NEBUCHADNEZZAR


DANIEL 1; 2; 3
A. "IN THE THIRD YEAR OF THE REIGN OF JEHOIAKIN KING OF JUDAH CAME NEBUCHADNEZZAR KING OF BABYLON UNTO JERUSALEM AND BESIEGED IT" - DANIEL 1:1-2
  1. Nebuchadnezzar was doubtless one of the outstanding rulers of all times:
    1. "Thou, O King, art a King of Kings; for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power and strength and glory" - Dan. 2:37
    2. He was the head of one of the four universal kingdoms that ruled the world
  2. The history of Nebuchadnezzar is very informative to students of Bible prophecy:
    1. His dreams indicate clearly the hand of God in the affairs of the nations
    2. In the end he becomes a convert to the God of the children of Israel
B. LET US NOTE FOUR HIGH POINTS IN THE HISTORY OF NEBUCHADNEZZAR
  1. He and his army subjected and conquered the then known world:
    1. Including the kingdom of Judah
    2. But that power was given to him by Him who ruleth among all the nations - compare Dan. 4:25-26; Ps. 22:28
  2. At first he was cruel to God's people:
    1. He destroyed Jerusalem, including the temple and its vessels
    2. Made the Israelites slaves without any mercy
  3. He became power drunk:
    1. Through the great image he had built to be worshiped and adored by all his subjects he passed the bounds of Divine long-suffering
    2. The three Hebrews under Divine protection taught him a lesson that caused him to acknowledge the Ruler of the universe - Dan. 3:14-30
    3. His final humiliation came when God confined him to live with the beasts of the field; it was then that he became a convert to the true God - Dan. 4:1-37
  4. The fourth and perhaps the most important point in the life of Nebuchadnezzar is:
    1. How God used Daniel and his friends to bring His truth to the kingdom of Babylon and to its ruler who was a Pagan at heart
    2. Daniel's loyalty to the principles he was taught by his parents - Dan. 1:8-14
    3. Daniel's sterling integrity to the principles of right - Dan. 1; 2
    4. The steadfastness of the three Hebrews to the law of God - compare - Ex. 20:1-4 with Matt. 4:10; Dan. 3:16-30
    5. Nebuchadnezzar became a convert to the true God through manifest Divine manifestation - he learned through experience
C. A MEMORABLE LESSON FOR US
  1. God has never abdicated to rule the universe:
    1. Nebuchadnezzar learned this truth the hard way
    2. Said he, "Of a truth it is that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings" - Dan. 2:47
    3. He even went so far a s to use his royal power to decree that none of his subjects shall be irreverent to the God of the Hebrews - Dan. 3:29
  2. God has and still uses dedicated men and women:
    1. To be His witnesses as Daniel and his friends were in Babylon; they were the divinely inspired leaven that leavened not only Babylon but the whole world
    2. Said the Lord through Isaiah, "Ye are my witnesses, and my servant whom I have chosen" Is. 43:10
    3. Said Jesus, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven - Matt. 5:16
  3. Daniel and his friends met this divine instruction under the most severe tests that could be brought to bear upon their loyalty to God:
    1. To begin with they were slaves; as such they had no liberty or rights at all; they were at the mercy of their captors
    2. Yet, they were steadfast, true as the needle is to the point - letting their captors know that their allegiance was first and foremost to the God of their fathers


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