Today’s reading is Daniel 4-7
Saint Nebuchadnezzar?
“Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble” (Daniel 4:37). This is one of the extraordinary conversions in the Bible and amazingly little talked about. Yes, there is no indication that Nebuchadnezzar became a Jew, but the language seems to indicate at least to me that he became a believer and follower of the God of Israel.
The question might be why would God even worry about reaching this pagan king, who though used of God to bring judgment did it in such a way that God promised judgment on them? Was God playing favorites? Was God just trying to help those in power?
The answer is no. God doesn’t play favorites. There could be many reasons God specifically reached out to Nebuchadnezzar. It could have been so that God’s power would be seen even after his temple was destroyed. It could have been to prepare the kingdom for the judgment which was going to come. It could have been that God was responding to the prayers of Daniel and his friends. We may never know. What we see here is God reaches out to try and redeem those that others wouldn’t. We also see trouble is often the precursor to humility and conversion.
Why does God allow bad things to happen? Sometimes, not always, we have to hit bottom before we will look up to God.
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
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