Keep Everyone Down

Scripture: From Rehum the chief deputy, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their colleagues—the judges and magistrates from Tripolis, Persia, Erech, Babylon, Susa (that is, the people of Elam), and the rest of the peoples whom the great and illustrious Ashurbanipal deported and settled in the cities of Samaria and the region west of the Euphrates River. Ezra 4:9-10

Observation: As the Jews who have returned to Jerusalem rebuild the city, the local population seeks to oppress them and does this by writing to the king for permission to stop the work. This is how those locals introduce themselves ... as those who themselves have ben exiled from other parts of the kingdom, and forced to resettle the region of Samaria.

These people were resettled for reasons undetermined, but which can be guessed based on historical context. They were either originally part of other conquered nations who were themselves forcibly sent to this land, or they were marginalized people within Babylon who were offered the chance to go try to make a go of life in a region that had been captured and destroyed. Either way, they were likely not part of any preferred people within the kingdom.

One would think they would empathize with the Jews who had been oppressed and exiled. Instead, they are jealous of their return to the land. They harass and harangue the Jews working on the city, creating impediments and outright obstacles to the return to normalcy.

This is one of the worst aspects of human nature ... even when we should be able to sympathize with others and find common ground within our hardships of life, people tend to instead try to keep others down through pettiness. If one group cannot succeed, neither can any other. If a people group has struggles, all other groups must struggle. Forget the idea that maybe the definition of 'groups' is artificial and flawed in the first place. It isn't that we will allow some people to have an easy/good life, instead everyone must have life equally hard/bad.

Application: This idea would summarize the news every day ... a type of people who perceive they have a bad life, and that some other type of people have a better life, and therefore someone is to blame - probably that better-life people group - and the government better take action to suppress that better-life group.

The amazing thing is that it is very, very unlikely the groups even really exist, and that one group has a better life. The Jews absolutely did not have a 'better life' than other nationalities within the Persian empire, nor within any subsequent oppressive empire that came along. To be jealous of the Jewish people is borderline insane. Yet that attitude exists even to this day, and similar attitudes exist within our own society, be it across ethnic, economic, gender, regional, religious, or political groupings.

Yes, it is one thing to love others to the point that you wish to raise everyone up. However, we would be so well served as a nation - as humans - if we just stopped trying to keep everyone down.

Prayer: Lord, I am called to be different. I am called to love others. May I begin by simply not classifying people in groups, comparing circumstances, and seeking any kind of level ground. That is not your way; may it not be mine. Amen.