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"And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curse thee."
-- Gen. 12:3
"If thou shalt indeed obey his voice... then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies and an adversary unto thine adversaries."
-- Ex. 23:22
God is making a deal with the Israelites ("Quid pro quo, Clarice"; from the last entry).
"If you do as I say, I got your back! You my boy! Ain't no one gonna mess with you!"
"And if by some chance an honest man like yourself made enemies they would become my enemies. And then, they would fear you."
-- Don Corleone, to Bonasera,
"The Godfather" (1972, screenplay by Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola)
A predominance of "Godfather" quotes as of late.
Am I comparing The Almighty to a mob boss?
I guess I am... but Brando DID win the Oscar for it.
But that's the big bargaining chip between God and Abraham/Moses/the Israelites.
That's what being a part of a group is all about. That's why people join gangs. Someone has your back! Someone is watching out for you.
And that's a lot!
"Forget them slayer, I got your back."
-- Spike, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (TV series, created by Joss Whedon)
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Tuesday, December 8
"Quid pro quo, Clarice" -- Hannibal Lecter
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Here is a little story from Genesis that I never knew about!
First,
“And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver and gold”
(Gen. 13:2)
Who knew? I always imagined Abram (later becomes Abraham) as a quiet, peaceful shepherd, living a simple life.
Turns out, that dude was LOADED!
And he could kick some serious ass!
Check it--
It so happened that a bunch of kings made an alliance, led by a guy named Chedorlaomer (Hebrew for “cheese of the omer”), the king of Elam (somewhere in east Mesopotamia).
Unfortunately, they squared off against Bera and Birsha, the two kings of Sodom and Gomorrah, respectively. This was before S & G were destroyed by God.
Too bad for Chedorlaomer and his gang—they ransacked Sodom and Gomorrah and kidnapped their inhabitants, including Lot, Abe’s brother.
Big mistake.
If Abe were an action star, this is where he’d say, “Now… it’s personal!”
Check this out:
“When Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants… and pursued them.
“And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night and smote them…
“And he brought back all the goods and also… his brother Lot, and his women and the people.”
(Gen. 14:14-16)
Lo and behold! Abram was a rich bad-ass!
But here’s the cool part:
After all that, Abe returns the stolen goods to the grateful king of Sodom. The king tells Abe, “Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself” (v.21).
Sweet!
But wait—what does Abe do? He says:
“I will not take from a thread even to a shoe latchet and I will not take anything that is thine, lest thou should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’” (v.23)
The Jewish Publication Society Bible has a more vernacular translation:
“I will not take so much as a thread or a sandal strap of what is yours; you shall not say, ‘It is I who made Abram rich.’”
Damn!
THAT is the definition of cool!
Like in “Three Amigos!” or “Space Balls,” two films integral to my childhood, released within 6 months of each other (between 1986 and 1987), seminal in the formation of my personality.
As far as I was concerned, those films were the epitome of westerns and sci-fi flicks, respectively. That’s all I knew… and it was plenty!
And they both showed me how a hero behaved… just like Abraham!
At the end of each film, the heroes refuse rewards for saving the day.
The “Three Amigos!” (played impeccably by Marin Short, Steve Martin and Chevy Chase… back when they were all funny) save the people of a little Mexican village, Santa Polko. When they offer a reward, the Three Amigos refuse!
Ned Nederlander (Martin Short): “Our reward is that justice has been done!”
At the conclusion of “Spaceballs”, Lone Starr, our hero, refuses a reward from the King of Druidia (Dick Van Patten). The King reflects, surprised by this:
King: “He didn’t take the million... He just took 248 spacebucks for lunch, gas and tolls.”
Of course, Abraham comes right out and says why he doesn’t want the King’s booty (easy, now).
He knows the king will simply use it as leverage later on ("Come on, Abe, do me a solid. You owe me!"... that's how they talked in Ancient Mesopotamia).
I just finished reading "Fab Five", a chronicle of the superstar Michigan Wolverine college basketball team from 1992-1993. The book, written by Mitch Albom (back when Tuesdays were just another day) details how agents and colleges threw money at these high schools grads turned basketball wunderkinds, repeatedly offering bribes to the teenagers and their parents, if it meant a promise to attend a certain university, a flagrant violation of NCAA policy.
Or, as Don Corleone (Marlon Brando) puts it to Bonasera in "The Godfather" (1972), after Bonasera asks him for a favor:
“Some day, and that day may never come, I will call upon you to do a service for me.”
Well, that day DOES come and Bonasera is informed:
"Now, you owe your Don a service. He has no doubt that you will repay him."
See! Ain’t no such thing as a free lunch. You take something, you’re gonna owe something.
Abraham knew that. That’s why he refuses “the goods,” the spoils of war, and the money.
After all, as the philosopher The Notorious B.I.G. (in Hebrew, “Notorious Beyt-Yud-Gimmel”) succinctly puts it:
“Mo money, mo’ problems”
Amen, Mr. B.I.G.. Amen.
.
Here is a little story from Genesis that I never knew about!
First,
“And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver and gold”
(Gen. 13:2)
Who knew? I always imagined Abram (later becomes Abraham) as a quiet, peaceful shepherd, living a simple life.
Turns out, that dude was LOADED!
And he could kick some serious ass!
Check it--
It so happened that a bunch of kings made an alliance, led by a guy named Chedorlaomer (Hebrew for “cheese of the omer”), the king of Elam (somewhere in east Mesopotamia).
Unfortunately, they squared off against Bera and Birsha, the two kings of Sodom and Gomorrah, respectively. This was before S & G were destroyed by God.
Too bad for Chedorlaomer and his gang—they ransacked Sodom and Gomorrah and kidnapped their inhabitants, including Lot, Abe’s brother.
Big mistake.
If Abe were an action star, this is where he’d say, “Now… it’s personal!”
Check this out:
“When Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants… and pursued them.
“And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night and smote them…
“And he brought back all the goods and also… his brother Lot, and his women and the people.”
(Gen. 14:14-16)
Lo and behold! Abram was a rich bad-ass!
But here’s the cool part:
After all that, Abe returns the stolen goods to the grateful king of Sodom. The king tells Abe, “Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself” (v.21).
Sweet!
But wait—what does Abe do? He says:
“I will not take from a thread even to a shoe latchet and I will not take anything that is thine, lest thou should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’” (v.23)
The Jewish Publication Society Bible has a more vernacular translation:
“I will not take so much as a thread or a sandal strap of what is yours; you shall not say, ‘It is I who made Abram rich.’”
Damn!
THAT is the definition of cool!
Like in “Three Amigos!” or “Space Balls,” two films integral to my childhood, released within 6 months of each other (between 1986 and 1987), seminal in the formation of my personality.
As far as I was concerned, those films were the epitome of westerns and sci-fi flicks, respectively. That’s all I knew… and it was plenty!
And they both showed me how a hero behaved… just like Abraham!
At the end of each film, the heroes refuse rewards for saving the day.
The “Three Amigos!” (played impeccably by Marin Short, Steve Martin and Chevy Chase… back when they were all funny) save the people of a little Mexican village, Santa Polko. When they offer a reward, the Three Amigos refuse!
Ned Nederlander (Martin Short): “Our reward is that justice has been done!”
At the conclusion of “Spaceballs”, Lone Starr, our hero, refuses a reward from the King of Druidia (Dick Van Patten). The King reflects, surprised by this:
King: “He didn’t take the million... He just took 248 spacebucks for lunch, gas and tolls.”
Of course, Abraham comes right out and says why he doesn’t want the King’s booty (easy, now).
He knows the king will simply use it as leverage later on ("Come on, Abe, do me a solid. You owe me!"... that's how they talked in Ancient Mesopotamia).
I just finished reading "Fab Five", a chronicle of the superstar Michigan Wolverine college basketball team from 1992-1993. The book, written by Mitch Albom (back when Tuesdays were just another day) details how agents and colleges threw money at these high schools grads turned basketball wunderkinds, repeatedly offering bribes to the teenagers and their parents, if it meant a promise to attend a certain university, a flagrant violation of NCAA policy.
Or, as Don Corleone (Marlon Brando) puts it to Bonasera in "The Godfather" (1972), after Bonasera asks him for a favor:
“Some day, and that day may never come, I will call upon you to do a service for me.”
Well, that day DOES come and Bonasera is informed:
"Now, you owe your Don a service. He has no doubt that you will repay him."
See! Ain’t no such thing as a free lunch. You take something, you’re gonna owe something.
Abraham knew that. That’s why he refuses “the goods,” the spoils of war, and the money.
After all, as the philosopher The Notorious B.I.G. (in Hebrew, “Notorious Beyt-Yud-Gimmel”) succinctly puts it:
“Mo money, mo’ problems”
Amen, Mr. B.I.G.. Amen.
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