A Look at Five Cities

“You can’t see the forest for the trees”, is an old saying particularly true for anyone looking out at the world from his own point of time.
.
In his book "5 Cities that Ruled the World", Douglas Wilson takes a step back and gives his reader an objective view of the tapestry woven by five cities and how they affected the course of history; the five cities being Jerusalem, Athens, Rome, London, New York.
.
When looking back down the corridors of time there is only one viewing station that will give you an undistorted view, and that is from God's perspective ---- it is after all 'HIS-story'. All history has God's hand of direction and intervention in it...and we need to look for His fingerprints.
We see that without the spiritual component the story of Jerusalem makes no sense. It is a little piece of dessert that, thousands of years after God showed Abraham the promised land, still commands the attention of the world around it.
.
One intriguing detail the author suggested about the city of Jerusalem was that when Nehemiah requested permission to rebuild the walls of the city it was Ahazarus and his queen Esther that is referred to in Nehemiah 2:6.
.
I found it interesting how the author singled out each city for the one characteristic that most defined its influence upon the world. Jerusalem, spiritual – Athens, intellectual – Rome, law and justice and freedom and its costs – London, literature - New York, commerce , wealth and international trade.
.
The one criticism or disappointment that I had in the book was that I expected the author to bring in more of God’s perspective . He started off doing a great job with the city of Jerusalem, but then by the time he got to the last city, New York, he seemed to have forgotten the God-focus altogether.
.
If you have an interest in history and how each civilization influences the ones coming after, you will find this book an interesting read.
.
review for Book Sneeze - Thomas Nelson publishers