34And to the end of the days I,
Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to the heavens and my understanding returned
upon me and to the Most High I blessed and to the Living One of the ages I
praised and I glorified that His dominion [is] an everlasting dominion and His
kingdom [is] with generation and generation, 35and the all of the
dwellers of the earth [are] ones reckoned like nothing and like to please Him
[He is] One doing in the armies of the heavens and [in] the dwellers of the
earth and none there is who can hinder in His hand and say to Him, “What are
You doing?”
Before I move on to the final two verses, I want to record
some thoughts from verse 35. There, Nebuchadnezzar humbly acknowledges that
“All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing…”
Nothing.
Jesus made Himself nothing. Though “…being in very nature
God, He did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made
Himself nothing…He humbled Himself and became obedient to death – even death on
a Cross” (Phil. 2:6-8).
“Amazing love! How can it be, that Thou, my God, shouldst
die for me?” This is astounding truth that the God of the universe stepped down
from heaven, set aside the free exercise of His divine attributes, was born a
helpless baby, willingly went to the Cross and died in my place. In theological
language, it’s called the Kenosis, the great “emptying” of Jesus.
We Christians know that passage in Philippians starts with “Your
attitude should be the same as that of Jesus Christ…” We know that is what we
are to do – empty ourselves, count ourselves as nothing and give “all praise to
Him who reigns above!”
At this point, we can all smile, nod our heads, say “Amen!” and
go to our homes in the glow of our warm fuzzy. It all sounds so good when it’s
theoretical and hypothetical. Until it happens. Until you or I have to be “nothing,”
when we’re treated as “nothing,” when we think we did well but somehow we get
no acknowledgment. At those times, we find there is a small problem with us and
this “nothingness.” It’s called our pride.
Huh. What?
May I remind us all we’re studying Daniel chapter 4? I haven’t
reached the end yet, but I feel like this chapter is a monument to two things:
God’s grace and our pride. We’re reading about this very proud man who had to
be driven to the ground – to be made nothing – before he would acknowledge that
God rules. But may I remind us all, “You’re the man”? My pride is no less an
evil than Nebuchadnezzar’s. I just have less opportunity to exercise it. I’m
not rich or a king. But, just like him, my heart is “desperately wicked and deceitful
above all things.” There is one thing my wicked soul absolutely despises – being
nothing.
Several times in my career I have worked hard to accomplish
something or help someone else in some way, only later to hear the story told and
someone else gets the credit. Many years ago I helped an operator get his state
certification and he did. In fact he got a higher level than any of his peers.
A few years later he was actually telling me
the story, only the man who helped him was my predecessor! I worked hard at my
job and literally cut $1,000,000 per year out of the company’s operating costs
and was never even so much as thanked, much less acknowledged of rewarded. My
entire Christian life I have tried to say things that would help other people
or encourage them and rarely ever does it seem they even hear me. I’d love to
know I was a part of seeing a lot of people saved, but it seems the Lord seldom
ever allows me even the slightest influence. I had a friend diagnosed with
cancer and prayed hard for their healing. They died.
Nothing. In the real world, it’s hard to be nothing. In the
real world, there is this unseen dynamo inside me pining to be Somebody. Down
deep in my heart, I want to be Important. I want to be Acknowledged. Someone will
say, “Well, of course, that’s just human.” NO. It is my evil pride that is
galled at the thought of being nothing.
Remember the works of the flesh are “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the
eyes, and the pride of life” – the love of pleasures, possessions, and applause. Works of the flesh. Idols. The Devil’s sin.
I fear we are today so far from God we have forgotten to
acknowledge, recognize, or to abhor this soul-damning sin. We read Daniel chapter
4 and think it is about someone else far away and never realize the face in the
mirror is our own. Nebuchadnezzar finally saw the great, eternal God and the
very next thing he acknowledges is that “all the peoples of the earth are
regarded as nothing.” He got it. It took him seven years, but he got it. I feel
like in too many ways it’s taken most of my lifetime. I hope it is finally true
that at least in some basic ways I’ve “got it.”
I used to read Jesus’ words, “For without Me, you can do
nothing,” and just couldn’t quite grasp it. I wanted to be and do all the
things mentioned above but somehow couldn’t accept the idea that I was nothing. It was up to me. I did have to
do it. I had to make it happen. Somehow now I see that isn’t true. My job is to
wake up every morning and love God and love people, to be praying His blessing
on my doings, everywhere I go, everywhere I am, then leave the “success” in His
hands. God help me, I’m trying to be very patient and let Him lead. There may
be specific things He wants me to do, but I need to let Him clearly guide me in
it. I needed to put away the “pushing and shoving” of thinking I needed to make
things happen. I need to be content to be nothing.
Nebuchadnezzar goes on in verse 35 to say, “He does as He
pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold
back His hand or say to Him, ‘What have you done?’” I could probably go on and ponder
those words, but I feel content to say, there in those words is the “nothingness.”
It means I’m not in charge. It means the Most High rules in the kingdoms of
men. Not me.
God help us all to understand this “nothingness.” Surely we
have much to do for Him. “The harvest truly is plenteous but the laborers are
few.” Surely we all long to be His laborers. Yet, if we would work for Him, we
must conquer this sin of pride, this love of applause. We must be willing to
labor in His garden but be nothing. He resists the proud. He gives His grace to
the humble.
Jesus emptied Himself and could save a world. What could He
do with you and me if we were really willing to be nothing?
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