In the fourth chapter of the Book of Daniel, the Holy Spirit has a message for the king of Babylon. His name is Nebuchadnezzar. The king was probably the most powerful man on the face of the earth. He, like so many people, believed that his success was the product of his own energy and efforts. What the Lord spoke to the king was basically a lesson that we must all learn once and for all, and that is: “That the Most High rules in the kingdom of men”, even to the appointment of leaders of nations that we would never approve of.
This king was being dealt with because of his sin of pride. Pride is a sin that we must all address. It’s the first one listed of seven abominations to the LORD. It was a temptation for Paul to be exalted with pride because of the abundance of revelations, which necessitated his having “a thorn in the flesh”. Nebuchadnezzar was strong and, as far as outward things go, he was extremely fruitful. He was self-confident and self-sufficient, and he had the world by the tail but he did not know that the god of this world had his tail! Pride turned this man into a beast.
I’ve discovered that it’s very difficult to detect “beasts” in our affluent nation. Some beasts are CEO’s of major companies, professors, lawyers, doctors. They don’t want to hear about Jesus. They seem to think: “After all, He’s the Savior of the `low-lifes’, the beggars, not me.” Oh, of course they fulfill their spiritual obligations, and even admit to believing in God. (But do they tremble?) However, when you begin to share the word of God and their need to repent and believe in Jesus Christ for salvation, they get defensive, even offended. Why won’t they seek the Lord? Pride. They do not want anything more than a form of godliness because that form is good for their “image.”
God told the king that He was going to deal with his pride until he knew who was really in charge. How could the king end this literal nightmare? By breaking off his sins through righteousness. In other words, the antidote to pride (which is humility) is obtained by turning in our rags of sin for the Lord’s garment of righteousness through Jesus.
Pride will reign until the King who is meek and humble dwells in your heart. Until we know this, we will never enjoy the fullness of a relationship with God. Nebuchadnezzar learned his lesson. Have you?
