Heart Change

Have you ever heard of King Nebuchadnezzar? If you have, have you ever learned a lesson from his life? He’s not considered a hero and you won’t find him listed among the great men of the Bible. He was the king of Babylon during the days of Daniel and he really isn’t known for being “good.” Within the last few months, I read through Daniel in my Bible reading plan and as I read through this time I was very struck by King Nebuchadnezzar. As I was reading I noticed something that I hadn’t really thought about before. God used King Nebuchadnezzar for His purposes and also to remind us how much He cares about our hearts. You can read a lot about King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel, but I’m going to focus on one event found in Daniel 4.

Daniel is used by God in more than one way, but one of the things that God used him for was to interpret dreams. In Daniel 4, King Nebuchadnezzar has a dream and God uses Daniel to interpret it for him. Daniel lets King Nebuchadnezzar know that his kingdom will be taken from him because of his sin and he will be sent to live among the animals for a period of time until he acknowledges that God is in control and rules over the entire world (Dan. 4:24-26). Daniel suggests that King Nebuchadnezzar practice righteousness and stop oppressing the poor because it might lengthen his prosperity (Dan. 4:27). It appears as though King Nebuchadnezzar listens for a while because the interpretation doesn’t come true until 12 months later according to Daniel 4:29. The next part of this account is what really jumped out at me!

Daniel 4:30-32 says, “and the king…said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” While the words were still in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you, and you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers, and his nails were like birds’ claws.”

I’ve always found this entire account fascinating; however, this time I was struck by the fact that it says “while the words were still in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven” because that means that he didn’t even get to finish saying what he was saying and God was already making the dream become a reality (Dan. 4:31). Why was it that he wasn’t able to finish? I think it’s because in his heart he’d already said it. His heart was speaking before his mouth had the chance and since God looks at the heart — He already knew what King Nebuchadnezzar was about to verbalize (1 Sam. 16:7). Daniel 4:33 uses the word “immediately” and that always stands out to me when I read it. In this case, King Nebuchadnezzar doesn’t even get a chance to respond. God speaks and immediately everything that Daniel interpreted came to be.

This realization made me think about a verse in the book of Matthew. In Matthew 12:34 Jesus says, “…For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” The mouth speaks what is already in the heart. As soon as King Nebuchadnezzar’s heart filled with pride, the voice from heaven was on its way — which, in my opinion — could be why he didn’t get to finish speaking before God started talking. The good news for King Nebuchadnezzar — and for all of us — is that this works both ways. Just as quickly as King Nebuchadnezzar fell because of the pride of his heart, he quickly was restored when his heart filled with humility.

Daniel 4:34 says, “At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me,…” As soon as he lifted his eyes to heaven — an action that showed the humility of his heart — his reason was returned to him and he was restored. God not only restored King Nebuchadnezzar, he added to him. Daniel 4:36 says, “At the same time my reason returned to me…I was established in my kingdom, and still more greatness was added to me.” I read somewhere recently that when God rebuilds, He always improves and that was certainly true for King Nebuchadnezzar. Pride brought him down, but God — who is rich in mercy allowed King Nebuchadnezzar to be restored and added to him the moment he humbled himself. Daniel 4:37 says, “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.”

God is in the heart business. He cares deeply about our hearts — our souls. Our outward appearance doesn’t hold eternal significance like our souls do. That inward change — in our heart — is powerful! Whether we allow our hearts to be softened by God or we choose to harden it toward Him will greatly impact our lives. God has always been after our hearts because of His great love for us and He will continue to pursue us for all of our days. God is a good, good Father and He isn’t willing that any of us should perish. He wants us. He wants our hearts — now and for all of eternity.

Song(s) of the Week: This week I chose “Surrounded (Fight My Battles)” by Michael W. Smith simply because I really like the song! Enjoy!