God is in Control of History

God is in Control of History 2021 06 27

Daniel 4:1 – 37

This past year and a half has been probably the most unusual time in the lives of anyone now living – or at least, that anyone can remember.  Governments around the world have brought in various forms of “lockdowns,” greatly restricting the movement of the people.  This has been done, even to those who live in the freest countries the world has ever known.  They have told us that it is for our own good, to protect us from a deadly disease that has been sweeping the planet.  Yet even as it seems to be far less deadly than originally believe, restrictions still exist in many places, including our country.  Many ideas have sprung up from this situation.  Could it be that they are flexing their muscles, test to see how far they can exercise control over their citizens?S  We have even heard rumblings of a “great reset.”  We have heard this from the lips of our own leaders.  Is this what is really going on?  Should we be concerned?

Perhaps, but we need to remember – even as we discover once again in our Scripture today – God is in control.

Daniel 4:1 – 37

Nebuchadnezzar was undoubtably the greatest king who ever lived, in terms of his power and the extent of his kingdom.  He ruled all of Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, and the Middle East, from the entire country of Egypt to at least the Euphrates River and almost certainly beyond.  Daniel, himself, in interpreting an earlier dream that had trouble the king had proclaimed by the power of God the Holy Spirit that Nebuchadnezzar was indeed the greatest of kings.

But pride gripped the king.  He is even mentioned in Isaiah 14, called Lucifer, the devil himself, for having said in his heart, just as the devil, that he would exalt his throne above the very star of God.  Nebuchadnezzar was a man driven by the devil, for he was able to accomplish things no mere man could accomplish.  He conquered “unconquerable” nations. In a day when the fastest way to travel was on the back of an animal, the extent of his kingdom was astonishing!

But in a moment, in the blink of any eye, God brought down this greatest of kings, and indeed, the devil himself, and showed the king, and the devil, and us today, that God is in control!  Nebuchadnezzar’s great dominion came to pass only because God ordained it.

  1. Writings of a King
    1. This is perhaps the most unique passage in the entire Bible.It was originally written in Chaldean, by the king responsible for conquering Judah and Jerusalem, and for taking the people captive to Babylon and its provinces.
    2. Nebuchadnezzar was a pagan king, a king of kings, who ruled from the other side of the Euphrates River to the western border of Egypt.It was he who conquered the “unconquerable” cities of Nineveh, mainland Tyre, and Jerusalem.
      1. On a further historical note, it was another great general, Alexander the Great of Greece, who finally conquered the island fortress of Tyre, using the rubble from mainland Tyre to make a causeway out to the island.He, like Nebuchadnezzar, thought himself to be a god, but almighty God brought him down quickly to the grave.
      2. God did not end Nebuchadnezzar’s life like he did to Alexander the Great, but He did decisively humble him.This is the account of the event from Nebuchadnezzar, himself.  The very fact that it is in the Bible, which is the very Word of God, verbally inspired by God, Himself, shows the extent to how greatly the king was changed.  There is no doubt that Nebuchadnezzar had become a believer.

 

  1. A Pride-Filled King
    1. The Bible tells us that “Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18. Nebuchadnezzar, by his own admission, was filled with pride.
      1. This was not the first time the king had experienced the power of God up close.He had already seen Shadrach, Mechach, and Abednego walking around with a supernatural being in his fiery furnace. He had recognized that it was by the power of the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that they came out of the furnace without even the smell of fire on them.
        1. At the same time, he did not realize that the God who could preserve His own, even in a fiery furnace, was the one who gave him his power.
        2. In spite of all the king had experienced of the power of almighty God, he was filled with pride and declared that he had built great Babylon by his own “mighty” power as a tribute to his great honour.
  • How many times have you heard some declared a “self-made man?”

 

  • A Warning in the Night
    1. God gave mighty Nebuchadnezzar a warning by night in the form of a dream. He also provided the interpretation of his dream through Daniel.
      1. God told the king that the dream was about him.He had become a mighty king, king over all the known world.
      2. Previously, in another dream, God had made it clear to Nebuchadnezzar that it was He, God, who had given him his kingdom.“Thou, O king, art a king of kings:  for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.”  Daniel 2:37
      3. Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom was the greatest of all the kingdoms that have ever existed on this earth.His was the kingdom represented by the head of gold in Daniel 2:38.
    2. But God warned the king through Daniel to repent, verse 27.
      1. But sometime later, the king’s heart was lifted up in pride as he spoke aloud his thoughts, that all his might and glory were the result of his own power.
      2. Judgment came immediately.He heard a voice from heaven telling him that his kingdom was departed from him, and that he would be driven into the fields as a madman, to live like an animal.  This happened to him the same hour, we are informed.
    3. Repentance of a King
      1. Finally, after seven years, the king returned to his right mind and repented with praise and honour to the most-High.
        1. Nebuchadnezzar finally recognized that God is in control of all things, and that He always accomplishes His own will.God is in control of history.
        2. Nebuchadnezzar’s reason returned to him, and he used it to praise and honor God, the King of heaven.God gave Nebuchadnezzar the great honour of contributing to the word of God, and honour given to no other king of a pagan nation.

 

  1. Conclusion
    1. God is in control of history.He is in control of all things, right now.
      1. Christians ought not to be worried about what our government is going to do, nor should we be fighting against our government and the laws it makes.
      2. Christians ought to be obeying the laws, unless they contradict the Word of God.“Then Peter and the apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.” Acts 5:29
      3. But Christians must recognize that God IS in control, all the time.No matter what strange plans our government may have, no matter what advantage they may think to gain in our present situation during this pandemic, God is in control.
    2. Governments can only do what God allows them to do, and God will only allow what fits His plans for the outcome He has already decided in Eternity.Christians ought not to get caught up in worry about what the government might do, but instead we ought to be like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.  Whatever the powers that be in this world may try to bring against God’s people, He will protect us, just as he protected them from the fire of the king’s furnace and later, Daniel from the mouths of hungry lions.  The Bible says that God is the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever (Hebrews 13:8).  Just as these men trusted God above all else, so should we.  God is in absolute control of history!