What Makes the World Go ‘Round?

As a history major in college, I “earned” credits one summer by reading a bag full of books on the history of America’s Revolution. The books dealt with the forces that made it happen. They were somewhat interesting, and it made sense to me. I wrote reviews of each book, reporting on what they said.

As it turns out, I wasn’t supposed to merely report what the authors had written. I was to critically engage with their arguments, and to counter their theories with a Christian view of history. Because, we have very different views of “what makes the world go ‘round.”

The books that I read were from the school of thought called “economic determinism.” It would have helped me if they had actually said so in the preface. It would also have helped if I had my brain turned on. Economic determinism says that the happenings of history can be traced to economic forces at work in society. It seems to say, “Money makes the world go ‘round,” or, perhaps better, “Lack of money makes the world to ‘round.” Another word for economic determinism might be Marxism. And I missed it.

There are other non-Christian, non-Biblical theories of what makes the world go ‘round. One would be mere chance. No rhyme or reason, just dumb luck. Another would be great men (and women). We need more champions. Of course, now we tear down their statues. There’s not much of a future for heroes. But what does the Bible say? I can think of no better place to start than Daniel.

Daniel, a  young man, was deported from Judea when it was in the throes of defeat at the hands of the Babylonians. Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian king, assembles those who were most promising to serve his empire, and Daniel was one of these. “But Daniel resolved that he would defile himself with the king’s food.” Is this the answer? The resolve of Christians to stand firm against the worldliness of the world? No, that would be missing the larger story.

The bigger picture is what God is doing behind the scenes, shaping history for His own purposes. Daniel 1:2 says that “the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his (Neb’s) hand.” A little later, in relation to Daniel’s request, we find that “God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs.” In no way do I want to diminish the importance of resolve. But resolve does not make the world go ‘round, nor does money. God does. Praise the Lord!

Reading All the Words

On our digital screens, we are reading faster, skimming over the words. Also, when we read something familiar, we tend to read past some of the details. My old buddy John Owen drew my attention to some words in the Bible that are vitally important - words that I sometimes tend to read past.

Paul wrote to his young associate, Timothy, and told him to “Follow the patter of sound words” and to “guard the good deposit.” Perhaps we today would paraphrase, “stick to the stuff” or “keep on keeping on.” But that’s not what Paul wrote, not if you read all the words.

He said that Timothy was to “follow the pattern of sound words that you have heard from me in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” He is reminding us that faith and love are found first in Jesus, not ourselves, and that He is the source of fountain of such faith and love. Without that Resource in our lives, we won’t be able to “follow the pattern of sound words,” but will find that our ideals and intentions quickly crash against the rocky shore of our short attention spans and weak wills.

The twin admonitions of vv. 13,14 are written in an ABBA pattern. The often overlooked words in the first line appear last, while in the second line appear first. Preceding “guard the good deposit” are these in-dispensable words “By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.” Paul is saying that, apart from this ministry of the Holy Spirit, we will trade away the good deposit for whatever the current cultural thought of the day prefers. Leaving the front door of the store unlocked is not guarding, and it is the Holy Spirit who guards.

If we would read all the words, we would find that the Bible is God-soaked, and that the instructions and strategies for living the Christian life are also God-soaked. But in our over- or under-reading of the Bible, we begin to forget this truth, and begin to interpret the instructions as something that we can handle on our own.

Several years ago a neighbor boy came to a children’s program at our church. He went home and told his parents he did not think that he would return because “they talk too much about God there.” I was amazed that anyone would think that it should or could be different. But, then to find out, I discover that I myself am prone to something similar when I read my Bible but fail to read all the words. In so doing, I re-create the Bible into a mere human manifesto, and I distort the Christian life from that which depends on God’s grace to some kind of “fit-body boot camp” for the soul, powered solely by my own sweat.

Politically Correct

The Bible is a political book. It traces the rise and fall of kings and kingdoms, and makes crystal clear why they rose and why they fell. It’s politics at play, but not the superficial politics that we read in moment-by-moment news reports, where she said this, and he tweeted that. The politics of the Bible traces the governance of kings and kingdoms by God, the ultimate Ruler. Mankind’s little schemes are powerless before this God.

This is not to say that silly politics by self-important men and women are inconsequential. In the long view, they come to nothing, but right now, they affect the lives and livelihoods of countless people, at home and abroad. Their brains are not big enough to calculate the costs and unintended consequences. They are not up for the job, and they need to seek God’s leadership in their lives and decisions to even hope that they can serve well (if “serving” is even what they hope to do).

Psalm 2 makes the point clearly in poetic form: “Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, ‘Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.’ He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.”

This is Biblical politics. Earthly politicians politic and pontificate. They work their plans, accomplishing some good; some evil. But then those that have risen fall, and something else fills its place. Only the historians remember them.

How many politicians spend time on their knees before the true King, seeking guidance and weighing plans and motives? Do we know of any? Surely there must be some.

But Biblical politics does not just apply to those who are elected to office, or to  those who seize  it. Politics applies to citizens as well. And in Biblical politics, there is something radically different from mere, human politics. You matter. You have direct access to the King. I couldn’t talk to the President if I wanted to, and if I did, I doubt that he would listen. But with God, and I know that the exact opposite is true. He, though His Son, Jesus, is the King who cares. What you do through Him, and for Him, will matter for eternity? 

Or, you could live your life like an ordinary politician, and give God a good laugh.

Council and Counsel

“A homophone is a word that is pronounced the same as another word but differs in meaning. The words may be spelled the same, such as rose (flower) and rose (past tense of "rise"), or differently, such as carat, caret, and carrot, or to, two and too.” “Council” and “Counsel” are homophones. It seems, though, that they have something to do with each other. 

Psalm 1 famously begins: “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel/council of the wicked.” Which is it? According to context, it would make sense to think “council,” that is, the committee that gives really bad advice. Eugene Peterson’s Message paraphrases this verse as follows: “How well God must like you - you don’t hang out at Sin Saloon, you don’t slink along Dead-End Road, you don’t go to Smart-Mouth College.” Taking rather breath-taking liberties with the text, he frames all three phrases as shaped by the crowd you hang with - your council. But the word used in that first phrase is actually “advice,” or “counsel.” Watch the advice that you receive, and then, tangentially, watch the crowd you hang with (council), and from whom you get advice (counsel). Or, to put it differently, your council (crowd) will counsel you. 

Which council have you made yourself a party to, from whom you receive advice? We can think of councils that are heavenly, or earthly. 

Psalm 89 points to a heavenly council: “A God greatly feared in the council of the holy ones, And awesome above all those who are around Him?” (Psalm 89:7 NAS95). We don’t know a lot about this. None of us has been there, though Scripture gives us a few glimpses. It’s a meeting of the minds, though the Mind that leads and guides is that of the Sovereign God, and those in attendance bow in wonder. 

God in His grace has extravagantly shared the insights of this Heavenly Council with us, in Scripture, and we are to take our counsel from this council. Jeremiah says of prophets: “if they had stood in my council, then they would have proclaimed my words to my people.” But alas, most were standing in the wrong councils, earthly ones, and thus giving bad advice. 

God has spoken, not on cable news shows or on Facebook, but in Scripture. He gives us heavenly counsel, good advice in Scripture, through Christ, by His Spirit, though we may have to turn off the TV and computer to hear Him.