Gtcotr/ss041226
It was a Thursday, June 28th, 1787, when Benjamin Franklin, considered to be one of the least religious of America’s Founding Fathers, rose to speak at the Constitutional Convention held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
George Washington, who would later become the first president of the United States presided over the convention and it was to him Benjamin Franklin addressed his speech. Others in attendance included men like James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, 55 delegates in all. Notably Thomas Jefferson and John Adams were absent due to their diplomatic appointments in Europe.
The 81-year-old Benjamin Franklin, long the statesman, eloquent in speech and sentiment, told the Assembly they were all “groping as it were in the dark to find political truth, and scarce able to distinguish it when presented to us …” At this age, having helped to formulate and guide the conscience of the revolution to its recent success, Franklin deserved the respect he had gained among his peers. They listened, and so should we.
Franklin continued his famous speech: “I have lived, Sir, a long time and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth -- that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings that "except the Lord build the House they labor in vain that build it." I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without His concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the Builders of Babel:”
Truly, God governs in the affairs of man. And Benjamin Franklin was not the first man to note and espouse this truth. 1700 years earlier the Apostle Paul wrote:
Romans 13:1 Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God.
Looking even farther back into the sacred writings of our historical accounts we find a king named Nebuchadnezzar. King Nebuchadnezzar ruled the Babylonian Empire (about 600BC) in the days of the prophet Daniel. It was King Nebuchadnezzar who defeated the Egyptian empire and besieged Jerusalem. He brought Daniel and his three friends back to Babylon, which is in modern-day Iran. Nebuchadnezzar was the one who threw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into the fiery furnace (Daniel 3).
Nonetheless Daniel confirmed that God had ordained Nebuchadnezzar to be the King and ruler of the empire.
Daniel 2 NLT
37 Your Majesty, you are the
greatest of kings. The God of heaven has given you sovereignty, power,
strength, and honor.
38 He has made you the ruler over all the inhabited world and has put even the wild animals and birds under your control. You are the head of gold.
It seems like King Nebuchadnezzar was pretty smart and really good at his job. Of course, that’s what we expect from someone God has chosen. I mean, If God chooses a person to do something it seems only reasonable that He would also equip them to do it. The problem is that people sometimes think it is by their own power or might or intelligence or strength that they accomplish something others could not accomplish.
King Nebuchadnezzar definitely succeeded in doing some things others could not do, but he failed to recognize it was God doing those things through him. He became filled with pride. Every success seemed to puff him up a little more. This king failed to recognize God’s hand on his life and rather imagined that he was just smarter and better than everyone else.
On top of this, several of the king’s counselors fed into his pride and even talked him into making a statue of himself for others to worship. God gave him time to repent but finally God had enough. Nebuchadnezzar tells the story better than I could. Let’s read it from the New Living Translation in Daniel 4. (There are a lot of verses … it’s a long read … so I’ll provide a little commentary along the way to keep us connected.)
Daniel 4 NLT
4 ¶ “I, Nebuchadnezzar, was
living in my palace in comfort and prosperity.
5 But one night I had a dream
that frightened me; I saw visions that terrified me as I lay in my bed.
6 So I issued an order
calling in all the wise men of Babylon, so they could tell me what my dream
meant.
7 When all the magicians,
enchanters, astrologers, and fortune-tellers came in, I told them the dream,
but they could not tell me what it meant.
8 At last Daniel came in
before me, and I told him the dream. (He was named Belteshazzar after my god,
and the spirit of the holy gods is in him.)
9 “I said to him,
‘Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, I know that the spirit of the holy gods
is in you and that no mystery is too great for you to solve. Now tell me what
my dream means.
10 “ ‘While I was lying
in my bed, this is what I dreamed. I saw a large tree in the middle of the
earth.
11 The tree grew very tall
and strong, reaching high into the heavens for all the world to see.
12 It had fresh green leaves,
and it was loaded with fruit for all to eat. Wild animals lived in its shade,
and birds nested in its branches. All the world was fed from this tree.
13 “ ‘Then as I lay
there dreaming, I saw a messenger, a holy one, coming down from heaven.
14 The messenger shouted,
“Cut down the tree and lop off its branches!
Shake off its leaves and scatter its fruit! Chase the wild animals from
its shade and the birds from its branches.
15 But leave the stump and
the roots in the ground, bound with a band of iron and bronze and surrounded by
tender grass. Now let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let him live
with the wild animals among the plants of the field.
16 For seven periods of time,
let him have the mind of a wild animal
instead of the mind of a human.
17 For this has been decreed
by the messengers; it is commanded by the holy ones, so that everyone may know
that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of the world. He gives them to
anyone he chooses — even to the lowliest of people.”
18 “ ‘Belteshazzar, that
was the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, had. Now tell me what it means, for
none of the wise men of my kingdom can do so. But you can tell me because the
spirit of the holy gods is in you.’
19 ¶ “Upon hearing this,
Daniel (also known as Belteshazzar) was overcome for a time, frightened by the
meaning of the dream. Then the king said to him, ‘Belteshazzar, don’t be
alarmed by the dream and what it means.’ “Belteshazzar replied, ‘I wish the
events foreshadowed in this dream would happen to your enemies, my lord, and
not to you!
20 The tree you saw was
growing very tall and strong, reaching high into the heavens for all the world
to see.
21 It had fresh green leaves
and was loaded with fruit for all to eat. Wild animals lived in its shade, and
birds nested in its branches.
22 That tree, Your Majesty,
is you. For you have grown strong and great; your greatness reaches up to
heaven, and your rule to the ends of the earth.
23 “ ‘Then you saw a
messenger, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, “Cut down the tree
and destroy it. But leave the stump and the roots in the ground, bound with a
band of iron and bronze and surrounded by tender grass. Let him be drenched
with the dew of heaven. Let him live with the animals of the field for seven
periods of time.”
24 “ ‘This is what the
dream means, Your Majesty, and what the Most High has declared will happen to
my lord the king.
25 You will be driven from
human society, and you will live in the fields with the wild animals. You will
eat grass like a cow, and you will be drenched with the dew of heaven. Seven
periods of time will pass while you live this way, until you learn that the
Most High rules over the kingdoms of the world and gives them to anyone he
chooses.
26 But the stump and roots of
the tree were left in the ground. This means that you will receive your kingdom
back again when you have learned that heaven rules.
27 “ ‘King
Nebuchadnezzar, please accept my advice. Stop sinning and do what is right.
Break from your wicked past and be merciful to the poor. Perhaps then you will
continue to prosper.’
28 ¶ “But all these things
did happen to King Nebuchadnezzar.
29 Twelve months later
he was taking a walk on the flat roof of the royal palace in Babylon.
30 As he looked out across
the city, he said, ‘Look at this great city of Babylon! By my own mighty power,
I have built this beautiful city as my royal residence to display my majestic
splendor.’
31 “While these words were
still in his mouth, a voice called down from heaven, ‘O King Nebuchadnezzar,
this message is for you! You are no longer ruler of this kingdom.
32 You will be driven from
human society. You will live in the fields with the wild animals, and you will
eat grass like a cow. Seven periods of time will pass while you live this way,
until you learn that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of the world and
gives them to anyone he chooses.’
33 “That same hour the
judgment was fulfilled, and Nebuchadnezzar was driven from human society. He
ate grass like a cow, and he was drenched with the dew of heaven. He lived this
way until his hair was as long as eagles’ feathers and his nails were like
birds’ claws.
34 ¶ “After this time had
passed, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven. My sanity returned, and I
praised and worshiped the Most High and honored the one who lives forever.
His rule is everlasting, and his kingdom is eternal.
35 All the people of the
earth are nothing compared to him. He does as he pleases among the angels of
heaven and among the people of the earth. No one can stop him or say to him,
‘What do you mean by doing these things?’
36 “When my sanity
returned to me, so did my honor and glory and kingdom. My advisers and
nobles sought me out, and I was restored as head of my kingdom, with even
greater honor than before.
37 “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and glorify and honor the King of heaven. All his acts are just and true, and he is able to humble the proud.”
If you’re smart, it’s because God made you smart … smart enough to manage the tasks for which He created you.
Your power and position do not make you better than others. And your intelligence didn’t get you your power or position. God has graced you with abilities commensurate with the calling on your life. He hopes you will use it to accomplish what He wants you to do.
Conclusions:
·
Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God and He will exalt
you in due time. (1 Peter 5:6)
·
Stop sinning and do what is right. (Daniel 4:27)
·
God governs in the affairs of men. (Romans 13:1)
