Are you as horrified as I am by the injustice taking place in Afghanistan? Does the idea of the Taliban killing, beheading, torturing, and enslaving men, women, and children make you heartsick? Politics aside, do you wonder how God expects His people to deal with such evil? Maybe at times, you’ve wondered if God has enough mercy and compassion to forgive you. Wouldn’t a just God wreak vegeance on those perpetrating sheer evil?

Recently the Bible gave me a fresh look at our Creator and the way He deals with wicked people. You may be as surprised and challenged by these lessons as I am.

Another Tale of Terror and Mayhem

It “just so happened” that while the current events in Afghanistan have been unfolding, I’ve been reading the book of Jonah. You may be familiar with that fascinating story. Jonah didn’t want to do what God asked, so he boarded a ship to run away. God wasn’t pleased, so He sparked a life-threatening storm. To calm the fury, Jonah gets thrown overboard and swallowed by a great fish. Realizing he’s being delivered Jonah praises God, then gets spit out on the sand. After that ordeal, he goes to Nineveh to deliver God’s warning.

With so many components to focus on, I’ve never thought much about why Jonah refused to go to Nineveh in the first place. Did you know that the rulers in that great city, the capital of the Assyrian Empire, were at least as wicked as the Taliban? If you didn’t, you’re not alone. Neither did I. After spending some time in J. Sidlow Baxter’s Explore the Book, I finally understand why Jonah would rather die than go to Nineveh.

Those who controlled Nineveh were as offensive to Jonah as those who have taken over control of Kabul. Baxter described their injustice in vivid terms:

The notorious brutality of the Assyrians was such as to make the surrounding peoples shudder with a sickly terror of ever falling prey to them. Without a doubt, the Assyrians were the German Nazis of those days. The inscriptions of Assyrian monuments which have been interpreted for us by our archaeologists reveal how they revelled in hideous cruelty on those whom they vanquished. . . .

Pyramids of human heads marked the path of the conqueror; boys and girls were burnt alive or reserved for a worse fate; men were impaled, flayed alive, blinded or deprived of their hands and feet, of their ears and noses, while the women and children were carried into slavery.(p. 159-161 of Volume 4)

If God wanted me to go to a place that wicked I’d have run away in fear, but that wasn’t why Jonah disobeyed God.

It Isn’t Fair!

In 4:2 Jonah told God his reason:

I knew that You are a compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindess, and one who relents concerning calamity.

Jonah knew that if the Ninevites repented, God would forgive their wickedness. And, to Jonah’s dismay, that’s what God did.  In 4:11 the Lord offers Jonah (and us) an explanation.

Should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right and left hand, as well as many animals?

God has that much compassion for those who don’t know any better. Those wicked Assyrians. The wicked Taliban. And, remember murderous Saul? He became the Apostle Paul. And, me. And, you.

Suffering Matters

Like Jonah, we want the perpetrators of evil to pay. The terror and suffering in a place like Afghanistan is beyond fathoming.

Most of us find that level of sin appalling. We’re tempted to flee like Jonah in hopes God will punish the perpetrators. We don’t want the Taliban to receive mercy the way we did. We want justice! Especially because left unchecked, one day they’ll probably attack America–maybe even using our own equipment against us. Just as Jonah knew Assyria would one day attack Israel. If it happens as many are predicting, the injustice of leaving behind our own people and those who helped us is staggering.

This World Is Not All There Is

The Bible reveals a God BIG enough to make suffering count for eternal purposes.

An article on August 16, 2021 by Mark Morris for the Gospel Coalition gives us a powerful glimpse of “How Afghan Pastors Reflect on God’s Sovereignty” It reminds us that God’s purposes for suffering are different from ours. When the forces at work in this world dictate suffering, we’re to do our best to line ourselves up with how it can be used to glorify God. We look to Jesus as our example, who for the joy of our salvation bore the cross.

Many Facebook posts promote calls for prayer–for the innocent. But considering Jonah and the evidence of God’s great compassion for Nineveh, I wonder–what if our prayers for the Taliban brought answers to our  prayers for those being persecuted? Imagine if the Taliban relented and repented, how much suffering might be alleviated. What if we all prayed in accordance with our great God’s character instead of our own?

Divine Justice

At the same time, we can pray for God’s vengeance for those who don’t repent. Romans 12:19-21 reminds us of the ultimate penalty for injustice.

Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written: “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

The Bible shows us that God’s kingdom is not like this one. In His realm, our Lord will right every wrong. One day each of us will be held to account–one way or the other.