Having A Mind To Work
Over the course of history, the Jewish people have been dealt one devastating blow after another. Repeatedly they were ripped from their ancient homeland and scattered to far away corners of the earth by invaders and conquerors who denied the Jewish people possession of their ancient homeland. Even so, the land of Israel IS the birthplace of the Jewish people. Four thousand years ago, by the command of God, Abraham moved to the land of Israel. It’s the place where he lived and raised his family and purchased land to bury his wife and himself.
Since the beginning, life has not been easy for the Jewish people. With every dispersion from the land of their forefathers, some Jews always remained in the land thus maintaining a continual Jewish presence. Refusing defeat, or the status of victimhood, or the label of “refugee,” time after time the Jews returned to their land bringing very little with them. Time and time again every facet of life had to begin again from scratch.
Along with being exiled, many Jews were killed. No, they were imprisoned, butchered, and slaughtered. When returning to their old/new homeland, the question undoubtedly on everyone’s mind would be, “What are we going to find?“
Following the Babylonian invasion in 586 BCE, the land was desolate and the Jews’ Holy Temple was completely destroyed. Worshipping God has always been a fundamental part of Jewish existence. Without the Temple, what were the Jews going to do?
In 539 BCE, the Persians conquered Babylon and allowed the exiled Jews to return. Having a mind to work, the Jews set out to rebuild, to renew their fragile faith, and their trust in God. Under the Persians, the Jews were allowed to rebuild their Holy Temple on the place where it once stood. While at it, they also built houses for themselves and buildings for everyday commerce. They developed a government modeled from the Torah. They had no monetary wealth – just tattered clothing, wheelbarrows, shovels and picks. With self-determination and no government subsidies or nations pouring money into their coffers, the Jews built their nation up from the dregs. They spent their time wisely with no Don Quixote aspirations.
There has been a lot of history between then and now. Today, the remarkable Jewish people have rebuilt a modern nation this time following the harrowing experiences of the Holocaust. They have formed Israel to reach the top tier of success in the measurable sectors of science, economics, technology, and education. They accomplished this because they had a mind to work and a desire to succeed.
There are many people groups in the world today who cannot seem to “make it.” Having very large sums of money given to them annually in the form of foreign aid, whether in America or the Middle East, the money seems to get wasted and the people continue to flounder. Always they are asking for more money without responsibility or accountability. Such people get nowhere because they do not have a mind to work in order to move forward. With determination, they, too, could achieve success and set a positive tone for all the world to applaud. I’m referencing to the Palestinians and their multi-generational, lifelong status as refugees, as well as people in the United States who seem to feel they are entitled to a handout based on historical events. No people group has had it tougher or rougher than the Jews. They, too, were once slaves. It seems that there is some psychology in the mix that hinders the progress of the Palestinians as well as those who feel marginalized by American society. It stems from a large measure of corruption and brainwashing for political gain by those who want to retain power and fundamentally change society. Those who do not have a mind to work, a desire for education, or the drive to succeed, are easy prey.
The desire of all good people is to have a world where there are no “have-nots” which is not the same as everyone being on equal financial footing. Some just work harder and smarter than others. In many places in the world, people claiming to have insurmountable needs have been given a helping hand but there is a vast difference between a “want” and a “need.” Those who truly want to see success in all people cannot help those who just won’t help themselves … especially after many charitable contributions of largesse. Money is not the answer. Time, money, health, and strength are all tools to be wisely used and prudently invested. If a carpenter does not know how to use a hammer, the hammer is useless to him. Same for money.
The Jewish people have pulled themselves up literally from the ashes. No one gave them reparations or handouts. Yes, Germany did make monetary payments to those who were direct victims of the Holocaust but not to subsequent generations, yet the Jewish people have made it, and not because they’ve had millennia to recover. The fact is, Israel was born in a day in 1948, and, working smart and hard, the Jews built the modern state of Israel in just 75 years. How? Because the people had a mind to work (Nehemiah 4:6). The Jews overcame disabling obstacles to their survival in both ancient and modern times. It’s heartening to see a people who were once downtrodden take responsibility for their own actions, move up, and move forward into their own future – but such success requires a mind to work and a will to succeed.
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