The Penny

 

“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” (Proverbs 14:34)

Suppose one day our civilization were destroyed and our cities were laid to waste. Suppose in 20,000 years an archaeologist from another society were rummaging through the ruins of America. If he could dig up just one penny, he would know a lot about us. 

The coin is a blend of metals and so he would know we were scientists who understood metallurgy. 

From the shape - a perfect circle - he would know that we understood geometry. 

This was an old penny, with wheat on the back, and so he would surmise that we were an agricultural country who regarded their crops as a major source of wealth. 

With the date on the face of the coin he would conclude that we knew arithmetic and had a calendar. The portrait of Abraham Lincoln would mark us as artists who had an advanced society. 

The words “United States” would tell him that we were a federated group of local communities bound together by a strong central government. The phrase “E Pluribus Unum” would tell him we were scholars who knew other languages. 

The word “Liberty” on the face of penny would let the archaeologist know our country sought to guarantee freedom for its citizens. 

Finally, the motto, “In God We Trust” would tell him that we believed in a deity and had a moral law. That somehow We had grown strong and mighty under God’s hand of blessing. 

Then considering this small copper penny he might wonder, “Where did they ever go astray?”  -DM