The events of this week in the U.S. where we have seen the inauguration of a President surrounded by a massed security force and protests, should have made us look for God’s hand. Not His hand in the disorder and angst, but His hand in the progress toward the establishment of His Kingdom.
King Nebuchadnezzar had taken the land of Judea and Jerusalem. God’s hand was in that because of Judah’s rejection of Him. “And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand …” (Daniel 1:2). Daniel was among some young men who were taken into the king’s palace for special training.
God gave Daniel the revelation of the meaning of the king’s dreams. In his first dream, Daniel was able to reveal that Nebuchadnezzar was king over the greatest world ruling nation – the head of gold of the image in the first dream. “You, O king, are a king of kings. For the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength and glory” (Daniel 2:37).
The dream revealed successive kingdoms with the point being, “He (God) removes kings and raises up kings …” (Daniel 2:21). This point was lost on Nebuchadnezzar because his view of himself was, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?” (Daniel 4:30). Nebuchadnezzar attributed the fact that he was king of kings to himself.
For this arrogance, God determined to teach him who was responsible for the greatness of Babylon. He would experience madness until seven times passed over him. The lesson for him was “that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, gives it to whomever He will, and sets over it the lowest of men” (Daniel 4:17). God sets up and takes down kings. Heaven rules! (Verse 26). This is how the hand of God operates in our world today.
Our mindset should mirror Job’s understanding when he declared, “He makes nations great, and destroys them; He enlarges nations, and guides them. He takes away the understanding of the chiefs of the people of the earth, and makes them wander in a pathless wilderness” (Job 12:23-24).
The hand of God raises up and removes kings as God advances world affairs toward the ultimate setting up of the Kingdom of God as the ruling body over all the kingdoms of man. Heaven rules. This week has been a good time to think about that.
Brian Orchard
