Nebuchadnezzar was one of the greatest kings ever. As a prince he had begun rapidly conquering and bringing under subjection all nations round about him. After his father’s death, he ruled wisely and greatly valued education and knowledge. As he conquered nations, he collected up some of their wisest men and then trained them to work in his court. As we know, Daniel the prophet of God, was among those he had brought to Babylon for this purpose.
But as happens with all monarchs as they become rich and powerful, he became proud and tyrannical. He began to oppress his subjects and bring cruel burdens and severe taxation upon them, so he could become even richer. He also began to take honor to himself that only was due to the God of Heaven.
“Nebuchadnezzar the king, unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you. I thought it good to shew the signs and wonders that the high God hath wrought toward me. How great are his signs! and how mighty are his wonders! his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation.” [Daniel 4:1-3]
In Daniel 4 we have an amazing account written, not by Daniel, but by King Nebuchadnezzar himself. It tells about a lesson that he had to learn the hard way. When he wrote this, he was the richest and most powerful man on earth. He was wise also, and highly educated. He had a lot to be proud about, we would admit. But God changed him from being a proud monarch, boasting about himself, to a humble child of God.
At the end of the seven times, his reason was restored to him, and looking up in humility to the God of heaven, he recognized the divine hand in his chastisement. The transformation had come. The mighty monarch had become the humble child of God, obedient to His will. The despot had been changed into the wise, compassionate ruler. Here is the greatest miracle about this whole happening. When Nebuchadnezzar comes in from the field, gets cleaned up and dressed again. He goes back to his throne and nobody has any problem with that. They accept him back as king again and he reigns for the rest of his life and his son after him. This is amazing, because in those days a king had many enemies and people would plot to overthrow him and take his throne. But God said in the dream that the stump would be bound with brass and iron and his kingdom would be returned to him once he knew who was God and who really rules in the affairs of men. And so it was, just as God had said it would be.
These words honouring God and showing he had learned his lesson, are the last recorded from Nebuchadnezzar, so we will meet him in heaven, if we too are faithful. In Daniel’s life, the desire to glorify God was the most powerful of all motives. He realized that when standing in the presence of men of influence, a failure to acknowledge God as the source of his wisdom would have made him an unfaithful steward. His constant recognition of the God of heaven before kings, princes, and statesmen, detracted not one iota from his influence. King Nebuchadnezzar, before whom Daniel so often honored the name of God, was finally thoroughly converted, and learned to “praise and extol and honour the King of heaven”
To learn that “The Most High Rules In The Kingdom Of Men” which Daniel acknowledged from Nebuchadnezzar’s first dream (Dan 2:20-21) is what this chapter is telling us today. We learn from the first three chapters of Daniel that the King acknowledges this from his second dream. So we see that the main point is simple enough. However, for us today, do we still acknowledge that it is still relevant and true? How do we live our lives? Do we give much importance on God’s sovereignty? Do we see and appreciate that God rules in the kingdom of men through the Lord Jesus?
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