HEADINESS

From My Perspective - - - 

Headiness is a word that has different applications for different contexts. The primary usages of the word are: “(1) intoxicating (following the use of certain alcoholic beverages), (2) strongly affecting the mind or senses; extremely exciting, or (3) rash, impetuous.” A major place where one can witness headiness is in the area of sports. A team may believe they are made of the “stuff” that produces a championship and they are quick to put everyone on notice that they are the team to beat. The same is true of a particular player who believes he is superior to the competition and will be instrumental in bringing about their defeat. This was evidenced in some comments leading up to the Soccer competition between the United States and Portugal yesterday. The Coach of the USA team was quoted as saying (boasting, bragging) that Team USA would put Portugal in its place. It may have appeared that way but in the last minute of play Portugal scored and tied the match. That brought an abrupt close to the USA headiness.

In the realm of national and international world affairs, headiness also enters into the actions and interactions among nations. The recent belief was that the USA could influence the world diplomatically and with rhetoric. How has that worked so far? No one can deny that disarray is what characterizes the world in which we are living. When the United States decided to back away from being the force the rest of the world needed to heed and reckon with, the limits were tested and disarray was ushered in. Today finds a nation, Iran, “counseling” the USA to stay away from the battle for Iraq and not to send 300 Advisors into Baghdad. Once a nation decides to weaken itself and back away from its world-wide influence, testing boundaries and disarray was bound to occur. In Proverbs 16:18, is an instruction and warning: “Pride (headiness) goes before destruction and a haughty (arrogant) spirit before a fall.”

Headiness is illustrated several times in Scripture. One illustration pertains to the headiness of Lucifer recorded in Isaiah 14:13-14. The condemning language is clear, “You said in your heart: (1) I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God; (2) I will set my throne on high; (3) I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; (4) I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; and (5) I will make myself like the Most High.” It resulted in his banishment from heaven. A second illustration is the scene stated in I Samuel 17. The Philistine’s man of the hour was Goliath who came and thundered his words of derision and challenge for 40 days and nights, and his words had an impact. In verses 23-24, “the champion…Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines and spoke the same words as before. And David heard him. All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were much afraid.” Everyone was afraid except for David. In Verse 37, “And David said: The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said to David: Go, and the LORD be with you!" Was Goliath impressed by the one person who stepped forward to face him? With ridicule and disdain, he dismissed this boy challenger, That was his mistake and undoing. His headiness would cost him his prestige, power and prominence and his life. His quick demise occurred in verses 47-50, David said: “and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hand. When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him.”

In summary, a word for us today, Romans 12:3, “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” Consider these things with me.