Reading the Bible through Red Man’s Eyes….
Heal our land…
2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
To any of us that have pursued God for our nations well being, this verse is one of our battle cries, where we aggressively kneel before God, humbling ourselves with prayer and often fasting, searching our own hearts, and lifestyles that we might see our sin for what it is, that we might ask God for mercy, and real change, that He might forgive us, and not only forgive us, but clean up the mess we made, and cleanse the lands upon which we live, that the land itself might heal.
By now, many of you know my testimony, of how I came out of a revival meeting, in my suit and tie, crying out to God in prayer, this very verse.
How He spoke to me, and said: ‘I gave that verse to instruct you, not so that you can try and use it to manipulate me, you are in pride, repent!’
So, I was heard of heaven, and about to be answered. I thought ‘Pride?, I just got off my knees in prayer in a revival meeting!’
Yet, over the years, I have learned this about walking with God: Pride is not merely walking around with a strut, chest puffed up, in haughtiness and arrogance. No, it is much more subtle than that, here is my new definition of pride: “Simply having a better idea than God.”
Whenever, Wherever, I decide to do my own thing, something, anything that is contrary to the Word or Spirit of God, I am in pride. Maybe my church, synagogue, or mosque, has always done it that way. Perhaps my father and mother instructed me that way, but the entrance of God’s Word, brings light, and no matter what any person may of taught about a particular topic, if what I am believing is contrary to the Word of God, I’m wrong, and He is right.
And you know, how Holy Spirit led me to attend the 1995 gathering of tribes in Hull, Quebec, Canada, known as ‘The Sacred Assembly’, led by senator Elijah Harper. How in that meeting, when I saw the 1500 or so Indian elders gathered, and I saw the pain in their eyes, I ended up for several hours at the back of the auditorium, in a weeping puddle before God, broken in the core of my being, as I was introduced to the plight of the North American Indian.
And so, now, I am finally beginning to see, to learn, to know, to understand some things about God and His Word, that I could have never seen before. For several years, I walked with the Inuit, and was introduced to the Mohawk and the Cree peoples briefly.
Over the years, I have been introduced in many ways, to the ways of the red man, and have discovered that although their culture, dress, language, and customs are often quite different than ours, there are things there, that we must hear from them. Biblical things, ways of our Creator, that we as whites, in most cases, have at best lost, but more often, never known.
I heard chief Anne Richardson of the Rappahannock people verbalize these thoughts one day, that have challenged my thinking:
She said: ‘In general, our people have an innate ability to walk on to any particular piece of land, and intuitively see, know, perceive things that have happened upon that property, historically, and often also know, exactly what needs to happen there, in order to heal it.’
This lines up with:
Roman 8:20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
Romans 8:20-22
The Voice (VOICE)
20 You see, all of creation has collapsed into emptiness, not by its own choosing, but by God’s. Still He placed within it a deep and abiding hope 21 that creation would one day be liberated from its slavery to corruption and experience the glorious freedom of the children of God. 22 For we know that all creation groans in unison with birthing pains up until now.
We see in these verses, how the creation is waiting for us, the manifest sons and daughters of God, to show up, and bring ‘glorious liberty’ to it, literally healing the land as we walk with our Creator, bringing His power to literally recreate that which has been damaged by the atrocities and evil of mankind.
We also see, that the earth has a voice, a voice of groanings….
Many red men and women hear creations voice, and echo her deepest cries, back to God, in heartfelt prayer…
The ground on which we stand is sacred ground. It is the dust and blood of our ancestors.
– Chief Plenty Coups, Crow (1848 – 1932)
When all the trees have been cut down, when all the animals have been hunted, when all the waters are polluted, when all the air is unsafe to breathe, only then will you discover you cannot eat money.
Cree Prophecy
Yet, I had been taught that aboriginal peoples were generally ‘uneducated heathen’ needing to be ‘civilized’. Yet, I see clearly now, after many years, that God has been walking with Indians for a long time before the white man entered this land, and that many, many of their traditions, sacred gatherings, forms of prayer and worship, and understandings of God and creation, are not only Biblical, but far, far ahead of some of our current understandings.
Now, to read or hear American history from a native perspective, we hear of how in the 1530’s, the Cherokee ‘discovered’ Spanish explorers upon their lands. Many of these early Spaniards brought the Bible, and the doctrines of the Roman Catholic church, and upon the lands governed by the Iroquois confederacy’s constitution and the ‘http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Law_of_Peace’, that these early explorers were protected and spared by the tribes, as long as they came as came in peace.
Yet for thousands of years, the Bible was not in the land.
God still spoke, yet He spoke either directly to the heart of man, or through the creation.
In the tradition and culture of the Indian tribes I have walked with, there has always been a deep relationship and respect for, the earth, the land that God created.
Only to the white man was nature a wilderness and only to him was the land ‘infested’ with ‘wild’ animals and ‘savage’ people. To us it was tame, Earth was bountiful and we were surrounded with the blessings of the Great Mystery.
– Black Elk, Oglala Lakota Sioux (1863-1950)
The time will soon be here when my grandchild will long for the cry of a loon, the flash of a salmon, the whisper of spruce needles, or the screech of an eagle.
But he will not make friends with any of these creatures and when his heart aches with longing, he will curse me.
Have I done all to keep the air fresh?
Have I cared enough about the water?
Have I left the eagle to soar in freedom?
Have I done everything I could to earn my grandchild’s fondness?
– Chief Dan George, Tsleil-Waututh (1899 – 1981)
Rom 1:19 ¶ Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
Romans 1:19-20
The Voice (VOICE)
19 These people are not ignorant about what can be known of God, because He has shown it to them with great clarity. 20 From the beginning, creation in its magnificence enlightens us to His nature. Creation itself makes His undying power and divine identity clear, even though they are invisible; and it voids the excuses and ignorant claims of these people
This year, as I read through the Bible again, it is as if I am reading it, for the first time, through red man’s eyes.
The first man, Adam, was a red man. (http://www.ancient-hebrew.org/emagazine/001.html)
He was red, created from the red earth…
As I look at the way the Indian walked with God, suddenly, I see in the Scriptures, passages that until now, have been hidden to me:
In the next passage, I see words that could have been spoken from the heart of the honorable Indians that respect God and the land. Perhaps, it is a vocalization, of their view of the white man entering their ancient lands.
Truly, many white men came, sent of God, for the gospel’s sake, yet mixed in these immigrants were brutal, murderous, treacherous people, who knew not God, nor His creation.
Job, in his day, walked as a great chief among his people, in fact, the Bible records:
Job 1:1 ¶ There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.
2 And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters.
3 His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.
Walk with me and imagine: picture with me, in your mind’s eye if you will, a great chief, walking with the Creator, witnessing, the brutishness of white men entering his land. White men with guns as their gods, and conquest, not peace, as their motive.
Job 12:6-12
The Voice (VOICE)
6 Ironically, there is peace inside the tents of the raiders,
and those who upset God seem to live safe and secure;
They carry their gods around in their hands.
Yet, this chief, had made peace with God, His creator, and knows that there is no peace of heart found in no other place, and he cries, that these fools might know the one that made them…
7 However, call on the animals to teach you;
the birds that sail through the air are not afraid to tell you the truth.
8 Engage the earth in conversation; it’s happy to share what it knows.
Even the fish of the sea are wise enough to explain it to you.
9 In fact, which part of creation isn’t aware,
which doesn’t know the Eternal’s hand has done this?
10 His hand cradles the life of every creature on the face of the earth;
His breath fills the nostrils of humans everywhere.
Compare this with the words of the Arapaho: When we show our respect for other living things, they respond with respect for us. – Arapaho
Treat the earth well: it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors, we borrow it from our Children. – Tribe Unknown
Job 12:11 Listen! Aren’t we made to be discriminating:
our ears testing wisdom, our mouths tasting food?
The beauty of the trees,
the softness of the air,
the fragrance of the grass,
speaks to me.
The summit of the mountain,
the thunder of the sky,
the rhythm of the sea,
speaks to me.
The strength of the fire,
the taste of salmon,
the trail of the sun,
and the life that never goes away,
they speak to me.
And my heart soars.
– Chief Dan George, Tsleil-Waututh (1899 – 1981)
Shouldn’t wisdom come with old age? Not necessarily. Only God has wisdom; we merely fool ourselves into thinking we are wise.
12 But you tell me, “With age comes wisdom,
and a long life grants understanding.”
In Native American culture and tradition, elders are to be respected.
American Indian elder
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In American Indian education, within each tribe elders, “are repositories of cultural and philosophical knowledge and are the transmitters of such information,”[1] including, “basic beliefs and teachings, encouraging…faith in the Great Spirit, the Creator”.[2] “The fact acknowledged in most Indian societies: Certain individuals, by virtue of qualifications and knowledge, are recognized by the Indian communities as the ultimately qualified reservoirs of aboriginal skills.”[3] The role of elder is featured within and without classrooms, conferences, ceremonies, and homes.
So we read, of the supposed wise friends of Job, those who seek to be his comforters…
As I read of the history of the great tribes, I read of the great orators, that would speak great words, and the council of elders, would weigh their words, ever listening for the voice of the Creator, to come from the heart of His servants.
As Job’s ‘counselors’ speak their words in his pain, he rebukes them, for they do not speak from God:
Job: 16: All the things from you sound the same.
You are all terrible as comforters!
3 Have we reached the end of your windy words,
or are you sick with something that compels you to argue with me?
4 If we were to trade places,
I could rattle on as you do.
I could compose eloquent speeches as you do
and shake my head smugly at you and your problems.
5 But I believe I would use my words to encourage you;
my lips would move only to offer you relief.
6 And yet, I am not you, you are not me,
and my words are of no real use:
For generations, these words given by God through Job so many years, have been the plight of the red man in America.
Truthfully, their voice, their wisdom, has not been heard, and we have all suffered for it.
I am a Christian. I have studied the history of the United States, and I am convinced of this one thing. The mind of God for this nation, historically, has been for America to be a place of freedom to worship God. This freedom is supposed to be found in the gospel, the only way to heaven, Jesus.
I am all convinced that Columbus sailed both to find a homeland for the Jews, God’s people, and to bring the gospel, to a people he had not yet seen. These people, are the host peoples of North America, the First Nations peoples, the indians…
Peter Marshall, in his book: The Light and the glory, has discovered actually journal entries from Columbus, where God spoke to him directly, for many years, about His plans and purposes for America, His plan included the host peoples, and in honoring them, and bringing the gospel and Bible to them. Columbus began with noble motives, but when he was shown the riches of the land, and gold, he became a mercenary, a butcher, and committed horrible acts against God and the host peoples who in large measure, received him in love, peace, and honor. And so has gone history, supposed ‘Christians’ bringing their form of murder and mayhem to the land, incredibly, in the name of JESUS! The greatest message the earth has ever heard, backed by the Lord of Heaven Himself, perverted, corrupted, by the pride, greed, and murder of men! As I read the pages of native history, my eyes blur with tears, as I see the horrendous acts whites and Spaniards have committed, usually in the name of Jesus! Like my Lord, I can only weep, as a white man, I can only hang my head in shame….
Yet, what has come to America and out of her, is a mixture of deep faith, and equally deep wickedness, treachery and sin.
Freedom, is not free.
It cost Jesus His life upon the cross, when He willingly died as a sacrifice for our sins. Yet, the grave could not hold an innocent man, and on the third day, He rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven, at the right hand of God, the Creator, our Father.
Jesus is the prince of peace, and there will be no true peace, either in our hearts, or in the land, until we give ourselves to Him, and bow our knees, willingly, in surrender to Him as King and Lord.
There is understanding, wisdom, and great knowledge given to the red men, and the wisdom of God in them, must be embraced, meditated upon, and through prayer, applied, to bring healing to the earth.
I am convinced, that there is a strong church here in America, but also convinced that we will never be able to become all we all created to be, until we truly embrace the God given wisdom of the Red man.
I am also convinced that right now, during this slice of time, that the plight and voice of the red man is THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN AMERICA!
On God’s agenda, His priority list, I believe the plight, voice, and restoration of the red man is THE NUMBER ONE ITEM ON HIS LIST!
This is heart of the Father, for America, now.
I am convinced that America desperately needs healing and direction, and that healing, revival, and move of God, that will recreate this land strong, and free again, will come as the hearts of the red man, heals, and again, their voice is heard in this great land.
America’s strength is this: not that we have always done right, but when we see that we have been wrong, we make things right.
Yet, for you and I, there is only one true healing and peace that we can know. That only comes with a relationship with our Creator, through His Son, Jesus, Yeshua, Messiah.
Whether red or white, black, yellow, or any mixture of race and culture, Jesus is the answer to every human heart, and His wisdom, power and love, can fix anything, if, and only if, we cry out to Him, and ask…
There is no other way back to our Creator, but through Him. Though we may hear the voice of God, we cannot make peace with Him on our own terms, for each of us, in our own way, have sinned, and cannot be cleansed by our good works, ceremonies, prayer vigils, or our cultures and traditions. Only Jesus shed blood can wash us, there is no other way…
God is moving deeply, presently, in the First Nations host peoples of the United States, and there are many prophecies given to the great chiefs of old, of a seventh generation of warriors that will arise upon this land, to bring healing and truth to it, that we might heal together.
Hear his words:
Crazy Horse had a vision he shared with sitting bull during a pipe ceremony just days before he was murdered. He said, “Upon suffering beyond suffering, the red nation shall rise again and it shall be a blessing for the sick world. A world filed with broken promises, selfishness and separations. A world longing for light again. I see a time of seven generations, when all the colors of mankind will gather under the sacred tree of life and the whole earth will become one circle again. In that day, those among the Lakota who will carry knowledge and understanding of unity among all living things, and the young white ones will come, to those of my people to ask for wisdom. I salute the light within their eyes where the whole universe dwells, for when you are at the center within you and I am at the at place within me, we are as one.” – Crazy Horse from James Medicine Tree http://ancientprophecyrevealed.blogspot.com/2007/12/crazy-horse-not-so-crazy.html
Elders have kept record of the generations, and it is said, that this current generation, is the seventh generation, arising with healing in their hearts, and the fire of the Eternal in their eyes, with great wisdom, to bring to this nation, and any that would open their hearts to hear and receive it.
I am one of them, hearing, praying, studying, learning, and watching our great Creator, do, what no man has ever been able to do. Heal hearts, lives, vision, and create pathways of purpose by His Spirit in the earth, that truly change this generation…
I am priviledged to be seeing these words come to pass, all across America, Red Men are arising in Jesus, embracing their God given mandates, responsibilites, callings, destinies, and their voices are again being heard in this land!
Wisdom comes only when you stop looking for it and start living the life the Creator intended for you. – Hopi
Would you join us on the journey?
It begins, with an open heart, and prayer:
‘Father, Creator, Great Spirit, Great One, I come to you right now, asking that you forgive me, and reveal Yourself, and Your plan for my life, to me. Lord Jesus, I choose to believe that You came, You walked this earth, that You died, and rose from the dead. I ask You, to come into my heart, my life, my thoughts, dreams, and visions, and reveal truth, that heals and sets free. I choose to walk your path, from now and forever, Amen.’
Traditionally, there have been great warriors from each tribe, that have risen up to defend their people. I hear our Creator calling upon you again to fight. Hear these words from my Mohawk friend, Jonathon Maracle: Warrior, come on an ride the wind! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aEJU-cp7bY
