Recovering Roots of Theocratic Rule

Submitted by M Tovey (United States), Jul 31, 2020 at 20:36

Recovering Roots of Theocratic Rule

As if there are not enough distractions in the world (kosmos) that keeps mankind in the continuous struggle of civilization's search for meaning, we could see what went wrong, as many academics endeavor to do, in order to find what's right. But we read in modern explorations of archeological issues of ancient times that not being able to identify the difference between right and wrong is still with us, much in the very same way the ancients struggled as we modern folks do now. How does humanity reach out to serve a 'god' they cannot identify?

Very recently, an announcement was made (but not without controversy) that near a mere thirty miles from Jerusalem, some figurines dating potentially to the times of Israel's kingdoms before the Babylonian exiles, have been found and the 'scholars' attempting to identify them have made a bold assertion: they think they are sculptures they believe are of the Jewish 'yahweh,' an assertion that is challenged from several quarters. This observer concurs that the use of 'yahweh' is misrepresentative, that the discoveries of the figurines are more representative of some deities of the times; but the Hebrew Holy Writ provides the basis that they are idols of an unbelieving population following the lead of a rebellious set of kings worshipping 'Ba'al,' 'Chemosh,' 'Milcom' and other Canaanite deities in defiance of the law of the Eternal Sovereign of Israel and Judea in that era. In essence, they rebelled from HaShem.

How does this affect the world societies today? The answer is found blaring on social media around the global surroundings of a humanity that cannot see the destruction of civilization amid issues of pandemic and the out-of-control agitation of ungovernable insurrectionists that are bent on seizing power to remain in unrestrained violence; sympathetic persuasions are found in the power structures of nations that now appear powerless to stop the rage in abject submission to paganistic rituals of anarchy. Servitude to the figurine deities as discovered required human sacrifice and make no mistake, random homicides are of just that sort. In ancient Israel, the valley of Hinnom became the venue for those things. It was the basis of a smoldering society that required judgement; of such is in the wings now; waiting.

Humanity is now brought to a place of decision, the same decision that was alluded to in the writings of the ancients, in Akkadian, Aramaic/Syriac, to the other Semitic tongues and the rest of the world of those times; some of which survived in their being translated/transliterated to the languages that are spoken today. The decision is based upon a basic premise: is there or is there not, 'freedom of choice?' In a humanistic rationale, an irrational answer would be yes. Why irrational? Who knew when they were going to be born and did they have that choice? In the alternate perspective, what choice does mankind really have? Within the lifetime of any person, there is actually one choice leading to freedom of life, but with consequences. To make the wrong choice is one that cannot be taken back: and that is the basis of the real meaning of life.

Western Civilization has built an entire panorama of how life in freedom or in servitude can become the legends and fables of notoriety in empires; and which does one think finding in the pursuit of happiness will lead to a time of blissful immortality, such as sought by the ancients like the Egyptians and their contemporaries. Yet, the witness of how well that is working out is betrayed by the inherent inability of mankind to point to the best way to achieve that ultimate goal; it is not found in the alternative search by 'Eastern' culture either. Then: what is the secret? Piles of stone rubble and sheaves of ancient papyrus and copper sheeting were filled with so many religious observations that were required to be observed in order to make those dreams come true, but could not. There was an exception however; and therein lays the secret.

An apocalyptic statement was made tens of centuries ago, in an oil-smoke filled room where contentions of who would be greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven were mused about, the very place that heads of ancient states sought to be worthy of, but were unable to divine the secret of how to get there. The speaker who did know that secret was none other than the One who was declared to be a son of royalty, declared a descendant of the throne of David, and at the time of His own declaration, revealed the secret of life: obedience in complete, loving servitude to the One Who is the Eternal Creator of all things. He died in obedience to authenticate that; and was raised from the dead to authorize that passage to Heaven of those who believed.

Every other humanist attempt towards obtaining eternal life through mere mortal means, the central human process of trying to obtain immortality with religion instead of obedience to the eternal Almighty Sovereign, is the proximal failure of both 'Western' and 'Eastern' cultures for millennia; even as Islam requires submission, they cannot guarantee eternal life. The contention that salvation comes only through the Jewish Messiah remains the same. That freedom of choice with consequences is based upon centuries of recognizing what the ancient Hebrew writings allege. The second chapter of Psalms tells the rest: it really means: believe in the LORD Jesus Christ, and be saved. That is the true meaning of life.

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