You Know God Is Clearly on the Throne When…

Even pagan rulers are subject to the reign and rule of God:

The only proper response to having an encounter with the living God is to bow down and worship him, singing his praises and extolling his excellencies. The Bible of course is full of stories of people worshiping and praising God. Both Testaments offer numerous examples of this. Consider just a few familiar cases:

Moses (Exodus 15:1-6):

Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the Lord, saying,
“I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;
    the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.
The Lord is my strength and my song,
    and he has become my salvation;
this is my God, and I will praise him,
    my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
The Lord is a man of war;
    the Lord is his name.
Pharaoh’s chariots and his host he cast into the sea,
    and his chosen officers were sunk in the Red Sea.
The floods covered them;
    they went down into the depths like a stone.
Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power,
    your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy”….

David (Psalm 95:1-5):

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;
    let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
    let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
For the Lord is a great God,
    and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth;
    the heights of the mountains are his also.
The sea is his, for he made it,
    and his hands formed the dry land….

Paul (Ephesians 3:14-21):

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

A heavenly multitude (Revelation 19:1-5):

After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out,
“Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
    for his judgments are true and just;
for he has judged the great prostitute
    who corrupted the earth with her immorality,
and has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”
Once more they cried out,
“Hallelujah!
The smoke from her goes up forever and ever.”
And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!” And from the throne came a voice saying,
“Praise our God,
    all you his servants,
you who fear him,
    small and great.”

Pagan kings worshipping the one true God

But it is not just God’s people who break forth into praise for the Almighty. Even pagan rulers can do this – especially after seeing for themselves the powerful hand of God at work. The book of Daniel features three pagan kings: Nebuchadnezzar, his son Belshazzar (both of Babylon), and Darius the Mede.

Except for the second, who was struck down by God because of his pride and because he was “found wanting,” the other two ended up uttering deep and powerful praises to God, conveying real truth about who God is. Check these out:

Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4:1-3):

King Nebuchadnezzar to all peoples, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you! It has seemed good to me to show the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for me.
How great are his signs,
    how mighty his wonders!
His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
    and his dominion endures from generation to generation.

Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4:34-35):

At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever,
for his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
    and his kingdom endures from generation to generation;
all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,
    and he does according to his will among the host of heaven
    and among the inhabitants of the earth;
and none can stay his hand
    or say to him, “What have you done?”

And see also verse 37: “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.”

Darius (Daniel 6:25-27):

Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: “Peace be multiplied to you. I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel,
for he is the living God,
    enduring forever;
his kingdom shall never be destroyed,
    and his dominion shall be to the end.
He delivers and rescues;
    he works signs and wonders
    in heaven and on earth,
he who has saved Daniel
    from the power of the lions.”

These are some amazing words of testimony coming from pagan rulers. Speaking of Daniel 4:34-35, J. Paul Tanner comments: “There is probably no more exquisite expression of the sovereignty of God in the entire Bible than that coming from the lips of Nebuchadnezzar.”

Yes, God is able to bring glory to himself even through the tongues of gentile rulers. And he is able to humble them and show his power and majesty through them. But even more, God can reach into the hardest of human hearts. Bryan Chapell reminds us of some important truths in this regard:

Not only does Nebuchadnezzar indicate that God can forgive no matter how great the sin, he teaches us that God can heal no matter how hard the heart. Nebuchadnezzar was hardened to God’s truths. He had heard of Daniel’s God for years, but rejected the message. Do you know of such a person? Is there someone in your life who has heard the gospel of Jesus Christ time after time but never responded? This person is calloused against God’s truths. And, if you really scratch deeply into your innermost heart and mind, you must confess you believe this person cannot be changed. You believe they never will accept the gospel; they are too hardened. You have given up hope of seeing change. You have stopped praying. Though it is painful to confess, to some extent you have even stopped caring. Whoever you might be thinking of, you must remember: it does not matter how hard his or her heart is. God can change hard hearts. If he could change Nebuchadnezzar’s heart, God can change the hardest hearts….

 

If God can bring Nebuchadnezzar to his knees, God can break the wills and win the hearts of our loved ones. So we must pray for the salvation of those God places in our care with the confidence that he is able to break the hardest heart. The battle may be long before it is won. As this chapter begins, it has been thirty-two years since Daniel first began his testimony of God in Nebuchadnezzar’s life. Apparently Daniel had developed affection for the king in the intervening years (Dan. 4:19), but still the ruler had not responded to Daniel’s testimony. Another year passed between Daniel’s interpretation of his dream and its fulfillment. Seven more years passed before Nebuchadnezzar lifted his eyes to heaven. A total of forty years passed before the king responded to Daniel’s witness. But the king did finally respond. The message for us is that we must not cease working and praying for a brother, father, spouse, or friend. Never give up. Never give up. Never give up. It does not matter how hard the heart.

Keep praying. And keep believing and trusting that God is the sovereign King right now, and not just in the distant future.

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