When the world goes mad
The classic war movie, Bridge Over River Kwai, is a story about how certain Allied prisoners of war, interned by the Japanese, end up aiding the enemy by helping to construct a bridge. Colonial Nicholson, ably portrayed by the great actor Alec Guinness, especially takes to the work with great enthusiasm. So much so, that when the allies show up to dynamite the bridge, initially, Colonial Nicholson attempts to stop them. At the climax of the movie, Col. Nicholson, finally realizing his error, whispers in utter horror, “What have I done?” To his credit, prior to his death, having come to his senses, he is able to finally detonate the bridge, the very object but a few moments earlier he had defended. The scene then shifts to another character, who, looking upon the whole devastation, cries out, “Madness, Madness!”
I daresay a few of us have felt that same sentiment as we have observed our nation’s turbulence over the last year and a half. In view of efforts to combat a virus, of a summer of rioting, of a raucous election cycle, followed by a period of economic uncertainty, it appears, at time, that the whole world’s response to these events has been sheer madness. I suspect, though, that such a reaction to this type of upheaval is not unique to human history. Quite the contrary, we ought to expect such a reaction, especially amongst unbelievers. For we must realize that one of the effects of unbelief upon the human condition is madness, as aptly affirmed and demonstrated by Deuteronomy 1:28-33.
This particular section is a portion of the first of three sermons preached by Moses, which have been recorded for us in Deuteronomy. In this first sermon, as Moses is encouraging the second generation of Israelites delivered from Egyptian bondage to trust in their Lord and obey him, he recounts the history of the first generation’s failure to do so (1:19-46). The Lord had promised to this people that he would give to them the land of Canaan. Once delivered from Egypt, once established as the covenant people of God, the Lord then led them to the border of the Promised Land in order for them to enter, conquer and take possession. Yet, as Moses recounts, rather than trusting in the Lord and his promises, and demonstrating such trust by their obedience, that first generation had rather rebelled against the Lord (1:19-33).
In vv. 28-33, Moses recites the exchange between the people and him, as they declare their rebellion against the Lord. As one studies vv. 28-33, an interpretive key stands out which helps us to understand the point Moses is driving home in these particular verses. That key involves the use of visual cues; namely the repetition of the verb “to see,” as well as other visually related expressions. And we see this at the beginning of the exchange between rebellious Israel and Moses, as the people explain why they refuse to obey their God (v. 28). They point to the eye-witness report of the spies as the reason for their disobedience. This account involves visual descriptions of the people and cities and ends with their exclaiming, “We have seenthe sons of the Anakim there.”
On account of the spies’ graphic report, the people thus rebel. As the passage goes on, we next find Moses quickly attempting to counter their disobedience by calling to mind the Lord’s miraculous working in Egypt which he had done before your eyes (v. 30). The people, in other words, had personally seen the plagues the Lord poured out on the Egyptians in order to rescue them from the hand of Pharaoh. Moses goes on to remind them that they had also seen the Lord’s miraculous care of them during their wilderness experience (v. 31). The Lord likewise had provided visual aids, namely a cloud by day and fire by night, to show the people the way. In order for us to rightly understand the author’s emphasis, we must note that the underlying Hebrew word which is translated in v. 33 by the ESV with “to show,” is actually the same Hebrew word for “to see” used elsewhere in the passage. It is simply conjugated differently to bring out a different denotation for the word.
What we have here is the practice by OT authors, especially when writing (or, in this case, reciting) historical narrative, of repeating a key word to make their point. In light of this, Moses is making an emphasis upon the notion of seeing. The first “seeing” is that done by the spies, to which the Israelites have placed their trust. They have believed what the spies have seen. Yet, notice the irony. They believe what the eyes of others have witnessed, but not what their own eyes have witnessed. That is what Moses alludes to when confronting them; namely what the Israelites had seen first-hand. In this way, Moses brings out the irrationality of the people’s response. To have seen the miraculous deeds and wonders of the Lord and then to haverejected such an experience in favor of the visual witness of others is sheer madness. How does one explain such madness? Verse 32 provides the answer: “Yet in spite of this word you did not believe the Lord you God…” The problem with Israel, the problem that spawned such madness was unbelief.
Well dear friends, such will always be the outcome where unbelief prevails. And it is a reoccurring problem during thispresent age, as we are sojourning amongst an unbelieving people. Sadly, it does seem that our particular generation has set out with great zeal to promote unbelief, as most evident in the popularity of atheism and the rising trend of the non-religious. The result of such is madness, most evident during periods of crisis. So, how should this shape our hearts? I would put forth two suggestions.
First, it should encourage us to strongly resist the residual unbelief which still torments our hearts. It should make our cry to the Lord to aid us in overcoming our unbelief the more urgent. Might I also remind you of the importance of the Lord’s means of grace to the growth of our faith? As our Confession teaches us, our faith is “ordinarily wrought by the ministry of the Word, by which also, and by the administration of the sacraments, and prayer, it is increased and strengthened” (WCF 14:1). When the world appears to go mad, we must remain faithful to the worship of God and to the participation of His means of grace, which does increase and strengthen our faith.
The second suggestion relates to how we look at the world around us. It is discouraging to watch as folks seem to give themselves over to irrational beliefs and behaviors. Yet, we must counter such discouragement by recognizing that this is the result of unbelief. Why should we expect a different outcome? When a people refuse to believe in, to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and his salvific work; when they refuse to believe that he died for their sins and was resurrected for their eternal life, the only other option is to trust in one’s self or others. This sort of trust is madness and leads to madness. So, as that unbelief does play out, especially during moments of crisis, let not your heart be discouraged or troubled. Rather, keep trusting in your God.
Thankfully, the Lord, in his mercy, did predestine you and I to believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ, and to rest in him alone for our salvation. He has granted us the gift of faith and continues to grow us in our faith that we might more and more rest secure in his fatherly care. Moses provides the Church of his day, in v. 31, with a beautiful image that should likewise comfort our hearts at all times, but especially during times of crisis. That image is of a father carrying his son, an aptrepresentation for how our Lord does care for us, even when the world goes mad.