'Appreciating God's Love'
A) Nebuchadnezzar God's Servant
Jer 25:9 behold, I will send and take all the families of the north,' says the Lord, 'and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and will bring them against this land, against its inhabitants, and against these nations all around, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, a hissing, and perpetual desolations.
It was God who set up King Nebuchadnezzar to be His servant so that he will conquer Jerusalem and the surrounding nations to become a powerful Babylonian Empire.
God prepared him so that God's beloved Israeli slaves taken into captivity were able to find favour of all the kings in Babylon until the Persian kings sent them back to rebuild the temple of God and Jerusalem, and then once again settled in Israel.
Boastful Nebuchadnezzar
Dan 4:27 Therefore, O king, let my advice be acceptable to you; break off your sins by being righteous, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. Perhaps there may be a lengthening of your prosperity."
Daniel warned King Nebuchadnezzar of the coming disaster upon him if he is boastful of the greatness of the Babylonian Empire.
Note - to overcome pride and arrogance during the time of success, Daniel advised King Nebuchadnezzar how
1. to break off sins, be righteous
2. to break off iniquities, show mercy to the poor.
Brethren, this is the advice for Christians, that when they excel or successful in studies, business, politics, ministries, sports and other endeavours to stay humble.
However, King Nebuchadnezzar ignored the advice and soon he was found boasting of his intelligence and abilities for creation of the great Babylonian Empire.
Dan 4:30-32 The king spoke, saying, "Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?"
B) Dan 4:31-32 While the word was still in the king's mouth, a voice fell from heaven: "King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you! And they shall drive you from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. They shall make you eat grass like oxen; and seven times shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses."
Though King Nebuchadnezzar was a blessing to the Jewish slaves, who were exalted to be his high ranking ministers, yet God had to keep His word of humbling him for his pride and boasting.
Chastisement would bring the boastful king to repent and to humble himself before the Lord.
Dan 4:33 That very hour the word was fulfilled concerning Nebuchadnezzar; he was driven from men and ate grass like oxen; his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair had grown like eagles' feathers and his nails like birds' claws.
Chastisement By Father
Heb 12:7 If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?
Our human fathers chasten us for our good because we are their children. When God chastens us, He has accepted us as His children. So brethren don't ever look down on any brethren who is going through difficult times. Pray for him and comfort him. Always thank God for His love for him.
Heb 12:9-11 Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
C) God Weeps for our Pride
Jer 13:15-17 Hear and give ear: Do not be proud, for the Lord has spoken. Give glory to the Lord your God before He causes darkness, and before your feet stumble on the dark mountains, and while you are looking for light, He turns it into the shadow of death and makes it dense darkness. But if you will not hear it, My soul will weep in secret for your pride; My eyes will weep bitterly and run down with tears, because the Lord's flock has been taken captive."
Pride blinds us. It prevents us from listening to good suggestions, changing our wrong ideas and concepts to godly advices and also from following God's words and commandments.
God weeps over His children for their pride, knowing that unless they repent, it will make them to be boastful, rebellious, worldly, disobedient, unholy and heretic.
It grieves God very much seeing that His children's pride and rebellions will eventually lead them to damnation. It hurts Him very much to see any of His children condemned to hell.
His only option is to chastise them so that in their pains, worries and sufferings they may repent and humble themselves for God's mercy and help.
I Tim 6:3-5 If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself.
