Time Has Told

Have you ever visited the customer service department of a store to complain about the rudeness of a salesperson? Ever lodge a complaint with the Better Business Bureau? Is such insolence a characteristic of modern society, a sign of the times?

We might be tempted to think so, but an MSN.com article will quickly dispel that notion. The news agency posted the full text of a letter in which a customer, a man named Nanni, complained to a merchant, Ea-nasir. In his letter, Nanni listed the following complaints:

1. The merchant violated their contract by delivering an inferior grade of copper—which Nanni’s employer found unacceptable.
2. The merchant was rude to Nanni’s representatives, telling them, “Take it or leave it!”
3. Ea-nassir had used an earlier disagreement over a minor debt as a pretext to withhold the money he took for the inferior copper. Fourth, Ea-nassir has now sequestered himself in enemy territory, making any resolution to this dispute impossible.

This letter is interesting for several reasons. Foremost among them is its antiquity. It is nearly 4,000 years old, making it the oldest known written complaint (outside of those found in the Bible, e.g. Cain’s complaint to God: “My punishment is too great to bear,” Gen. 4:13). It is written in ancient Akkadian, which dates back to the 30th century BC.

The letter is also interesting because it originated in the very city-state in which Abraham was born—Ur of Mesopotamia. In case you didn’t know, the “enlightened” scholars of the 19th Century dismissed the very existence of Ur as a mere myth of the Bible. Archaeology has since vindicated the Bible on this detail, as it has on hundreds of others.

Humanity Didn’t Change

What strikes me most about this letter of complaint is that it demonstrates that, over the span of 40 centuries, human behavior has not changed one bit. People are just as corrupt, contemptuous of others, and self-centered today as they were 4,000 years ago.

This runs counter to today’s prevailing philosophy that humanity is continually getting better and more enlightened with the passing of time. Each generation believes itself to be morally and intellectually superior to all the ones preceding it.

Intelligence

But it’s all an illusion! We are no better than anyone before us. Humanity’s machines and devices become more complex, but only by the accumulated knowledge of previous generations. We only stand on the shoulders of everyone before us. This notion that we are so much smarter than everyone before us is what leaves us so puzzled when we ponder the monuments of antiquity. “How could such primitive people have built the pyramids? They must have had help from space aliens?” No. People were simply just as smart back then as we are today.

War

Nor are we any morally superior to our predecessors. Remember that “enlightened” intelligentsia of the 19th Century which dismissed the Bible? They also believed themselves morally superior, no longer needing the moral compass of religion. Then WWI happened, taking 20 million lives, most of them civilians? Yet we didn’t come out of the “War to end all wars” any better than we went into it. In less than 20 years we had WWII, which killed 60 million people.

Racism

Racism is always present as well, no matter how educated and enriched we become. It simply targets different groups of people from generation to generation. Hatred is always present. Just watch the news and you’ll see plenty of hatred. Sadly, it’s not only expressed in the murders and violence reported, but even by the reporters with obvious political agendas. Humanity is just as sick of soul as ever.

The Disease of Sin

Time has merely proven what the Bible has been saying for millennia. Humanity is afflicted with an incurable disease—the disease of sin (Rom. 3:8–23; 5:12–21). Our sin-corrupted nature causes us to be born with a heart that is rebellious toward God and abusive toward others (Gen. 6:5–6; 8:21; Jer. 17:9–10; Rom. 7:5–23). No amount of time or education or wealth can cure it. Only the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ can transform it (Rom. 8:2–23; 2 Cor. 5:17; Titus 3:4–6). Through the redemptive work of Jesus, God promises to remove our sinful heart of stone and replace it with soft and responsive heart (Ezek. 36:26–27). He promises to crucify the old inner man and raise a new person in his place (Rom. 6:4–11; Col. 2:11–13). And He promises to send His Holy Spirit into our hearts to give us both the desire and the strength to love Him and our fellow human beings (Deut. 30:6; Phil. 2:12–13).

Take God’s word for it. You’re a sinner like everyone else. Take God’s word for it, you’re guilty in the court of heaven and deserve God’s judgment. But also take God’s word for it that He loves you supremely, yearns to reconcile you to Himself, and has the power redeem you completely and forever.

PRAYER:

Dear Father in heaven, here and now I confess my sin and guilt to You. But I also acknowledge Your love for me and the that You sent Your only Son to suffer my judgment and to die in my place. I embrace Him as my Savior and Master. Save me, O God, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.