Thursday: Humble and Grateful
The repentant king declares: “All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing” (Dan. 4:35). Given the context, what important point is he making?
How do we know that Nebuchadnezzar indeed genuinely accepts the true God? We find a major piece of evidence in the fact that Nebuchadnezzar himself is the author of the letter inserted by Daniel in chapter 4.
Image © Review and Herald Publishing collection at GoodSalt.com
Indeed, most of this chapter seems to be a transcription of a letter that the king distributes to his vast kingdom. In this letter, the king tells about his pride and insanity, and humbly recognizes God’s intervention in his life. Ancient monarchs would rarely write anything derogatory about themselves. Virtually all ancient royal documents that we know of glorify the king. A document such as this, therefore, in which the king admits his pride and his beastly behavior, points to a genuine conversion. In addition, by writing a letter recounting his experience and humbly confessing God’s sovereignty, the king is acting as a missionary. He can no longer keep to himself what he has experienced and learned from the true God. What we have seen here, then, in the king’s prayer and praise (Dan. 4:34-37), reveals the reality of his experience.
The king now has a different set of values and can recognize the limitations of human power. In a profound prayer of thanksgiving, the king extols the power of Daniel’s God and admits that “All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing” (Dan. 4:35, NKJV). That is to say, humans have nothing of themselves of which to be boastful. Thus, this last glimpse of Nebuchadnezzar in the book of Daniel shows a king humble and grateful, singing the praises of God and warning us against pride.
Of course, God continues to change lives today. No matter how proud or sinful people may be, in God there is mercy and power to turn rebellious sinners into children of the God of Heaven.
| Read Philippians 2:1-11. What do we find here that should eradicate pride in our lives? |
(20)
The story of Nebuchadnezzar's insanity and return to power after acknowledging God warms our hearts because it fits the narrative that we want to hear. However I need to make a comment that I know is not going to be popular but it needs to be said. It is not corroborated in any of the secular histories of Nebuchadnezzar. About the closest we get to it a statement that he did not listen to others in his old age. (Maybe he was just hard of hearing, like me!)
I am not suggesting that it did not happen. Those who stamped his story into the clay tablets used for archival records at the time, had a different agenda to those who wrote the book of Daniel. The rulership of Nebuchadnezzar was a long and prosperous one in many ways and Babylon was a beautiful city. Some of that beauty is evident in the archeological ruins that still exist today (although recent events in Iraq have destroyed some of them - The American army built a helicopter base on some of them) Perhaps the more lasting effect of the Babylonian period is that Jewish history and scripture was preserved. While they lost the Ark of the Covenant in the destruction of the temple of Jerusalem. The Torah and other writings were saved and taken to Babylon. It should be remembered that you simply could not go down to the local book store and buy a copy of the Old Testament in those days.
The fact that scripture was perhaps consolidated and methods developed to ensure their accurate reproduction and conservation during the Babylonian captivity is a testament that God's hand was over this period of history to ensure that ultimately we would have a record of his dealings with his people. Nebuchadnezzar must have played a significant role in allowing this to happen to a captive group of people who did not worship Marduk. And for that we can be thankful.
Praise God for the Word and protecting it. Praise God for the Word made flesh in His perfect Son, my saviour Jesus Christ.
Secular historians for sure have a different agenda from biblical ones. What is count as valuable to the world sometimes is totally the opposite to God. Sometimes, as christians, we are at the "wrong direction". In the human´s history point of view we were never created, we simply represent a chain of transformation of things. Thus, such "small" account about a king who personally accepts "a god" at the end of his life, perhaps does not deserve the secular historians attention. And if this is true, this god who does not force anyone to worship him (it has to be of free will), Nebuchadnezzar must have done the same with his kingdom. As a king, and as he has done in the past, he could have forced all his kingdom to the worship of "the true god". Did he do that? Is this in the history books?
But thank God, who is able to humble kings of the world, we are also invited to assume His character. And how much we need His teachings, how proud sometimes we are in our own ways and deny humility! May we develop such a faith, that by the contemplation of God´s character, revealed in the life of His Son Jesus, we ourselves may change, and be FREELY submitted by His will to our lives! Amen.
Some excellent points you raise JC.
I was particularly reflecting upon your thoughts expressed in your last paragraph. It would appear that the Pharisees genuinely believed they were assuming God’s character when they were repeatedly trying to bring down Jesus and eventually succeeded in crucifying Him
And it would similarly appear that Saul of Tarsis absolutely believed that He was assuming God’s character when he too hunted down and persecuted followers of The Way. Then when he became Paul via his conversion, he assumed a completely opposite representation/reflection of God’s character which he absolutely believed to be true. As Saul, he would have had a very different view of how God, for example, ‘executes judgment’ or manifests His ‘sovereignty’ than the view he had as Paul.
It appears we will reflect the character of God that we see Him as having. Could this be the reason why it is important to explore, dialogue about and even constructively debate the details of the character/characteristics of God that we are each seeing?
The most frightening truth I have come to understand is that the way I think filters my perception of reality. This distortion leaves me oblivious to the Adversary’s traps and pitfalls, and insensible to the danger of the precarious path on which I journey. My only hope is what I see of God’s grace, patience and love for people like Nebuchadrezzar, Saul of Tarsus, and Jonah, whom God saved in spite of themselves.
The longer I live, the more clearly I see that only Christ can save to the uttermost. I am thankful for the presence of his abiding Spirit who is the rich current of his love flowing through my soul.
Whatever historical records say about Nebuchadnezzar or anyone else, we don't really know men's hearts but God does. When the "role is called up yonder" I hope his name is on it. I hope yours is too and mine as well.
Amen
Maurice, Maybe because of his conversion he stopped acting so much like a god and actually started caring about people. Something his advisors probably would have been against. Just a thought.
Sorry Maurice. But I could not find anything ‘not popular’ in what you said - even though I reread your post several times very carefully in case I had missed something. 😉
What a wonderful and practical way to explain how one can experience salvation (genuine conversion)
i) Sorrow for sin and forsaking them
ii) acknowledging you are wrong and asking for forgiveness
iii)Restore wrongs done-He oppressed the poor, wasted precious moments of his life in vainglory.
"The king has a different set of values and recognize the limitations of human power"
I have been teaching Sabbath School for 38 years the more I study the more I believe that God is in control. My eyes are open to the history of these world events that are unfolding in our eyes.
Pride is the number 1 factor that is corrupting our Government.
I used to always get this on my email and for the past several weeks I haven't. I have signed up now two more times but you're still not sending it to me?? Please send it to me daily!
Hi Shirley,
We are sorry that you are not receiving the email lessons. We have an issue in that the system that sends out the email is currently broken and we are in the process of finding a replacement. This is taking us some time to fix as we are all volunteers and have busy lives outside of Sabbath School Net. At this stage all we can suggest is that you access the lesson from the links on the front page.
https://ssnet.org/
or directly:
https://ssnet.org/lessons/20a/index.html
Thank you for you posting this message that i have made and helping me to do God's work amen.
There is pride in our heart that must be emptied out and then Jesus Christ will come in and take posssession of our whole heart
Have you noticed that Lucifer, pride and sin have “I” as the centre letter! Maybe a coincidence? I don’t think so. Our lives must be “more of Thee and less of me”, and in the words of an old Advent hymn, “Christ, only Christ, in every thought, word, and action”. A very humbling experience that Nebuchadnezzar had to go through in order to acknowledge the Creator, and Sustainer of all life. He was brought to his knees, where we should begin each day, seeking God’s guidance for that day.