All this happened to King
Nebuchadnezzar. Just twelve months later, he was walking on the balcony of the
royal palace in Babylon and boasted, "Look at this, Babylon the great! And
I built it all by myself, a royal palace adequate to display my honor and
glory!" The words were no sooner out of his mouth than a voice out of
heaven spoke, "This is the verdict on you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your
kingdom is taken from you. You will be driven out of human company and live
with the wild animals. You will eat grass like an ox. The sentence is for seven
seasons, enough time to learn that the High God rules human kingdoms and puts
whomever he wishes in charge." It happened at once. Nebuchadnezzar was
driven out of human company, ate grass like an ox, and was soaked in heaven's
dew. His hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws
of a hawk. "At the end of the seven years, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked to
heaven. I was given my mind back and I blessed the High God, thanking and
glorifying God, who lives forever: His sovereign rule lasts and lasts, his kingdom
never declines and falls. Life on this earth doesn't add up to much, but God's
heavenly army keeps everything going. No one can interrupt his work, no one can
call his rule into question.
"At
the same time that I was given back my mind, I was also given back my majesty
and splendor, making my kingdom shine. All the leaders and important people
came looking for me. I was reestablished as king in my kingdom and became
greater than ever. And that's why I'm singing—I, Nebuchadnezzar—singing and
praising the King of Heaven: Everything he does is right and he does it the
right way. He knows how to turn a proud
person into a humble man or woman."
When you played the game Monopoly did you ever
have both Boardwalk and Park Place and get all full of pride that you had the
best real estate and then you were humbled by going broke—bankrupt—and loosing
the game? That is sort of what happened to King Nebuchadnezzar. He got all full
of pride over the city that he created. Then God Himself cut the king down and
made him live for seven years like a wild animal. During that time
Nebuchadnezzar must have taken a long deep look at his life and recognized the
hand of God humbling him so that he could then acknowledge that God is the true
God.
In your own life have you had a humbling
experience that has allowed God to show you Himself, or how much He loves you?
God loved Nebuchadnezzar enough to put him in a situation where he couldn’t
rely on others to take care of him or provide for him. He lived like an animal.
That humbling experience showed Nebuchadnezzar that God is in charge—He is sovereign.
Do you see God as the supreme ruler of your life? If so, humbly thank Him for
that. If not, what is it going to take to establish a relationship with God:
Father, Son and Holy Spirit? Do you
acknowledge that Jesus died for your sins? Proverbs 29:23 tells us, A man's pride will bring him low, but a
humble spirit will obtain honor. (NASB)
Lord Jesus, show us how
you feel about us. Cleanse our hearts and make us white as snow. Humble us that
we would honor You.
© 2012 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
Scripture from The Message, except where noted.
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