Old habits die hard. The story of a prisoner illustrates it. The man served 33 years in prison before he was released. He was 58 years old when he stepped out of jail, having served three terms for robbery. His hair had turned grey and most of his friends had died.
For a while this old man tried to live a life that was within the law. But one afternoon, while watching a cinema about a train robbery, he was inspired to go back to his life of crime. He masterminded train robberies in a row stopping the trains, holding up passengers and running off with their money.
This prisoner having served three different sentences in jail but three different opportunities to start a new life without crime. Each time, he failed and went back to a life of crime. He is not alone. Perhaps you know of someone who has vowed to never again lie or cheat, or drink only to fall back into old patterns of sin.
The Israelites faced the same situations. Having been set free from bondage in Egypt by God’s miraculous deliverance one would suspect them to trust him. They failed. Their failure caused them to spend 40 years wondering in the wilderness. These four decades were like an imprisonment.
For 40 years Moses had led the cranky tribes. He had listened to their grumblings, endured their gossips, and survived their insurrections. Now he had one last chance to warn them not to repeat their ways.
The last night in Egypt
As the sun set that evening, a special dinner was prepared in every house in Goshen. The father of each family killed a lamb, and while the mother prepared and roasted it, the head of the house took some of the animal’s blood and smeared it on the doorposts and on the lintels over the door with a bunch of herbs called hyssop. The father told them that it was a sign on the house that the Lord would “pass over” it and spare the family from the terrible plague of death that would come upon Egypt that night. (What my or your family will be if the Lord “pass over” Nagalim?)
When midnight came, the first born of Pharaoh’s house and every other house in the land of Egypt was struck by death and a terrible cry of mourning was heard throughout Egypt. Messengers from the palace hurried through the darkness to find Moses and Aaron. When the leaders appeared before the king, he spoke in a trembling voice, “Withdraw at once from my people”, he said “both you and the Israelites and go serve the Lord as you suggested and gone, and ask a blessing on me.”
At last, the haughty monarch was willing to bow to God’s plan. He knew all the plagues (10 plagues) had come upon his people because of his stubborn refusal to obey the Lord. (Are Nagas stubborn or obeying God’s command?)
Forgetting God’s mercy
There was water from the rock. There was manna from heaven when Israelites were thirst and hungry. When they were happy they gathered before the golden calf to offer sacrifices and to bow down to worship. They joined in singing and dancing. When Moses saw the people worshiping the idol, he dashed the stone tablets to the ground.
The earth swallows the Rebels
One morning the rebels appeared with Korah as their leader. They brought fire pans and incense in front of the tent of the meeting. The whole assembly awaited to see what would happen. Suddenly the glory of the Lord appeared over the tent of the meeting, and Moses warned the people to separate from the rebels. He pleaded with Datham and Abiram to leave their evil cause, but they refused.
When Moses had finished speaking, behold, the ground under the rebellious leaders spread upon and a yawning crack in the earth swallowed them. Two hundred and fifty people sank in the ground and perished along with the three leaders. However, some of the people continued the rebellion and the next day a fearful plague destroyed more than fifteen thousand of those who would not obey God.
Balak and Balaam
The Moabite king Balak flattered and enticed Balaam to curse Israel offering him honour and treasure. The Lord said to Balaam, “You must not go with them, you must not curse the people, for they are to be blessed.” Balaam thought and hoped that God would permit him to receive the honour and treasure. On his way he saw the angel standing in the path with a drawn sword in his hand. (How many of us are seeking honour and treasure which God forbids.)
A traitor in the camp
Another city, smaller than Jericho, lay ahead. The warriors surveyed the town of Ai, and returned saying, “All the people need not go up, only two or three thousand men need to go up to attack Ai.”
So about three thousand soldiers marched up to take the city, but the men of Ai came out and fought savagely killing thirty six Israelite soldiers before the army field in defeat.
Joshua mourned and called upon the Lord for help. God told Joshua that someone had taken some of the loot from Jericho. The divine message declared, “Israel had sinned, they have violated the covenant with Me which I enjoined on them, they have taken some of the doomed things, they have stolen them, dissimilated about them, and put them among their own things. I will not be with you any more, unless you get rid of the doomed things.”
Achan was the traitor in the camp. He took a beautiful manlle, and two hundred shekels in silver, and a bar of gold fifty shekels in weight. He coveted them and dug a hole in the ground under his tent and hid them. The traitor was put to death. (Are there Achans among the Nagas?)
Gideon and three Hundred men
Gideon saw making plans to attack the Midianites when God gave him a strange message. The Lord said; “The people that are with you are too many for me to deliver Median unto their power, lest Israel should glory over saying, ‘My own power has saved me. Now then proclaim in the hearing of the people,’ whoever is afraid and timid must go home.”
Afterward twenty two thousand men picked up their swords, spears and bags of food and started for their home. Again out of ten thousand men only three hundred men were picked up who lapped the water of the river with their tongues keeping their swords, spears and bags of food intact with their body. A great victory was won not by the strength of the sword, but by the power of God.
There was continual warfare (1 Kings 14: 10) Chapter 12 of Kings marks a decisive turning point in the nation of Israel. For 120 years, Saul, David and Solomon had consolidated power and expanded borders, and built a strong government. But immediately after Solomon’s death everything began to unravel. Simmering hostility in the North boiled over at last, and the Northern tribes receded to form their own nation.
Ten tribes joined together under Jeroboam to form a nation in the North. Only two tribed, Judah and Benjamin remained loyal to Solomon’s heir in Jerusalem. These Southerners took on the name of Judah and made Jerusalem, home of the temple, their capital from that time forward, the united nation of Israel ceased to exist.
The Northern rebellion brought a terrible civil war to Israel, a war that dragged on for 50 years. Despite a peace treaty war kept breaking out. The book of Kings records the histories of both the nations. Action shifts back and forth between the North and the South. The book does not attempt to give full history of both nations. Rather it focuses on their kings and queens. Jeroboam and Ahab did evil things in the eyes of God.
Israel today
The land called Israel, a small nation in an area of 21,946 sq km (the size of Manipur) attained her independence on 15th May, 1948 as predicted by the founder of World Zionist Organisation. Herzli (1860-1904) was the father of formation of Zionism. He told the Zionist Congress in Basel (Switzerland) in 1897 where the Hebrews were scattered in many parts of the world not believing to revive the Zionism. He said, “If you do not believe it today, you will understand after fifty years.” He was then living in England.
Today Israel is just 64 years old nation though her story habitation on earth is as old as Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. A song goes like this, “The long journey and weary heart. Oh! Joy nearing, oh, joy nearing, Is it far, is it far to Canaan’s land?” Nagas can only rely on God’s guidance and help. God bless my Nagalim, my home, sweet home.
R Rungsung
H. No. 41
Westview, Wino Bazar
Ukrul
