[This is one in a series of devotional reflections prepared for Horley Baptist Church during September 2022]
If we learn anything at all from history it is that we don’t learn anything from history. These words, ascribed to Georg Hegel, the 18th century German philosopher, came to me with renewed emphasis recently.
I have been rereading Mihai Sebastian’s “Journal”, a book I first read some twenty years ago. Mihai Sebastian was the pen-name of a Romanian lawyer, teacher and writer who moved in the high society of the time and was friends with royalty. His journal consists of irregular daily observations made during the years leading up to and during the second world war; he describes the breakdown of the established order and the rise of anti-Semitism, which affected him personally.
Consider this extract:
In keeping with their familiar practice, the Russians are attacking in the south now that their offensive has slowed somewhat in the centre and north. They will push here as strongly and as fast as they can.[1]
Those words were actually written in August 1944 but they could have come from one of today’s news broadcasts. Similarly, the front-line cities that the writer mentions – Kiev, Smolensk, Kharkov, Krivoi Rog, Sevastopol, Mariupol[2] – are ones which have again become embroiled in the current war in Ukraine.
Initially the Russian forces were greeted as liberators, repelling the Nazi forces that had attacked much of eastern Europe. It is ironic that, today, Russian forces trying to do the same thing are regarded as aggressors.
Much of the Old Testament recounts how the history of the people of Israel also repeated itself. Time after time, the nation digressed from God’s plans, they were conquered and disciplined, then restored and blessed. Then the cycle repeated. We might ask, “Why did they not learn?”
When we look back over our own lives, are there not occasions when we might ask the same questions of ourselves. Have we learnt anything from sub-optimal decisions and unfortunate relationships? Perhaps one of the more disconcerting aspects of such an exercise is the sheer number of occasions when we ought to have done better. How can we be confident about the future when our past reveals such short-comings?
The New Testament offers hope; not just the assurance that evil will one day be conquered but also that we as individuals can be forgiven, restored and blessed. Can you echo the words that Edward Mote penned in 1834?
My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly lean on Jesus’ name
[1] Mihail Sebastian, ‘Journal 1935-44’ (pp. 459-460).
[2] RoAF-AN is currently providing accommodation for evacuees from some of these cities.
Bible quotations: Unless otherwise specified, quotations are taken from the resources of Bible Gateway or Bible Hub, in accordance with the licencing conditions outlined on our Site Policies page.
Bible dates:
Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.
Horley Baptist Church onlineHBC main site
Confidential prayer link
Return to Tuesday Challenge
Jump to Index of Bible Passages
Contributed by Steve Humphreys; © the Author
I read your reflection with interest Steve but your paragraph, “Initially the Russian forces were greeted as liberators repelling the Nazi forces that had attacked much of Eastern Europe. It is ironic that today that Russian forces trying to do the same thing are regarded as aggressors,” puzzles me. How are Russian forces trying to repel Nazi forces attacking The Ukraine etc??? Where are these Nazis? As I understand it Putin sent his forces into The Ukraine without any provocation what so ever.
Please could you explain, perhaps in your next reflection.
I presume you have heard the awful news that our Queen died today.
The comment to which you refer was based on Vladimir Putin’s declared aim to “de-Nazify Ukraine and liberate the Ukrainian people”. This claim was well documented at the start of the war in February 2022 but appears to have been quietly as the progress has not been what Putin expected. The assumptions underlying both of his objectives have been widely disproven, demonstrating that the invasion started without any provocation or legitimacy. You might like to refer to the BBC site at https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-60853404. There is a bit more background in my previous reflection at https://roaf.org/sth/selah408/.
Thank you Steve for revealing to me an unknown Romanian writer Mihai Sebastian. What a remarkable similarity to today’s events in Ukraine!