DANIEL 4
28 All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. 29 At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, 30 and the king answered and said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” 31 While the words were still in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you, 32 and you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” 33 Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers, and his nails were like birds’ claws. – Daniel 4:28-33
DANIEL 4 PRIDE GOES BEFORE DESTRUCTION
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
Watch out all you who boasts about their accomplishments
For nothing truly comes to you from your own works and achievements
Every good gift comes from the Lord your God who is the source of all things
Let go of pride for it will bring you much chaos, destruction and ruin.
It didn’t take that long before the interpretation of Daniel of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream came to pass. It just took a year. It happened while he was actually boasting about his great Babylon as if he built it himself. What a joke this king was! He was given all the time to repent from that day that Daniel told him about his fall in the dream. His arrogance was teeming that he couldn’t hear the warning until it actually came. As he was haughtily stating his achievement, a voice from heaven was heard which shunned him off his kingdom.
This event is a total confirmation of the saying in Proverbs 16:18 which says that “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall”. This is why the book of James reminds us that God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble and if we humble ourselves before the Lord, he will exalt us.
REFLECTION
- Why do you think the proud cannot hear warnings to repent?