• Home
  • About This Blog
  • Contact Me
  • Subscribe
  • Comment Policy

Attempts at Honesty

Reflections on the interplay of the Bible and Culture

  • Westminster Shorter Catechism Series
  • Sermon on the Mount Series
Home Bible Reflection Choose To Be A Servant: Example of Nebuchadnezzar

Choose To Be A Servant: Example of Nebuchadnezzar

Posted on June 1, 2011 Written by Mark McIntyre Leave a Comment


Unwilling Servant

Nebuchadnezzar

In Jeremiah 27:6, Nebuchadnezzar is referred to as a servant of Jehovah. There is a sense that every world leader is a servant of the God who allows that leader to rise to power. Proverbs 21:1 says, “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.” There was nothing that Nebuchadnezzar could do to thwart God’s plan for history.

Willing Servant

There is another sense in which Nebuchadnezzar became the servant of Jehovah. In Daniel 4:28-37 we see the story of Nebuchadnezzar’s fall and restoration.

Nebuchadnezzar had been an eyewitness to several miracles, yet he remained proud and self-reliant. In this section of Daniel 4 we see that God reduced him from his throne to eating grass in the field like a wild animal. Nebuchadnezzar was taken from being arguably the most powerful man in the world to a homeless madman. This transition is like going from the White House to living in a cardboard box under a bridge. He went from top to bottom in an instant.

In God’s sovereignty and grace, this was not the end of the story for Nebuchadnezzar. When the former king blessed “the Most High” his reason returned to him and he was restored to the throne, but with a new heart and a new attitude. Nebuchadnezzar proclaims this about the God who lives forever in Daniel 4:34-35:

for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?”

We are not told much more about Nebuchadnezzar’s reign from that point on, but my guess is that it was very different than before his humiliation.

Willingly or Unwillingly All Will Bow

We are told in Isaiah 45:23, Romans 14:11 and Philippians 2:10  – Every knee shall eventually bow before the throne of God. The only choice in the matter is if we will do it willingly or unwillingly.

In his sovereignty, God allows circumstances into our lives which overwhelm us. Life does not always treat us fairly; things do not always turn out the way we would like. This often is perceived as bad news, but when we respond properly, it can be transformed into good news.

The circumstances become good news when God uses them in our lives to remind us that we are not in control and that we do not have all the answers. God give us the opportunity to turn to him, bow our knees and submit.

God, in his grace, humbled Nebuchadnezzar in his lifetime so that he would choose to bend the knee before it was too late. Nebuchadnezzar chose well at the end. May we do the same when faced with difficulties.


Filed Under: Bible Reflection Tagged With: humility, Nebuchadnezzar, servant

About Mark McIntyre

A follower of Jesus Christ who shares observations about how Scripture should impact the church and the world. Mark is the original author and editor of Attempts at Honesty.

Follow Attempts at Honesty

Honesty in your Inbox

Du Jour

The danger of Method-Du-Jour thinking

Some church does something. It appears to be successful based on attendance numbers. Others then seek to find the method or program that was used to generate the good result. We shorten the sermon, use video feeds, turn up the music, redesign the décor, or hire consultants to try to produce similar results.

Soldiers

Training for the battle

Gibbon writes that the only difference between the field of training and the field of battle was the effusion of blood on the latter. The church could learn from the Romans.

What is Caesar’s and What is God’s?

Matthew 22:21, Mark 12:17 and Luke 20:25 record the familiar phrase “render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.” The fact that all three of the Synoptic Gospels record this saying is an indication to me that it is very important. There is something here that I […]

War Horse

A lesson on the culture war from “War Horse”

Too often, we fight the culture war by digging a trench and lobbing arguments at the enemy trench. Better we meet between the trenches.

A reason for boasting

A reason for boasting

For the most part, I really don’t enjoy listening to postgame, on-field interviews of athletes. If the interviewee is on the winning side, too often the interview amounts to boasting about how he is faster, stronger or smarter than his opponent. We live in a day where self-promotion is encouraged and expected. This is an aspect […]

Post Series

  • Westminster Shorter Catechism Series
  • Sermon on the Mount Series
February 2023
SMTWTFS
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728 
« Jan    

Categories

Archives

Blogger Grid
Follow me on Blogarama

Copyright © 2023 · Focus Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in