, Jehoshaphat went back to being a good king. He continued encouraging his people to seek God. He sent judges and Levites throughout the land of Judah to teach the people. He was a very good king. Another altercation came up a few years later and he again inquired of the LORD first! The army of Judah didn't even have to fight! God destroyed the enemy before the day of battle. Judah went in and everyone was dead. It took them four days to gather up all the booty!

I just love the stories of this king! He seems so genuine to me. I laugh when I imagine Seer Jehu coming to meet him and telling him that God was not at all impressed with what he had done. I am in awe of how God defeated his enemies before him! He was a Godly king up until his death!

But, in preparing to write this story, I came across a verse that mentioned his name and my face went white. II Kings 8:18 mentions his son, Jehoram, who reigned after him. He was wicked! He acted more like one of those kings of Israel than a son of David. And, it mentions his wife was the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel! Elsewhere we learn her name was, Athaliah. The story of Athaliah is one that I often skip when reading the Bible to small children. She reminds me of someone who would be in a Disney movie. Evil and cruel! That Athaliah was the one who married Jehoshaphat's son and taught him all about her religion. 

I guess Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, had no way of knowing, when he accepted that invitation to the barbeque, the corruption that would follow. How could he have known it would be unwise to make an alliance with someone who believed in God AND worshipped Baal? I guess, when he chose Ahab's princess daughter for his son to marry, he had no way of knowing they wouldn't live happily ever after.

But, somehow the scolding seer shaking his finger at the ruddy-faced king doesn't make me laugh anymore. Now I realize it was more than just a narrow brush with death. The God who created time knew what would become of this. This good king, who sought after God with all of his heart, was strong enough to not follow the ways of his friends in Israel, but his kids weren't. Dad's friends became their family and soon both kingdoms were worshipping false gods and killing their own children. And, here I was excited to share this war story with you, where only the bad guy dies. Why did I have to read the next page? Well, the good news is, God's mercy shines through in the end. Righteous ones arise in each generation. There are some who fear God and keep His commandments. And, each person is responsible for their own choices. Even Jehoram had a choice. Blaming the woman has never worked! He should have known better. His Dad had teachers on every street corner. He grew up reading the proverbs of Solomon. Yes, Jehoram knew better. King Jehoshaphat made sure of that. He was a good King, known for seeking the LORD God.

(I have added some words, but they are based on the connotation of the Biblical passage. What is in quotes only means it is spoken by a character in my story. It isn't, necessarily, a literal quote from scripture. Please read II Chronicles 18-19 to get the accurate version.)