16 Then King David went into the Tent of the Lord's presence, sat down, and prayed, “I am not worthy of what you have already done for me, Lord God, nor is my family. 17 Yet now you are doing even more; you have made promises about my descendants in the years to come, and you, Lord God, are already treating me like someone great.[a] 18 What more can I say to you! You know me well, and yet you honor me, your servant. 19 It was your will and purpose to do this for me and to show me my future greatness. 20 Lord, there is none like you; we have always known that you alone are God. 21 There is no other nation on earth like Israel, whom you rescued from slavery to make them your own people. The great and wonderful things you did for them spread your fame throughout the world. You rescued your people from Egypt and drove out other nations as your people advanced. 22 You have made Israel your own people forever, and you, Lord, have become their God.
23 “And now, O Lord, fulfill for all time the promise you made about me and my descendants, and do what you said you would. 24 Your fame will be great, and people will forever say, ‘TheLord Almighty is God over Israel.’ And you will preserve my dynasty for all time. 25 I have the courage to pray this prayer to you, my God, because you have revealed all this to me, your servant, and have told me that you will make my descendants kings. 26 You, Lord, are God, and you have made this wonderful promise to me. 27 I ask you to bless my descendants so that they will continue to enjoy your favor. You, Lord, have blessed them, and your blessing will rest on them forever.”
I suppose God prefers to be incomprehensible, but it is still difficult to imagine a god that bestows such favors on only a portion of his creation.
ReplyDeleteOne Jewish critic of chosenness was the philosopher Baruch Spinoza. In the third chapter of his Theologico-Political Treatise, Spinoza mounts an argument against a naive interpretation of God's choice of the Jews. Bringing evidence from the Bible itself, he argues that God's choice of Israel was not unique (he had chosen other nations before choosing the Hebrew nation) and that the choice of the Jews is neither inclusive (it does not include all of the Jews, but only the 'pious' ones) nor exclusive (it also includes 'true gentile prophets'). Finally, he argues that God's choice is not unconditional. Recalling the numerous times God threatened the complete destruction of the Hebrew nation, he asserts that this choice is neither absolute, nor eternal, nor necessary. Moreover, in aphorism 12 he writes, "Thus the Jews today have absolutely nothing that they can attribute to themselves but not to other peoples...."
ReplyDeleteRead more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jews_as_a_chosen_people
But now it looks like it may fall to that nation to prevent the destruction of the entire civilization with has the Judeo-Christian approach to God as its foundation. So the notion that it has been appointed for a special mission seems to be holding up.
ReplyDeleteAs long as YHWH gives credit for the bombs they drop where credit is due. The US military aid to Israel is said to be 10 Million a day. But perhaps that choosy Eye in the Sky wants to see it all over our dead bodies too.
ReplyDeleteOl' Baruch seems to have been in trouble with everybody from Jewish elders to Calvinists. http://www.myjewishlearning.com/beliefs/Theology/Thinkers_and_Thought/Jewish_Philosophy/Philosophies/Modern/Baruch_Spinoza.shtml
ReplyDeleteThe truth hurts. Not counting the huge sums being spent in Iraq and Afghanistan over the past decade, Israel is the largest cumulative recipient of U.S. aid since World War II. The $3 billion or so per year that Israel receives from the U.S. amounts to about $500 per Israeli. The largest amounts have been military grants (Foreign Military Financing, or FMF) and economic grants (Economic Support Funds, or ESF).
ReplyDeleteIt is imperative that we aid Israel in this manner. It is also extremely dangerous to have a pro-Western-decline US president sending signals to the whole world that he doesn't much care for Israel's special role - or America's for that matter.
ReplyDeleteIt is imperative that we aid Israel in this manner. It is also extremely dangerous to have a pro-Western-decline US president sending signals to the whole world that he doesn't much care for Israel's special role - or America's for that matter.
ReplyDeleteSo, in essence, Israel will not be going it alone against the world. The would not be going it anywhere without US. Yet they cry the blues and worse, but advice to not bite the hand that feeds you is not one of "their" Proverbs.
ReplyDeleteRomney's Mormons are another gang that thinks they're the Chosen. So too the Jehovah's Witnesses. Christians just get the ole "many are called, few are chosen" crap.
ReplyDeleteRe: Obama, it's pretty clear that, as Bobby Knight once complained to Steve Alford, he "couldn't lead a whore to bed."
ReplyDeleteThe debacle: Israel must deal with 'King Bibi' if we're to see a more peaceful middle east, or so says Uri Avnery.
ReplyDeleteRead more: http://www.progressive.org/the-debacle-israel-must-deal-with-king-bibi
People like Avnery are so willing to embrace an ideology of self-loathing, as if it were some kind of righteousness, that they will utterly ignore obvious threats to their own country. We have a whole lot of that here in post-America, too.
ReplyDeleteAvnery's been at this lick-your-enemy's-hand-like-some-kind-of-submissive-dog thing for a while. In the early 1980s, his became estranged from his mother over meeting with Yasser Arafat. He was willing to be disinherited to meet with the principal architect of terror against Israel.
ReplyDeleteWhen someone has that kind of zeal for "seeking peace" with the enemies of one's own land, he can only do so by believing that his enemy has a point; that there is something fundamentally wrong or shameful about his own country.
ReplyDeleteWell, is it true what he says about Israel hiding its nuclear build-up just like they fear Iran is doing? You can't bullshit a bullshitter nor is there much honor amongst these players in the Middle East. I suppose we're being lied to about the huge spike in domestic oil production resulting in the current decrease in prices at the pump. Oh happy day when we can rid ourselves of the entire conundrum there, but no, for some folks that buy into the promised land and chosen people line there will always be a reason to arm and/or take up arms to defend Israel as if this illusion really is reality. The reality is there are 13 Million Jews on a planet containing 7 Billion humans. Fewer than half these Jews are even practicing their religion of specialness.
ReplyDeleteYou can't seriously be drawing an equivalence between Israel and Iran. Israel aggresses against no one, never has. While its entire basis for being rests on a predication of a particular religion, as is the case with Iran, in the case of Israel, it is a religion that accurately depicts God's nature and humanity's relationship to Him. That is reflected in the humane and culturally and economically advanced nature of its society. Iran, meanwhile, stones and whips adulterers, makes all women cover themselves head to toe, and is the world's leading sponsor of terrorism. Israel needs a nuclear arsenal. Iran must not get one.
ReplyDeleteThe equivalence is that both countries want nuclear capability in the face of opposition from other countries. Also, both countries are going about this covertly. A people who consider themselves chosen by God have a hard way to go getting along with the vast majority of the unchosen. They always have. YHWH kicked their living asses numerous times, as we well know. Maybe the half that has turned from HIM need to turn back, unless there is fear of being turned into salt pillars.
ReplyDeleteYou know, in researching refutation for your contention that Israel aggresses against no one, never has, I had an epiphany of sorts. This is all childish. It's been childish from the start with all the fantasy stuff about Adam & Eve, Lot's wife being turned to salt, God speaking directly to single men alone (Abraham who he even commanded to slay his own firstborn, on numerous occasions and Moses come to mind here, David the sinner king, another chosen one, fairest in all the land, if not all the time, etc.),, the childish wars that continue, all the childish energy between grown-ups in suits wasted over childish arguments, are you a hawk or are you a dove simple Simon asks. I so tire of it all. Go nuke yourselves. You know not at all what you do, would that your peculiar childishness qualify for the Kingdom.
ReplyDeleteChildhood's end might look like it's late in the day.
ReplyDelete