be-musings

Our Bible study group has been covering Old Testamant stories, specifically the heroes of the Bible. We studied part of the Macabees, which is a story that reinforces a definite trend in the history of the Israelites.
Numerous times we read about the Israelites being taken captive by another nation who takes over their land. I covered that briefly in the story of the people in Moses time, and that they had been captive for a few hundred years. Here in Macabees we find the same thing. And another Pattern" was repeated as was done before - the invading culture destroyed the Temple.
Why? Well, when plotting to domination of a nation, it would be logical to attack it where its identity is. Look at 9/11. A capitalist structure (the World Trade Centre) and a governing centre (the Whitehouse) and a security centre (the Pentagon) were targets. Smart moves for people wanting to make a point about the ability to dominate a nation. Some could argue that point with me, but since politics and war aren't my thing that's as far as I'll go I stand there in my ignorance.
Go back to the Jewish nation. Their temple was sacred to them. It was their identity, as a people set apart from every other nation. They knew what God they served. They had strong laws about how to do it. I think pride was involved in this knowledge. Sometimes the temple was a place of commerce - or at least the areas around it were. It gave them strength and united them. To destroy it would be to demolish the confidence of the people and taunt the power of what and Who they believed in. Smart war move.
Every time the temple was destroyed in an invasion, it was eventually rebuilt. That was the first thing arranged, as soon as it could be done. Sometimes it took years, but it was a priority.
My mind turns to the Christian, the one who believes in God. God has written his word in our hearts, and he no longer resides in a temple made of human hands. He resides in the lives of His believers. You might be able to recall some verses that mention things like this. In a way the new "temple" is way more difficult to be destroyed. It's easier to protect, because it isn't physical. For the Christian, the war isn't about land or dwellings. It's about the soul within. So, is it really more difficult to destroy it? I think that depends on how willing we are to protect it. Not to get too freaky on the puritan move (because I'm not), the destruction of where God resides is still a goal of some. We can protect it easily. But we can also give in easily if we want to. It all resides in the spirit and that which affects it. Staying away from pride, bitterness, and whatever else your thing is. I won't give you a list because what might be dangerous for you won't be for someone else. You know what your things are.
Sometimes we get torn apart a bit. But the responsibility for rebuilding is only partly ours, with a lot of help from God.