“Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.” Daniel 4:37
February 8, 2023
Scripture is abundant in stories of those who, full of pride, were humbled. In some cases to have been humbled meant, they saw the folly of their pride and repented. One such example was the ruler of ancient Babylon, Nebuchanezzar. He had gladly taken full credit for the glory of the city and empire he had built. Political leaders are susceptible to such idle fancies. Neb had to be taken down a notch or two for his arrogance. God inflicted Neb with a form of insanity. It took this to remind the haughty king who was really in charge. We don’t know if Nebuchadnezzar was a believer or not, but he sure had a change of mind about the one true King who reigns over the universe. Our own nation, the USA, has given itself over to far too many arrogant politicians, judges, governors, and mayors. The desire for admiration, a lack of empathy, a grandiose sense of self-importance are some of the signs of the corruption of a nation. The sobering reality is that all of us have heart potential for unbridled high mindedness. Those with political power included. The unheeded warning and judgment on Babylon’s ancient king gives fair warning to our political leaders, “…diabolical Pride comes when you look down on others so much that you do not care what they think of you” (C.S. Lewis). The higher we get in our own thinking, the further we fall. But there is hope in all this. It was Daniel’s faithfulness that brought an arrogant king to pray such as this, “I praise and extol and honor the King of heaven who lives forever”(Daniel 4:34, 37).
H
“O Sovereign Lord, make my life a witness to many that you alone are to be worshipped as this world’s only hope and salvation.”