28The all [of this] came upon
Nebuchadnezzar the king.
As I said in the last post, as I’m studying, I’m trying to
stay “in the moment.” We all know “the end of the story,” but Daniel and
Nebuchadnezzar do not. They both have to live their lives “in the moment.” The
fact is, so do we. “In the moment” is where we always are – considering in our
minds whatever has happened, whatever is happening, and making decisions how we
will respond. We have to do so not knowing the outcome.
And so, I want to stop and ponder the significance of this
simple little verse: “All of this happened to Nebuchadnezzar the king.”
What has “happened” to Nebuchadnezzar the king?
He is a man who has been “successful” in every possible way
humanly imaginable. He has led his nation to what is probably the zenith of
their earth history. He has conquered the world. He has become lavishly rich.
He is arguably the most powerful single man who ever lived.
And then he had this dream.
The dream itself is foreboding. It is obviously bad news for
someone.
No one can (or will) interpret it for the king. All his “trusted”
advisors have let him down.
Then enters his trusted servant Daniel who says, “You’re the
man.”
He warns him that he is going to lose his mind and live like
an animal, that it’s going to last for “seven times,” and that it will last
until Nebuchadnezzar humbles himself and acknowledges the Most High rules.
Then this Daniel urges him to repent of his sins and be kind
to the poor – holding out the “perhaps” that all of this horror can be avoided.
Now here he sits on this throne.
“All of this happened to Nebuchadnezzar the king.”
Ponder for a minute: What has “happened?”
God has moved in the life of this man.
As we’re admonished in the book of Romans, “Behold, both the
kindness and the severity of God” (11:22). Obviously, we see the severity of
God in this threatened punishment. But let us also notice the kindness.
First of all, the Lord has been being kind to Nebuchadnezzar
all his life. This man has lived to this point basically not even acknowledging
the Lord. It is the Lord who “raised him up,” who has given him his successes,
and yet he has “glorified Him not as God, neither was thankful” (Romans 1: 21).
Now this same Lord sends him this dream to warn him. Please
note, is not this a kindness in itself? The Lord could have just snuffed his
life for his insolence. Yet here sits Nebuchadnezzar and he has just been given
a very clear warning straight from the throne of God. Rather than blasting him
with a lightning bolt right where he sits, the Lord instead has sent him a
warning.
And not only that, this same Lord has also provided the king
with a trusted servant who humbly, kindly tells him the truth and holds out to
him a “perhaps,” a possibility that all of this can be avoided.
Here he sits on his throne. And here you and I sit on our
chairs.
What is the “all of this” which has happened to you and me?
Are you and I not at this very moment sitting in exactly the same place as
Nebuchadnezzar? Any one of us can go back and tell our history. This is what has
happened to me. Life hasn’t been easy. I have certainly enjoyed my “successes,”
but there are also some ugly places along the path. But here I am. As the Bible
says, “All the days for me have been written in Your book before one of them
came to be.” Will I or will I not acknowledge it true that “the Most High rules
in the lives of men and nations?” Does He rule in mine? Will I or will I not
humble myself “under the mighty hand of God, that He might exalt me in His time”?
That is the “moment” in which Nebuchadnezzar sits in our
story. At this point, we don’t know, Daniel doesn’t know, how the king will
respond. But what really matters is how will you and I respond? We sit at
exactly the same point – right now, at this very moment. He had his moment(s).
Now you and I have ours.
All this happened to ________________________.
Fill in your name, decide yes or no whether the Most High
rules, then watch the rest of the story unfold.
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