For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him; lo, the people shall live alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations. (Numbers 23:9)
The above statement was made by the foreign prophet, a kind of early social anthropologist, called Balaam, who was sent by king Balak to curse Israel. In other words he was sent to discover the weaknesses of Jews so that the Moabites could figure out the best method of conquering them. A real scientific approach to dealing with a group of people.
The non Jew Balaam represents all the non Jews in the world, the nations among whom the Jews live. This isn't just the way Balaam sees the Jews, it's the way all non Jewish nations see the Jews.
He sees their belief in Monotheism as a characteristic that makes them different from the other nations. He obviously sees this as a weakness that can be used to conquer the Jews. Other nations resemble one another but the Jews are different. The way to vanquish them is to make them a pariah nation among the nations.
Balaam's idea has been used over and over again throughout history, but the plan hasn't worked. After being the first Monotheistic nation others followed them by creating other forms of Monotheism.
The Jews were Monotheists for more than 1000 years before other nations decided to adopt it. They were indeed alone in this, as Balaam saw. Then even after other nations adopted Monotheism Jews continued to stick to their brand of Monotheism and have been alone in this since the beginning of Christianity 2000 years ago.
How long are the Jews going to be alone in this way? How long will they be rejected by other monotheistic nations because of their belief in their own unique brand of Monotheism?
The answer to this question doesn't lie with the Jews. It lies with the Christians and Moslems.
The above statement was made by the foreign prophet, a kind of early social anthropologist, called Balaam, who was sent by king Balak to curse Israel. In other words he was sent to discover the weaknesses of Jews so that the Moabites could figure out the best method of conquering them. A real scientific approach to dealing with a group of people.
The non Jew Balaam represents all the non Jews in the world, the nations among whom the Jews live. This isn't just the way Balaam sees the Jews, it's the way all non Jewish nations see the Jews.
He sees their belief in Monotheism as a characteristic that makes them different from the other nations. He obviously sees this as a weakness that can be used to conquer the Jews. Other nations resemble one another but the Jews are different. The way to vanquish them is to make them a pariah nation among the nations.
Balaam's idea has been used over and over again throughout history, but the plan hasn't worked. After being the first Monotheistic nation others followed them by creating other forms of Monotheism.
The Jews were Monotheists for more than 1000 years before other nations decided to adopt it. They were indeed alone in this, as Balaam saw. Then even after other nations adopted Monotheism Jews continued to stick to their brand of Monotheism and have been alone in this since the beginning of Christianity 2000 years ago.
How long are the Jews going to be alone in this way? How long will they be rejected by other monotheistic nations because of their belief in their own unique brand of Monotheism?
The answer to this question doesn't lie with the Jews. It lies with the Christians and Moslems.
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