Chapter 45
The Promise Land
The Promise Land, (Land of Promise), the designation of Canaan, so-called because God promised it to Abraham, (see Genesis 15:18 and Genesis 17:8).
Genesis 15:18 reads: In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river of Euphrates:
The river of Egypt (probably the Wady el Arish) on the border of Egypt. In the days of Solomon the promise was fulfilled, I Kings 4: 21-24.
And I Kings 4:24 reads: For he had dominion over all the region on this side of the river, from Tiphsah even to Azzah, over all the kings on this side of the river: and he had peace on all sides round about him. (The explanation here being; On this side of the river, better is beyond the river, that is, West of the River (Euphrates) i.e. Palestine and the neighboring region as viewed, from the standpoint of a resident Babylon, East of the Euphrates, where the book of Kings were probably completed. Tiphsah -Thapsacus, on the upper course of the Euphrates. Azzah is Gaza in Philistia. (Ancient Babylon today no longer exist, but today, the area of ancient Babylon is 55 miles South of Bagdad in Iraq).
Genesis 17:8 reads: And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession: And I will be their God.
The Area that was ancient Canaan (The Promise Land) is present day encompassing Israel, Palestine and the West Bank.
The promised land just did not happen, it had to be taken. Moses sent out spies to see if the land could be taken and he (Moses) had to know if the Canaan nation was weak or strong. Moses, while with his sojourn in Egypt and second in command to Pharaoh, was one great warrior and knew what it took to conquer a land. Moses had experience, as Egypt was a conquering country and power. Moses knew what to do. Nothing is just handed to you. You have to fight to get what you want and will have to fight to keep what you want. There will always be battles, and battles and battles, wars and rumor of wars. (And if you think I am wrong, cut the television on for the Evening News).
From this, an important lesson may be learned; that promises, more than not, is a long time in coming to fruition, requiring great patience.
President Abraham Lincoln in 1863 issued the Emancipation Proclamation to free the slaves and even until this day, the “Promise” (of equality) is not fully (fully - being the operative word)) realized (and more than a 100 years has passed). This promise equated to black men being created equal, as is alluded to in the law of our land, the United States of America. Simply put (let’s keep it simple), the laws of our land (U.S.A) was not consistent with its practices. The laws said, ALL MEN WAS CREATED EQUAL, but, in reality, the black slaves was viewed and treated as less than equal. The black race, like Israel, was accustomed to abuses. Frederick Douglass and others tried hard for change. Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Dr. Martin Luther King, noted Black Preacher acknowledged the plight of the Black race and spoke to the issues facing the Black race. And of the predicament of Black people in the United States of America, Dr. King said of the PROMISE(s), I may not make it with you to the promise land ( 1. Equality, 2. Access to education, 3. Fair housing, 4. Access to employment opportunities, 5. Desegregation in movie theatres, restaurants, restrooms, water fountains, transportation, out door facilities, sports, etc) but we as a people will make it to the promise land. Israel was in captivity for at /or about 425 years. I make this comparison because the most naïve of person can count from 1863 and use their imagination and see what possibilities may exist. But, Dr. King, said to his people, he may not make it with us (Moses did not either) to the promise land and that we as a people would make it, (but it would take a great faith to accomplish it).
My thinking be:
*Not all will get to the promise land. Many will die before
Realizing such a dream/reality/promise.
*There will have to be some sacrifices/losses, to make any
Advancements (many there be will not get college degrees - and many
Will have to make sacrifices for the race and family as a
Whole to get a college education, one of the foundations for
advancement.
*There will be battles and battles and battles to attain the “promise”
And more importantly there will be battles to keep what
Promise(s) You do obtain (if you can get “it”).
*Can you stay the course? Words “will” may break you, e.g. WILL,
The meaning be (sometime in the future) and that Denotes faith,
another example SHALL, and its meaning be (an indefinite time in
the future) and that Denotes faith. I shall overcome,
Is something that may happen in the future and more than not,
It takes a great faith to obtain it and the future can be a long, long,
Long, time coming. WHEN NOT GETTING A CERTAIN RESULT
"WILL" AND "SHALL" REQUIRE GREAT DISCIPLINE, e.g.
a) getting a car or home paid for
b) paying car note(s), house notes, furniture notes, etc.,
c) 40 acres and a mule
The purpose of this chapter is to point out that sometimes it takes a tragedy to make us re-examine our lives. Think of some of the sacrificial Lambs as Emmit Till, Medgar Evers, Dr. King, and a host of others, and sacrifices to a greater and lesser degree are still being made today (depending on the context one is reviewing at a given time). The promise land in today’s world may be euphemism for Change. One may decide individually or as a group, etc; what is your promise land? At one time in Black history, crossing the Mason-Dixie line into the northern states and Canada, after slavery, was our promised land. And like Israel when they got to the Promised Land, they had to work to exist. They did not sit down on their bottom, for it might slip away; and the same with us today, after the Emancipation Proclamation, we have to work, we can’t sit around waiting for the promised 40 acres and a mule.
I have noticed that some people in the religious society becomes euphoric when the preacher talk of the Promised Land, not understanding fully the processes involved in getting/or obtaining these promises; the heartaches involved; the pains and sufferings, the lack of amenities suffered. The land of Canaan, the ancient name of Palestine (Genesis 12:5) and at that time, much of Canaan and Syria was ruled by the Amorites, who were for centuries the dominant race. It is a notable fact that this favorite designation of the whole of Palestine (The land of Canaan) is derived from the name of a foreign people (Genesis 12:5, Genesis 16:3, Genesis 17:8, Leviticus 14:34, Numbers 13:17, Ezekiel 16:3. In Number 13:17 Moses sent out spies to check out the land of Canaan to see if Israel could conquer the land. The spies traversed the entire land from South to North. The length of Canaan is about 180 miles, and its average breadth between the Mediterranean Sea and the River Jordan about 40 miles. The country may be regarded as consisting of three strips running North and South. There is (1) the Maritime Plain extending inwards from the coast to a distance of from 4 to 15 miles., very fertile, and including the famous Plain of Sharon, and the Lowlands of the Philistines. (2) Behind the rises of the ‘Hill Country’ forming, as it were, the backbone of the Holy Land, and falling precipitously on the East down to (3) the valley of Jordon and the Dead Sea, which divides the land of Canaan from the Highlands of Gileads and Moab East of the Jordon.
Black people during Slavery and the Klu Klux Klan ( KKK), faced terrible situations in their time of need to escape their Slave masters (as did the Israelites from Egypt). What God has done for others, He will/may do for you (if you let Him). Promises are assurances and a covenant. A covenant, is a term used both in the general sense of an agreement or compact between persons or groups and in the more technical sense of such an arrangement entered into by God. Among the earliest mentioned covenants of the Bible are those entered into with Noah, Genesis 6:18, Genesis 9:8-17 And with Abraham (Genesis 15:18, Genesis 17:2-2, which latter covenants was renewed or confirmed through promise to Isaac and Jacob (Exodus 2:24; Leviticus 26:42. The question that begs to be asked and answered be: IS A COVENANT BINDING? (Let’s go to St. Paul and read: Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; though it be but a man’s covenant, yet, if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto. Galations 3:15
40 (Forty) acres and a mule?!!
It is very important for Blacks to know how this phrase, 40 acres and mule came about. On January 15, 1865 Union Army General, William Tecumseh Sherman, issued, Special Field Order number 15 which stated: " I. The island from Charleston, south, the abandoned rice fields along the rivers for thirty miles back from the sea, and the country bordering the ST. John's River, Florida, are reserved and set apart for the settlement of the negroes [sic] now made free by the acts of war and the proclamation of the President of the United States.
II. At Beaufort, Hilton Head, Savannah, Fernandina, St. Augustine, and Jacksonville, the blacks may remain in their chosen or accustomed vocations, but on the islands, and in the settlements hereafter to be established, no white person whatever, unless military officers and soldiers, detailed for duty, will be permitted to reside; and the sole exclusive management of affairs will be left to the freed people themselves, subject only to the United States military Authority and the acts of Congress...."
When Andrew Johnson became the President of the United States, after Abraham Lincoln's assassination and he issued pardons and restoration of property to the people that had enslaved the Gullan, Geechees, and their foreparents (Black Americans) on this land.
The blacks fought for the land, taken from them by President A. Johnson, but that is another story. What was given us, was taken from us. It behooves one to study and acquire all the knowledge and wisdom, they can obtain to be able to fight wrongs afflicted against us. In other words, one must obtain political savvy. There were never mentioning (in the Special Field Order 15) of a mule, but one is savvy enough to know that tillable land must be pulled by a mule and not by (black) human being, and that's common sense.
I do not understand the logic of General Sherman to get the Union to promise freed slaves Forty acres and a (government) mule. Unless I miscalculate, in the Sacred Text, indicates bad things just seem to come in the Forties (40’s). (Why didn't he use a number in the 30's or 50's?) What immediately comes to mind regarding the 40’s be, firstly, the Israelites Wandering in the desert waiting to enter the Promise land for 40 years. (A promise can be viewed as a Covenant). Secondly, It rained day and night for 40 days and Noah’s ark was afloat but everything else drowned. Jesus the Christ spent 40 days in the Wilderness being tempted by the devil. And the Lenten season is 40 days long excluding Sundays, which we do not count, for some reason. Black Slaves took the Exodus story of the Jew’s slaves as a metaphor for their hoped for journey to the Promise Land. By the end of the Civil War, General Sherman maneuvered the Union into a position of promising freed slaves 40 acres and a government mule. This was a concrete promise and would have materialize, but for, politics soon got in the way. The forty acres that was supposed to come from Land confiscated from the Confederate soldiers land and their mules. The confederate Soldiers eventually got back their land that had been promised the black slaves, before the land could be transitioned to the Black Slaves. It is not clear what happened to the mules.
Well, maybe, the mules became politicians. Freedom for the ex-slaves never turned out to be what was hoped for by the slaves. There were very few opportunities for the Blacks. 40 acres and a mule was a covenant, after all these years, yet to materialize. This is unlike any other covenant made, why the uder-untilzation of this covenant remains unclear to me. One thing is clear, with Christ, WE ARE JOINT HEIRS. LET ME BE CLEAR, (the meaning of heir be inheritance) IF THERRE WAS SIX MILLON DOLLARS IN QUESTION, THE SIX MILLION DOLLARS WOULD BE, EACH OF THE SIX PERSONS WOULD CONTROL EQUALLY THE SIX MILLION DOLLARS, WHEREAS; IF WE WERE HEIRS AND NOT JOINT HEIRS, THE MONEY WOULD BE DIVIDED EQUALLY (EACH PERSON GETTING A MILLION DOLLARS EACH). But, as Joint heirs, we make all decisions together, everything is done for betterment, together. WE ARE SONS OF GOD AND AS SUCH ARE JOINT HEIRS. And covenants are not made to be broken, as was with the 40 acres and a mule.
Inheritance laws among the Hebrews were simple. In the patriarchal age property was divided among the sons of legitimate wives. One son, usually the firstborn was made the responsible head of the family. It was his duty to supervise the maintenance of the unmarried daughters. His birthright was a double portion., Duet 21:15-17. It was within their Father’s power to bestow the birthright upon a son, other than the first born., Genesis 21: 10-13; 27:37; I Chron 5:1. Should a man die without having a son, Mosaic Law provided that the rightful heir should be the person, or persons to be found first in the following groups: His daughters, his brothers, his uncles, his next nearest of kin, Numbers 27:8-11. Furthermore when a man died, leaving no son, his widow became a part of the inheritance. A brother or near kinsman was obliged to marry the widow and their first born son became heir to the deceased., Duet 25:5-10; Ruth 8:12,13. In the New Testament, Jesus The Christ, is depicted as the firstborn (only begotten) Son and Heir to God (Mark 12:7, John 1:14; Hebrew 1:2. Christians are heirs of God’s promises and JOINT HEIRS WITH Jesus the Christ, Romans 8:17; Galations 3:29, 4:1, Hebrew 6:17. The Blacks that were enslaved were not joint heirs, that is why the politician could maneuver events that favored their interest, without regards to others. The once enslaved Blacks, now has an offer of Salvation (deliverance) from all evil and be on the same level with Jesus the Christ as Joint heirs and the meaning be clear; This promise will stand the test of time, God’s promises are true. The 40 acres and a mule promise that extends from the time of the Civil war, is yet to be realized, and it is doubtful that it will ever be realized. Other races has been more successful in reparations, with our beloved country and that is a sad commentary, when we cannot say the same for Black folk. Believe me, I am not preaching separatism, but merely stating facts as I (and some others may) know them. And that is not rocket science , but a fact of life, just look no further than present day Israel. People, sometimes, one must call a spade a spade, and there is no getting around it. I have by my own observation seen on occasions, more racism in the Church, than elsewhere, and if you look, you may or can see it also. And I am not talking about seeing it with the spiritual, but rather the natural eye.
One has to wake up and smell the coffee. Every one that puts a Bible under their arm and go to Church, is not that and every one that says, Lord, Lord, is definitely not that.
I do not know, (but have many times thought) that Blacks (or some Blacks) think they can not be successful, unless their organization have a White person at or near the top of the Organization. In this religious organization I am speaking of was 99.5% Black and .5% White and the second in command of the Religious organization was white. Why the need for this display was always beyond my comprehension. There was many qualified Blacks for the position, yet the black powers that be, elected this white bishop to be over them. No prestige was gained by the effort. Enough said.
There was this white Bishop who was among the hierarchy of the church organization. He would come down to run a revival at the request of the Black local Pastor.. The white Bishop would bring his wife Who could not stand to be in a black church, so he would bring her down for the revival and put her in one of the main Hotel in the city to stay, which meant, after the services was over, he would stay at the hotel, and not at one of the homes the Church had provided for him. During the services, he would tell how sick his wife was. She was determined not to come inside of the Church. He, nor she, could stand black people. But, as Bishop, he was obligated to come to the Churches He would always tell us that his wife had severe heart problems. So when the services was over and it came time for the church to exchange amenities, the membership would flood to the pulpit to extend a warm handshake, and when they would extend their hands to him for a brotherly hand shake, he would turn as red as a beet, and fold his arms and look to the other person in line as they approached and would do the same maneuver on them, And very shortly would grab his brief case and make a bee-line out of the Church (he had to check on his wife, that being his alibi).
The Bishop being the overseer, did gain a hefty sum of money to come to the churches, for each visit.
I thought the Pastor needed a reawakening about life and life situations, and thought I would be the very one that could lift the bushel basket from over the burning candle and bring the obvious to fore. The pastor would always tell me, how appreciative he was of me, as the National Young People Chairman, and the honor it brought to the Church and would tell me, how much he and his wife wanted to take me out to Dinner. So after the White Bishop had left the church and went to the Hotel where they were lodged. to get his “sick” wife (who was not really sick, but, did not want to go to the Black Church) for dinner and they went to a four star restaurant in the affluent Suburbs. I told the Pastor, I will take you up on that dinner, for I knew Bishop would eat at the four Star restaurant. He said to me, name the place. I named a restaurant about 20 miles from the City out into the affluent suburbs, where I knew one could see the specter of the white sheets. Water seeks it’s own level and trash floats on the top. And as we walked in, we seen the white Bishop with his wife having a jolly good time as the singer was on stage singing, Misty. The pastor, after we were all seated, wanted to go over and say hello to the Bishop and his now well wife.. I told the Pastor, to let me do the honors, him having treated me to lunch. I went over behind the Bishop and to the side of his wife, and said, Sis __________I am so glad that your recovery has been so swift, looking she and Bishop in the eye and letting my eyes say to him and her what my tongue dare not say (for I would have to prove racism, which is a difficult undertaking, but, they knew what was in my eyes and what I was thinking). She was speechless and became ghostly white (grey- with little or no color). The Bishop said to me, how did you know we were here. I said to him, you would be shocked if I answered that, but suffice it to say, there is very little I do not know. The Pastor was thinking things were going good showing all 32, looking our way. Little did he know, the infighting going on between me and the Bishop, as I told the Bishop I marveled at his wife’s speedy recovery, and before he could flippantly reply, I motioned my head towards my Pastor and his wife and said loud enough for all the people in the immediate areas of the White Bishop; the Pastor and his lovely wife bid you to come and join they and me. The Bishop looked over and then his wife looked over to their table and the pastor said loudly and enthusiastically, come on over where the table is spread, and the feast of the Lord is going on.
The Bishop’s wife then, this time, really did get sick. She threw up on the dinner table, on the fine linen table Cloth. The ambulance was called, the Bishop excused himself. I went back to our table and the pastor did not understand what was and had transpired, and inquired of me what happened.? I told him, did he remember the bushel basket on the farms down South? He said, Yes. I said, there was one such basket on the Bishop’s table covering the Burning Candle and I removed the Basket. This should not be viewed as commonplace,, for no one is that naïve. If your home be infested with rodents, it is unlikely the rodents would come out in the broad open day, but hide until night. And remember, men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil. And it take knowledge and wisdom to find the roaches, the rats and the bed bugs. And time is involved…it takes time to eradicate a system that has been embedded within the mind hundreds and hundreds of years. That is why it is important to get to know, Jesus the Christ, and I tell you, you ought to get to know him. He opens blinded eyes (spiritual Blind in this case) He lend creativity along with greater insights and gives you the strength to act on knowledge. Having Knowledge and wisdom alone is not enough, one must know how and more importantly, when, to use (that) information. Jesus Makes the difference. I knew the Bishop and wife would eat and more importantly, I knew where and when, they would eat. It is good to be kept by Jesus, He lead and guide us. He will turn your midnights into day, and make your enemies your footstool, etc, but, you have to get to know Jesus the Christ and then you are empowered by the Holy Spirit to Cast out the devils and be not afraid of the terror by night or the arrows that flieth by day; no evil shall befall thee; nor any plague shall befall thee; his angels shall bare thee up in His hand and you shall tread upon serpents, and there be no need to worry, about the Sun, for the Sun will not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night because, He that keepeth Israel does not sleep or slumber.