Back to Deuteronomy
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<aside> đ This page was originally posted on my Blogger version of the blog on June 19, 2016 The content below has a few minor tweaks for clarity, and additional references, and some updated information.
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I've known that there were people who believed blacks were actually the Israelites for quite some time. Many Afro-centric forms of Christianity have emerged throughout the years, which only seems logical. Many ask the question how can a slave and a master serve the same God. When you see the tremendous whitewashing of the Bible Europeans accomplishedâAdam and Eve weren't white, Moses blended in with the Egyptians (who weren't white), Jesus has black African ancestry (Tamar, Rehab, and Bathsheba were all of Hamitic descent and all ancestors of King David[1])âit's no wonder that black people would be put off from the whitewashed ideas. Often referred to as "the white man's religion" in pro-black circles, Christianity is often blamed for the demise of black people, despite the fact that it is actually the misinterpretation and misuse of God's Word (i.e. man not God) that led to men justifying the horrors of slavery. This history has split black people into 3 general groups: those who follow traditional Christianity, those who reject Christianity, and those who have formed pro-black Christian ideologies.
The first pro-black Christian ideology I was ever introduced to is the Rasta movement. Born in Jamaica in the 1920s and 1930s, Rastafarianism isn't even considered a religion by some followers (they'd probably not like for me to call it an "ism" now that I think about it). Rastafari doctrine includes many practices that have nothing to do with Africa, but some of the most recognizable practices and beliefs, such as their signature dreadlocks, point back to African roots. Within Rastafari doctrine are the following Afro-centric beliefs: Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie I as a divine or messianic figure, pride for one's African heritage, heavy influences of Jamaican culture (note that dreadlocks are not just associated with Rastas, but Jamaicans as a whole), along with strength and resistance to oppression.[2]
Some time in college, I came across another movement that professes the Israelites of the Bible were actually black or African. I never followed their theology much, from my understanding the Israelites were quite diverse in race. Not only did God command them to be acceptant of strangers (i.e. foreigners) who would become part of Israel by following God's law, but there are specific examples of Israelites marrying Africans. Moses married an Ethiopian woman while Joseph married an Egyptian. It seems self-explanatory that the Israelites of the Bible would have had both Arab and African ancestry, accumulating European ancestry once the Romans invaded. To me the Black Israelite theory, even more so than the Rasta movement, seemed like a way of answering the question of why everyone seems to hate black people. It wasn't until I finished re-reading Deuteronomy 28 that I had to go back and look at the ideology of this theory.
Deuteronomy 28 conveys a blessing or a curse upon Israel contingent upon their decision to follow God. Deuteronomy 28:1-14 tells of the blessings Israel will receive if they follow the Word of God, while Deuteronomy 28:15-68 outlines the curses that will befall them if they do not follow the Word of God.
Deuteronomy 31 confirms that the Israelites will not be able to keep God's law and will fall into idolatry. Today, the people identified as Jews and considered descendants of the Israelites are only descendants of the Southern Kingdom of Judah, which contained the tribes of Judah and Benjamin along with a few Levites. The other 10 tribes of the Israelites are referred to as the lost tribes.[3] Many presume they are still under the curse presented in Deuteronomy 28. One of the many curses God places on the Israelites is that they will be scattered from end to end of the Earth.
And the Lord shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone.
To me, this implies that the Israelites, no matter what their original race may or may not have been, are now a very diverse group of people. The fact that the were to be scattered from one end of the Earth to the other and worship other gods implies that they would try to blend in or be like the people of these foreign places, which would likely include relationships leading to racial mixing (this already occurred at Baal-peor and in Egypt, so why not in these foreign lands?).
While this whole passage is often used by those who claim the black people of America must be the Israelites of the Bible, it is Deuteronomy 28:68 that comes to the forefront.
And the Lord shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I spake unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again: and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you.
My study Bible denies that Egypt was meant to refer to the literal land of Egypt as the Israelites would not need to be transported to their neighboring country by boat.**[4][5]** Many sources believe that Egypt was used as a symbol in this verse to represent bondage and oppression. Others suggest that this was fulfilled during the reign of Titus.**[5][6]**
The verse goes on to predict that they will not see "it" again and will be sold to their enemies as slaves, where no man will buy them. Scholars assert that "no man shall buy you" refers to the process of redemption.[5] Remember the Israelites could be redeemed from slavery through monetary means, and were also meant to be set free in 7 years. This would not hold when they were cursed and no man would be able to buy them their freedom. The "it" in the verse may be speaking of Egypt. It seems as though being transported to Egypt is only the beginning of their punishment as it is from "there ye shall be sold;" this implies that as scholars suggest, the Israelites would be sold into slavery in Egypt. The question is whether it is Egypt or Israel that they won't see again.
It is common knowledge that the only people to literally be sold into slavery and transported away from their home via ships are Africans during the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. This is part of why those who follow this movement believe this verse is referring to those descending from African slaves. Many scholars say the reference to ships is not to be taken as literal ships, but to be a reminder to the people that when they came out of Egypt God parted the Red Sea, but when they went back He would not be with them. From this verse alone, I see the trouble of interpretation, as it really could go either way. Everything seems to hinge on whether it's Egypt or the ships that are figurative or symbolic, and whether either or even both may be literal.
However, as we step through the whole passage, there really is a great similarity to the experience of the descendants of the African Slaves.
In Deuteronomy 28:59-61, God says He will unleash plagues and sickness upon the Israelites as part of this curse. God says there will be plagues upon them that are not recorded in the book of law (i.e. not leprosy or boils, but something new). Meanwhile, a professor at the Harvard School of Public Health was quoted by ABC News as stating that of the 15 leading causes of death in the U.S., black people have higher death rates in 12 of them.[10]
Photocredit: ShutterStock.com/michaeljung