He made the courtyard of the priests, and the large court and the doors for the court, and overlaid the doors with bronze. – 2 Chronicles 4:9

Today’s Scripture Reading (September 12, 2019): 2 Chronicles 4

Robert Mugabe, who served as the Prime Minister of Zimbabwe from 1980 to 1987, and then served for the next thirty years as President of the African nation, died on September 6, 2019, at the age of 95. Mugabe was an African Hero who led his country against incredible odds over the white colonizers of Africa. He earned Zimbabwe her independence in 1980. Mugabe’s driving force seemed to be that he would not repeat the mistakes of the African leaders who came before him. Mugabe would not settle for peace with the European invader. But Mugabe’s downfall seemed to be that he could not figure out how to govern after the European invaders, specifically the United Kingdom, had been removed from power. All he had known was their tyranny and autocratic rule. Heidi Holland makes this observation of Mugabe’s time in power.

The story of Robert Mugabe is a microcosm of what bedevils African democracy and economic recovery at the beginning of the 21^st century. It is a classic case of a genuine hero- the guerilla idol who conquered the country’s former leader and his white supremacist regime – turning into a peevish autocrat whose standard response to those suggesting that he steps down is to tell them to get lost. It is also the story of activists who try to make a better society but bear the indelible scars of the old system. Mugabe’s political education came from the autocrat Ian Smith, who had learnt his formative lessons for imperious British colonisers. (Heidi Hollan. Dinner with Mugabe: The Untold Story of a Freedom Fighter Who Became a Tyrant.)

Mugabe started opposing his imperial oppressors. But once his imperial oppressors had been ousted and the nation had gained its independence, Mugabe turned his anger against those who did not agree with him, and sometimes those disagreements happened over some very minor issues. Allies and tribes outside of Mugabe’s personal heritage became the enemies that Mugabe met with the same intensity that he had used against the imperial oppressors. And where unity might have been the goal, division was the practical result.

The story of the Temple is also a story of division and not one of unity. The author of Chronicles talks about the courtyard of the priests and the large court. The first courtyard was reserved for the use of the priests as they ministered at the Temple. The larger courtyard was for the nation to come and worship God. But the actual divisions at the Temple went much deeper than just the two courts. There was the court of the priests, and the court of Israel, a place that was reserved for only the circumcised male members of the nation. Outside of the court of Israel was the court of women, where the female members of the nation could gather. And, finally, the court of the Gentiles, where anyone could come and worship the God of Israel.

But ultimately, the concept of a priesthood of all believers was one that would have to wait until the coming of Jesus Christ. Rather than just reshuffling the tired models that had been tried up until his era, Jesus introduced a new way of thinking that destroyed the barriers and reunited the believers in God No longer would there be four courts or even two courts. Now there would be one understanding of a world united in its desire to follow God and make this world a better place. And as a result of that unity, the apostle Paul could write;

So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise (Galatians 3:26-29).

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Chronicles 5