Today’s Scripture Reading (November
15, 2013): Isaiah 10
The
continuing Richie Incognito, Jonathan Martin and the Miami Dolphins saga has
become one of the sadder moments in the past couple of weeks. The Dolphins have
sworn not to talk about the situation until after the NFL investigation is
finished, but the story itself has more of a common plot than many of us would
want to admit. The Incognito – Martin tale is carried out every day on most
elementary schoolyards. Even the support that Incognito is currently receiving
from team mates is part of the same elementary school story. It is the story of
the popular athlete preying on the very ones who look up to them for support. In
elementary schools the pranks are always in good fun, at least from the point
of view of those giving the prank – and public opinion always seems to reside
with them.
The unfortunate
end of this story is that the one on the receiving end of the prank often has
no alternative other than to put up with the behavior, and as a way to survive
often begins to identify with the one doing the pranking. One of the Dolphin
players remarked that Incognito and Martin seemed to be acting like friends.
But again, that is precisely what we would expect in this situation. On every
schoolyard, the Martin’s are seeking for the support and the protection of the
Incognito’s. And they will often do anything to get it, even at the sacrifice
of their own self-esteem.
But the
story is not just one that is carried out on the schoolyard. It is also carried
out on a national basis. Weaker nations are abused by the stronger ones – the very
ones that they turn to for help and protection. For Israel, the process started
in the infancy of the nation. Israel depended on Egypt for its very survival.
But Egypt turned into the big bad bully on the street. What is amazing about
the Egypt-Israel story is that even after Israel had escaped the grasp of the
bully, they longed to return. There was security in Egypt, even if there was no
self-esteem for Israel there.
The story
didn’t end there. Israel would go into exile with the Assyrians. And the
reality was that even before the exile, Israel depended on the Assyrians for
their protection. In the near future Judah would experience the same
relationship with Babylon. Israel would be bullied by Babylon and brought to
the point of the extinction. And yet they would also grow to depend on them for
their existence.
The good
news of Isaiah was that there was a day coming when the remnant of Israel – the
holy ones of Israel – would return. And when that happened, they would learn to
trust in God and not in their abusers. The bullies would finally be put in
their place. And Israel would finally be released to find their self-esteem and
their value as a nation – and reach for their stars.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Isaiah
11
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