ancient but new


Thought for the day: a reinterpretation of an ancient Jewish Scriptural text in a modern context.
1 Samuel 8:4-11, (12-15), 16-20, (11:14-15)
All the people of the United States gathered together and came to Wisdom , and said , “You are old and your sons and daughters do not follow in your ways; appoint for us, then, an economic system to govern us, like other nations.” But the thing displeased Wisdom when they said, “Give us a system to govern us.” Wisdom prayed to the LORD, and the LORD said , “Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being The Spirit over them. Just as they have done to me, from the day I brought them up out of Europe to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so also they are doing to you. Now then, listen to their voice; only– you shall solemnly warn them, and show them the ways of the Golden Calf who shall reign over them.”
So Wisdom reported all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for the Golden Calf. He said, “These will be the ways of the Masters who will reign over you: The will take your sons and elect them to your Congress and they will be their servants , and to run before their chariots; [and they will appoint for themselves deceivers of thousands and deceivers of fifties, and immigrants to plow their ground and to reap their harvests and to make his implements of war and the equipment of their science. They will take your daughters to be prostitutes and cooks and bakers. They will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to corporations. They will take nine-tenths of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to themselves and their servants. They will take your male and female children and the best of your scholars, and put them to their work. They will take nine-tenths of all your worked for, and you shall be their slaves. And in that day you will cry out because of your Golden Calf , whom you have chosen for yourselves; but the LORD will not answer you in that day.”

Leave a comment