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Jeffrey Blair
Priest, Teacher of New Jersey Branch |
As a child I learned all the stories of the Bible; The story of creation, the story of the flood, the story of David and Goliath, the story of Jesus and his disciples. I learned them all, and enjoyed them greatly. All the stories would vividly come to life through my mind's eye. But as I came of age, and was exposed to some of life experiences, I started to see a lot of inconsistency as to what I read in the bible and what I saw around me. So, I started to ask questions. I started to wonder where do I fit in to all this? How do the events of the Bible, which took place over 2000 years ago, have anything to do with us today? How can this book be holy to me, a black man, and a descendent of slaves here in America? After all, when they came to terrorize my forefathers with their white sheets, they came with a burning cross and an open Bible. Remember the Bible was used to justify every evil act afflicted upon my people.
I know it's hard to deal with. Most children of slavery would rather forget about our Holocaust. But if you are truly seeking the truth, you have to be man enough to face it. At first my reaction was to turn away from the scriptures, and the god of the scriptures. Obviously this god doesn't care about me and my people. If he did, why would he let such terrible, unspeakable things happen to us? So, I turned away from the book used to demoralize, and de-humanize my family. Yet at the same time I never forgot all the teachings of my youth. That is what was so difficult to bring together in my head. |
How can this book be used for both good and evil? How is it that people cling to this book as truth yet live their lives according to the tradition of men? Such confusion. Today we are so far removed from God and so caught up with the cares of our daily lives that it is almost impossible to discern the truth from the lie. Under these conditions it is so easy to be lead astray. Most people rely on popular opinion or the social norm to dictate how they should live their life. But according to the scriptures, God's people were never supposed to do that.
What I learned from the Israelite Nation is that when one studies the Bible the first thing one has to realize is that this book is not some mystical collection of stories handed down from some distant god. The Bible is real. It is about real people, and real events. One has to realize that this book chronicles the history of a particular people; a particular family. This book is the story of the Israelites. The story of how the God of Heaven chose this family as his family. God says in the scriptures that he chose Israel to be a peculiar people unto himself. They are to be his people and He their God. They are to be the shining example of righteousness unto the world. This is what the Bible is all about, the story of Israel and their relationship with their God, The God of Abraham, The God of Isaac, and The God of Jacob. Once you begin to view the Bible in this manner you start to understand more clearly what the Bible is all about. The purpose of the Bible is not to enslave, but to enlighten; not to terrorize, but to teach; not to persecute, but to persuade.
And it is not about race. Race is one of those stumbling blocks used to confuse and sidetrack us from the bigger picture, which is truth. If you are in search of the truth, you have to be willing to examine every aspect of your life; your habits, traditions, how you raise your children, the holidays you keep, the food you eat, etc.. and compare it to what it says in the scriptures. If your life patterns more the traditions of men then the laws of God, then whose child are you really? So while many people take this book and claim it for themselves, the book itself tells you who it belongs to. All you have to do is read it for yourself and you will see Israel from Genesis to Revelations. I look forward to learning more about my Father and what he expects of me. It's not an easy journey, but the God of Israel never promised it would be easy. What he does promise in his word, the Bible, is if you commit yourself to Him, He will commit Himself to you. I invite you to join me on this journey of understanding, and please, bring your Bible. |
