God rules in the affairs of men
This morning part of our regular Bible reading was Daniel 4, in which God deals with the pride of king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, who then acknowledges the power and supremacy of the Almighty.
“At the end of twelve months… there fell a voice from heaven, saying, ‘O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee…’
“And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honored Him that liveth forever, Whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom is from generation to generation: and all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and He doeth according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay His hand, or say unto Him, ‘What doest Thou?’
“Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all Whose works are truth, and His ways judgment: and those that walk in pride He is able to abase.”
It was a memorable thing to read for sure. It reminds me of Benjamin Franklin–saying that he had lived a long time and concluded that “God governs in the affairs of men”. Whether as an individual or a nation we choose either to begin in pride and be humbled in the end or to begin with humility, acknowledging dependence on God, so that He can bring influence, productivity and honor in His time.
What an appropriate passage for our nation!
One more thing, as Dad said once: any time it seems difficult to figure out why the Lord is letting something happen, we can start with the reason that at the very least it’s probably to teach us the quality of humility.
The setting for this account was modern day Iraq. This means that this testimony to the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob comes from the king of an Arab nation.