Thursday

Related Verses
Dan. 4:34-35, 37
34 And at the end of those days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up my eyes to heaven, and reason returned to me; and I blessed the Most High, and I praised and honored the ever-living One; For His dominion is an eternal dominion, And His kingdom is from generation to generation;
35 And all the inhabitants of earth are considered as nothing, But He does according to His will in the army of heaven And among the inhabitants of the earth; And there is no one who can resist His hand Or say to Him, What are You doing?
37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and honor the King of the heavens, because all His works are truth and His ways justice, and because He is able to abase those who walk in pride.

Rom. 8:28-29
28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
29 Because those whom He foreknew, He also predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the Firstborn among many brothers;

Col. 1:18
18 And He is the Head of the Body, the church; He is the beginning, the Firstborn from the dead, that He Himself might have the first place in all things;

2 Cor. 10:13, 18
13 But we will not boast beyond our measure but according to the measure of the rule which the God of measure has apportioned to us, to reach even as far as you.
18 For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.

Jer. 9:23-24
23 Thus says Jehovah, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, And let not the mighty man glory in his might; Let not the rich man glory in his riches.
24 But let him who glories glory in this, That he has insight and knows Me, That I am Jehovah who exercises lovingkindness, Justice, and righteousness on earth; For in these things I delight, declares Jehovah.

Related Reading
In His economy God administrates the universe in order to fulfill His purpose. His purpose is to give Christ the preeminence in all things…Apart from God’s having a people, there is no way for Christ to be made preeminent. 

As those who have been chosen by God to be His people for Christ’s preeminence, we are under God’s heavenly rule…Under God’s heavenly rule, everything is working together for our good (Rom. 8:28)…Our [personal] universe includes ourselves, our families, and the church. In our universe many things happen day by day for the purpose of making Christ preeminent. We need to realize this and be submissive to God’s heavenly rule. (Life-study of Daniel, p. 79) 

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The earth is under the rule of a heavenly administration. The heavens rule for us, and Christ is for us. Furthermore, we are under God’s heavenly rule for Christ. The purpose of the heavenly ruling is to complete God’s elect so that Christ may be preeminent, that He may be the first—the centrality—and everything—the universality. 

Because the heavens rule, Christ is with us in all our situations. When we are sick,…when we are in turmoil, He is with us. 

In [Daniel 4] Nebuchadnezzar, who continued to walk in pride, was abased by God. God exposed him and showed him that he was not a gentleman but a beast. 

In his dream Nebuchadnezzar saw a great, strong, tall tree, beautiful in foliage, rich in fruit, and good for food. This tree signified Nebuchadnezzar himself (vv. 20-22). 

In his interpretation [of verse 23] Daniel explained…that the Most High had decreed that Nebuchadnezzar would be driven out from among mankind, dwell with the beasts of the field, be made to eat grass as bulls do, and lose his reasoning for a period of seven times, until he came to know that the Most High is the Ruler over the kingdom of men (vv. 24-25). Verse 26 goes on to say, “In that it was commanded that the stump of roots of the tree be left, your kingdom will be assured to you after you have come to know that the heavens do rule.” 

After Daniel exhorted Nebuchadnezzar [v. 27], God gave him twelve months to repent. However, there was no repentance and no change. One day while the king was walking upon the roof of the royal palace in Babylon, he looked at the great city and was filled with pride, saying, “Is this not Babylon the great, which I have built up as a royal house by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?” (v. 30). 

While the word was still in the king’s mouth, a voice came down from heaven, saying, “To you it is spoken, King Nebuchadnezzar: The kingdom has passed on from you” (v. 31). God would teach him to know that he was nothing and the mighty God, the Ruler over the kingdom of men, the One who gives the kingdom of men to whomever He wills, is everything. 

According to his nature and his being, Nebuchadnezzar was not a man but a beast. For this reason his heart was changed from that of a man’s, and a beast’s heart was given to him (v. 16)…In that very hour he began to eat grass as bulls do, his body became wet with the dew, his hair grew like eagles’ feathers, and his nails became like birds’ claws (v. 33). 

As indicated by his praise at the end of chapter 4, Nebuchadnezzar surely had learned the lesson to be abased and know God. In chapter 3 he set up a golden image because he was very proud. Chapter 4 follows to teach him a great lesson. Although he acted like a gentleman, he was a beast. (Life-study of Daniel, pp. 79-80, 35-39) 

Further Reading: Life-study of Daniel, msg. 6