It Is Written

Nunuku's Law

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

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Series Code: IIW

Program Code: IIW001405A


00:06 [soft piano and guitar]
00:20 This is It Is Written. I'm John Bradshaw.
00:23 Thanks for joining me. It's the first place in the
00:27 world to see the sun. The Chatham Islands - named
00:31 "Rekohu" or "Misty Sun" by the island's original
00:36 settlers. Population 600.
00:43 It's a part of New Zealand and it's 840 km or about 500
00:47 miles east of Christchurch in New Zealand's South Island.
00:51 Today, the Chathams are home to farmers and fishermen and some
00:55 of the biggest crayfish you're every likely to see.
00:59 At 373 square miles the Chatham Islands -
01:03 an archipelago of ten islands - is a quarter
01:06 of the size of Rhode Island.
01:08 Life moves slowly here, kind of how you might wish the rest
01:12 of the world would be. It takes about a day to get
01:15 around the main island, but there's plenty to see and
01:19 even more to discover.
01:25 The Chatham Islands are the scene of one of the greatest
01:27 environmental success stories of the last hundred years.
01:31 In 1980 there were five Chatham Island Black
01:36 Robins left in existence.
01:38 And among them, only one breeding female.
01:42 But through the hard work and genius of government
01:44 conservationists, led by a man named Don Merton,
01:48 the Chatham Islands Black Robin was pulled back
01:51 from the brink of extinction.
01:53 Today there are around 250 Chatham Islands Black
01:57 Robins alive, living out there on Little
02:00 Mangere and South East Islands.
02:05 But 200 years ago here on Chatham Islands it wasn't
02:08 the birds facing extinction, but the people who
02:11 lived here. The most painful chapter in this
02:14 island's history shines a light on a remarkable stand taken
02:18 hundreds of years before by a leader here, and on the
02:23 convictions of a people who considered a sacred covenant
02:27 to be of far greater importance than even their own physical
02:30 well-being.
02:35 Maui Solomon is the grandson of Tommy Solomon,
02:38 the last full-blooded Moriori, and he's the chairperson of
02:42 the Hokotehi Moriori Trust. Maui is one of the driving
02:46 forces behind the revival of Moriori culture.
02:49 Moriori were the first to settle these islands seven to eight
02:55 hundred years ago, and Rongomaiwhenua and his
02:58 younger brother Rongomaitere came from eastern Polynesia
03:02 and came directly to these islands.
03:05 We have two threads of settlement,
03:08 one directly from eastern Polynesia and another from
03:11 Aotearoa. Rekohu literally means to gaze
03:15 at the sun through the mist. When Moriori first arrived on
03:19 these islands, it would have been a shock, because they'd
03:22 come from tropical Polynesia to a very temperate climate
03:26 here on Rekohu.
03:30 But they rapidly adapted to this environment , and they used
03:34 local materials, flax and bull kelp and local trees
03:38 to construct their canoes, and their canoes were in
03:43 a very similar model were shaped to a European
03:46 rowing boat.
03:50 Over 600 years ago, Nunuku-whenua, the last in this
03:55 line of spiritual leaders, had witnessed from the mouth of his
04:00 cave two warring factions. He decreed that the people lay
04:05 down their arms and that from that time forward they live in
04:10 peace and share the resources of the land and the sea.
04:14 He laid down the curse, "The day you disobey,
04:17 may your bowels rot." And from that day forward, there
04:21 was no further killing. That worked for them in on these
04:26 islands for centuries . And, of course, that experiment
04:29 was put to the ultimate test when Ngati Tama and
04:33 Ngati Mutunga invaded these islands in
04:37 November 1835.
04:42 In 1835, everything changed for the peaceful Moriori
04:47 society. To call what happened here a
04:50 tragedy would be to under- represent the magnitude
04:53 of what occurred. This was a catastrophe.
04:57 In fact, it was genocide. And while a catastrophe can
05:02 sometimes bring out the worst in people, it can also bring
05:06 out the best. And this one did both.
05:11 900 - men, women and children were brought in two boatloads
05:16 from Wellington in the "Lord Rodney,"
05:19 an English sailing vessel. When they arrived,
05:22 they were very unwell; it had been a rough journey.
05:26 The people were looked after by Moriori.
05:29 They were fed, sheltered. Not long after that, the newly
05:32 arrived Maori from New Zealand began to "takahi"
05:36 - walk the land - and killing and enslaving
05:38 Moriori as they went. And it was obvious what the
05:42 intensions were, was to wipe Moriori out.
05:44 [distant rumble] To understand the magnitude
05:48 of what happened here, you really need to keep
05:50 in mind the era in which it occurred.
05:53 In 1835, invasion meant subjugation and it meant
05:57 slavery. Blood would be shed,
06:01 lives would be lost, it would be ugly.
06:05 The practice of the invaders was to cannibalize their
06:09 enemies. So the invasion of the Moriori
06:12 here at Rekohu would involve unspeakable horrors.
06:18 Now, at that same time the musket wars were taking place
06:21 among the Maori tribes on mainland New Zealand.
06:24 So for the invaders, the thought of coming
06:27 to an island, taking it,
06:29 and killing the inhabitants was nothing out of
06:31 the ordinary. The Moriori held a council at a
06:35 place called Te Awapatiki to discuss what they should do.
06:39 Some of the young men urged that they should fight back.
06:42 After all, two thousand Moriori and about a thousand fighting
06:45 men against nine hundred invaders gave them a pretty
06:48 good shot at victory, even though they weren't
06:51 a fighting people. Not to win?
06:54 Well, that would mean they'd be killed, eaten, enslaved, and
07:00 wiped out altogether. So two thousand against nine
07:04 hundred, you'd think the outcome might be certain.
07:08 Except it wasn't that simple, because of Nunuku's Law.
07:14 [Maui Solomon] The ancestors brought with them
07:17 the traditions and the customs from eastern Polynesia,
07:21 so they were a warrior people, a war-like people.
07:24 They also practiced cannibalism. They came to the conclusion that
07:28 if we keep killing one another, we'll wipe each other out.
07:31 They recognized that there's always going to be conflict
07:34 when you have humans. So how do we manage that
07:36 conflict? So they evolved their own
07:39 covenant of peace. Combat was ritualized using
07:42 a wooden staff. First blood drawn,
07:45 honor satisfied, fighting was to
07:47 cease. There shall be no killing.
07:49 Thou shalt not kill. About 500 years after Nunuku
07:53 lived in this very cave, the Moriori discovered
07:58 they had invaders in their backyard,
08:00 and their very existence was threatened.
08:03 So what would they do? They could honor Nunuku's Law,
08:07 which defined them as a people and ensured that life was
08:11 treated as sacred, or they could defend themselves
08:14 and abandon a vital principle of their society.
08:19 Whatever their decision would be, it would have enormous
08:22 consequences. So what would they do?
08:25 Find out in just a moment.
08:28 [soft ethereal music]
08:38 World history has taught us to associate the word
08:41 "surrender" with thoughts of defeat, shame and loss.
08:45 But what if it were the road to ultimate victory?
08:48 What if surrender meant letting go of your sin or your
08:50 dysfunction in exchange for freedom and integrity?
08:54 What if your conqueror offered you healing, wholeness and
08:58 power? When you're used to being in
09:01 charge, surrender to God may be a struggle.
09:04 But I guarantee you surrender to God is the greatest victory
09:07 you'll ever win. If you'd like to understand
09:09 more, request our free booklet, "The War is Over."
09:13 Simply call 800-253-3000 and ask for your free copy
09:17 of "The War is Over." If the line's busy,
09:20 please try again. Or you can write to
09:23 It Is Written at P O Box 6, Chattanooga,
09:26 Tennessee, 37401. We'll mail a free copy to your
09:30 address in North America. It Is Written is a faith-based
09:34 ministry, and your support makes it possible for us
09:37 to share God's good news with the world.
09:40 Your tax-deductible gift can be sent to the address on your
09:42 screen, or through our website at ItIsWritten.com.
09:46 Thank you for your continued prayerful support.
09:49 [deep rumbling tones]
09:55 [John Bradshaw] This is It Is Written.
09:58 I'm John Bradshaw. This is a rugged and often
10:02 windswept place: the Chatham Islands.
10:05 Five-hundred miles east of New Zealand in the
10:08 southern Pacific Ocean. Almost 200 years ago,
10:11 this was the scene of an incredible tragedy,
10:14 one that very nearly resulted in the extinction
10:17 of the people who lived here.
10:21 [Maui Solomon] Nine-hundred Maori in
10:23 total arrived and landed at Port Hutt.
10:27 It was clear to the people at that time that the invaders
10:33 intended to wipe them out, to enslave them.
10:39 We're told that a thousand men met at Te Awapatiki to debate
10:44 over three or four days what the response would be to the
10:48 invasion by Ngati Tama and Ngati Mutunga.
10:52 So the young men urged resistance, but the elders
10:54 forbade breaking their covenant of peace, and said that the
10:59 covenant wasn't something that could be varied to
11:02 suit the dictates of the time, and it would be a
11:04 complete loss of mana for them as a people
11:07 if they violated that sacrosanct law.
11:11 So this covenant of peace was so sacred to Moriori they put their
11:15 spiritual beliefs above their physical needs.
11:21 The will of the elders won out. Two chiefs, Torea and Tapata,
11:26 are quoted as having said, "The law of Nunuku is not
11:30 a strategy for survival, to be changed as
11:34 conditions vary. It is a moral imperative."
11:38 Nunuku's Law was a sacred covenant, and it would be
11:41 treated as such. The consequences for the Moriori
11:45 were disastrous. Initially, 226 were murdered.
11:50 Hundreds more were taken as slaves.
11:53 Many of the slaves were killed and eaten.
11:56 Some died from despair, while many others died as a result
12:00 of diseases introduced by the invaders.
12:04 In thirty years or so, the Moriori population fell to
12:09 just 101. Ninety percent of the Moriori
12:14 population had been killed.
12:19 Here in the Moriori marae is a memorial to those
12:23 who perished. At the Auckland Public Library,
12:26 the names of all the Moriori who died during that time
12:29 are recorded. So that while their lives were
12:32 lost, the memory of them was not.
12:36 And on the memorial are carved the names of those who died
12:40 during and following the massacre.
12:46 Now here's a question: Who would choose to lose their life rather
12:52 than to fight trying to defend it?
12:56 What kind of person or people, knowing the seriousness of the
13:01 consequences, would consider a law so important, so utterly
13:06 inviolable, that they would choose to honor that law
13:11 rather than preserve their own life or,
13:15 essentially, their entire culture?
13:19 Is a law ever so important that a person should die rather than
13:24 violate that law? When we go to the Bible we find
13:28 again and again references to people who chose to put a
13:31 greater cause above their own welfare, and even
13:35 ahead of their own lives.
13:37 Let's look in Revelation 12. It's a discussion of God's
13:40 church, God's people down through the ages from the
13:44 time of the birth of Jesus.
13:46 The church is depicted as a woman - a figure God often
13:50 uses in the Bible to represent the church
13:52 or His people. She delivers a child -
13:55 that's Jesus. Then the devil is represented as
13:59 a red dragon. He deceives a third of the
14:02 angels in heaven and goes on the attack
14:05 against Jesus. Jesus' ascension to heaven is
14:08 mentioned, and then a time of difficulty for the church.
14:12 For 1,260 years - now, remember, a day represents a year in Bible
14:16 prophecy -- for 1,260 years, the church is in the wilderness.
14:22 But God's people are ultimately triumphant, and there's a
14:25 description of at least some of God's people in Revelation
14:28 12:11. It says, "And they overcame him
14:32 by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.
14:36 And they loved not their lives unto the death."
14:40 "They loved not their lives to the death."
14:46 Is a cause ever so great that a person should be willing to lay
14:51 down his or her life for that cause?
14:55 Here on the Chatham Islands, back in the 1830s, the answer
14:59 given to that question was 'yes.'
15:04 Throughout history there have been accounts of people who've
15:07 given their lives for others. During World War II, a U.S.
15:11 Army transport ship, the "Dorchester,"
15:14 was carrying hundreds of American troops to Europe.
15:18 This was a dangerous business. And while the ship was traveling
15:21 to Greenland it was torpedoed and sunk by a German warship.
15:26 In the chaos, there weren't enough lifejackets
15:29 to go around. But the four chaplains on the
15:32 ship - a Catholic, two Protestants and a Jew --
15:37 encouraged the troops, helped them off the ship, and then
15:42 gave their lifejackets to the soldiers.
15:47 They went down with the ship into the frigid water singing
15:50 and praying together, and they died.
15:57 A 43-year-old Gulf War veteran retired from Fort Campbell,
16:01 Kentucky, and now he had the kind of time he always wanted
16:04 to have for his wife and their 5-year-old boy.
16:08 He'd been in the Gulf War, he'd been involved in the
16:10 invasion of Afghanistan. But now, with the rest of his
16:13 life stretching before him, he decided that he'd take
16:16 care of some projects he'd been wanting to get to
16:18 for some time. And one of them was to cut down
16:21 a tree in their backyard. He and his 5-year-old son went
16:24 out in the backyard, and they would clear that tree.
16:27 As the tree was falling to the ground, the 5-year-old boy
16:32 walked out into the path of the falling tree.
16:35 Now, this solider, this retired soldier, knew what to do.
16:38 He'd been awarded the Soldier's Medal for bravery for rescuing
16:42 soldiers from a helicopter crash in Haiti, and he would save the
16:46 life of his son as well. He rushed into the path of the
16:49 falling tree and pushed his son to safety.
16:53 But tragically, the tree fell on him.
16:56 They airlifted him to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, but
16:59 he was dead by the time he arrived at the hospital.
17:04 That little boy would grow up with only hazy memories of
17:08 his father. But there's be one thing he'd
17:11 always know about his dad: he'd know forever that his father
17:16 loved him enough to die so that he would live.
17:22 [music] Now, chaplains dying for men
17:30 under their spiritual care and on their side during a war,
17:35 that's probably not altogether surprising.
17:38 A father dying for his son is incredible, it's heroic, but
17:43 that's something we can understand.
17:45 Now, the Moriori of New Zealand's Chatham Islands
17:47 died for an ideal. And in Revelation 12, people
17:50 died for someone that they had never seen.
17:53 What would drive a person to do that?
17:56 And what would you do if you ever found yourself in a
17:59 similar situation? I'll be back with more in just
18:03 a moment.
18:08 "Every Word" is a one-minute, Bible-based, daily devotional
18:12 presented by Pastor John Bradshaw
18:14 and designed especially for busy people
18:16 like you. Look for "Every Word" on
18:18 selected networks, or watch it online every day
18:21 on our website, ItIsWritten.com.
18:25 [upbeat music]
18:31 Some verses of the Bible cause you to really stop
18:33 and reflect. If you were honest with
18:36 yourself, what would you say is the driving
18:38 force of your life? What is the thing that you're
18:41 most passionate about? Paul wrote in Philippians 2:21,
18:44 "For all seek their own, not the things which are
18:47 Jesus Christ's." Of course, you can't exist in
18:50 this world without being involved in certain
18:52 things. You wouldn't be a very
18:53 interesting person if you didn't have interests
18:55 and pursuits and so on. But what is it that drives you?
18:59 What's really the most important thing to you?
19:02 Paul wrote that the problem people have - and interestingly,
19:04 he said all people -- is that they put God's interests
19:07 behind their own. Could it be that many people
19:11 need to adjust their priorities?
19:13 If you're one of those people, ask God to help you to put
19:16 His things first. I'm John Bradshaw for
19:19 It Is Written. Let's live today by every word.
19:24 [Music]
19:33 What if surrender meant letting go of your sin or
19:35 your dysfunction in exchange for freedom and integrity?
19:39 If you'd like to understand more, request our free
19:41 booklet, "The War is Over." Simply call 800-253-3000
19:47 and ask for your free copy of "The War is Over."
19:50 If the line's busy, please try again.
19:53 Or you can write to It Is Written at
19:54 P O Box 6, Chattanooga, Tenneessee, 37401.
19:59 We'll mail a free copy to your address in North America.
20:03 It Is Written is a faith-based ministry, and your support
20:07 makes it possible for us to share God's good news
20:09 with the world. Your tax-deductible gift can be
20:12 sent to the address on your screen, or through our website
20:15 at ItIsWritten.com. Thank you for your continued
20:18 prayerful support. Again, our toll-free number is
20:22 800-253-3000, and our web address is
20:26 ItIsWritten.com.
20:30 [ominous music] In 1835 a society was attacked
20:43 without provocation. Many were brutally murdered, and
20:47 of those, many were cannibalized and the survivors were enslaved.
20:52 Almost 200 years later, that society no longer exists.
20:58 Remnants of that civilization can still be seen.
21:01 Centuries-old carvings made by the Moriori are still visible
21:06 on the trunks of trees, ancient living artifacts
21:10 from another era. [melancholy piano music]
21:20 [Maui Solomon] I don't judge the ancestors
21:22 for what they did at the time they did it.
21:25 That was the right thing for them to have done, because
21:27 that was their custom, that was their tradition.
21:30 And by holding fast to those traditions, they have passed
21:35 on to this present generation of Moriori a legacy of peace,
21:40 of hope, of making a sacrifice that
21:42 left a lesson for humanity. They're not forgotten.
21:46 The legacy of peace and hope lives on.
21:56 [chimes] Geographically, Chatham Island
22:02 is a stunning place filled with incredible features,
22:06 including these basalt columns reminiscent of the
22:10 Giants Causeway in Ireland. It was here in this stunning
22:15 place that a peaceful society met a violent end, because it
22:21 chose to adhere to principles that put values even above
22:26 life itself. For the Moriori, it was more
22:29 important to do the right thing than to dominate
22:33 or to conquer another people.
22:36 The Moriori would choose the right path and make a bold
22:40 stand for peace. Like God's people in Revelation
22:45 12:11, they loved not their lives unto the death.
22:51 What motivates a person to live by that creedo?
22:56 A famous Revolutionary War figure paid for his dedication
23:00 to his country with his life, and is quoted as having said,
23:04 "My one regret is that I only had one life to give for my
23:08 country." Now, while that quote is
23:11 disputed by some, that's patriotism.
23:15 The night before he died, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
23:19 was speaking at Mason Temple in Memphis, Tennessee, on
23:22 behalf of striking sanitation workers.
23:25 There had been threats made against his life; in fact,
23:27 the pilot of the plane that carried Dr. King and others
23:30 to Memphis, Tennessee, told the passengers on board that
23:33 plane that the plane had been guarded the night before.
23:38 During that speech, Dr. King said, "I don't know what
23:42 will happen with me now. We've got some difficult days
23:45 ahead. But it doesn't matter with me
23:47 now, because I've been to the mountaintop...I just want to
23:52 do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to
23:54 the mountain, and I've looked over, and I've seen the
23:58 Promised Land. I'm not fearing any man now.
24:03 Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord."
24:09 The next day, outside room 306 of the Lorraine Motel, the
24:14 unthinkable happened. Now, what is it that drives a
24:19 man to go to those lengths, to consider a cause to be
24:22 more important even than his own well-being,
24:25 even than his own life? Well, for Dr. King it was
24:29 justice. It was human rights, it was
24:32 the plight of his people. But let's consider Jesus of
24:37 Nazareth. The Bible says of Jesus, "While
24:40 we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" - Romans 5:8.
24:45 And why? John 3:16: "For God so loved the
24:51 world, that He gave His only begotten Son."
24:56 Love, the great motivator. Now, there's something important
25:01 to consider here. God had a law.
25:04 Human beings had broken that law.
25:07 The only way for human beings to be reconciled to God was through
25:11 the death of His son, Jesus, although if God had simply
25:16 set aside His law, the death of Jesus wouldn't be necessary.
25:22 That would have been the easy way out for God, a way out of
25:25 a terrible situation that no parent wants to endure.
25:30 But just as the Moriori considered their law too
25:32 sacred to be set aside, God considered His law
25:36 to be too important to set aside also.
25:40 And as a consequence, Jesus willingly went to
25:44 the cross for you and me, because God so loved
25:49 the world. John 15:13 says, "Greater love
25:54 hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his
25:57 friends." I've heard people say they don't
26:02 believe they have the faith necessary to be a martyr.
26:06 Well, there are people in this world paying the ultimate price
26:09 for their faith in God, and the Bible does say that there are
26:12 challenging times ahead for planet Earth.
26:15 But the truth is, God's not asking most of us to die
26:19 for Him. Instead, He's asking us to live
26:23 for Him. And that involves death -- dying
26:26 to one's own self-interest, dying to one's own self-will.
26:31 In holding to Nunuku's Law, the Moriori gave more to the
26:35 world in their destruction than many civilizations
26:38 give to the world in their existence.
26:40 An example of what it means to be truly committed to a worthy,
26:44 to a noble cause. An example of what it means to
26:47 consider something so important that it's more important than
26:51 life itself. That's how committed Jesus was
26:54 to you: so committed that He gave His life so that you
26:59 might live. What are you planning to do with
27:02 that gift Jesus died to give you?
27:05 Let's pray. Father in Heaven,
27:08 thank you today for Jesus, your gift to the world.
27:12 Salvation was purchased at an infinite cost to yourself.
27:15 When you could have spared the life of Jesus, your son,
27:18 you didn't. When Jesus could have walked
27:20 away from the cross, He didn't.
27:23 Today as you offer that gift to the world, I pray for those
27:26 hearing me right now. In light of all you've done,
27:29 grant great grace to those who need to respond to your
27:32 mercy and goodness. Grant that they would do so now.
27:36 Will you receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior, friend?
27:39 Will you accept eternal life right now?
27:41 Lord, thank you for the certainty of a life of meaning,
27:44 an eternal life with you. We accept it in Jesus'
27:49 name, Amen.
27:52 Thanks for joining me. I look forward to seeing you
27:54 again next time. Until then remember,
27:57 it is written: Man shall not live
27:59 by bread alone but by every word that
28:03 proceeds from the mouth of God.
28:10 [majestic music]


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Revised 2016-08-22