The explanation for the title of this article is so simple
that by the end of it, some of you reading may wonder why I even wrote it, but I’ll carry on anyway…
What happens when citizens of countries are kidnapped by foreigners? What happens when a nation’s warriors are taken as POWs? To answer that, let us use for an example the Iran hostage crisis, where for nearly 15 months from November 1979 to January 1981, 52 American diplomats and citizens were held captive in Iran. Without going into an exhaustive history of the standoff, suffice it to say that the U.S. government worked tirelessly to bring home its citizens being held hostage.
The same holds true when so-called “Eastern extremist groups” kidnap and hold hostage citizens or service members of Western countries for political reasons. What we see in the movies (and often in the news) is that these extremists often hold those persons captive for the purpose of prisoner exchange, so that they can bring home their imprisoned fellow fighters.
Yet when we examine the plight of the so-called Negro/Afro-American/Afro-Caribbean/Afro-Brazilian, etc, one of the first things that jumps off the pages of history is that no nation’s military came to rescue them; no diplomat or politician came to plead for their safe return. Why was that so?
To answer the why, you must first understand that the so-called Negro/Afro-American, etc, is not who or what he was labeled as by his European conquerors. When you understand that the so-called “Black Man” in the Western Hemisphere is actually the offspring of the ancient Tribes of Judah and Israel, the answer starts to come into clearer view.
Nobody came to rescue the Israelite, because throughout history, the Israelite has had no allies.
It does not take a Bible scholar to read and recognize that throughout their history, the only allies the Israelite ever had was The Most High himself, and each other.
When throughout their history they would walk upright before Him, He would deliver Israel’s enemies into their hands – every single time! The Israelite, by the numbers, went into every battle as a heavy underdog, and would typically rout their enemies quickly. Again though, this only happened when they lived in a state of righteous accordance with the will of The Most High.
On the other hand, when they would live wickedly and walk in defiance to the covenant made between YHWH and Abraham, He would allow them to fall into the hands of their invaders (but only for a time)… which leads us to 70AD and the destruction of Jerusalem.
70AD represented the last year that the Israelite/Judite/Yahudin would govern himself (well, sort of, if you take into account that Rome had made Judea a protectorate and thenceforth, dictated government operations and demanded taxes be collected and paid to them regularly). In 66AD, after being weary of Roman rule, the Hebrews revolted, which led to a bilateral armed conflict: a bloody civil war between Roman sympathizers and those who rejected their rule, and a simultaneous military response from Rome. That bilateral conflict would lead to the eventual fall and destruction of the capital city, and the subsequent slaughter, mass exile and enslavement of the survivors of a months-long starvation and the final, bloody massacre.
Nearly seven centuries later, the scattered Hebrews would join forces with their ancient cousins—the Ishmaelites—and would conquer the Iberian peninsula, bringing civilization and modernization to Europe.
(Note: We know that history called these soldiers, engineers, mathematicians, scientists, writers, architects and artists, “The Moors—but we also know that the winners of any major conflict also enjoy the privilege of telling the story as they see fit; I digress though. Facts are facts. The word “Moors” was a clever European wrapper for the sons of Ishmael and the sons of Jacob, who left many a mark on the world to this day, not the least of which is the numerical system used on every continent: 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 also known as “Arabic numerals,”—a system which replaced the cumbersome Roman numerals that are still in limited use today).
Alas, not only is 1492 the year that history teaches us that “Columbus discovered America” (was he really looking for a new spice route, or was there a more nefarious reason for his mission to the Americas—why did he have a “Hebrew-speaking Negro” travel with him to serve as translator?), but January 1492 also marked the end of “Moorish” rule in the Iberian Peninsula. (Note: By this time, the Spanish Inquisition—an edict enacted to force Hebrews to convert to Roman Catholicism on fear of torture, death or exile—was already into its 13th year. See video reference below).
Well, the mass exile of Iberian Hebrews
(many of whom were the descendants of those who were driven out of Jerusalem and Greater Judah some 14 centuries before) would mark the end of military protection of the Israelites from the Tribe of Judah. From Spain they were expelled to Portugal, and from Portugal to various areas of West Africa (many of which had living conditions that were so hostile—both due to poor soil conditions and warmongering indigenous neighbors, it is a wonder they survived).
So, when we fast forward to the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, we must revisit the original question: Why didn’t anyone come to the rescue of the people of the broken Tribe of Judah (whom history has labeled: “African Slaves”)? The answer is, the only people who would have come for them, WAS them. They simply had no allies; they never had any. Not only that, they no longer had a homeland of their own, and had in fact been living in exile from theirs for some 16 centuries. But the answer for why nobody came for them even pre-dates the 70AD Fall of Jerusalem.
The Israelites were a peculiar people, chosen by The Most High himself and set apart from all nations of the Earth. They are a people whose only military allies, aside from The Most High Himself and His Angels, have been their brothers: the other sons of Jacob. The ancient Israelites never made any alliances with any nations outside their own tribes, and that in accordance with the commandment of their God, YHWH (see scripture references at the end of this article). In fact, the first time they made a formal alliance treaty for protection was with the Romans, and it would prove to be their last (read 1 Maccabees Chapter 8 in the Apocrypha).
(Regarding their treaty with the Romans, didn’t YHWH warn them in accordance with Exodus 34:12 that such covenants would prove to be a snare to them? Oh well, by this along with a plethora of other examples, we know that His word cannot return empty.)
There is one time in their history that an actual emissary did come to plead for their release; his name was Moses. In this special case, Moses was the emissary and The Most High himself was the “military” who secured their rescue. After their rescue was secured, The Most High—YHWH through his servant Moses, gave the Israelites a set of conditional promises. Adherence to his statutes and commandments would see them in a perpetual state of peace, security and prosperity; non-adherence would see them broken, destroyed (though not utterly), and back in captivity and servitude until a distant time (Deut 28:45-46).
So in conclusion, this was a drive all the way around the block to get you to the house next door (I often do that in both writing and lecture to drive home a point—pun intended). The simple answer to the question of why nobody came for Judah when the tribe was being sold into captivity via the Trans-Atlantic Slave trade, is that their Heavenly Ally had turned His face away from them; and they, though being the strongest of the 12 tribes, had neither an ally under the heavens who would rescue them, nor had any might in their hand to free themselves or their offspring—Deuteronomy 28:32 (and besides, where would they have returned to had they been able to free themselves from the chains of the British, Americans and Portuguese in the Americas?).
Thanks for reading!
—MT
Just a few scripture references which support the commandment to the Israelites to not form alliances and protection treaties with outside nations:
Exodus 23:30–32
Exodus 34:11–12
Deuteronomy: 23:3–6
Ezra 9:12,14
Matt D. Talford is a writer, narrator, and author of three books: “Stuck In An Elevator” – a fictitious tale of passion and self-discovery; “Captain’s Mate: A Practical Guide for Tennis Captains, League Players and High School Coaches”; and his award-winning debut title: ”From Fear to Faith: A Survivor’s Story” – a memoir about overcoming a rare form of what he calls “the C-word.” All three books are currently available in paperback at www.talfordarts.com or at Amazon.com; and in eBook format on Amazon Kindle and Apple iBooks. “From Fear to Faith: A Survivor’s Story” is also available in audiobook (narrated by Talford himself) at iTunes, audible.com, and at many other sites where audiobooks are sold. For information on these and other products, click the “shop” link in the menu.
