As the king was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, he said, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?” Even as the words were on his lips, a voice came from heaven, “This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you.” – Daniel 4:29-31

My wife and I are in the middle of buying our first house right now. We’ve been talking incessantly of our plans for the house: how we’ll redo the kitchen, what we want to plant in the garden, the colors we want to use when we repaint the bathroom. But mixed in with all the excitement, I’ve been anxious and stressed, wondering how we’re going to have time for renovations and afraid that we’ll lose the house someday. What will happen to me if I lose my financial security and my house? 

You see, I’m not that different from Nebuchadnezzar. He wanted to build a legacy for himself, and he did. He was one of the most powerful and feared kings history has ever known. And he transformed Babylon into the cultural and political center of the world seemingly all by himself. No wonder that, when he looked out over Babylon, he said “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?”. Just like him, I’m trying to build a legacy by getting a nice house, by being well respected and accomplished at work, by being loved by my friends… And I’m anxious when I think that I might not accomplish these goals or, even worse, that having accomplished them I might see them taken away from me.  

So how did Nebuchadnezzar ignore God’s warning and end up insane, eating grass and sleeping in the dirt? It’s easy to think he was crazy for ignoring God’s explicit warning, even after he’d seen that Daniel was somebody worth listening to. But we all receive reminders from God that everything we have is his: “For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?” (1 Corinthians 4:7). God calls us to be thankful for his gifts and to hold them with open hands. And I ignore that warning daily, trusting my accomplishments to satisfy me boasting to myself about how accomplished I am.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve realized for the first time how much of this book is about God’s loving pursuit of Nebuchadnezzar. Both in this passage and in Chapter 2, God gives Nebuchadnezzar dreams that call him to repentance. In Chapter 3, God even demonstrates his power in delivering Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from the fire. I’ve been struck by how lovingly God pursued Nebuchadnezzar and how he didn’t stop this pursuit until Nebuchadnezzar turned to him. It’s comforting to know that the God who made and rules the universe also cares about individuals, even prideful people (like me) who boast against him and try to live without him. He cares about me. He has lovingly provided for me over and over again in my life and he is teaching me to rely on him in every aspect of my life. Not only am I sinning against the creator and ruler of the universe when I worship my legacy and my stuff, but pursuing these accomplishments will ultimately destroy me. This passage reminds me to thank God for all his gifts to me and to pray for wisdom to know that loving and pursuing God are better for me than anything else on earth. 

~ Philip Noell