While the words were still in the king’s mouth, a voice came from heaven: “King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared that the kingdom has departed from you.” Daniel 4:31
What are some of history’s most remarkable sports dynasties? The New York Yankees of the 1950s? The UCLA Bruins under John Wooden? The Green Bay Packers of the 1960s? And the 1969 Mets who might as well have stolen the National League pennant from our Cubbies? The Edmonton Oilers of the 1980s? The Chicago Bulls of the 1990s? The New England Patriots of the early 2000s?
During the “reign” of these teams, it almost seemed as though they would never be unseated. The legacy of raw talent seemed to create an impenetrable shield against future defeat. But in every case the mantle passed. The dynasty melted into league standings that were close to the cellar. Highlight footage was filed in the archives, and trophies began collecting dust. It’s a shame, isn’t it?
Several years ago, I had the privilege of meeting a top executive during the pinnacle of his success. He had decided that he could get away with living two lives. His prowess in the boardroom and his infidelity in the dark were his secret stock and trade. But when his dual life was discovered, the man was transformed from a confident and successful manager his subordinates emulated to a pathetic, sniveling creature, hiding out in a one-bedroom flat. It’s a shame, isn’t it?
King Nebuchadnezzar was a powerful man. The chronicles of his successful military campaigns were legion. His wealth ranked him among the most affluent in the known world. One day the king was taking a stroll on the roof of his new palace. In his mind he summarized his great accomplishments: “Is this not Babylon the Great that I have built to be a royal residence by my vast power and for my majestic glory?” (v. 30). He gloated like a fool. With this layout and my success, this is about as good as it gets, he thought. But the sovereign God had other plans. In a matter of moments, this strident king was “driven away from people” and “ate grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with dew from the sky, until his hair grew like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws” (v. 33). What a grotesque sight. It’s a shame, isn’t it?
There’s a message in these stories for every man you and I know, including you and me. Solomon summarized it this way: “Pride comes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall” (Pr 16:18).
History will continue to recall for us the tragic accounts of those who assumed that what they had would never be taken away—Babylon, Rome, and the ‘69 Mets. Only one dynasty will never fall.
Nebuchadnezzar came back to power after his humiliating stint. When he did, he declared the following: “I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven, and my sanity returned to me. Then I praised the Most High and honored and glorified him who lives forever” (Dn 4:34). Good theology for a pagan king; sound perspective from a man who had thought that he was a dynasty.
In spite of what may seem to be right now, the big trophies will get passed from city to city, from veteran to rookie, from man to man. The mighty will fall. But heaven rules (see v. 26). Our God’s reign will never fail.