by Molly Noble Bull
I would like to introduce my friend, fellow author, and proof-editor—Jeanette Pierce. She has written an interesting article based on the Bible, and as new as today’s headlines, and you will want to read it. It is just below.
I would like to introduce my friend, fellow author, and proof-editor—Jeanette Pierce. She has written an interesting article based on the Bible, and as new as today’s headlines, and you will want to read it. It is just below.
Jeanette
is a retired high school English teacher, and she has an MA in English with a
minor in psychology. We have partnered on two sets of study guides for
homeschool families based on two of my novels.
When
the Cowboy Rides Away
Gatehaven
“THERE IS NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN “- King Solomon
By
Jeanette Pierce
Once upon a time an upright man lived in a great
land that he loved with all his heart. But there came a time when men in
authority with a different world view took the people captive from their
beloved land.
As time passed, people living in the surrounding
area but not having the same pride in their land, let the infrastructure go to
ruins, and the land became ugly, desolate, and unlivable.
Then one day the man, saddened by the condition of
his homeland, felt he could and must make his homeland great again. First, he
got permission to proceed with the project. Next, he assessed the magnitude of
the problem of both the inner city and the total infrastructure to understand
the task before him. Last, he gathered a collection of the best men to help
carry out his mission.
Finally, he and his men were on the job, making
good progress in making his country great again. But alas, soon his enemies
from surrounding areas, not desiring that he succeed in renewing his homeland,
began plotting against him. First, they tried to discourage him by mocking him
and his men. One opposition leader (a governor, no less) mocked him saying his
structures were so weak that a fox could jump on the wall and break it. When
mockery failed to distract them from their task, their opponents resorted to
slander by telling him that rumor had it that he was making the land great
again because he planned to rebel and set himself up as a king figure. They
even tried to draw him away from his team for a supposed meeting, but he
realized their motive was to get him alone and assassinate him, so he sent a
letter declining the invitation.
After their non-violent attempts failed to stop his
work, the opponents conspired with all the various enemies in the land and
began to physically attack the workers. But their courageous leader wisely
divided his workers into two groups, one to guard the wall and the workers
while the other group worked. The workers finally had to resort to working with
one hand while holding a weapon in the other. But most importantly, prayers
were sent up to the one true God to protect this great leader and his teams
that their enemies would be powerless against them. God heard all the prayers
and protected the workers, and they finished their project ahead of time and
under budget. Their enemies, realizing they were powerless against this great
leader because God was fighting his battles, lost their confidence and gave up.
This great leader did all the work to make his
country a great nation but took no salary.
If you have labeled the great leader as President
Trump, the enemies as President Obama and the liberal Left, using Saul
Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals to destroy your great leader, you would be
totally wrong.
To read a story that has unbelievable similarities
to what is happening in the United States at present, read Nehemiah, chapters
1-6 (Old Testament). The story begins during the reign of Artaxerxes, King of
Persia. His queen is Esther, the beautiful, wise, Jewish heroine who literally
saves her people from destruction. Nehemiah is the king’s cupbearer, meaning he
tastes the king’s wine first. If it has been poisoned, Nehemiah, not the king,
will die. The job requires a trusted person. The modern equivalent would be the
job of the FBI to take a bullet for the president.
Nehemiah is saddened to the point of weeping
because of the terrible condition in Jerusalem since the Jewish people have
been in captivity in Babylon over 70 years. The city is in ruins, and the walls
have been knocked down and the gates burned. The local enemies, including
governors of the provinces, plot constantly to thwart the efforts of Nehemiah
and his workers. Chapters 4-6 enumerate the various tactics they use against
Nehemiah, which leads me to conclude that Saul Alinsky wasn’t the first to use
his Rules for Radicals. Sanballat and his partners in crime used some of
the same tactics against Nehemiah in 445 B.C. Solomon even said, “there is
nothing new under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 1:9b) Nehemiah 6:15 states that
Nehemiah and his team completed the wall around Jerusalem in an unprecedented
52 days. And Nehemiah 5:14 states that Nehemiah took no salary during the 12
years of his first term as governor. Does history repeat itself or what!!!
