God's Glory Church

Today, more than half of the world’s inhabitants live in cities. The number of city residents is growing rapidly. Cities, especially megacities, attract people. When you fly at night on an airplane and a chaotic sea of ​​lights stretches below, you begin to realize what a big city is.

The city is a contrast – here you will find both wealth and poverty. Cities have enormous resources, but not everyone has access to them. In cities, the strongest survive, the toughest, those with strong elbows.

In the books of the Bible we find many harsh words of criticism addressed to the cities. But it cannot be said that the city was abandoned by God. After all, there were cities – centers of worship of God. Christ was born in Bethlehem, grew up in Nazareth, lived in Capernaum, and completed His ministry in Jerusalem. The dwelling place of the saved will also be a city – the New Jerusalem, revealed in revelation to John.

Nineveh, the capital of the ancient Assyrian Empire, is a prime example of a city that deserved God’s judgment. The ruins of Nineveh are buried under a thick layer of earth near the Iraqi city of Mosul. But in ancient times, Nineveh was the capital of a powerful empire that dictated terms to the whole world. Around 745 BC, Jonah preached in this city. The empire was then ruled by Tiglath-pileser III.

The Bible says most about Nineveh in the Book of Jonah. Nineveh is also mentioned in the 10th chapter of the book of Genesis, where it is said that the city was founded by Assur. Ancient writers, such as Strabo and Herodotus, as well as the biblical prophets Nahum, Zephaniah, Jonah, describe the city as an impregnable fortress. The geographical position of Nineveh was convenient. The city was 50 kilometers long and approximately 15 kilometers wide. It was protected by three deep channels. The five walls, 30 meters high, were so wide that four chariots in a row could move freely along them.

The wealth and luxury of Nineveh were amazing. But the untold wealth was soaked in blood and tears. The Assyrians mercilessly plundered the surrounding states. The prophet Nahum compared Nineveh to a den of lions feeding on the blood of the nations. The Ninevites were famous for their cruelty and licentiousness. God said of this city, “…its wickedness has come before Me” (Jonah 1:2).

But did God only feel anger towards Nineveh? Is this true? Let’s turn once again to the Book of the Prophet Jonah.

God sends His prophet to the pagan city to announce judgment and punishment for sins and call the inhabitants to repentance. That is, God left the townspeople a chance for salvation, and this is a manifestation of God’s mercy, since the Ninevites, unlike the Israelites, were not connected with God through a Covenant relationship. The text of the book reveals to us the endless mercy of God.

“Salvation belongs to the Lord!” exclaims the prophet Jonah, finding himself in a critical situation (2:10). “…You are a good and merciful God, slow to anger and abounding in mercy, and you are sorry for the calamity,” he prays (4:2). Here we read of God being merciful not only to those who know and serve Him, but to all His creation. God says: “Should I not have compassion on Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than one hundred and twenty thousand people who do not know their right hand from their left, and many livestock?”(4:11).

The prosperity, strength and power of Nineveh were external. In fact, the city was doomed. And it doesn’t matter so much whether he was in danger of death from enemies, a natural disaster, or whether he was in for a slow agony. God did not want the destruction of Nineveh and its inhabitants and sought to save them. Therefore, He sent a prophet to the city to tell the people His will.

Chapter three tells us that God has achieved His purpose. The repentance of the city residents was deep and occurred at all social levels – from the king to the commoner. The people sincerely humbled themselves before God – even the proud king, before whom the rulers of neighboring nations knelt,“dressed in sackcloth and sat on ashes”(3:6). The repentance of the Ninevites was complete and concerned all areas of life:“…every one turned from his evil way and from the violence of his hands”(3:8).

“And God saw their deeds, that they turned from their evil way, and God regretted the calamity which He said He would bring upon them, and did not bring it”(3:10). Nineveh was saved.

Of course, one cannot draw a complete analogy between Nineveh and modern cities. All cities are different, and so are their problems. And yet there are common features inherent in all of them. The constant cause that gives rise to the problems of the city and society is sin, which entails distorted relationships. God’s love is also constant: He loves cities and wants to save them.

Salvation is given through repentance – turning to God, which leads to a change in the way of thinking and life. God’s salvation to heal the city’s sickness and wounds comes through the church. Many of Jonah’s difficulties stemmed from the fact that he was an outsider who was unfriendly towards the people of Nineveh. Today, it is not uncommon for Christians, like Jonah, to look at the problems of their city from afar, like from an airplane window. At the same time, they are horrified, indignant, indignant… However, it’s time to change the record and admit that we, like Jonah, also need repentance, and after repentance, deeds that would confirm it. Christ said:“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me; For He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor, and He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:18-19).

In order for God’s purpose for cities to be successfully accomplished, we as believers need to free ourselves from prejudices that isolate us from the world. It is important for us to study the history of our city and conduct serious research into its problems. We must be involved in the life of the city community and influence the situation from within. We must not forget that God loves the city and the people in it, and therefore the service of the Church is always dictated by sincere love and compassion.

The article uses the publication: “For God so loved the city…”
Author Pavel Tupchik