WHAT'S NEW?

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.

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

http://bit.ly/mollynoblebull  

  

“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!!!