(Last in a series of four posts)
“See, I have taught you decrees and laws as the LORD my God commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to take possession of it. 6 Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.” – Deuteronomy 4:5-6
The word, ‘wisdom’ appears in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible… and is presented in the female form. Bam. So… take that all ye men of good will and faith… thinking women and children are to be seen and not heard… as the ‘wise old man’ down the block is outdueled by the ‘wiser woman’ next door… or in my case the one who lives in my house… as though I’m a pretty good guy… give credit to my wife… she’s made me a better man than I thought I’d ever be.
And speaking of the Bible… here’s a very interesting thought on how I think the Bible gets read in our culture… one way having a posture or thought and then go looking for a verse in the Bible to back that idea up… or the other way… the one I’ve used for most of my adult life… to read the Bible… out loud even … and listen to what is being heard… then respond to that… or simply said… the first way is to read into the scriptures and the second is allow the scriptures to read out to us… the latter having greater positive consequence and the former potentially being very dangerous… as when I read this passage from Deuteronomy it is easy to see how those who arrived from Europe could use these words as permission from God to usurp the land already inhabited by some of God’s own… despite the differences from the ones arriving! And in the big scheme of things as much as there is plenty of ancient native American wisdom to consider there are modern thoughts of those who still claim those indigenous ways… like this…
“We are strong, resilient, and highly adaptable people. Archaeology shows that Alaska native peoples have been here for 14,500 years and more. Our ancestors lived through climate issues of the past so we know that we will survive the hardships coming our way, but it will not be easy.” -Rose Highbear (02/2015)
She sounds a bit prophetic. And just like the obvious diversity in the USA of our day… we hear this… “across this great country, from the southwest to the northeast, one cannot paint Indian country with a single stroke. Indian country is not a homogeneous community. There are some stark and subtle differences that make each tribe unique” -Tara McLean Sweeny (05/2018)
Or these words from Dorothy Haberman about the importance of embracing the best of one’s past yet understanding life is full of shifts and turns… “we have to look at the way we were in the past, hang on to it in our hearts and at the same time change; accepting we're always changing to survive.”
And there is this piece of Cherokee wisdom lifted up in 2020 by Lisa Pivec… “We have to come together as one people. We have to think about others. And that's something the Cherokee do. And that's how we live collectively…understanding that what we do and how we live impacts others. Don't ask. ‘What are my rights? Ask, what are my responsibilities?”
And this… some hail the interactions of Jesuit missionaries with native Americans over time… contributed to the ending of France’s aristocracy!
So, if wisdom is a gift of God… then we will find it in many places and in many people… and hopefully even within ourselves… and better yet… that others would find some in us… or as Ernestine Hayes declared, “Well, we’re still here!”
The Rev. Dr. Brian K. Gigee is a long-time resident of Pearland, having pastored four churches over the last four decades in Texas and Louisiana. Read more following Brian’s blog ‘murmurings’ at https://briangigee.wordpress.com/. Send comments and/or questions to godworks247365@gmail.com.
