Ch. 4 is pretty self-explanatory -- the neighbors feel threatened by the Jews rebuilding the city wall but Nehemiah is resolute and they do it anyway. So I'll take this opportunity to talk about the current book banning wars. There are some distinctions that people seem to elide in this controversy so I'll try to be clear about my own position.
Of course there is plenty of literature that isn't appropriate for third graders to read, for various reasons. It might be just too disturbing, and give them nightmares. They might misunderstand it -- for example, literature featuring unreliable or malevolent narrators. They might not be ready to think critically about some controversial moral issues. I agree that young children probably aren't ready to think about all the complexities of sexual relationships and desire, and they don't need to know specifically about all the varieties thereof. And for sure, large parts of the Bible come under those restrictions. (On the other hand, it's highly unlikely that a third grader is going to pick the thing up and start reading through the really nasty parts. As I have often said here, very few adults have done so including the vast majority of the people claim to believe in it.)
Obviously, as people grow older the range of what they can and should be reading and thinking and talking about expands. The public library should have copies of Mein Kampf, Das Kapital, Plato's Republic, Lolita, and the Joy of Sex, as well as histories of all the extremely cruel and disturbing things humans have done to each other, including the grave sins of the United States. But librarians and parents need to exercise discretion about what makes sense for children of a given age.
However, the controversies we are experiencing now aren't so sensible. The mere existence of same sex couples and non-traditional families and people who do not conform to traditional gender norms shouldn't be concealed from children. Actually it can't be. Obviously, these will be part of some children's worlds without encountering it in a book. That's just the truth and it's wrong to lie to children. I happen to believe that all of that should be just fine with children and everybody else, so there is perhaps a basic difference I have with the Republican party.
And third graders can certainly handle the truth about this history of slavery and dispossession and genocide of Native Americans, without needing to go into all of the gory details. There were people living here when people from Europe came over in boats and they had guns so they stole the people's land and most of them died. The European settlers kidnapped people from African and made them work on farms and sold them like cattle. Then we had a civil war and that stopped but there was still discrimination and violence against Black people who fought for equality. That's just the truth and it's wrong to lie to children.
That said, here's Nehemiah 4.
4 [a]When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews, 2 and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, “What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble—burned as they are?”
3 Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, “What they are building—even a fox climbing up on it would break down their wall of stones!”
4 Hear us, our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity. 5 Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from your sight, for they have thrown insults in the face of[b] the builders.
6 So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.
7 But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the people of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. 8 They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. 9 But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.
10 Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.”
11 Also our enemies said, “Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work.”
12 Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.”
13 Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows. 14 After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”
15 When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to our own work.
16 From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah 17 who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, 18 and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me.
19 Then I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. 20 Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!”
21 So we continued the work with half the men holding spears, from the first light of dawn till the stars came out. 22 At that time I also said to the people, “Have every man and his helper stay inside Jerusalem at night, so they can serve us as guards by night and as workers by day.” 23 Neither I nor my brothers nor my men nor the guards with me took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even when he went for water.[c]
Footnotes
- Nehemiah 4:1 In Hebrew texts 4:1-6 is numbered 3:33-38, and 4:7-23 is numbered 4:1-17.
- Nehemiah 4:5 Or have aroused your anger before
- Nehemiah 4:23 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
4 comments:
They must have been Ukrainian.
To your point:
If kids can be expected to deal with school shooters carrying assault weapons, then they sure as shirt should be able to deal with all of the things you talked about.
Here's a novel suggestion: Teach academics
Put the horse before the cart. Johnny can't read as it is...or do math at grade level.
Try that first. Doesn't that sound like a good idea?
Uhm, I agree that we need to do a better job of teaching basic skills, but that also would seem to be completely irrelevant.
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