During advent season so much of my devotional reading was
directed to Revelation and Daniel. One chapter in Daniel caught my attention.
The story of Nebuchadnezzar being turned out of his kingdom into the fields
with the beasts. It begins with the king speaking of the greatness of God and
His kingdom, “His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation
to generation.” (4:3b) After this Nebuchadnezzar goes on to explain how he came
to acknowledge the greatness of God. That event came after he was warned by God
in a dream. He was warned of his arrogance and encouraged by Daniel to break
away from his sins and show mercy to the poor.
A year later, walking on the roof of his palace these are
Nebuchadnezzar’s words. “Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have
built as a royal residence by the might of my power and by the glory of my
majesty.” (4:30). Immediately the king became like an animal in the field and under
God’s judgement would remain that way until he acknowledged God’s sovereignty.
I, also noted in my Christmas reading, that while we are to
praise God for His greatness the Psalms reveals that God is humble. But how can
the One who created all things and rules all be humble? When we think of humanity
as humble, we think of those who, unlike Nebuchadnezzar, do not boast but acknowledges
their weaknesses, their inabilities, even their sinfulness. They are like the
man who praying in the Temple will not even look up but asks for mercy. So, the
contrast between the words of Nebuchadnezzar, his bragging self-admiration, and
the biblical humbleness attributed to the Lord are undoubtedly vast.
So, what is the attitude and acts that make our God humble:
The Lord is high above all nations; His glory is above
the heavens. Who is like the Lord our God. Who is enthroned on high, Who
humbles Himself to behold the things that are in heaven and in the earth? And
lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes, with the princes
of His people. He makes the barren woman to abide in the house as a joyful
mother of children (Psalm 113: 4-9a).
The Lord looks on all he has made, unlike the religious deist’s
views of God, the Lord of Scripture is concerned about His creation. And what
follows is not His praise of His own self because of His Glory but His tender
care for His creation. What could be more empathic than caring for the one
reduced to such poverty or caring for the woman longing for children. It is the
reaching down to the weak, the needy, the stranger, the broken and sinful that
is really the opposite of human arrogance, the seeking of power, the
willingness to hurt others, the dark need to avenge. And the greatest image of
God’s humbleness is the Father’s willingness to send His beloved Son to redeem
humanity.
There is much to be frightened about in all ages, and yes in
this age. The desire to cover walls with gold and with insults—the desire to
send people away into prisons that might as well be new gulags and concentration
camps. The desire to overpower the true image of God, that is, the image of God
in humanity—all of humanity, broken and redeemed humanity. The need to be
honored for peace while pushing war in everyplace—around dinner tables, on high
seas, amidst friends. The need to honor foes—for power—and threaten friends—for
power.
But there is a power and grace and yes humbleness that is
above every earthly power. While God reaches down, humbles Himself to touch the
lives of the broken; still He is the one who warned Nebuchadnezzar and then
humbled him causing him to live among the beasts until he acknowledged that the
Lord was the one who raises up rulers and puts down rulers. Repeatedly, reading
the Hebrew Bible, the history of Israel and the warnings of the Prophets, ones
sees the constant rise of wicked kings and God’s judgments on them.
The most degenerate king of Judah, Manasseh, who Scriptures
says filled Jerusalem with innocent blood met both that judgement and that
redemption. Manasseh’s list of evil actions can be found in 2 Kings 21 and 2
Chronicles 33. Manasseh was captured by the ruler of Assyria and,
interestingly, taken in chains to prison in Babylon. (2 Chronicles 33) In
prison Manasseh repented and God brought him back to Jerusalem where he tore
down all the altars he had built to false gods and removed an idol he had
placed in the temple. But still his
people were tainted because he had seduced them too evil.
And we must acknowledge the evil about us, in us, and even
in the leadership over us as a means of not participating in evil. This isn’t rebellion,
this is being truthful. We must grieve as the Lord does both for those who are
hurt and those who hurt. This isn’t rebellion its knowing, feeling and carrying
the grace of God to brokenness. We must be willing to be slandered for telling
the truth this is also God’s grace.
