Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down. (Daniel 4:37)

What The King Learned

The world has always had great nations exerting supreme power over the affairs of men. From its early days, the nation of Egypt was one of the most powerful nations on earth. The Chinese dynasties ruled for nearly three thousand years with their zenith during the Qin Dynasty. One of the largest empires to rule over much of the world was the British Empire. Other nations rose to great prominence like the Roman, Spanish, German, Inca, Soviet Union (USSR), and a host of other empires that ruled. In the history of the nation of Israel, the Assyrians and Babylonians conquered God’s people through His divine will. Following the Babylonian, Persian, Greek, and Roman Empires, the Kingdom of God was established on the day of Pentecost.

One common factor is found in all of the empires and nations that have ruled the world. Almost all have disappeared on the pages of a long-forgotten history. All that remains are the remnants of a once proud and powerful people. There are nations today seeking their place on the stage of world affairs and, for a time, will exert great influence. History is the great teacher of what happens tomorrow if the student of today will take notice. Pride lifts a nation to great glory, but that pride will also be their destruction. Since the building of the tower of Babel, the history of mankind is measured by the habitation of the Lord restricting the spread of global domination by any people. What God has established as the borders of any nation will not change.

During the captivity of Israel, Babylon exercised world dominance under the leadership of Nebuchadnezzar. Among the captives brought from Judah, a young man named Daniel served in the King’s palace. After a troubling dream that no one could explain, Nebuchadnezzar sought the counsel of Daniel to tell its meaning. With great courage to speak plainly to the most powerful man on earth, Daniel told King Nebuchadnezzar that his pride would be his downfall. One year later, as the King was walking among the splendor of Babylon, a proud heart proclaimed the great achievements of Nebuchadnezzar. The Lord drove the King from man, and Nebuchadnezzar ate grass like oxen, and he lived in the wild. His hair grew like eagles feathers, and his nails like birds claws.

At the end of the time, the Lord brought the humbled King back to his throne. The experience changed the heart of Nebuchadnezzar, and he proclaimed the glory of the Most High and praised and honored the Lord who lives forever. His final statement was praise and extolling and honoring the King of heaven. The King had come to know who rules in the affairs of men. He realized as great as his kingdom and as powerful a man he was among men; God was greater. The King also recognized the work of God was the truth, and all of the ways of the Lord are right. It was a hard lesson for Nebuchadnezzar to learn, but he realized all men who walk in pride, God is able to put down. The angels are amused at the pride of men. There is nothing that man has done that warrants glory. Pride is a destructive spirit that only destroys. There are men and women who exercise great power in world affairs either in politics, business, social and global influence, but all are made in the similitude of Nebuchadnezzar. Their time of greatness will be short-lived. Those who exalt themselves in pride will be brought low. Angels laugh at the arrogant hearts that seek to elevate themselves above their habitation. Man is made a little lower than the angels, and this will never change. When men begin to think of themselves as gods, the heavens shout with laughter. Those who walk in pride will be put down—all of them