He Still Does

I find the story of the King of Babylon one of the strangest that is in the Bible. His kingdom was second only to King Solomon's in wealth and power. What happened to Nebuchadnezzar is the stuff of fables, of old wives tales; dark nights and wild animals howling at the moon, it brings to mind the legend of … "wolf man."

But the problem is … this story actually happened.

Chapter 4 in the Book of Daniel was most likely written by Nebuchadnezzar himself, and was given to Daniel, or it was written by Daniel as told to him in the first person by Nebuchadnezzar. It speaks to the sovereign rule of God over one of the greatest kings of the earth, this being acknowledged by himself, who was one of the proudest monarchs that ever lived. In fact "pride" was his main problem. Chapter 4 begins by declaring the greatness and power of God; follows the king's dream, the interpretation and the fulfillment of the dream, and then tells of Nebuchadnezzar's restoration to his sanity and kingdom, for which he praises God.

Chapter 4 of Daniel … (Edited.)

Daniel 4:1-5 …"Nebuchadnezzar the king, unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth … I thought it good to show the signs and wonders that the high God hath wrought toward me. How great are his signs … I Nebuchadnezzar was at rest in mine house, and flourishing in my palace … I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts upon my bed and the visions of my head troubled me."

The king had it all, no man could ask for more, he was at peace with all he had done … but he had a dream that troubled him and made him afraid. When none of his wise men could tell him the meaning of this dream, he looked to Daniel for the interpretation as he had done once before.

Daniel 4:8 …"Daniel came in before me … and before him I told the dream …"

After Nebuchadnezzar told Daniel his dream, he was astonished for a time as he thought about what was to come upon the king and it troubled Daniel; but the king spoke, and said … "Let not the dream, or the interpretation trouble thee." In other words, it's alright, tell me what it means. So he does.

Daniel 4:24-30 …"This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the most High, which is come upon my lord the king … they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.

And … thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee, after that thou shalt have known that the heavens do rule. Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee … All this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar.

At the end of twelve months he walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon. The king spoke, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honor of my majesty?"

From the time of the dream to its fulfillment, God gave him one whole year to humble himself and repent of his pride, proclaiming to be the one who built Babylon … through his power, and his majesty. Here we see the manifestation of human pride; the king glories in the work of his hands, as though he had created his own greatness. This pride brings upon him the judgment of God.

Daniel 4:31-33 …"While the word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee.

And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.

The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles' feathers, and his nails like birds' claws."

His power and greatness is reduced to the level of a beast. Pride and self exaltation work together to separate man from God; the very same hour he becomes like a beast, with no real intelligence. Seven times, (seven years) pass over the kings head as he is now deprived of his reason, his rational powers of understanding, judgment, and memory; so that he acts like a beast, living in the wild as a beast eating grass. He had exalted himself; but now he is humbled by God.

Daniel 4:34-37 …"And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honored him … he doeth according to his will among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?

At the same time my reason returned unto me; and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honor and brightness returned unto me … and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me."

The Latin Vulgate reads …"and to the glory of my kingdom I returned …" which was assured in the dream … ("thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee"… vs. 26)

"Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment, and those that walk in pride he is able to abase."

It appears that this was a true fact in history; the entire dream was fulfilled … the King was humbled under the mighty hand of God; and after his kingdom was returned to him Nebuchadnezzar did know that the most High ruled in the kingdom of men.

Proof that Nebuchadnezzar's understanding did indeed return to him is shown in his statement …"I blessed the most High, and I praised and honored him"… and then the king proclaimed the truth about what he had seen of God … "He doeth according to His will among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay His hand, or say unto Him, What doest thou?"

What a statement the king now makes …"He doeth according to His will among the inhabitants of the earth"… meaning, He disposes of men on earth, and appoints them to conditions and circumstances according to His sovereign will and purpose.

"And none can stay his hand"… or stop His power, resist His will, or hinder Him from acting; His hand cannot be stopped or turned back from the execution of His will.

The sentiment expressed by Nebuchadnezzar is true in the following respects …

1.) That man has no power to prevent the fulfillment of God's purposes.
2.) That God will accomplish His will in all things.
3.) That God has absolute control over everything that pertains to man.
4.) That God rules over all things so as to make them fit into His plans.
5.) That God can and will use men to accomplish His own purposes.

The humbling of Nebuchadnezzar's pride is just one example of what God must constantly do on earth as He deals with man. What man is there who has never had to face trouble, disappointment, sickness, sorrow or death?

You may say that God isn't the cause of these things. That may be exactly right … to a degree. But I believe that God is ultimately responsible … for everything.

Philippians 2:13 …"For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." The word "worketh" means to work, to be active, to produce.

The apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 1:9 about …"the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure …" We don't always know what His will for us is in all things.

Ephesians 1:11 …"In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will …"

Concerning all things that come our way in life, and God's reason for them, which is unknown to us, is called …"the mystery of his will."

"Who worketh all things" … The affirmation here is not that God accomplishes His own will, but that "He does everything." The working of His government, His will and purpose is not confined to just one thing … salvation; but every object and event is under His control and is in accordance with His eternal plan and purpose.

God's hand is seen in everything, everywhere. Every leaf, flower or blade of grass; every sunrise and sunset, every flash of lightning all declare His glory and the power of God. There is not an object that we see that does not speak of the control of a God who has purpose in what He does.

It would be impossible to affirm more positively that God’s rule is universal and over all things, than Paul does with the statement … "who worketh all things." He does not attempt to prove it. It is one of those points on which he does not deem it necessary to pause and reason, to further explain why God does what He does; he merely affirms that fact which may be regarded as a conceded point of God's providence.

He works all things everywhere. But He does it in accordance with the laws of nature that He has already given. The general doctrine is … "that God works in all things and controls all things" everywhere in accordance with … "the counsel of his own will."

The phrase "counsel of his own will" is designed to show that it is not by consulting man, or conforming to their views, but by His own views of what is proper and right.

We are incapable of perceiving the reasons for what God does and He is not required to make them known to others. The meaning is, that His purpose for what He does is determined by what He alone views to be right. In every instance, we are to believe that there is a good reason for what He does, and may I add, that we ought to have such a confidence in Him as to believe that He will do all things that are just and right.

Therefore, I must conclude that in God's dealings with Nebuchadnezzar … it matters not whether I agree or disagree in God's conduct toward this proud, arrogant and boastful King; God worked His "good pleasure" and purpose "according to His will."

I don't know why God worked this time as He did; but Nebuchadnezzar said "all God's ways are judgment, and those that walk in pride he is able to abase." I think we should take this as a lesson in the …"sovereign rule of God"… even yet today.

Proverbs 16:18 …"Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall."

Romans 12:3 …"For I say … to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought …"

The King looked at himself as a god, the ruler over his kingdom and men; but Daniel told him the lesson to be learned was …"until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men"… and not you King Nebuchadnezzar.

So, may I ask a question that each of us have to answer for ourselves? When events in life come and confront us; knowing God has a purpose for all things that He allows in our lives; should we ask …"Lord, what can I learn from this event?"

Remember … every object and event is under His control and is in accordance with His eternal plan and purpose. Paul said it is God …"who worketh all things."

Nebuchadnezzar's understanding did indeed return to him; and he ended up saying …

"He doeth according to His will among the inhabitants of the earth."

And I believe … He still does.