Another One Bites the Dust

October 18, 2019

Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble. Daniel 4:37

King Nebuchadnezzar worshiped false gods. God sent him a dream about a statue that showed the king that God was in charge of all the kingdoms of the earth, and one day a King (Jesus) would come who would rule over the earth forever. When God reveals Himself to a person it should not cause a person to be prideful but to be humble. However, when God told Nebuchadnezzar that he was the head of gold in the statue, he allowed pride to control his heart and he had a gold statue built so that people would worship him (Daniel 3).

God worked with the king and tried to show him not to be prideful, but he didn’t learn. He had another dream that scared him. He called for Daniel, the only one who could interpret the dream, to tell him what it meant. Daniel lived a humble and obedient life and was very different from all the “wise men” in the land. He had wisdom Daniel said could only come from God.

Daniel listened carefully as King Nebuchadnezzar began to tell his dream. When Nebuchadnezzar finished telling the dream, Daniel was concerned.Even though Daniel had been captured by Babylonian soldiers and taken far from his home in Jerusalem, he had forgiven Nebuchadnezzar. He had grown to care for King Nebuchadnezzar. His life could have been in danger because the truth he was about to share was not going to be good news for the king. But Daniel chose to tell what the dream meant.

“King Nebuchadnezzar, I wish this dream was meant for your worst enemies but unfortunately it is not. The tree you saw that got cut down? Well, that tree is you. You have become a great and powerful king. But your pride is huge. God has ordered that your kingdom will be taken away from you and you will be sent to live with the wild animals, becoming like an animal yourself. Then seven years after you acknowledge that God is the Ruler of all kingdoms you will be given your kingdom back.” Then Daniel urged the king to repent, but Nebuchadnezzar did not listen to Daniel’s advice.

Much time passed; God is very patient. But twelve months later Nebuchadnezzar was bragging on himself again, and God had enough. God never makes idle threats. He always does what He says He will do. While the prideful words of Nebuchadnezzar were still on his lips, a voice from heaven spoke to him. The king’s dream came true. The kingdom was taken away from him, he lost his mind, and the once powerful king crawled around like a wild animal. After seven years of living like a wild animal, Nebuchadnezzar finally acknowledged that God is the King over all. He was given his kingdom back. Nebuchadnezzar praised God and no longer lived as a prideful king.

That seems like a pretty big consequence, doesn’t it? It’s because the consequences of living with MYSELF and MY PRIDE on the throne of my life are so big that God will go to extreme lengths to save me. As King Nebuchadnezzar said, “Everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.”

The wise way is to choose humility now, not be humbled by God later.

• Perhaps God has shown you pride in your life that has been trying to co-exist with His Lordship. Now is the time to listen. Now is the time to willingly humble yourself.
• Spend some time in silence, letting God speak to your heart, then obey Him.