Wisdom in Selective Attention

By Dean Collins

It will probably sound like odd advice, but part of gaining wisdom is becoming wise enough to pay no attention. 

 Generally, paying attention is a good idea. We should pay attention when we are driving, not just to the laws we are to follow but to what other drivers are doing. Paying attention to the weather forecast can also be helpful so we can dress appropriately for anytime we spend outdoors. Of course, we need to pay attention to our family, our coworkers, and our community. Paying attention is a way to show respect and demonstrate love to others. We also learn from paying attention.

 However, there are times when it is best to not pay attention. In Daniel 3 we learn of three young men who would not pay attention to a leader who was full of himself and demanding that everyone bow down before him. As faithful followers of the God of Heaven, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego simply paid no attention to the demand of the satraps and the king when they insisted that everyone must bow down and worship the image of the king.

 We need to back up and remember that King Nebuchadnezzar clearly had not been paying attention to Daniel or to his interpretation of the king’s dreams. As the story progresses through Daniel, we learn that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were right and were honored for not paying attention to the foolish demand of the king. The king, on the other hand, found himself completely humiliated and eating grass in a nearby pasture as the result of his not paying attention to his own advisor.

 Back in Daniel 2, King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that he thought was a nightmare. It haunted him terribly, and he called his wise men, sorcerers, magicians, and anyone he thought might be able to tell him his dream and interpret it. I suspect the king had experience with people telling him what he wanted to hear, so he protected himself by requiring that the interpreters actually figure out both what he dreamt and what it meant. And of course, no one could meet that standard.

 The king was so tormented that he told his audience that if they didn’t reveal the dream and the interpretation, then he would torture and execute them all. When Daniel heard of this predicament, he called for his colleagues to join him in praying that God would reveal the dream to secure the mercy of God on both the king and his court. And God did just that.

 Daniel approached the king and made it clear that what the king had required of his advisors was impossible and that only the one true God could meet the king’s request. Then Daniel proceeded to present to Nebuchadnezzar his dream and its meaning. The king was grateful and appeared to have a conversion experience:

 “Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face and paid homage to Daniel, and commanded that an offering and incense be offered up to him. The king answered and said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.” 

 The king gave Daniel and his colleagues both high honor and big jobs, basically running the affairs of Babylon. But King Nebuchadnezzar paid attention to the wrong message. Instead of continuing to honor the God of heaven, he became enamored with creating a giant monument to himself.  

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego paid no attention to the foolish request of the king to bow down before the idol, so the king had them wrapped and bound in their cloaks and thrown into a furnace so hot that those who tossed them in died from the heat of the fire! 

 To the king’s amazement, he saw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego walking around unharmed with a fourth person, who looked like he was a son of God. The king called for the servants of the Most High God to come out of the fire, which they did with not even the smell of smoke on their clothes. The king honored these men as being courageous and full of faith in the one true God. The king made a decree that no one speak against the God of heaven, or they would face death.

 If we are not careful, we might interpret our dreams and plans to be more about us than about God. Sometimes we might actually come up with a good idea or plan, but unless we surrender our ideas and plans to God, it is easy to drift toward how smart and wise we are and expect others to see the same. Seeking the approval of men might just lead to getting that approval and then demanding it over and over because we like to be seen as the center of the universe. When we become the center of things, it isn’t long before God gets the back seat.

 Daniel and his friends never wavered from their commitment to God and God alone. They paid attention to the one who created them, gifted them, protected them, and used them to bring glory to his name. When we surrender our lives, our plans, and our egos to the Lord, he will fill us with courage and a sound mind. His wisdom will direct our paths, and the result will be hearts and minds focused on God and the outcomes of our work will make God famous.  He can handle the praise much better than we can!

 Father, thank you for creating us in your image. Thank you for giving us your creative spirit to guide us and order our steps. Today we seek to make you first in every decision and in every word and deed. We want you to be glorified through our obedience. In Jesus’ name, amen.

 Your Time with God’s Word
Daniel 3:12-30; Daniel 4:29-37 ESV

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