"A Right Mind or a Cracked Head?"
Daniel 4:36, "At the same time my reason returned unto me' and for the glory of
my kingdom, mine honour and brightness returned unto me; and my counsellors and
my lords sought unto me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent
majesty was added unto me."
This
morning, many people "chase their own tails" in their thoughts and actions. The
modern world is littered with clichés that do not stand up to the Biblical
test. Folks will declare, "I'm just not sure why I'm here and what my purpose
is", "I need to find myself", "can we really know what truth is", and "God wants
me to be happy." These and similar sentiments should be quickly abandoned from
our mindset as Scripture plainly tells us our duty (Ecclesiastes 12:13), reminds
us of who we are in relation to who God is (Romans 9:20-23), what truth is (John
14:6), and that God requires obedience as the goal of our state rather than
happiness (Micah 6:8). These statements show rather that man will not think
clearly or properly when he is following and worshipping something more than
God. We will worship something. That fact is inescapable and undeniable. Man
follows and worships something, even if it is himself.
Recently, I heard a minister say something from the pulpit that really grabbed
my attention. He said, "Anyone that is not serving God with preeminence in
their lives is cracked in the head." The turn of his phrase really grabbed me
and forced me to think about the idea he was talking about. While thinking
about it, our study verse came brilliantly into view. The background for our
verse is perhaps one of the most unique occurrences in Scriptural record that a
man endured. He literally lived, looked, and was treated like a beast. The man
is Nebuchadnezzar, and he ruled ancient Babylon. However, after being lifted up
in pride, he was driven from men for 7 years while growing claws on his hands,
feathers on his back, and eating grass in the field like an ox. What a
remarkable circumstance!
During this time, this man was humbled and brought low as no other man
(according to revelation) ever had been or has since. At the end of those days,
however, he gives perhaps the clearest and most glorious discourse on the
sovereignty of God that we have. Nebuchadnezzar's words in Daniel 4:34-35 are
often cited as prooftexts and touchstones of this grand subject. However,
Nebuchadnezzar says about himself in Verse 34 that he had "understanding"
returned to him, and our verse says that "reason" returned to him again. I
think Nebuchadnezzar's case shows validity to the minister's statements about
being cracked in the head.
When
I meet people in life and the subject of God, the Bible, etc. comes up, it is
generally easy to tell in a few minutes if a dialogue is desired or not. Some
people may bring something up, but they really have no desire to learn or deepen
their understanding. Maybe they are picking a fight, or something less sinister
in nature. However, the attitude of the conversation shows what they are really
after. This is one of the key differences between a debate and an argument.
Today's culture uses the terms interchangeably, but they are distinctly
different. Argumentation is laying out the points and evidence to try to arrive
at the truth of a subject. Debate is trying to "win the day" by burying your
opponent. Dialogues are had through reasonable argumentation, while debates are
mostly engaged by "cracked heads."
What
Nebuchadnezzar lost - he says - is reason. Reason may have many connotations,
but the one that helps me the most is the combination of knowledge and
understanding. To "reason through" something, someone must have knowledge of
the subject matter. However, the process requires that understanding be present
as well. Understanding is not just knowing the "what" of the matter, but most
importantly the "why" of the matter. Therefore, reason gets to the heart of the
"what" and the "why" behind it. Someone who fails to admit of the sovereignty
of God has lost the ability to truly reason. Someone who fails to admit the
fallen depravity of man has lost the ability to reason. Paul informs us in
Romans 1 that God, His power, and some of His attributes should be clearly seen
by all men from the creation alone. The fact that men can look at the creation
and attribute some other means to its existence is utter rebellion and not being
in a right mind. Anyone who has had children should be able to discern the
depravity of man very quickly. Children come into this world needing to be
taught manners, obedience, etc. However, no parent has had to "teach" their
children defiance, lying, etc. Those things came naturally to them.
What
was Nebuchadnezzar's state before these 7 years? He thought he had built
Babylon himself. (Daniel 4:30). He declared this though previously blessed by
God to have his dreams revealed (Chapter 2), see the Son of God in a fiery
furnace (Chapter 3), and have his kingdom strengthened by the hands of Daniel
and his companions. He had prior experiences with God's goodness, yet he still
worshipped himself rather than the Creator. He worshipped the beauty of his
kingdom instead of worshipping the source of true beauty. As a matter of fact,
Nebuchadnezzar's power over the kingdom of Judah was Divine chastisement against
them. It was not that Nebuchadnezzar had earned this dominion. God simply
blessed him to overcome them because of their transgressions, rather than his
righteousness. Did Nebuchadnezzar see this? No. Why? He did not have a right
mind due to looking at things through the lens of self rather than the majesty
of the Almighty.
Putting this lesson in today's terms, we see a culture that is driven by self
and self-centeredness. I have said often in recent years that we are living in
the most openly selfish time. Though different generations through history have
had differing root problems, I sincerely believe that the problems of today
center on selfish notions. What makes people happy, helps them get what they
want, and gain comfort are the preeminent items of the day. A right mind sees
self as being far inferior to what God requires and deserves. He has all
power. He deserves preeminence in all things.
Consider the root problem for lack of attendance at the house of God, lack of
attention to God's word, or precious little time on bended knee in prayer.
Those things are declarations (through action) that "my time" is not important
enough for God. Whether we are following our jobs, family, recreation, or
something else, it really makes no difference. As Joshua told the children of
Israel (Joshua 24), if you pick a god other than God, it really does not matter
which one you pick. They all amount to the same thing. The right mind that has
reason chooses to elevate God above all else in life no matter the pain or
sacrifice that it brings. While I do not expect God to bring people down the
way He did to Nebuchadnezzar (though He still can), He has ways of leveling us.
Let us try to follow after Him without having to gain a few scars to learn our
lesson.
Friends, it is good that we should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of
the Lord (Lamentations 3:26). That is a mindset that is not cracked and
following its own ways. Just the other day, I had a man tell me, "No matter
what you say, it HAS to be this way." That effectively ended the conversation
as one cannot reason through such an obstacle. There are many things in God's
word that my flesh does not enjoy. However, for me to exercise a right mind
through sound reasoning and good understanding, I need to be ready to avail
myself of all that God would require of me. Why is this so good for us? To
answer that question just ponder the answers to these two questions: 1. Who is
He? and 2. Who are we? When we really probe the depths of those questions, the
answer is unavoidable. The one with everything requires those with nothing of
themselves to depend upon and honour Him for what He has already done, is doing,
and will yet do for us. Is this right? Absolutely! May our minds and
reasoning follow these paths so that we keep ourselves from being cracked in our
thinking and actions.
In
Hope,
Bro
Philip