THE WILD MAN
Hewas not always a wild man. There was a time when he was of soundmind, a ruler of a great city, but arrogance and pride were the causeof his present demise.
Sothe wild man ran to a fro in the great forest that was near his city. He lived amongst the beasts of the earth and the fowls of the air. He ate grass like oxen; and his body was wet with the dew of heavenuntil his hair had grown like eagles' feathers and his nails likebirds' claws. (1)
Hisonce elegant raiment of royalty had become tattered rags. He foundshelter under trees, besides rocks, and at times, in the dens ofbeasts. In time, the beasts of the forest had become so accustomedto seeing him that they paid him no heed, at times, even sleepingbesides him during the evenings and during the hot summer days.
Thusthe wild man lived for many years. It was during the seventh year ofhis living in such a state that he began to question his own worthand purpose of existence. One day, as he ran through the forest, hecame upon a lion. He looked the lion straight in the eyes and liftedup his voice;
“Harkenthee Oh lion, unto the voice of thy king” the wild man started,doeth not thyself recognize the presence of a king?” bow down andthus give unto me homage!”
“What,art thou indeed a king?” roared the lion, “Nay, for thou seemethmore likened unto a beast like us, for kingly apparel hast thou not,and thy mind, oh wild man, is without reason. Now, harken thee untomy words, giveth praises, honor, and glory unto the King of theUniverse, the creator of all that is known to exist, the great I AM,the one El Elyon, to Him that created both man and beast, and whoknows, oh wild man, perhaps He will restoreth unto thee thy mind.”
Butthe wild man did not heed the advise of the lion, and he went on hisway, eating the grass like the oxen, and wild berries and fruit fromthe trees. His hair continued to grow long like eagles' feathers andhis nails like the talons of hawks. The months went by and the wildman happened upon a hyena. He looked into eyes of the hyena andlifted up his voice saying;
“Dome homage oh beast, canst thou not recognize thy king? It is I, whohast reigned in this land for many years, and this kingdom is mineindeed.”
Thewild man then awaited the response of the beast. The hyena looked athim, staring him straight in the eyes, then rolled over and startedto howl, it laughed and laughed, hardly believing its ears.
“Artthou indeed a king?” said the hyena, in between its howls andlaughter. “Nay oh wild man, but thou art a beast indeed, a beastlike us. Eatest thou not the grass of the field like an ox?
Doeththou not expose thyself to the dew of the morning? And kingly atirehast thou not oh foolish man. But if thou giveth praise, honor, andglory to the Creator of Life, to him who hath given thee the breathof life, and to all other living things, to the Great I AM, the greatEl Shaddai
who wasbefore the universe began, to Elohim who hath made the heavens aboveand the earth below, then, thy mind and soul will be restored untothee as before.”
Yetthe wild man heeded not the words of the hyena and continued in hispride and arrogance.
Themonths passed and it was nearing the end of the seventh year that thewild man had been living like the beasts and fowls of the forest. Itwas nearing the evening and there appeared three stars in the heavensindicating the start of a new day. The wild man entered a clearingin the forest and caught sight of the Great Horned Owl, It sat on oneof the branches of a tree near the forest's edge. It just sat therehooting and hooting, turning its head this way and that, blinking itseyes, as if looking for something, or someone.
Thewild man looked up at the owl and lifted up his voice saying;
“Ohwise owl, how canst thou stay perched on high when thy king is below?Come down now and thus render me homage. Thus saith thy king and thylord.”
Theowl stopped hooting and blinking its eyes. It looked down upon thewild man, eyes glued to this strange figure of a man. It then openedits wings and flew down to where the wild man stood. It found astump of a tree and hopped on top of it. The owl then opened andspread out its wings, and thus bowing its head, began its discourse;
“Indeedoh wild man, thou art king and doeth reign over this kingdom. Ihonor thee as king and lord over these lands. But sire, thy raimentand demeanor reflect a curse upon thy life. Hast thou not givenpraise, honor, and glory to thy king on high? For there is a kinggreater than thee who hast made all of what thou canst see
Thenthe wild man lifted up his voice in response to the owl's wordssaying;
“Atlast, a creature who bestoweth honor unto me as king, but was it notI who didst build this great city outside this majestic forest, andall that thine eyes canst behold?”
“Indeed”responded the owl, “thou didst lay the foundation and caused thebricks to be made, and thus laid with mortar, but who givest theeintelligence to thus build upon this city?” was it not the LORDGod, king of the Universe? The great I AM, the most powerful Elohim,El Elyon? And who givest strength to the arms of those who carriedthe burden of bricks to build up the city of thy rule? And who hastgiven strength to the legs that carry a man to and fro? Meditate thuson these things oh king”.
Theowl continued its dialog, looking at the wild man, deep into hiseyes, penetrating his very soul with wisdom from above.
“Whois it that givest reason to the mind of man? And who is it that cansttake away thus all of man's reason, and thus bringing such a man tosuch a state as thine oh wild king?”
Thewild man stood in awe at the words of the owl. He did not know howto respond to such reasoning and wisdom. As he stood there ponderingover the words spoken, the owl's discourse penetrated his most innerbeing.
“Nowconsider this oh wild man” continued the owl, “thine own self andthy present state of being, desireth thee not to be of sound mindlike before? Yea but the LORD God of the universe can indeed restorethee to thy former self and state of being, if thou willst only giveunto Him who rules over the hearts of all men, praise, honor, andglory.”
“Renouncethy pride and arrogance, and humble thyself in the sight of the LORD. Do these things and thy kingdom will be restored unto thee asbefore.” Thus the owl finished its oracle, and awaited the wildman's response.
Thewild man thought, and thought, contemplating the owl's words. Hethen fell to the ground and lay prostrate, lifting not even his face. He then cried out unto the LORD of hosts. Lifting his eyes untoheaven, he repented of his pride and arrogance, giving honor andpraise to the great I AM. (2) He repented of having put to the testthe three Hebrew servants of God, casting them into the fieryfurnace, and thus the king who became a wild man cried out before theGod of all creation.
Allof a sudden, reason and understanding returned to the king and he gotup, now being in his right mind. He blessed the Most High and praisedand honored Him who lives forever. Then he spoke these words ofpraise and honor to the LORD God of all that has life;
“Thydominion is an everlasting dominion, and thy kingdom is fromgeneration to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth arereputed as nothing; Thou does according to thy will in the army ofheaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrainthy hand or say unto thee, 'what hast thou done?' (3)
Afterthose words, the king looked upon himself lamenting “Oh how could Ihave arrived at such a state as this, with paupers raiment andbeastly appearance?”
“Goquickly your majesty” replied the owl, “Return to thy palace andto thy wife and servants, as they await thy arrival, and yea, theywill indeed rejoice to see thee again. They have all been awaitingthee for these past seven years. Thy subjects hath even visited thisforest from time to time to observe thee, to see that no harm mightbefall thee.”
Theking now in his right mind ran out of the forest as fast as he couldrun. In no time, he was at the gates of the city. The guardians ofthe gate let him in and he ran to the palace with all speed. Hiswife and servants opened the doors and received him with rejoicingand praise. They
Theytook him inside the palace and cut his hair, and trimmed his nailsand beard. A bath was drawn for the king. His servants poured allkinds of sweet smelling oils and spices into the bath water. Theking sat in the bath water all night long. He washed and washed,scrubbing his body clean once more. The king's servants dressed himwith new royal raiment and placed the royal crown on his head.
Hesat down once again on his throne and his advisers updated him as tothe affairs of the city and kingdom. The king's servants prepareddelicious foods for the king, and all the palace dined together incelebration of his return and of his sound mind again.
Itwas early evening when the king suddenly remembered the wise counselof the owl. He went out on to the balcony of the palace, overlookingthe forest where he had roamed for seven years. He looked up intothe sky and saw three stars, indicating the beginning of a new day. The king then lifted up his voice and raised his arms towards theheavens saying;
“NowI, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of Heaven, allof whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walkin pride He is able to put down!” (4)
AsKing Nebuchadnezzar finished giving praises and honor to God, heheard a familiar noise coming from the forest. It was the hoot of anowl. He smiled and nodded in the direction of the forest saying;
“Thankyou my wise friend, tis no wonder that thou art named wise among thefowls of the air that thou even canst advise a wayward soul such asI, to recognize the most High God and thus return my kingdom to meonce again.”
Withthese words, the king went back inside his palace and continued torule Babylon for many years.
By Rabbi Jacob Ben Avraham
(1) Daniel 4:15, 16, 33
(2) Daniel 4:34
(3) Daniel 4:34, 35
(4) Daniel 4:37
Author'sfinal thought: “If God could make Balaam's donkey speak, He couldhave done the
same with a lion, a hyena, and anowl.”
Hewas not always a wild man. There was a time when he was of soundmind, a ruler of a great city, but arrogance and pride were the causeof his present demise.
Sothe wild man ran to a fro in the great forest that was near his city. He lived amongst the beasts of the earth and the fowls of the air. He ate grass like oxen; and his body was wet with the dew of heavenuntil his hair had grown like eagles' feathers and his nails likebirds' claws. (1)
Hisonce elegant raiment of royalty had become tattered rags. He foundshelter under trees, besides rocks, and at times, in the dens ofbeasts. In time, the beasts of the forest had become so accustomedto seeing him that they paid him no heed, at times, even sleepingbesides him during the evenings and during the hot summer days.
Thusthe wild man lived for many years. It was during the seventh year ofhis living in such a state that he began to question his own worthand purpose of existence. One day, as he ran through the forest, hecame upon a lion. He looked the lion straight in the eyes and liftedup his voice;
“Harkenthee Oh lion, unto the voice of thy king” the wild man started,doeth not thyself recognize the presence of a king?” bow down andthus give unto me homage!”
“What,art thou indeed a king?” roared the lion, “Nay, for thou seemethmore likened unto a beast like us, for kingly apparel hast thou not,and thy mind, oh wild man, is without reason. Now, harken thee untomy words, giveth praises, honor, and glory unto the King of theUniverse, the creator of all that is known to exist, the great I AM,the one El Elyon, to Him that created both man and beast, and whoknows, oh wild man, perhaps He will restoreth unto thee thy mind.”
Butthe wild man did not heed the advise of the lion, and he went on hisway, eating the grass like the oxen, and wild berries and fruit fromthe trees. His hair continued to grow long like eagles' feathers andhis nails like the talons of hawks. The months went by and the wildman happened upon a hyena. He looked into eyes of the hyena andlifted up his voice saying;
“Dome homage oh beast, canst thou not recognize thy king? It is I, whohast reigned in this land for many years, and this kingdom is mineindeed.”
Thewild man then awaited the response of the beast. The hyena looked athim, staring him straight in the eyes, then rolled over and startedto howl, it laughed and laughed, hardly believing its ears.
“Artthou indeed a king?” said the hyena, in between its howls andlaughter. “Nay oh wild man, but thou art a beast indeed, a beastlike us. Eatest thou not the grass of the field like an ox?
Doeththou not expose thyself to the dew of the morning? And kingly atirehast thou not oh foolish man. But if thou giveth praise, honor, andglory to the Creator of Life, to him who hath given thee the breathof life, and to all other living things, to the Great I AM, the greatEl Shaddai
who wasbefore the universe began, to Elohim who hath made the heavens aboveand the earth below, then, thy mind and soul will be restored untothee as before.”
Yetthe wild man heeded not the words of the hyena and continued in hispride and arrogance.
Themonths passed and it was nearing the end of the seventh year that thewild man had been living like the beasts and fowls of the forest. Itwas nearing the evening and there appeared three stars in the heavensindicating the start of a new day. The wild man entered a clearingin the forest and caught sight of the Great Horned Owl, It sat on oneof the branches of a tree near the forest's edge. It just sat therehooting and hooting, turning its head this way and that, blinking itseyes, as if looking for something, or someone.
Thewild man looked up at the owl and lifted up his voice saying;
“Ohwise owl, how canst thou stay perched on high when thy king is below?Come down now and thus render me homage. Thus saith thy king and thylord.”
Theowl stopped hooting and blinking its eyes. It looked down upon thewild man, eyes glued to this strange figure of a man. It then openedits wings and flew down to where the wild man stood. It found astump of a tree and hopped on top of it. The owl then opened andspread out its wings, and thus bowing its head, began its discourse;
“Indeedoh wild man, thou art king and doeth reign over this kingdom. Ihonor thee as king and lord over these lands. But sire, thy raimentand demeanor reflect a curse upon thy life. Hast thou not givenpraise, honor, and glory to thy king on high? For there is a kinggreater than thee who hast made all of what thou canst see
Thenthe wild man lifted up his voice in response to the owl's wordssaying;
“Atlast, a creature who bestoweth honor unto me as king, but was it notI who didst build this great city outside this majestic forest, andall that thine eyes canst behold?”
“Indeed”responded the owl, “thou didst lay the foundation and caused thebricks to be made, and thus laid with mortar, but who givest theeintelligence to thus build upon this city?” was it not the LORDGod, king of the Universe? The great I AM, the most powerful Elohim,El Elyon? And who givest strength to the arms of those who carriedthe burden of bricks to build up the city of thy rule? And who hastgiven strength to the legs that carry a man to and fro? Meditate thuson these things oh king”.
Theowl continued its dialog, looking at the wild man, deep into hiseyes, penetrating his very soul with wisdom from above.
“Whois it that givest reason to the mind of man? And who is it that cansttake away thus all of man's reason, and thus bringing such a man tosuch a state as thine oh wild king?”
Thewild man stood in awe at the words of the owl. He did not know howto respond to such reasoning and wisdom. As he stood there ponderingover the words spoken, the owl's discourse penetrated his most innerbeing.
“Nowconsider this oh wild man” continued the owl, “thine own self andthy present state of being, desireth thee not to be of sound mindlike before? Yea but the LORD God of the universe can indeed restorethee to thy former self and state of being, if thou willst only giveunto Him who rules over the hearts of all men, praise, honor, andglory.”
“Renouncethy pride and arrogance, and humble thyself in the sight of the LORD. Do these things and thy kingdom will be restored unto thee asbefore.” Thus the owl finished its oracle, and awaited the wildman's response.
Thewild man thought, and thought, contemplating the owl's words. Hethen fell to the ground and lay prostrate, lifting not even his face. He then cried out unto the LORD of hosts. Lifting his eyes untoheaven, he repented of his pride and arrogance, giving honor andpraise to the great I AM. (2) He repented of having put to the testthe three Hebrew servants of God, casting them into the fieryfurnace, and thus the king who became a wild man cried out before theGod of all creation.
Allof a sudden, reason and understanding returned to the king and he gotup, now being in his right mind. He blessed the Most High and praisedand honored Him who lives forever. Then he spoke these words ofpraise and honor to the LORD God of all that has life;
“Thydominion is an everlasting dominion, and thy kingdom is fromgeneration to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth arereputed as nothing; Thou does according to thy will in the army ofheaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrainthy hand or say unto thee, 'what hast thou done?' (3)
Afterthose words, the king looked upon himself lamenting “Oh how could Ihave arrived at such a state as this, with paupers raiment andbeastly appearance?”
“Goquickly your majesty” replied the owl, “Return to thy palace andto thy wife and servants, as they await thy arrival, and yea, theywill indeed rejoice to see thee again. They have all been awaitingthee for these past seven years. Thy subjects hath even visited thisforest from time to time to observe thee, to see that no harm mightbefall thee.”
Theking now in his right mind ran out of the forest as fast as he couldrun. In no time, he was at the gates of the city. The guardians ofthe gate let him in and he ran to the palace with all speed. Hiswife and servants opened the doors and received him with rejoicingand praise. They
Theytook him inside the palace and cut his hair, and trimmed his nailsand beard. A bath was drawn for the king. His servants poured allkinds of sweet smelling oils and spices into the bath water. Theking sat in the bath water all night long. He washed and washed,scrubbing his body clean once more. The king's servants dressed himwith new royal raiment and placed the royal crown on his head.
Hesat down once again on his throne and his advisers updated him as tothe affairs of the city and kingdom. The king's servants prepareddelicious foods for the king, and all the palace dined together incelebration of his return and of his sound mind again.
Itwas early evening when the king suddenly remembered the wise counselof the owl. He went out on to the balcony of the palace, overlookingthe forest where he had roamed for seven years. He looked up intothe sky and saw three stars, indicating the beginning of a new day. The king then lifted up his voice and raised his arms towards theheavens saying;
“NowI, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of Heaven, allof whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walkin pride He is able to put down!” (4)
AsKing Nebuchadnezzar finished giving praises and honor to God, heheard a familiar noise coming from the forest. It was the hoot of anowl. He smiled and nodded in the direction of the forest saying;
“Thankyou my wise friend, tis no wonder that thou art named wise among thefowls of the air that thou even canst advise a wayward soul such asI, to recognize the most High God and thus return my kingdom to meonce again.”
Withthese words, the king went back inside his palace and continued torule Babylon for many years.
By Rabbi Jacob Ben Avraham
(1) Daniel 4:15, 16, 33
(2) Daniel 4:34
(3) Daniel 4:34, 35
(4) Daniel 4:37
Author'sfinal thought: “If God could make Balaam's donkey speak, He couldhave done the
same with a lion, a hyena, and anowl.”