A Dispirited World

I have a radio attached to a service, volunteers, who read newspapers, magazines, to the blind. Of particular interest, obituaries from Eastern North Carolina, people and families whom I have known.

In recent years, I note that there are fewer and fewer funerals, that long time prestigious funeral homes are now mostly involved with cremations. I suppose it has become a matter of money, but 75 years ago, cremations took place mostly in India. Like everything else, deaths, even in well-known families, just a matter of “going through the motions”-fast, cheap, non-event... just a MacDonalds, Kleenex mentality.

I still remember my grandmother's funeral, 75 years ago. Still, to this day, the largest, most affluent service I have ever attended. It was during the Great Depression but the family could afford to spend the money on this woman, much loved and well-known from one of North Carolina's first families. I so loved this grandmother and still remember one of the preachers saying, “She has conquered her last enemy... death.”

This is the way it should be. Those who have given much, should be extended much remembrance.

King Solomon wrote, “There is a time and season for everything.” (Ecclesiastes 3) When Sara died, Abraham mourned for forty days. Once, in the Holy land, amid west bank warfare, escorted by a United Nation's patrol, I went to the Mosque in Hebron where are located the tombs of Abraham and Sara. When Aaron and Moses died , there was a 30 day mourning period by the children of Israel. When Uriah died, the Bible says Bathsheba had a time of mourning but then she went directly to Kind David who had her husband killed. And, in spite of what we think of illicit affairs, it was King David and Bathsheba who produced King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, known for three things wisdom, wealth, wives. (three “W's”)

When Jacob, died in Goshen Egypt, it took Egyptologists 40 days to embalm the body. Joesph declared a 70 day period of mourning then, the largest funeral procession ever known in the world, 940 miles from Goshen to the cave of Machpelah, the body of Jacob, taken back to Canaan, dying at age 147, escorted by all the Jewish people in Goshen, including Pharaoh’s troops, except small children. There must have been several million, even the Canaanites said, “This is a deep mourning of the Egyptians.” (Genesis 49)

You must put flesh and blood on these people, the characters of the Bible. Surely Jewish historians, bible scholars are inspired by Abraham, called of God, at age 100, to become the greatest name in early world history... dying at age 175, marrying again after Sara's death and having many more children. His son of promise, Isaac, father of Jacob, father of the twelve tribes of Israel by several women. Lifetimes have been spent studying this biblical history.

When 50,000 of the 650,000 children of Israel, Babylonian captives, returned to rebuild the city of Jerusalem and Solomon's temple, which had been destroyed. Amid the rubbish of the city destruction, they first worked with diligence, when the foundation was completed, so much happiness that one could not distinguish laughing from crying, (Ezra 3) the priest in their vestments, trumpets.

BUT, Solomon's temple had been the most glorious building in the world, and still is to this day. The REBUILT temple would be the one in which our blessed Lord Himself, at the feast of tabernacles, would walk in and read Isaiah 60, the temple from which Jesus would chase the money changers.

The foundation had been completed, the returning thousands were trying to get on with their lives, defending the very walls they were building, discouraged by those who remembered the grandeur of Solomon's temple, reminding them that it's greatness would never be restored on the destroyed rocks, gold and brass from the burned building. They became discouraged and quit, did not work for fifteen years.

The prophet Haggai was over 80 years of age when he came upon the scene. As far as we know, he only preached 4 sermons, several Psalms. (Psalm 145) “The LORD preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy.” A much younger prophet, Zachariah, age 30, took up the challenge, and the temple was rebuilt, to be destroyed again in the first century.

“For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.” (Hebrews 13:14) The ancients, even our ancestors, knew hard-times, sickness and death, up close and personal. They knew that death is a part of living. I heard a prominent man say recently, he had experienced a good life, had never used an “out-house”. Obviously he had never gone to war for his country, where the basics of survival are experienced... body functions with a shovel, known the basics of farm life, known real worship in a country church before power lines or running water.

The world changes, becomes dispirited, looking back, appreciating the challenges of the past. At a time when parents are AGAIN home schooling their children, worshiping with real Christians in ”cottage services.” Because of the marvels of science, (poisons in foods, to protect the food, kill insects on the farm, bacteria in the store) growing food in the backyard.

Intelligentsia of the world, now fears Artificial Intelligence. (A.I.) We will learn the consequences of “hiding out” in the computer, relationship with a TV, forgetting the actual rhythm of living. Into the computer “brains” have been fed actual human flaws. Google has become human and could take over a dispirited world. The rich-elitists don't care... they have everything else, this may be a way of extending their lifespan.