JUNE 2019
Greetings friends!
This blog session – America’s Slaves: Descendants of the House of Israel – is an in-depth look at the spiritual potential of a people, the inescapable plight they endured, and the promise of redemption – from both Biblical and Bahá’í perspectives. African American Bahá’í sister and Knight of Bahá’u’lláh Luella Cranshaw McKay researched and wrote a book by this very name back in the late 1970’s and published it in 1981. Much of what follows is based on her findings with additional references from the Bahá’í Writings.
House (spiritual definition ) – A family of ancestors; descendants and kindred; a race of persons from the same stock; a tribe. It particularly denotes a noble family or an illustrious race . . . . So in Scripture, the house of Israel, or of Judah.
https://av1611.com/kjbp/kjv-dictionary/house.html
1. THE SPIRITUAL POTENTIAL OF A PEOPLE
A Great Light Shining Within
9:2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
(King James Bible, Isaiah)
This is precisely in line with both our spiritual capacity and destiny as the black pupil of the eye. A great light. The light of the spirit. Shining through as a hollow reed. All from God. No discrepancies here.
Zealous Without Knowledge of Him
10:1-3 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
(King James Bible, Romans)
This was true and evident in former times as now. We can be some of the most zealous people on earth when it comes to praising and worshipping God. A zeal just as often unaccompanied by true knowledge of Him. Christ said:
5:39 Search the Scriptures: for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they that testify of me.
5:46 For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me; for he wrote of me.
(King James Bible, John)
And Bahá’u’lláh in the Tablet to the Christians:
Tell Me then: Do the sons recognize the Father, and acknowledge Him, or do they deny Him, even as the people aforetime denied Him (Jesus)?’ . . . . Verily, We behold all created things moved to bear witness unto Us. Some know Us and bear witness, while the majority bear witness, yet know Us not.
(Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 14)
McKay asks:
How can we love God in one age and distrust His word in another?
Chapter 17, p. 159
Most of this missed opportunity and misunderstanding stems from misinformed divines sowing misconstrued perceptions amongst the peoples, leading them astray, constructing places of worship in His Name under false pretenses. The Bible says:
7:48-49 Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet, Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord . . .
(King James Bible, Acts)
29:8-9 For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed. For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith the LORD
(King James Bible, Jeremiah)
23:13, 23, 28 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith . . . .
Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
(King James Bible, Matthew)
Capacity for Faith – Purity of Heart
The qualities of heart so richly possessed by the Negro are much needed in the world today-their great capacity for faith, their loyalty and devotion to their religion when once they believe, their purity of heart. God has richly endowed them, and their great contribution to the Cause is much needed . . . .
(From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to two believers, September 27, 1941)
(Compilations, Lights of Guidance, p. 532)
Our great capacity for faith, our loyalty, our devotion and purity of heart – this is who we are. When we are true to ourselves, this capacity becomes even greater, overcoming adversity with incredible ingenuity, resilience and steadfastness, encompassing all humanity through genuine love and forbearance.
2. AN INESCAPABLE PLIGHT
Not Exactly Happenstance
14:15 For the LORD shall smite Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water, and he shall root up Israel out of this good land, which he gave to their fathers, and shall scatter them beyond the river, because they have made their groves, provoking the LORD to anger.
(King James Bible, 3 Kings)
Why? The wages of sin (disobedience).
14:16 And he shall give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who did sin, and who made Israel to sin. (King James Bible, 3 Kings)
Jeroboam ruled Israel with a devious hand and had no problems involving the Prophets of God in his dirty dealings. Those over whom he ruled, at his bidding, followed his wicked, crooked ways and spread his malfeasance throughout the land. God executed a cease and desist by first allowing Jeroboam’s son to die—whom he had been trying to save through treachery; then God set about purging the land of the scourge of Jeroboam. Banishment by ship.
Bahá’u’lláh likewise affirms in the Hidden Words:
O YE THAT ARE FOOLISH, YET HAVE A NAME TO BE WISE
Wherefore do ye wear the guise of shepherds, when inwardly ye have become wolves, intent upon My flock? Ye are even as the star, which riseth ere the dawn, and which, though it seem radiant and luminous, leadeth the wayfarers of My city astray into the paths of perdition.
(Bahá’u’lláh, Hidden Words, Part 2 from the Persian, No. 24)
And the ones whom He cherishes most it seems, pay the heaviest price. There is no escape if the Lord Himself smites thee. The third-degree pain, sting and burn are long-lasting emblems that serve as permanent reminders of what not to do. Thus were we smote, burnt and scattered.
Who, exactly, is Israel (Jacob) Today?
Recall Jacob was blessed with a new name:
32:28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
(King James Bible, Genesis)
35:11-12 And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins; And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land.
(King James Bible, Genesis)
The terms ‘chosen’, ‘seed’, ‘covenant’, ‘birthright’, ‘lineage’, ‘heritage’ have been and continue to be closely linked with the name Israel. They have inspired many to claim both a spiritual and physical connection to the land itself and to its ancestral distinction as a House of God, while foregoing a few of the ‘qualifications’, if you will, describing a particular set of circumstances surrounding her actual descendants, as outlined in the Bible.
Slavery Then and Now
Moses proclaimed:
28:68 And the LORD shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I spake unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again: and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you.
(King James Bible, Deuteronomy)
To ensure the stamp of God’s wrath remained indelible, not only would we be sold as slaves to our enemies, no one would pay to free us. Not. Any. One. Then or now. Give us us free . . .
22:17-19 Behold, the LORD will carry thee away with a mighty captivity, and will surely cover thee. He will surely violently turn and toss thee like a ball into a large country: there shalt thou die, and there the chariots of thy glory shall be the shame of thy lord’s house. And I will drive thee from thy station, and from thy state shall he pull thee down.
(King James Bible, Isaiah)
Fifteen million captives indisputably make for a ‘mighty captivity’. Violently turned and tossed like a ball, across the ocean to a large country – America in particular (Babylon). Not all made it through successfully. For millions more, the bottom of the sea was their final resting place, where ‘thou shalt die’ – willingly or forcibly. Whatever status previously enjoyed in their native land was summarily erased and replaced with that of chattel, chain, yoke and subjugation. No exception. Including these former slaves, heads held high, attending a conference in Washington, D.C. in 1916. Ages may not be exact, as they were likely denied access to identification papers of any kind throughout their captivity, especially dates of birth.
Age – irrelevant. Survival – absolutely key.
Trials Upon Trials
28:49-50 The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand; A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor shew favour to the young . . .
(King James Bible, Deuteronomy)
A nation against us. From the end of the earth (not right next door). An eagle its emblem. A nation caring little to nothing for the elderly or young. Which nation could that be?
28:32 Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people, and thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day long; and there shall be no might in thine hand.
(King James Bible, Deuteronomy)
Numerous slaves went the remainder of their days grievously longing for the return of their children who had been unceremoniously snatched away, some never again laying eyes upon them or even learning of their whereabouts.
I have borne thirteen children, and seen most all sold off to slavery,
and when I cried out with my mother’s grief, none but Jesus heard me!
Sojourner Truth – Ain’t I A Woman
42:22 But this is a people robbed and spoiled; they are all of them snared in holes, and they are hid in prison houses: they are for a prey, and none delivereth; for a spoil, and none saith, Restore.
(King James Bible, Isaiah)
America’s Slaves Descendants of the House of Israel
And here stand we. Michelle Alexander in her book ‘The New Jim Crow’ sums it up thusly:
The term mass incarceration refers not only to the criminal justice system but also to the larger web of laws, rules, policies, and customs that control those labeled criminals both in and out of prison. Once released, former prisoners enter a hidden underworld of legalized discrimination and permanent social exclusion. They are members of America’s new undercaste.
Alexander, Michelle. The New Jim Crow (p. 13). The New Press. Kindle Edition.
They are for a prey.
Mass incarceration. A new caste system bearing a new name – the undercaste. Undercaste implies that one isn’t even accounted within the caste system at all, not even at the bottom but beneath it, trapped in its nethers, away from socialization, legalization, reclamation, actualization. Mass incarceration has outpaced the actual crime rate in the U.S. and continues unencumbered. That’s how crucial it is to ensure that the school-to-prison pipeline remains intact, fully functional, insurmountable and impenetrable. No need to have committed a crime. Any false pretense will do. Prison awaits.
To bolster the school portion of the school-to-prison pipeline, check out this link regarding stats on the number of police now in schools, the trumped up crime rate vs. actual, the so-called offenses particularly against children and youth of color and those with disabilities, the criminal records resulting therefrom, and the education dollars increasingly being spent on police presence in schools instead of counsellors and nurses:
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/students-color-students-disabilities-arrested-school-police-report/story?id=61454820
And they are for a prey. Any light forthcoming?
3. THE PROMISE OF REDEMPTION
Why Us, again?
42:24-25 Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the robbers? did not the LORD, he against whom we have sinned? for they would not walk in his ways, neither were they obedient unto his law. Therefore he hath poured upon him the fury of his anger, and the strength of battle: and it hath set him on fire round about, yet he knew not; and it burned him, yet he laid it not to heart.
Yes. The wages of sin, particularly and spectacularly when committed against the Lord. The Lord God allowed the ‘robbers’ to rob us of everything, rule over us, and bend our backs to the breaking point. But remember the monition, God won’t lay on us any more than we can bear. Though it far more often than not feels FAR greater than what we could ever bear – but for us as a people, it is not.
43:1-4 But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.
(King James Bible, Isaiah)
The Most Great Redemption
[all Bible references in this section from King James Bible, Isaiah]
This redemption for the Israelites of today is not the prison gates suddenly being flung open, except as to self. It is not the mass unincarceration of a people unjustly imprisoned nor a mass exodus to the Mother land (Israel is a part of Africa, perhaps even Asia, but certainly not Europe). A light is shining upon us. Shining through us, the people that walked in darkness. This light, the light of Bahá, the glory of Bahá, the splendor of Bahá – with all its redemptive treasures – awaits us.
Through all the back-breaking, gut-wrenching, heart-searing rigmarole from the machinations of others against us, there is light. There is safety. There is comfort. There is peace.
43:5-7 Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west; I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth; Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.
Fear not. This glory, this glory of God, formed and made; this source of, path to, power of redemption – is none other than Bahá’u’lláh, the Glory of God – the latest in the succession of Great Teachers come to guide us into all truth, to educate us, and illumine our hearts. May we this time take heed.
43:9 Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled: who among them can declare this, and shew us former things? let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be justified: or let them hear, and say, It is truth.
We are challenged spiritually once again. Wheat from chaff. Either show this as an untruth and deny Him, or accept Him as truth. Either for Him or against Him. Accept or deny. No fence-sitters immersed in doubt. He Who is the Gatherer of Nations. You will recall: His Holiness Muhammad was the Nation Builder. Bahá’u’lláh has come to unite those nations under a single banner. Everything in creation unfolds. No sudden big bangs. God is patient in Himself. ‘Be patient, for thy Lord is patient.’ (from the Tablet of Ishraqat/Splendours) ‘We will all verily be patient in God.’ (from the Bahá’í Prayer for the Dead) Just look how long this punishment lasted.
43:10, 13-15 Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: . . . Yea, before the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall let it? Thus saith the LORD, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; For your sake I have sent to Babylon, and have brought down all their nobles, and the Chaldeans, whose cry is in the ships. I am the LORD, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King.
We were shipped off to modern day Babylon (America) for a chastening, a re-spiritualization, and the opportunity to regain ascendancy through our nobility and obedience to God.
43:18-21 Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons and the owls: because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen. This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise.
‘I will do a new thing . . . shall ye not know it?’ ‘The beast of the field shall honour me’. Literally. When the son of Bahá’u’lláh visited America in 1912, he also visited Chicago’s Lincoln Park zoo that May. As ‘Abdu’l-Bahá made his way through the zoo grounds, the animals responded amazingly. There arose a deafening clatter from the monkeys as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá approached. Screeching and screaming, they would not be calmed. He was warned that all the mother animals would hide their young from strangers. Undeterred ‘Abdu’l-Bahá proceeded a little ahead of his group and as he visited each cage, the mother brought out her young for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to see and promptly removed them from view after he passed by, not allowing those who accompanied him to see. This is because even the animals recognize!!! We are the ones with . . . issues.
43:22 But thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob; but thou hast been weary of me, O Israel.
43:25 I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.
Forgiveness. He is the Ever-forgiving. Even when we choose disobedience over Him. Another chance to get it right though. To recognize and remain obedient.
44:1-4 Yet now hear, O Jacob my servant; and Israel, whom I have chosen: Thus saith the LORD that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee; Fear not, O Jacob, my servant; and thou, Jesurun, whom I have chosen. For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring: And they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses.
44:6 Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.
Bahá’u’lláh, King of Glory, Lord of Hosts.
Israel His final resting place of everlasting dominion.
Long-awaited Redeemer for the world and its scattered peoples.
America’s slaves, descendants of the House of Israel.
As we recognize and acknowledge the truth in our midst, so lifts the stern yoke of oppression which has bound and plagued us for centuries.
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Join us for the next blog session: SPIRITUAL UPLIFTMENT, EMPOWERMENT, ENNOBLEMENT – PART I: Dr. Derik Smith’s ‘Centering the Pupil of the Eye – understanding how marginalist, peripheral, anti-blackness thinking was ruptured by the Most Great Centering of our existence in the body of humanity . . . the exaltation of a people!
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Til then, let the light of your spirit shine forth!
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