A Biblical Record of Major Crimes: Social Anarchy

A Biblical Record of Major Crimes: Social Anarchy. 

“Tell all the truth, but tell it slant. Truth in indirection lies.” (Emily Dickenson).

A Different Look to a True Story. Emily Dickenson’s advice was to come at the truth from different angles; reveal the truth while approaching it sideways. There are times when only an indirect story will effectively grab a reader’s attention and will inspire a fresh perspective on an ancient truth. There are occasions when coming at a truth from the side through a story will go further than a didactic, systematic study using logic and reason. We seem to be created in a way in which truth can often be better understood from the side instead of head-on through a blunt statement of raw truth. This fictional story below is intended to reveal the truth of a biblical crime story in a way that brings a fresh perspective, an unexpected layer of meaning, to a familiar story. Perhaps we can learn something new in this indirect approach to the true story of life before the Flood (Genesis 6).

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There was a fast-growing city not long ago that was the brainchild of an enterprising man who wanted to build a place of harmony, peace and justice. This man started developing his town with the dreams of a city that would be known far and wide as a place of goodwill and even a destination for those people who wanted to relocate. He promoted this city and invited all kinds of people who were looking for a suitable community in which to live and work and raise a family. This enterprising and talented builder soon became the city’s mayor. This city, though, soon began to show signs of a desire for lawlessness that shocked the mayor. The general atmosphere began to disintegrate into a type of moral chaos that was alarming to the mayor and those few citizens who chose not to become a part of this growing mayhem. What the mayor continued to observe was appalling… constant crimes against humanity by a growing number of criminals; a warped sense of ethics in civil affairs; an astonishing amount of violence on the streets and in the homes; a deep wickedness that was spreading like a disease throughout the city. Most of the responsible citizens moved away, which only left more of the wrong kind of persons having greater influence. It didn’t take long for the jails to be empty, since there was no court system to bring justice. And there was no police force to protect the citizens, because the peace officers were simply overwhelmed by the sheer number of criminals roaming the city.

The moral depravity finally compelled the mayor to take drastic measures. He finally accepted the reality that the city’s anarchy was so entrenched that any attempts to turn the city around were hopeless. So the besieged mayor wrote a front-page announcement in the city’s only newspaper… “This moral anarchy is completely unacceptable and no longer tolerated! I will give the people of this city one year to take it in the opposite direction. An atmosphere of lawful conduct will control the city once again, if it’s the last thing I do! If this mass civil disobedience remains in our fair city, then I will bring in every bulldozer in the area to tear down every building within city limits. I will destroy every building and home and business, brick by brick, structure by structure, neighborhood by neighborhoods, until there is nothing left standing. And if there any of you rebels inside the buildings when they are razed, too bad for you. This is fair warning to all of you!  Either the citizens turn this city around, or it will be destroyed! Count on it!” 

After publishing this alarming announcement, the mayor decided to locate the one innocent person in the city to have a hand in the city’s survival.  The mayor approached this man at home with his family and told the innocent man what he had in mind… The mayor wanted this man and his children to move outside the city limits and construct a huge home that could house not only his own family but also those who wanted to escape the city before it is demolished. And, as expected by the mayor, the innocent family began construction the next day, following every detail in the mayor’s blueprint plans.

During the following year, as the new home was being built, the city continued to deteriorate. Life among the people grew from very bad to even worse. The dominant impulse of all the people was toward depravity and violence. More women were assaulted, more children were abused, more murders were committed. There was a deepened sense of degenerate behavior by young and old. From morning to night, people were devising schemes as to how they could take advantage of others, of how they could make life miserable for fellow citizens. The city’s conscience was long since poisoned, and no one had a moral compass to guide them through the chaos. The stores were all closed because of rampant theft. The businesses were no longer functioning because of unchecked fraud. The schools were all closed because young people didn’t see the point of education. Every day the bullies won and the vulnerable lost. The entire city was completely enveloped in moral darkness, and there was no light to help them find a way out.

Finally, the year of change had passed, and life had only changed for the worse. One morning all the people woke up to the loud crashing of buildings being torn down by the bulldozers. The ear-splitting sounds of destruction were heard loud and clear all over town, yet most of the foolish people refused to take the mayor’s warning seriously. The mayor had a clear conscience as entire neighborhoods were being destroyed. It took a full week for the city to be reduced to rubble. The mayor then directed the clean-up crews to remove the debris and prepare the ground for a complete rebuilding of the city. And that’s what he did, beginning with the innocent one and his family.