Contemplative Bible Reading

Daniel 4:16 (New English Translation)

Let his mind be altered from that of a human being,
and let an animal’s mind be given to him,
and let seven periods of time go by for him.

This is part of the (hi)story of Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Daniel is telling Nebuchadnezzar what will come of him for the next few years of his life. This is a punishment for not acknowledging God.

Nebuchadnezzar will “lose his mind.” Well, sort of. His mind will be altered from that of a person to that of an animal.

Hmmmm. There is a difference between the mind of a person and the mind of an animal. Is an animal capable of acknowledging God? Some animals are “smart” or “smarter” than other animals. Pigs are supposed to be some of the smartest animals. Some breeds of dogs are smarter than others. Really? Or is that just something we like to talk about sometimes?

Things were bad for Nebuchadnezzar for seven years. “He was driven from human society, he ate grass like oxen, and his body became damp with the dew of the sky, until his hair became long like an eagle’s feathers, and his nails like a bird’s claws.” (verse 33 of the same chapter)

No, the mind of an animal is not like the mind of a person. God made us differently to be different. That you God for giving me the mind of a person. I can sit here in a coffee shop and wonder about the greatness of God and God’s wisdom.