And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. ~Deuteronomy 6:6,7
Does this seem overwhelming? Don’t worry.
Teaching biblical values is easier than you think. . . a little at a time.
Breaking bread together—a teaching moment during dinner time conversation.
You might be surprised how your young adults may someday tell their children what they learned from you, in the morning, or at night, or as you “walked along the way” with them.
Teaching in the Savior’s Way
How can we bless our children with the peace and direction that they need more than ever in our uncertain world? Today we can carry on His timeless messages by teaching biblical values in dinner time conversation.
Breaking Bread—The Universal Parable
AT THE MERIDIAN OF TIME, people followed Jesus everywhere, irresistibly drawn to His message. Whether they were few or many, each walked away with that portion of the bread of life that fed his own soul, having connected at last with his divine heritage.
How did the Savior do it? With parables of daily life that teach biblical values. He broke bread with His friends. He fed them, taught them parables, and changed their lives.
Breaking bread is the archetype parable of the Savior’s ministry. Metaphorically, breaking bread means having a meal together, or starting a meal.
A Way of Life
We can use this same simple means of teaching biblical values to our family today.
Dinner time is the most natural, irresistible form of fellowship— and it builds lasting bonds.
We all need to eat every day. Why not add a little “bread of life” along with it? Finding peace in Christ is not a single event—it’s a process.
Done a little every day, it’s easier than you think!
In homes where the parable of breaking bread is a way of life, family and friends find refuge from society’s cold indifference, or even from hot hostility. All find safety in the fellowship of the King.
Breaking bread is the universal parable. When shared at dinner time, it becomes a metaphor of enduring family unity that can comfort generations, long after we are gone.
Meet the Characters of the Birthright Book series:
Heroes and Villains
ALLEGORY HAS SYMBOLIC FIGURES AND ACTIONS.
Below you can meet the heroes and villains.
Many of them have names which are symbolic in the story.
The theme is based on the Bible story from Genesis about twin brothers, Jacob and Esau.
In the book, the twins are named Benjamin and Ruben.
As the story unfolds, two contrasting cultures spring from the choices each brother makes.
Heroes
Benjamin and Ruben Benamoz, main characters, are un-identical twin brothers. They each make different choices which lead to contrasting lifestyles. Their names are from the twelve tribes of Israel.
Joseph ben Amoz, Benjamin and Ruben’s father. Joseph’s name is also from the twelve tribes. Amoz is the same name as the father of the prophet Isaiah.
Lorenzo Nobles. Governor Nobles loves to throw lavish cultural events; he collects art, music, and historical relics. His namesake, Lorenzo de Medicci of Italy, was a patron of the arts during the Renaissance. Lorenzo is a great admirer of Christopher Columbus, and of all things American. Nobles, of course, signifies nobility, not in the aristocratic sense, but in character.
Rebekah Nobles, wife of Lorenzo, encourages Ben to protect the birthright. Her namesake is Rebekah of the Bible, who rescued the birthright blessing from her wayward son Esau.
Allison Russell. Her character’s brilliant red hair matches her great intelligence. Her blunt truthfulness is amusing. Imagine my delight when I found that Teutonic and Swedish variations for “Allison” denote “truth”, and “noble humor.” Totally fitting!
Zephan. Joseph’s older brother. His name is Hebrew, a variation of Zephaniah, meaninghidden by God; God’s treasure. Zephan’s character is like a type or symbol of Christ. He devotes his life to justice, but also is merciful. Zephan rescues the Benamoz brothers from bondage and teaches them about repentance.
Dan MacRay. A journalist with rare integrity, he founded Reality Worldview News. Dan “fights the good fight” by shining rays of light on corruption and evil. He becomes Ben’s boss in the newspaper business.
Villains
Ramses. Gandikon pirate chief who engages in human trafficking. His namesake, Ramses, was the pharaoh of Egypt who opposed Moses, made slaves of the Hebrews, and killed all Hebrew babies in attempt to stop the prophesied deliverer from carrying out his mission.
Members of the Anti-Hate Committee
Alger Rotcraft. This is a play on words. “Rot” [rhymes with vote] is the German word for red; craft means to make. Red is the color of communism and socialism. Of course, in English, one meaning of “rot” is to become morally corrupt. Rotcraft is from the Kohor Empire, which represents all the tyrannical isms. Rotcraft makescultural rot. With his extreme wealth, he buys up newspapers so he can stifle freedom of speech, and pays for mobs to riot against innocent people. Rotcraft has a counterpart in real life who carries out this cultural Marxism. When you read the news, see if you can figure out who Alger Rotcraft represents.
Feral Hamad. Feral means fierce or wild. Hamad is a variation of Haman, who in the Bible tried to wipe out the Jewish people. Feral is extremely racist, and he founded Parents Legal and Youth services, or PLAY, which is a franchise of abortion clinics. I’m sure you know what counterpart in real life PLAY represents. Feral Hamad reminds Benjamin of a vulture.
Arch Kingerman is an archetype politician. His name is derived from a group in Native American history called the “king-men”, who always sought to overthrow liberty.
Elidor Redmund is ambassador to the Kohor Empire in Book 1. In Book 2, she is secretary of education, in charge of “re-educating” the people of Yeshurun. Her surname means “red world.” She is in love with Arch Kingerman.
Fomentio Dagon is a community organizer. He always foments, or stirs up, people to hatred and mob action.
Other Followers of the Order of Kohor
Raul Dagon. Son of Fomentio Dagon. He is a “friend” who always gets Ruben into trouble.
Delia Matagorda works for Alger Rotcraft. Delia uses her seductive and deceptive powers to damage Ruben’s moral compass. She is like the Bible story of Samson and Delilah. She ends up being deceived herself.
Nils Marlow. Atheist professor at Amulon University. Believes in nihilism[1], junk science and his own delusions of grandeur.
Boris Volkrusher works for the Kohor empire, in charge of drug cartels and assassinations. He takes delight in crushing folks, literally and figuratively.
[1] Nihilism—a: viewpoint that traditional values and beliefs are unfounded and that existence is senseless and useless b: a doctrine that denies any objective ground of truth and esp. of moral truths
ONE OF THE GREATEST ALLEGORIES OF ALL TIME is J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. It can be a bit of a challenge to keep track of all Tolkien’s characters in the little world that he created, called Middle Earth, with whole nations and groups of people.
So I have put together this little guide for your allegorical journey in my Birthright book series, on the Birthright Covenant path.
First let me introduce you to what the U.S. Review of Books calls the ” fascinating parallel history” of Yeshurun, in Escape to Faith and Freedom, Book 1 of the Birthright Covenant trilogy.
Guide Posts on the Birthright Covenant Path
The Bible, the word of God. After thousands of years, the Bible remains the chief and most widely read of classic literature. What makes it an enduring best seller, past the peak of three weeks, six months, or even a year? Why is it never really obsolete? Because God’s truth is absolute; it never changes. It is an anchor for our souls. The Bible contains God’s commandments. If we keep those commandments, we have a covenant with Him. That covenant will bless us and keep us safe.
Yeshurun. The Birthright Covenant trilogy is set in a microcosm of Judeo-Christian culture called Yeshurun. The biblical spelling is Jesurun, Hebrew for upright and righteous (Deut. 33:26), and chosen (Isa. 44:2)
Zion Culture Center. Governor Lorenzo Nobles founded this center in Yeshurun, where he collects great treasures of Judeo-Christian culture.
Danger Zones
The Order of Kohor. A vast system of tyranny that uses deception to ensnare nations into bondage. Its goal is to rule the world, destroy Judeo-Christian culture. Ruling method is Procrustean.
Procrustes was a legendary Greek robber who stretched the bodies or cut off the legs of his victims to make them fit the length of his bed. What political dogma today matches this ruling method?
Gandikons. A political party that actively seeks to overthrow liberty by engaging in piracy, assassinations, gangs, violence, human trafficking, and global tyranny.
Anti-Hate Committee. A cabal with the principal purposes of re-writing history, ruining innocent people with calculated smear campaigns, and covering up Kohor atrocities. A front for drug cartels, financial fraud, genocide, and Gandikon crimes.
Fantasy, though entertaining, is false. Allegory is art— a journey through layers of truth. Escape to Faith and Freedom, an allegorical journey set in the story of Judeo-Christian heritage, offers relief to families seeking freedom from the world’s dystopian, soul-threatening culture. Readers will discover that eternal truths of the Judeo-Christian cultural way of life are especially relevant to today, for all ages, generation to generation.
“A genuine work of art must mean many things. The truer its art, the more things it will mean.” ~George MacDonald, mentor of C.S. Lewis
Escape to Faith and Freedom, Book 1 of the Birthright Covenant historical fiction trilogy, provides an allegorical journey in a historical setting, with the eternally relevant theme of Freedom vs. Tyranny. Allegory has symbolic figures and actions, which is why it has layers of meaning. [1]
The purpose of my allegory is to help readers learn from the patterns in history and human nature. Therefore, when I introduce you to the players on my stage at the idyllic island of Yeshurun, with their symbolic names, some of them will remind you of people you see on the world scene today. I hope this will make the story meaningful and memorable, so you can understand the patterns of the Big Picture in the biblical worldview.
[1]allegory— the expression by means of symbolic fictional figures and actions of truths or generalizations about human existence
Rebekah rescues the birthright covenant blessings from the wayward Esau. Righteous Jacob becomes Israel, passes on the birthright covenant.
1492—The Promised Land Discovered
Christopher Columbus, a Jewish convert to Christianity, seeks lost tribes of Israel, discovers America.
1776-1787—America’s Covenant with God
George Washington and Founding Fathers create the Constitution and establish America as a covenant nation.
1860-1865—Covenant Restored
Abraham Lincoln restores the covenant which has been broken by the evil practice of slavery.
1930—Ideas Have Consequences
When Karl Marx’s workers’ revolution failed to conquer the world, his followers devised a new strategy—Cultural Marxism. Whereas they sought to capture and subdue the human soul, Judeo-Christian Culture became the new enemy. Under the guise of multiculturalism, the Marxists invaded the realms of Western Culture, starting with the schools and spreading through science, media, government, entertainment, and even some churches.
1963-2015—America Loses Her Birthright
Supreme Court decisions led to banning the Bible and prayer from public schools.
Violent crime increased 700%, including riots and bombings; drug abuse also soared.
America has been plagued with one of the highest immorality rates in the industrialized world.
The Supreme Court decreed abortion on demand. (1973)
The Supreme Court toppled the sacred institution of marriage between a man and a woman. (2015)
Dinner Talk: What is a covenant?
covenant— in our scriptural context here, we are talking about an agreement between God and a person, or between God and a nation.
It simply means that when we agree to honor God by obeying His commandments, He promises to bless us.
If we break our covenant, we do not receive the blessings. The story in Genesis about the birthright teaches us how Jacob— the brother who kept his covenant promises to God—received the birthright blessings. His brother Esau, on the other hand, chose not to keep the covenant, and lost the blessings.
Choices have consequences. What blessings have you received when you chose to do right?
Dinner hour is time-tested. That means it is a family tradition that goes way back. The quote below is from the Old Testament. That was a long time ago!
AND THESE WORDS,which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. ~Deuteronomy 6:6,7
According to the Center on Addictions and Substance Abuse, children who eat family meals together:
Abuse drugs less
Eat healthier meals
Perform better in school
Those are just the surface benefits. Notice in the above quote from Deuteronomy, it mentions something else. God is commanding us to talk about biblical values, every day, all the time. Why? Because it is the secret to a happy life, and God wants us to be happy. So start now:
Dinner Talk
Why do you think something as simple as family meals could have such an impact?
Why is it important to have family meals every day?
How can this simple tradition bless you?
What are some small things you can do today to improve the relationships in your family?
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