A King and His Kingdom

Daniel 4:17
The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, the decision by the word of the holy ones, to the end that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men.

+++

This is an announcement by an angel, given to Nebuchadnezzar in a dream. Daniel goes on to interpret this dream, saying that Nebuchadnezzar will be humbled to the point of having his mind changed to be like a wild animal's, even eating grass and living outdoors. The angel says that the point of this humiliation will be to show all the earth that God rules the earth, not Nebuchadnezzar, nor any other king.

The book of Daniel is a string of events to show the absolute power and sovereignty of God. Chapter 4 is actually written by Nebuchadnezzar himself, inspired by the Holy Spirit. It's a personal testimony to the level of control God actually has in the world.

I try to imagine this whole thing. Here's a king of a kingdom so powerful, it's still considered to be one of the most powerful to this day. A voice from heaven passes judgment on him and he is led out of his kingdom, living in the wild like an animal eating grass. He does this for so long that his hair and beard grow out to ZZ Top proportions, and then one day he is restored to himself in an instant. If that event doesn't lead anyone to fear God, I don't know what would. And at the end of it all, Nebuchadnezzar doesn't secretly hate God or hold a grudge against him (at least, it doesn't say). Instead, he says, "I praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble" (v.37).

All the events recorded in Daniel tell of two kingdoms: that of man, and God's. We are shown through multiple amazing events that God is able and powerful far beyond the greatest kingdom, and that he uses the humble to make this known. When Jesus came in ultimate humility (God, in human flesh), he instituted and inaugurated God's eternal kingdom. It's like a countdown. A king has been established, and he is on his way to put the world under this order, this kingdom. Which kingdom are you a part of? Because in the end, only one will stand, and you choose your allegiance in this lifetime.