God’s people in the Old Testament, the Jews, have had many enemies over the years. Countless empires, kingdoms, judges, rulers, kings, etc have tried to rule, exile, destroy, manipulate, and exile the Jews. However, in the Hebrew scriptures, there is one physical enemy of the Jews that seemed to tower over all others. This man was the archetype of evil in the Bible and the kingdom that he represented was depicted as bad news even from the early chapters of Genesis. Who is this chief enemy? The King of Babylon – Dun, dun, duuun!
What’s the big deal with this guy anyways? The King of Babylon, or Nebuchadnezzar, is introduced at the culmination of the Jewish exile. For years the Jewish people had abandoned their God, not headed the warnings of the prophets, and sought to define good and evil on their own. As a consequence, God, as He said over and over again via His prophets, claimed that the largest kingdom that the world has ever seen up to that point in history was coming to exile the Jews from their homeland. The kingdom cared not for the God of Israel, didn’t play nice, and only sought to control and govern the known world. And who is heading up this kingdom? Nebuchadnezzar! You can imagine the shivers down the spine of the Jews when his name was spoken. He is bad news!
But Wait
Here is what is extremely interesting. The character in the Bible that represents all this evil, believe it or not, actually has his own portion IN THE BIBLE that he wrote. Think about this! There are words of Nebuchadnezzer that he wrote that we, and the Jews, believe to be the inspired Word of God. The most powerful man on the planet at one time in history has a historical record retained for our edification in the scriptures. What an amazing thing! Let’s examine what he wrote:
“King Nebuchadnezzar,
To the nations and peoples of every language, who live in all the earth:
May you prosper greatly!
It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me.
How great are his signs,
how mighty his wonders!
His kingdom is an eternal kingdom;
his dominion endures from generation to generation.” (Daniel 4:1-3 NIV)
Yes, you read that right. The very same man who exiled Yahweh’s people into his own land and who represents the nightmare of every Jewish person at that point in history has recorded and inspired words written down that claim that he takes pleasure in telling those who read them the “signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed” What comes close to such a shocking discovery in all of scripture?!
Nebuchadnezzar’s Confession
If you haven’t read Daniel chapter 4 I suggest you go do so now. In short, Nebuchadnezzar is taken on his own Job-like journey that brings him to a conclusion about the God of the Jews. Nebuchadnezzar claims: “I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation: All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven… Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of Heaven…” (Daniel 4:35-37 bold/italics are mine)
The king who was to represent the archetype of evil in the Bible, the “big bad wolf” to the Jewish people, is here openly confessing and recording that he bows his knee to one: The King of Heaven. Only after this confession, as you will read in Daniel 4, does God restore to him the Kingdom of Babylon and allow him to continue his earthly rule and reign.
Hope
Can you imagine the hope these words must have provided for the Jews that would pick up the scroll of Daniel years after the exile? They look back at their history and see that what looked like the darkest time in their previous generations was actually turned, by God, to be one of the greatest revelations of His sovereign rule over the kingdoms on this earth. What confidence it must have gave them whenever the next “big bad wolf” walked into town trying to stomp all over them! They have already seen the worst and God brought this wolf to his knees with open confession to His sovereignty.
But the hope extends to us also. There are countless kings/rulers/officials/presidents/etc that follow in the footsteps of King Nebuchadnezzar. They represent evil and seek to afflict and persecute God’s elect people. But Nebuchadnezzar serves as an example to what God is capable of bringing any earthly ruler to: a point of confession that God is, in fact, the true King of Heaven. Or as Nebuchadnezzar said: “those that walk in pride he is able to abase” (Daniel 4:37b).
We have the privilege of serving this King of Heaven. More so, we have the privilege at this point in history to know who He is: Jesus the Messiah. Let’s admire the confession of Nebuchadnezzar and pray that every earthly king would come to the same conclusion. Psalm 2:10-12: “Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling. Kiss his son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.”
Action
1. Praise the King of Heaven for His sovereign rule and reign over all
2. Confess to God the times when you have sought to be ruled by another (maybe yourself) and surrender afresh your life to His reign
3. Ask God to bring His Kingdom and reign here on earth as it is in heaven
4. Listen to this post’s song: There is a King