Daniel 4: 2, 3 “I thought it good to declare the signs and wonders that the Most High God has worked for me. How great are His signs, and how mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His dominion is from generation to generation.”
Dear God,
It is a blessed relief to pray and read Your word in quietness, peace and joy. It is good to be filled with words of praise and happiness. I cherish Your love and all interventions on my behalf.
This morning as I have read several chapters of Daniel, a few of the well-known stories, speak to me again, for example, Nebuchadnezzar in Chapter 3, appears to be totally controlled by his pride, believing he had personally achieved in his kingdom, by his own wisdom and power. It seems amazing that he went so far as to make a huge gold image of himself, and demanded his subjects bow down and worship, and give Nebuchadnezzar and not You honour; when all Babylonians had known originally that they had been given power to conquer nations, as part of Your big plan.
Neither was this Babylonian king left to pursue his way without a warning; as the inhabitants of this world have not been left without being warned, what will happen to this world as a consequence of it continuing in and becoming more wicked in the tightening grip of Satan. We are also in danger of a prideful denial of the messages that You have delivered through Your prophets.
The Babylonian kingdom was to be followed by other kingdoms that were to become progressively weaker. Nebuchadnezzar had ordered that this statue be made of pure gold down to the toes, unlike the one he saw in the dream You gave him, which changed from gold, to silver, to bronze and finally iron and clay for the feet. He believed his kingdom had the strength and durability of gold, which went against Your predictions that Babylon would fall, to another nation.
When it came to his attention that 3 of his captive servants had not bowed down in worship in front of the image, it seems unbelievable that his actions were so depraved to with premeditation, he ordered the furnace to be heated 7 times hotter, to really finish off the 3 men. God, You alone could have saved the 3 men from death in the overwhelming white hot heat of the fire; which caused the death of the attendants whilst throwing them in. Your Godly power and might was absolutely established that day, as Jesus came down to walk in the fiery furnace with the 3 men.
When these Hebrew men came out of the furnace, the king was very impressed, and acknowledged Your power, but he did not really humble himself before You or accept that is was You who had given him the prosperous kingdom. You again sent him a warning dream what was to happen , if he continued in his prideful ‘posturing’, and pushing You out of the way, and so it came to pass one year later, as quoted in Daniel 4: 30 “The king spoke, saying, ‘Is not this great Babylon that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honour of my majesty?’” At that time You delivered on the warning given through Daniel, and in that very hour his reason was gone, and he was drawn out into a field to live there eating grass like a beast of the field. After 7 years of this, You God, returned his reason to him.
Then finally this king acknowledged You as the Most High God and gave You praise and allegiance, and You returned his entire kingdom to Him. Such an amazing story, that should speak to us all, about Your divinity and power, and whilst You are very patient with rebellion, there is a price to pay in the end, if we continue to deny You, and refuse to acknowledge that You are God, and Your warnings are real and will come to pass as prophesied.
Please give me a humble heart, that will always acknowledge and give You praise and allegiance, as did the 3 Hebrew men and finally king Nebuchadnezzar.
Amen