I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in my house, and flourishing in my palace. I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts on my bed and the visions of my head troubled me. Therefore I issued a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. Then the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers came in, and I told them the dream; but they did not make known to me its interpretation. But at last Daniel came before me (his name is Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god; in him is the Spirit of the Holy God), and I told the dream before him, saying: “Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the Spirit of the Holy God is in you, and no secret troubles you, explain to me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and its interpretation.
Daniel 4:4-9
If you read my devotional from last week, you might have caught on that I am currently studying the book of Daniel. I find King Nebuchadnezzar such a fascinating character. He has amassed this huge kingdom from years of conquests, and his spoils include the Israelites. At this point in the story he has already met and trained up Daniel and some of his “fiery furnace” friends to be governors over some of his affairs. He has already had one dream interpreted by Daniel when no one else could, and saw the miraculous saving of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego which informs his willingness to declare about the Most High God, “How great are his signs, and how mighty are his wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation.” (Daniel 4:3) Through these words it sounds like he knows a thing or two about the Most High God, and is likely impressed with the power and signs he has displayed.
Yet, when he had another dream, the lesson of “Most High God can do things no one else can” has obviously not stuck with him because he summons all of the talent he has in his back pocket to no avail. None of his magicians, astrologers or soothsayers have an ounce of supernatural discernment to help him interpret his dream. Duh. So, Daniel comes to the rescue again and can interpret the dream because King Nebuchadnezzar concedes, “The Spirit of the Holy God is in you.” He knows what God can do, but just doesn’t think to consult Him first. He sees the relationship Daniel has with his God, but doesn’t seek it for himself.
In the above scripture the parenthetical note reveals the king’s continued allegiance to his own god. He still very much claims his own powerless god, and though he has experienced and has marveled at the signs and wonders of the Most High God (Daniel’s God) he hasn’t taken the initiative to say that perhaps he should claim Him as well. I’m surprised the king didn’t consider “trading up” gods, since his god had never done a thing for him, but then again, it seems the king had really declared himself as his own god in his own majestic kingdom. He sees God as an equal to himself, just a little more powerful. Boy, is he in for a surprise!
I think people can very easily do the same today. We can have experienced the signs and wonders of God, and see His hand on the people and places around us, but not take Him as our own personal God. We can want something to disarm and explain the troublesome things in our lives, but then easily dismiss and forget what He can and has done until the next crisis moment. We want the fix, but we don’t want The One Who Fixes to be in control. You can know about God and His mighty deeds, but without pursuit He will always remain “someone else’s God.” People can see God as a means to an end, and not the BEGINNING and the END of all things. You can acknowledge the greatness of God, but still not make Him GREAT in your life.
The cry of my heart in response to this story: God, you are MY God and I want your personal presence and not just Your power.
Lord, help us not only know of Your greatness and mighty deeds, but let that knowledge spur us to action in submitting our lives to you. You are to be served and praised by us, and not the other way around. Your Kingdom is not some faraway and equally impressive kingdom that rivals our own; help us see ourselves in the proper perspective. The kingdoms we build for ourselves are an illusion; Yours is the everlasting Kingdom. May it be our desire and our goal to dismantle our egos, our own desires and our perceived greatness in pursuit of knowing and loving you with our whole hearts and lives. Help us cast aside any other powerless gods in our lives, regardless of our traditions and habits, and see You as the only wise choice to serve and obey.