King Nebuchadnezzar had seen the miraculous interpretation of his dream concerning all that was to come on earth. How generously God entreated Nebuchadnezzar with power and with knowledge! He had allowed His expansion throughout the earth. Although Nebuchadnezzar believed it was his fake gods and his own might that made him so successful. Still, God had a plan that would even bring this powerful, arrogant man to his knees. If we recognize how God Almighty humbled this powerful King, then we realize two very important truths.
1. God’s Sovereign love is enough to transform the hardest of hearts, if only that heart seeks the truth and is willing to be broken and contrite.
2. We cannot judge or determine whom God will save; therefore, we must proclaim Him to all, praying for their souls.
After all, whom am I to believe I deserve His salvation more than another? If I do believe that, then do I really know Him? He only receives those who recognize that they cannot work their own way to salvation. As David wrote,
Psalm 51:
13 “Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right[b] spirit within me…..
14 Deliver me from blood guiltiness, O God,
O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
15 O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Psalm 149:4
For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;
he adorns the humble with salvation.
The Most Powerful, Arrogant Man on Earth
King Nebuchadnezzar was in his day the most powerful man on Earth. He was number one in cultural achievements as well as power. Although God had sent Daniel to advise him that all he had was given him by God Almighty, he remained arrogant. Believing he was the reason for all he had, King Nebuchadnezzar had been forced to acknowledge that God was worthy of praise as was concluded in Chapter 3 of Daniel. The King had witnessed and even seen a glimpse of Jesus in the furnace. After this, he declared,
Daniel 3: 28 “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside[f] the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way.”
Despite this, King Nebuchadnezzar was not ready yet to accept Almighty God as his own, laying aside his self-aggrandizement. After all it is hard for someone who has everything, earth can offer to humbly bow before God. Just like the rich young ruler
Luke 18:
18 And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’” 21 And he said, “All these I have kept from my youth.” 22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 23 But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich.
24 Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” 27 But he said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”
God Almighty Humbled the Most Arrogant King
And so it was that God Almighty gave Nebuchadnezzar another dream. Once more he sought the interpretation from his own soothsayers and his gods, but to no avail. He then asked Daniel to interpret the dream. The dream did make Daniel sad; but he told the King that he would be humbled by a 7-year time of being brought so low as to lose everything. He would live as a wild animal during those years, if he did not humble himself, God would humble him.
That is what is suggested by what Daniel said almost pleadingly, “ 27 Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you: break off your sins by practicing righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, that there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity.”
Do you not hear the compassion of Daniel for the King? Daniel wanted the salvation of even this man who had taken him captive, so many years before.
For God’s hand had been reaching forth to this pagan King all these years. Still God had not made his final statement. For a year this decree was held back, patiently waiting for the King to repent. Then came the day when the King declared.
“Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?”
Daniel 4:
31 While the words were still in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you, 32 and you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” 33 Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers, and his nails were like birds’ claws.
A Repentant Humbled King Praising God Almighty
34 At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever,
for his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
and his kingdom endures from generation to generation;
35 all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,
He does according to his will among the host of heaven
and among the inhabitants of the earth;
None can stay his hand
or say to him, “What have you done?”
36 At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and splendor returned to me. My counselors and my lords sought me, and I was established in my kingdom, and still more greatness was added to me. 37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.
And thus we are reminded:
2 Corinthians 7: 10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.
Ephesians 1: God Almighty Gives Us All We Need
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us[b] for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known[c] to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee[d] of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it,[e] to the praise of his glory.
Titus 2:
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.
Revelation 7 9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
- God is Sovereign over all the earth
- We who know Him must bow humbly in wonder as to how was it possible He chose me?
- No one is too far from Him, so shouldn’t we be praying for all our leaders. And for other leaders in the world such as Xi Jinping and for Vladimir Putin?
- And we who know Him, should remain His fearless warriors as we march on toward eternity with Him.
DO YOU KNOW CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOR AND LORD? He is our only Hope in Life and Death! Our Joy is found in Him.
If you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord: I urge you today. Go to my page titled How to Be Saved by clicking on this link. There is nothing more important than this; because He is the way, the truth and the life. Therefore, I urge you to seek Him today.
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DISCLOSURES
©Effie Darlene Barba, 2021
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. Furthermore, I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned except for my own books. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
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New King James Version (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.