We here in the United States have just ended another presidential election cycle. The results of the people’s vote, without a doubt, sent a clear and vivid message of a desire, dare I even say a need, for a change in direction for the nation? While there are some people from the fringe of both sides of the political aisle that are still crying and boiling over in anger because of the results, a majority of the population is ready to move forward into a new path to travel.
Some are using a phrase that really shows the hopes of the people for the immediate future, suggesting that the United States might even be heading into a new “Golden Age” of peace and cooperation. I, too, have allowed myself to think, maybe even imagine, “What if it is so…”
But, let us not kid ourselves. This nation has spent decades sowing the wind. It has earned a hard harvest of the whirlwind. We only had 1,200,000 violent crimes in the U.S. this year. Only. We lead the world in both mass shootings and school shootings (that are not otherwise part of an on-going war effort.) While thefts are down from 2023 in many areas, automobile thefts are up about 13% over that same period.
Putting civil crimes to the side for a moment, let’s examine the moral crimes a little. To date, an estimated 1.7 billion abortions have taken place. As of the time of this article, over 812,000 of those took place in the U.S. 7,884 of them were for rape/incest/medical reasons.
It has been estimated that between 350,000 and 800,000 children have been lost to child trafficking. Many go into forced labor. Many others are pushed into sex trades. Others still meet ends that are too horrible to even believe to be possible. Yet, there it is.
The United States is a greedy, violent country. So much of what it does, at least at the levels of power and control, is based on lies. Mercy is rare; punishment flows with ease. In fact, the U.S. reminds me a lot of an Assyrian city of a long ago time…
Welcome to Nineveh!
Nineveh was a great, big city. Some estimates suggest that it would take an average person three days to walk it from end to end. It was a rich city, full of various customs and cultures. It was a key center of finance and trade. They were very inclusive of others, being on several water and land passages.
However, they were a violent, vicious people. They would often use war as a way to gain wealth and power. They would plunder a beaten foe to the point of having no way to survive.
They were religious, with the majority of residents following Ishtar, the goddess of war and sex. Idolatry was everywhere.
Nineveh also had blood on its hands –– tons of blood. But, God wasn’t ready to destroy them quite yet. He wanted to give them a chance to repent from their ways, and in the process, save their lives.
As we know from the Book of Jonah, Jonah was called to deliver God’s message to the people of Nineveh. But, Jonah didn’t want to go. Was it the fear of how Assyrians would treat him, being a Jew? Was it the concern that, if there was any country on Earth at that time that posed a real threat to the Tribes of Israel, that it was the Assyrians? Maybe all that and even more.Whatever the reasons, Jonah decided to run.
Now, I won’t go over the whole story of Jonah, as most of you dear folks probably know it. And, if some of you want to do a quick refresh, it’s only four chapters long (the Book of Jonah) and it is a fast, enriching read!
To continue our point, though, God persuaded Jonah into doing what God told him to do in the first place. Jonah went into Nineveh, announcing that people there needed to repent of their ways, or God would destroy Nineveh in 40 days.
Shockingly, when a half-digested dude wearing tatters of clothing and seaweed, smelling of fish vomit, walks up to you and says, “Repent!”… Well, people paid attention to what he was saying.
The leader of Nineveh heard Jonah’s message, and ordered the people to wear sackcloth, to fast, to repent. The people did as told. And, God had mercy on them, holding off on His wrath for a generation. To see how things ultimately ended for Nineveh, just read the Book of Nahum.
Are we like Nineveh? I honestly don’t know for sure if we are walking that path. But, it is too good of an opportunity to waste! There are feelings of hope and optimism that have been missing from this land for a long time. So, maybe this is the Nineveh-moment for America. Maybe we are being called to take the message of repentance to the people. Maybe the United States will be given one more opportunity to actually be “One Nation, Under God.”
But, we’ll never know for sure if we decide to just chill out in a fishy belly, now will we? Take the step –– follow His calling –– say a word. It might mean everything to someone that is waiting to hear that word. Peace to you.
