I have recently been preaching through the book of Daniel in my church, and found myself perusing again the first few verses of Daniel chapter one. As I did, I came across something I had missed before. As I read again how Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon captured Judah (as Jeremiah had foretold by the Lord would happen) and King Jehoiakim after besieging the city, I read how Nebuchadnezzar took the vessels of the house of God (the temple)and deposited them in the treasury of his own god's temple. I was struck by the awesome power of God who can allow such an affront to His majesty without intervening.
This seems such a small innocuous statement, yet how much we learn about God. The Almighty, all powerful God allowed a human king to remove the sacred vessels of His temple and take them and deposit them into the treasury of a god that did not even exist. I am reminded of the amazing humility of our God. The incarnation (when God became a man) was not the first example of God's humility, His willingness to allow puny human beings to insult His glory. Here we see another amazing example. But it wasn't God's powerlessness being thrust into the spotlight, but His omniscience and sovereignty. He had already been preparing Daniel and his three friends for an amazing display of God's power that would have the powerful king Nebuchadnezzar and the powerful Babylonian empire as a background. Like an artist preparing a beautiful work of art, God was preparing the background upon which He would work. Later we will see God respond when Belshazzar (Nebuchadnezzar's grandson)abuses and commits sacrilege with the same vessels. The writing on the wall and the fall of Babylon would be the result. And each leader was reminded that their position of power had not been achieved on their own, but given to them by God.
Recently I was sent an email by concerned Christians that a coin was being printed without the words "In God We Trust," upon them. I, for one, am not bothered by that fact since the majority of those who use the coins will not truly trust in God. I am reminded, however, that God often uses people's and governments that seek to dishonor Him to display His greatest acts of power. In America we are prone to think that our democracy is sovereign, and the vote is the ultimate power in the country. Neither in a monarchy (Nebuchadnezzar) nor a democracy, has God abrogated His sovereignty. His will and power are not thwarted through candidates, votes lost or won, or laws passed or blocked. The book of Daniel is a book the church in the west needs to reexamine.
Regardless of who is in office, or what laws are passed, God is sovereign over the affairs of men and works His will with none to stop Him. Daniel reminds us that kingdoms will rise and fall, as prophecies foretell, but the Kingdom of God remains and grows ever larger and greater. Let's regain some perspective and put our efforts into those Kingdom goals that Jesus set us to. If you are feeling a little shaky about this, reread Daniel. It will help you gain an invaluable perspective.
