Biblical Lesson From The Story Of Nebuchadnezzar
KEY SCRIPTURE
James 4: 6 “But he gives more grace. Wherefore he says, God resists the proud, but gives grace unto the humble.
INTRODUCTION
Nebuchadnezzar was spoken about in the book of Daniel after the Jew were taken captive to Babylon. He was not portrayed very positively in the Hebrew bible. He was a warrior-king, often described as the greatest military leader of the Babylonian empire. His leadership saw numerous military successes and the construction of building works such as the famous Ishtar gate. He was a powerful ruler and the longest-reigning king of Babylon. He focused more on expansion. He lived a dramatic and exciting life from his story about his dreams, to his building of a giant golden idol, to his fiery furnace. He fought neighboring nations to expand his empire. He was also able to establish hundreds of temples and altars in honour of pagan gods. He was so proud of his victories, possessions and wealth but his pride and lack of concern for his people gained God’s attention.
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Subscribe NowDuring his reign, he experienced a troubling dream which was so real and he realized it would be a message from God. None of his magicians, astrologers or sorcerers were able to interpret his dreams and Daniel was called because it was discovered the spirit of God was with him. From the dream interpretation, God was warning him which came with a punishment if he didn’t adhere to the warning. This was done to him so that he can understand the Heaven rules. Nebuchadnezzar didn’t realize that his sinful behavior and unmerciful treatment to others were of great concern to God. Though he promised to change and the punishment was delayed but he grew careless about the warning until his cup was full and the judgment came to him, for, he dwells with animals for seven years and after the seven years, his kingdom and all were returned back to him.
From this article, we will look at some lessons in the story of Nebuchadnezzar which we can use and take note to check from our lives if we are not heading to that path and guide against them.
- GOD HATES PRIDE: Pride makes us think highly of oneself, it makes us think that we do not need God and it also separates us from God. Due to his many victories, instead of praising God like David in the Bible, Nebuchadnezzar ended up thinking highly of himself. He looked at what he had and began to praise himself which was seen in Daniel 4:30 “The king spoke and said, is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power and for the honour of my majesty?
You should be careful not to allow pride into your life when God blessed the work of your hands. No matter how wealthy you are or victorious you are in life battles, all praises should belong to God. Don’t make the mistake of sharing God’s glory in all your endeavors. If you neglect or ignore God, you have a problem with pride. We need to understand that God of Heaven rules and he is in control. Let’s be wise and never forget the last word of Nebuchadnezzar which he said after God restored his kingdom to him in Daniel 4:37 “Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to bring low.”
- GOD USES ANY FORM TO REVEAL HIS PLANS: God, our maker can use any pattern, form and situation to reveal his plans to his creations. It can be through bible teaching, prayers, those close to us like our parents, pastor, teachers or even friends. We should learn to be spiritually sensitive when a message is being related to us. God uses Nebuchadnezzar’s dream to reveal his faulty behavior to you which tells us that God can use dreams and vision to admonish, correct and reveal to us his plans and propose for our existence. We should also yearn ourselves to correct when he corrects us and also have a humbling spirit to do all that is required of us as a child of God.
- LEARN TO CONSULT GOD ALWAYS: Another lesson to be learnt from the story of Nebuchadnezzar is that we should not go outside God’s presence to seek for a solution elsewhere. This can be dangerous to our well-being and spiritual life. Nebuchadnezzar depended on his pagan gods of magicians, astrologers, sorcerers for a solution to the interpretation of his dreams but he was greatly disappointed as none was able to do so. This shows that any solution outside Christ is undependable. We should learn to construct God in all areas of our lives. You can’t fully manifest your potential outside God. Be careful of bad influences and advice that suggest solutions outside God. Those pieces of advice can lead to your destruction and you might not be lucky like Nebuchadnezzar whose kingdom was restored to him after 7 years.
- PAY ATTENTION TO GOD’S CORRECTION: Remember this saying in Hebrews 12:6 “For whom the Lord loves he chastens and scourges every son whom he receives. God only loves to correct his beloved and when he does that through any medium, we should learn to adhere to it. We should be careless about any instruction or admonition given to us by God. God is patient but when we choose to ignore his loving warning, we will face the consequences of our sins. Proverbs 1:24-33 in summary talks about God will ignore you and allow you to face consequences of your actions after you disobey his warning. At that time, you will call upon him and his voice will be silent. We should guide against taking the word of God for granted. God honors his word much more than his name. We should pay attention to God’s correction in order not to end like Nebuchadnezzar that dwells with animals and eats animal’s food for 7 years. Don’t delay or destroy your destiny due to disobedience or harden of heart to correction.
CONCLUSION
God’s word tells us that God stands against those who ate proud. If you are proud of your own talents and abilities, looks and possession, God may take those things away so we can see what is true. Without God, we are helpless. We should never brag about what we have accomplished. The only thing worth bragging about is knowing the Lord. When you understand the truth that God is in control of everything, your mind will be healthy and clear. You will also feel God’s peace. Our sanity is directly linked to God’s sovereignty. Daniel 4:34 “And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High and I praised and honored him that lives forever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion and his kingdom is from generation to generation.”
