Saturday, December 31, 2011

PRAISE AND PRAYER REQUEST 2012

The one thing that has struck me the most over the course of the journey over the last year has been one word, PRAYER. It has been a major theme of much of what I have read about. It has also been a constant on my mind and even in my writing. So as I begin this new year in just a few more hours I would like to bring up to all of you some things that you can thank the Father for us about as well as prayer request that we have.

Things that we praise the Lord for.

1. For allowing us to be a part of the ministry at Reeves for almost 12 years.

2. For a place for us to stay during this transitional period in our lives as a family.

3. For the temp work that I have been able to work at that has helped provide for us.

4. For Calvary Community Church and their love offering and above all a church that we can call home while we are here in Lincoln.

5. For the many calls and prayers from so many of you. Many of you have gone out of your way with words of encouragement and love. Your friendship, love and gifts have meant the world to us and we thank the Lord for the fellowship.

6. For the increased readership to our blogs: thebearsandmybible.blogspot.com and theartofwalkingslow.wordpress.com This month we are knocking in at close to a 1,000 views. Thanks for reading.

7. For how God has provided for Hannah to be able to go to Frontier School of the Bible without any debt. She is truly growing in the Lord and we are so grateful.

8. For Hadassah as she is now halfway through her Junior year and is talking about going to Bible College.

9. For our family members both here in Lincoln and in Arkansas who have gone out of their way to show their love towards us in so many ways.

Things to pray for us about.

1. That the Lord might provide for us a full time ministry soon. I miss sharing His Word so very much.

2. For my testimony to my co-workers that I will have a clear testimony to all that I come into contact with during these days. (God has allowed many good opportunities already.)

3. For Julie as she and Haddy deal with this transition time as well. Pray as they continue to go forward with Haddy’s schooling.

4. Pray for safety for Hannah as she goes back to school this month.

5. Most importantly of all pray that we might learn to love Jesus even more this year than ever before.

Once again brothers and sisters thank you for all that you have done for us and may our Father make 2012 your best year in service for Him ever.

SHIELDS OF GOLD OR SHIELDS OF BRONZE

Proverbs 2:1-5 ( ESV )

¹ My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you,

² making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding;

³ yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding,

⁴ if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures,

⁵ then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.

In reading Proverbs I sometimes forget that these are the words of a father to his son. This was not just any father, but through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, these words were written by the wisest king who ever lived. Solomon wanted his son to be wise as well. He wanted his son to see wisdom as the greatest of treasures. He wanted his boy through this wisdom to grow up to fear the Lord and find the knowledge of God.

That’s why II Chronicles 10 stands out to me so much. Solomon’s son Rehoboam ,was to become king over all of Israel. The one thing that Solomon wanted his son to be, would be the one thing that he would fail at miserably. Wisdom would flee like a summer’s snow.

As we read the first verse of II Chronicles 10 we see how that ALL of Israel had come to make Rehoboam their king. I believe that the majority of the people who came out that day, truly saw him as the Lord’s anointed. The followers of David were excited about their future and what the Lord had in store.

A man named Jeroboam now comes upon the scene. All that we are told about him up to this point is that he had fled from Israel during the time of King Solomon. We don’t know all the reasons that he had fled for Egypt. The answer is probably found in his remarks towards Rehoboam. He wanted Jeroboam to lighten the physical load that Solomon had put upon the people during the building of the temple and his palace. The extra burden had been necessary during that time but now he ask for Rehoboam to be more lenient with the people of Israel.

What happens next would divide a kingdom, cause civil war and change the course of Israel’s history. Israel would never be the same.

Rehoboam, will look for council for what to do. This in and of itself was a good thing. He would first of all go to the older men who had stood before his Father and ask them what he should do. The council of the older men was simple, “ Be good to these people, speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.” Rehoboam should have listened. Instead he heeded the words of his friends.

2 Chronicles 10:10-11 ( ESV )

¹⁰And the young men who had grown up with him said to him, “Thus shall you speak to the people who said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you lighten it for us’; thus shall you say to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s thighs.

¹¹And now, whereas my father laid on you a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.’”

Rehoboam would fail his first test in wisdom. He would proclaim to all what the younger men had told him as to what his kingdom would be like. He lost it all.

Here is something to think about though. Yes, Rehoboam sought wisdom from others and in the counsel of many there is wisdom. Yet, nowhere in the passage are we told that he sought the Lord’s wisdom. We are never told that He asked God, “What would you have me to do Lord?” What good is man’s council alone if we ask not for wisdom from above?

We see in Rehoboam a man who would be inconsistent in walking with the Lord. In the next chapter we are told how that he is ready to go to war against his brothers after the rebellion. He gathers an army to go against Jeroboam. A man of God called Shemaiah will tell him not to go after them. Rehoboam obeys the Word of God that was spoken by the man of God. For three years Rehoboam had peace within the land as he harbored priest who left the Northern kingdom to come back to Jerusalem. During these years we are even told that he acted wisely in watching over Israel and his children. God blessed Rehoboam. This would soon change again.

2 Chronicles 12:1-2 ( ESV )

¹When the rule of Rehoboam was established and he was strong, he abandoned the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him.

²In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, because they had been unfaithful to the Lord, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem

Rehoboam began to believe his own press. He saw himself as the reason why things were going so smoothly. The end result was that by his fifth year he and all of Israel had abandoned the law of the Lord. God would have to rebuke him by having the king of Egypt come against Jerusalem.

Once again Shemaiah would come to the rescue with the Word of the Lord. He would speak truth to the king by saying, “Thus says the Lord, you have abandoned me so I have abandoned you.” The king and his men would once again humble themselves and declare the Lord as righteous in what He was now doing. The Lord would be merciful and not allow Egypt to completely overthrow them. Rehoboam would carry the scars of his sin as we see in the following passage.

2 Chronicles 12:9-11 ( ESV )

⁹So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem. He took away the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s house. He took away everything. He also took away the shields of gold that Solomon had made,

¹⁰and King Rehoboam made in their place shields of bronze and committed them to the hands of the officers of the guard, who kept the door of the king’s house.

¹¹And as often as the king went into the house of the Lord, the guard came and carried them and brought them back to the guardroom.

Gone were the shields of gold. The shields of gold would be replaced by shields of bronze. The kingdom would not be the same under his reign. The overall summary of his life is to be found in II Chronicles 12:14 where it says, “He did evil, for his heart did not seek after the Lord.” He died the opposite of what Proverbs 2:5 required, he did not fear the Lord and failed in finding the knowledge of God.

In thinking about Rehoboam I just want to make some observations that I have had to think a lot about.

1. Am I truly seeking the Lord’s face in what He wants me to do? This should be my first priority.

2. No matter how we live as parent’s we must realize that our children will make their own choices on how they will live. We are to be an example to them but the choice will be theirs.

3. Am I willing to change when I hear the Word of God or will I still want to go my own way?

4. Do I struggle with the desire to rule with a heavy hand?

5. When things are going well am I still as dependent upon the Lord as when things are rough?

6. Have I in anyway abandoned the Law of the Lord?

7. Am I being consistent in my walk with the Lord?

8. Will my legacy for the Lord be filled with shields of gold or shields of bronze?

Monday, December 26, 2011

Prayer for our loved ones

Will you not see ? Will you not hear?

Of the glories of the one who holds you so dear

Why will you not turn? Why will you not fear?

The one and only God who wants you to draw near.

No, eyes that have not seen, and hearts that won’t fear,

Will never know of His kingdom that draws near.

Will you not run? Will you not lay hold?

Of the only one who can save your soul.

You Run with the liars, you run with the fools,

Boasting of rebellion, mocking the kingdom’s rules.

No, eyes that have not seen, and hearts that won’t fear,

Will never know of His kingdom that draws near.

My heart no better, yet to His grace I came,

I pray for you that your soul He might tame,

Cry out to Him on your bended knee,

How I pray my loved one that your eyes might see.

I pray that your eyes might see, that your heart might fear,

And that one day you will allow His kingdom to draw near.

Friday, December 23, 2011

Then hear from heaven and forgive

2 Chronicles 6:18-21 ( ESV )

¹⁸“But will God indeed dwell with man on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this house that I have built!

¹⁹Yet have regard to the prayer of your servant and to his plea, O Lord my God, listening to the cry and to the prayer that your servant prays before you,

²⁰that your eyes may be open day and night toward this house, the place where you have promised to set your name, that you may listen to the prayer that your servant offers toward this place.

²¹And listen to the pleas of your servant and of your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. And listen from heaven your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive.

It was one of his Father’s greatest desires. His Daddy though would not able to build it or see it brought to its completion. Yet, he gathered the materials for his son to be able to build it. He shared his dream with his son and knew that his God would allow him to build it.

David instilled in to his son the fact that the temple could not contain God in all of His glory. We know this to be true as Solomon would repeat this thought in 2 Chronicles 6:18. His glory could not be kept or held captive by no man. God is not confined by any object or any man. They knew that Heaven was the dwelling place of God in verse 21 and even that was too small to hold Him. He is after all, The Great I am.

No what David and Solomon wanted was a place where God’s people and servants could worship. The temple would be a place where they could cry out to their God, and He would hear them. The temple would be a place where they could go to Him and sense His presence. Their desire was to have a place where they could be intimate with their God.

Solomon and the people of Israel would build such a place. They now assembled as a group on this glorious day of dedication. How would Solomon talk with his people on this special day? Unlike other kings and politicians after him, he would start the ceremony with prayer. He wanted to set the tone right off the bat that this place would be a House of Prayer. A place where one could meet and talk with God.

The thing that blesses my heart the most through Solomon’s prayer is this one repeated line. “Then hear from heaven and forgive.” This is repeated six times throughout Solomon’s prayer. Look at the following verses…2 Chronicles 6:21, 23, 25, 27, 30. And 39. He also pleads for the foreigner who calls out to God that God will hear them from heaven His dwelling place. He also prays that as God’s people go out to war that He will hear from heaven and maintain their cause.

We as a people should be marked as those who say, “Then hear from heaven and forgive.” I pray this prayer daily to our God. Lord I need forgiveness. If you’re like me, you need forgiveness constantly. Sometimes I wonder why He would even hear me. How many times will I blow it? How many times will I fail to walk with the one who loves me the most?

Here is the blessing for you and me. The new temple where God also chooses to dwell is within the heart of the believer. He still cannot be contained by either you or me but He willingly wants to dwell within us. What an amazing and incomprehensible thought. Like Solomon before us we can still cry out to our God and say, “Hear from heaven and forgive.” This same God will do it even though we do not even deserve His presence. He lovingly as our Father hears and forgives.

How do I know this to be true? Look at 2 Chronicles 7:1-3 for your answer. This is what happened after Solomon had prayed.

2 Chronicles 7:1-3 ( ESV )

¹As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple.

²And the priests could not enter the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord filled the Lord’s house.

³When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the Lord on the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”

No matter where you are going or where you have been we have a God who hears and forgives. He wants His glory to fill our lives. He wants to forgive us and allow His fire to come down and purge us and cleanse us. He wants to forgive us so that His glory maybe shown. Why does He hear us? “For He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever.”

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Ready

I grew up in a household where we were always early. If a movie started at a certain time we would be there ten – fifteen minutes before. Why? We did not want to miss the coming attractions. If we would be late for them then we would wait for the next showing.

As a family when we would go to the old Gravette Bible Church we would be there early for the services. This rubbed off on me and as the years pass by, I became even more desirous of being early. The big reason is simple, in the words of Steven Tyler, “I don’t want to miss a thing.”

Mom, would yell out to me, “Are you ready,” or “What are you waiting for?” I knew that I needed to be prepared to go in a moment’s notice or be left behind. Sometimes I would take my time. I knew that I had plenty of it. Problem with this line of reasoning was it wasn’t my time. It was moms and you had better be on time or else.

The other reason why I would not be ready is because I felt as though I had more important things to do. Did they not understand that Scooby Doo or Mighty Mouse was on? Come on, I’m eating my Captain Crunch, don’t bother me. Not realizing that often because of the minors I missed out on what was more important.

This is how the world reacts to the things of God. He says that He is coming back. The world puts off coming to Him as they know they can come to Him on their own time. The Scriptures tell us another story and that is, God waits on no man. He is in charge of our time here on earth. Yet, they dance to the fiddle of the evil one and say, “Maybe tomorrow.”

How many have put Jesus on the not important list? There is so much to do, to see, to explore can He really be that important? Waking up they realize that all that was so important faded like the grass. All of their toys perish in the flames.

Let’s stop for a moment though as believers and think. Yes, we have eternity in our hearts and the hope of glory. We will see Him face to face and the veil will be cast aside. The question though as a believer is still, “Am I Ready?” Have I lived this life to the fullest for His glory? Am I looking forward to seeing His blessed face?

This Christmas I want to give Him the gift of a prepared heart. I want to be ready to meet Him. I want Him to say, “Well done my good and faithful servant.” May we live our lives in such a way that we are ready to meet Him.

May all of you have a great Christmas and God bless you everyone.

IT'S CHRISTMAS GUYS!!!

Monday, December 19, 2011

Joy to the world

It’s during this time of year that we see the massive push of commercialism more than ever. Buy, buy, buy is in the air. Many become so turned off by it all they become like Scrooge and shout out, “Bah, humbug.” I know how that many have forgotten that it is about a babe, who was the very Son of God, who came down to man. Yet, despite how all of this might be true, I am reminded of Fred’s words, from A Christmas Carol, “Well I say God bless it.”

Christ has come to earth and there should be a celebration. There should be a sense of hope. There should be laughter and above all there should be JOY. The Word has become flesh and has dwelt among men. “Joy to the world, the Lord has come, let earth receive her king, let every heart prepare Him room, and heaven and nature sing, and heaven and nature sing, and heaven and nature sing.”

Joy, is one of the great themes of the Christmas message. It constantly flows throughout the Christmas narrative as individuals hear of the Savior’s birth.

· John, as an infant within his mother’s womb upon hearing of how the Word would become flesh, leaped for joy. (Luke 1:44)

· Mary, in the Magnificat , says, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” (Luke 1:46-47)

· Praise flows from Zechariah’s lips as he realizes his son will prepare the way for the Lord. (Luke 1:68-79)

· So great was the shepherd’s joy that they had to go and tell others about the Savior’s birth. (Luke 2:17)

· Devout Simeon who had waited for the consolation of Israel took up the baby Jesus in his arms and “Blessed God.” (Luke 2:28)

· Anna, the prophetess gave thanks for the redemption of Israel. (Luke 2:38)

· Joseph, when finding out about the truth of whose child Mary was carrying in her womb showed his joy by doing what the Lord had commanded him. (Matthew 1:27)

· The Wisemen, when they saw the star, “Rejoiced, with exceedingly with great joy.” (Matt. 2:10)

As followers of the Lamb we of all people should be marked as those filled with joy. The Savior of all mankind has stepped down from Heaven to dwell among men. The God man has taken upon flesh. The beauty of Christmas is realizing that the greatest gift given to man has already come. God has answered our prayers through the gift of His son. This should be our greatest joy.

Resume

MICHAEL SHANE MOORE

6940 Logan

Lincoln, Neb. 68507

337-884-6393

E-mail: mmoorepreacher@yahoo.com

Personal

Born: August 29, 1960 at Gravette Arkansas

Family: Wife – Julie Lorena Hunter born in Lincoln, Nebraska July 18, 1963

Married September 3, 1988

Children – Hannah Grace, born September 24, 1992

Hadassah Ann, born May 18, 1995

Interests: Football, Reading, History, Music, Drama, and Fishing.

Ordained: October 10, 1989-Grace Baptist Church, Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Ministerial experience

Associate and Youth Pastor

December 1999 – October 2011 Reeves Bible Church Reeves, La.

n Associate work involved preaching, marital counseling, discipleship, training of

leadership, visitation, leading Bible studies and assisting our pastor in various areas.

n We developed a youth group of 48 or more, who grew both spiritually and physically. In

a town of about 190 people we averaged about 240-260 people on Sunday morning.

n We taught our teens by going through books of the Bible one verse at a time.

We met with our teens for Sunday School, Sunday Evening and Wednesday Evening.

n We raised up ministry teams where our teens were involved in drama, preaching,

teaching, and music.

Pastor

August 1994-December 1999 Sandusky Baptist Church Sandusky, Mich.

n Main ministries: Led Adult Sunday School, morning and evening worship services,

Wednesday night prayer services and visitation duties.

n Other ministries: AWANAS, weekly chapel services at Sandusky Christian School,

Prayer Breakfast, Discipleship, Counseling and served on the Sandusky Christian

School Board.

n Served as President of the S.E. Sectional of the IFCA in Michigan for a 3 year term.

Served also as the Youth Committee Director for the Michigan IFCA Regional.

Youth Pastor

February 1991-July 1994 Calvary Bible Church Grand Junction, Co.

n Upon first arrival at Calvary, we had about 6 teens who were regular in attendance on

Sunday morning. When we left, our average attendance was a little over 20.

n Our Wednesday night Bible study became a good outreach in the community. We averaged

around 30 or more teens. The majority of these teens went on to bible college and are

serving in their local churches or in other full time ministries.

Various other Ministries

1984-1991

n 1987-1991-Served with North Arkansas Gospel Mission working with evangelism, revival

meetings, Program Director for Rock Haven Bible Camp and camp speaker.

n 1985-1987-Served as Youth Pastor at Grace Baptist Church in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

n 1984-1983-Visitation Pastor for Ozark Bible Church in Ozark, Arkansas.

education

Pastoral-Bible Major

B.A. Degree in 1983 Citadel Bible College Ozark, Ark.

n Citadel would later merge with Calvary Bible College located in Kansas City.

Graduated from High School

1979 Gravette High School Gravette, Ark.

SALVATION AND CALL

I was always taught about Jesus Christ and what He had done for me upon the Cross. Even though I knew the facts about the Gospel, I still rejected the One Who died and rose again for me. It was not until I turned 18 that I received Him as Lord and Savior. It was then that I cried out for Him to save me. Within a period of two week after my salvation, the Lord called me into full time ministry.

(References will be sent upon request.)

Saturday, December 17, 2011

When your back is against the wall

1 Chronicles 19:10-15 ( ESV )

¹⁰When Joab saw that the battle was set against him both in front and in the rear, he chose some of the best men of Israel and arrayed them against the Syrians.

¹¹The rest of his men he put in the charge of Abishai his brother, and they were arrayed against the Ammonites.

¹²And he said, “If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me, but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will help you.

¹³Be strong, and let us use our strength for our people and for the cities of our God, and may the Lord do what seems good to him.”

¹⁴So Joab and the people who were with him drew near before the Syrians for battle, and they fled before him.

¹⁵And when the Ammonites saw that the Syrians fled, they likewise fled before Abishai, Joab’s brother, and entered the city. Then Joab came to Jerusalem.

For those of you who have heard me teach, you know how I feel about Joab. I really don’t have too many kind words to say. Constantly through the scriptures I see him as one whose main goal is service to self. Yet, in this passage he sees one of our greatest needs as a people. We need each other.

David’s men had won battle after battle. It is during this time that David reached out to the Ammonites. The Ammonite king though acted foolishly as he would humiliate David’s men. This was an act of war. Yet, the Ammonite king had one trick card up his sleeve; he had hired mercenaries and surrounded David’s army from all sides.

Joab calls out to his brother Abishai to help him with the battle. “If the Syrians are to strong for me, help me. If the Ammonites are to strong for you I will help you.” This is how it should be as brothers in Christ. We are to be known as those who look out for one another, when the battle becomes to much for us to bear. Are we there when our brother’s backs are up against the wall?

Quite often we look upon our brothers like the fallen victim on the road to Jericho. We know that they are struggling, bruised and broken and yet we continue on our way. Like the Levite, we have good intentions but never go further than looking. (What is even crazier is that sometimes we only add even more injuries to them.)

Please do not misunderstand me on what I am saying. There are many who will reach out or fight for their brothers in the heat of the battle. That as a matter of fact is what I want to focus on. Yet, sometimes if we will be honest when seeing a brother’s back against the wall, we react in different ways.

1. We become fearful of what might happen to us when the battle is all around them. We ourselves might get wounded.

2. We just don’t want to get involved.

3. We are way to busy.

4. We convince ourselves that they deserve it. (Sometimes they do. Yet, are we willing to help them start over again?)

Like many of you I don’t know how many times I have felt as though I have had my back against the wall. When it has seemed like you are all alone in the battle. It happens to all of us. We leave a situation or are in the midst of it and we are bruised, tattered and torn. Waiting for the light at the end of the tunnel and yet covered by darkness.

A few blogs back I talked about Joseph and how that through it all he realized that God was with Him. There is no greater truth for us to realize. No matter how dark the night might become the Light of the world is there shinning forth.

One of the other great truths of the scripture though is that when darkness falls, as believers, we have brothers and sisters. We are to love one another with more than just words but also in deed. What makes life great, is when love is put into action. We have those who are willing to catch us when we fall.

How can we do that? Well, let me tell you how to make that practical from things that have happened to us.

1. The legendary phone call. What a blessing to hear on the other end of the line. “We are praying for you.” Knowing that they are not mere words but that you have brothers and sisters who are taking you before the throne of grace.

2. Simply listening. Sometimes it’s best not to talk but just to listen. (This is a hard one for me.) Yet, when we take time to listen we encourage. We don’t have all the answers for everything. Listen to the heart of the individual.

3. Take on the goal of being a healing agent. We are to strengthen those who are weak and feeble. If we were to see someone on the side of the road wounded in an accident we would do all we could to help them. Remember this: Spiritually wounded and feeble brothers and sisters are often more wounded than those who are physically. How can we restore them?

4. I’m ok is not always I’m ok. Many of us will try to cover up our wounds. Will put on the fake smile, quote our little verse or get busy with something else. When you know a brother or sister is going through a tough time and you see the battle waging all around them, love on them even more.

5. The human touch. OK, I know for some of us this is just CREEPY. Yet sometimes it’s all that is needed at the moment. A hug, a touch, shaking a hand or even just a smile. I know that sometimes it can be wrong. Yet, God also made us physical human beings and sometimes without saying a word we acknowledge that we care even more.

6. Lastly, the words, I’m here for you. My family like all families had more than its share of faults, myself included. One of the things I always knew was my mom, my dad and my brother would always be there for me. Why? Because we are family.

My younger brother will always be an example to me in this area. Like Jonathan to David he has helped me out more than he will ever know. Two major moves in our times and yet he selflessly gave of his time. I know that I can call on him and he will willingly lay aside his comfort to be there.

Here is the beauty of it all. We are a family and what a joy it is when the family reaches out to lift up its fallen. How it must please our Father when he sees his children loving on each other. We have been the recipients of this type of mercy more than we could ever pay back. This should be the norm for all of us. As Christ little ones we should be marked by his type of Agape love.

I hope that the words of Joe Cocker might be able to be said of me, when it comes to those who I know are in the darkness. “When your backs against the wall, and you can no longer see, I will catch you, catch you when you fall, have a little faith in me.” I thank all of you who have caught us and will still catch us when we fall. I pray that I will do the same.

OK already!! Even the dogs have gone to sleep.

Friday, December 16, 2011

The Insanity of Pride

The king had a dream and demanded that the seers and prophets of the land would interpret it. If that was not enough he wanted them to even tell him what he had dreamed. The Chaldean’s knew enough that they would say, “No one can show it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.” Daniel though knew not the “gods,” but the true God who put kings and kingdoms into place.

Daniel was able not only to tell the king what he had dreamed, but what it meant as well. He had told him in the dream that the statue in it had different precious metal. Each of these metals represented a kingdom that would rule over this world. The first worldwide empire would be that of Nebuchanezzar’s kingdom itself. His kingdom would eventually fade and over time three others would take its place.

This prophecy would come to pass. We know this for sure as the kingdom of Babylon would be taken over by the Medes and Persians, then it would pass to the Greeks and finally the Romans. The king would fall upon his face, paying homage to Daniel. He would say, “Truly your God is God of gods and Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries.” He then puts Daniel as a ruler over the province and perfect over all the wise men of Babylon. What a grateful heart!! Really, take a look at what happens next in chapter 3 of Daniel.

Those of us who know the rest of the story remember that Neb next made an image whose height was 60 cubits and 6 cubits in breadth. We are then told that Neb placed it on the plain of Dura. The reason he did so was that all could see it and bow down to it. Now all of this is significant but what is sometimes forgotten is what the king had made the image out of. It was made of gold.

Why does this become so important? The first metal in chapter 2 was made of that of gold and represented Neb’s kingdom. By Neb making the image of gold and nothing else, I believe that he was saying to God, my kingdom will reign forever. He is so forceful with this thought that he is willing to put men to death in the fiery furnace who will not bow down before it.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego knew that their God could deliver them but even if he would not, they would NOT bow down. Neb’s pride and rage has them thrown in to perish. Yet, their God was with them in the fire and Neb would have them freed. Neb would cry out, “Blessed is the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.” He even threatens to have anyone killed who would speak against the God of these men. Lesson learned. Once again, take a look at the next chapter.

Nebuchadnezzar’s pride would once again have to be taken down. We see a changed man at the beginning of chapter 4:1-2 and 4:34-37. Yet, what would it take to get him to this point? He has another dream but this time is warned by Daniel that if he would not humble himself, Neb would act like a wild animal for over 7 years.

A whole year passes without incident when Nebuchadnezzar begins to look over his kingdom. Note what he says, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by MY mighty power and as a royal residence and for the glory of MY majesty.” At that very instant Neb hears the voice of God and becomes like a wild animal eating grass like an ox and remains this way for seven years.

How long will we live with our pride? Neb had lived this way all of his life and even when being punished by God it would be seven years before Neb would be sane again.

I love the truth behind this story in that pride is looked at as being a form of insanity. How often do we give glory to ourselves? We crave to hear about our greatness. We truly believe that quite often what we have is because of the works of our hands. Oh, brothers and sisters, how we love the limelight and the applause. We forget that every good and perfect gift comes from above. Every breath that we take is a GIFT from the God of the heavens.

He will humble the proud of heart. He does this, to cause us to cry out to Him. He does this, to cause us to see our need of Him. He does this, to cause us to draw close to His heart. He does this, for He alone deserves all of the praise and the glory.

Is there hope? I believe we all struggle with pride in our lives. None of us are immune from the insanity of pride. Yet, look at the last words of what we read that Neb says in the book of Daniel. “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all HIS ways are just, and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.”

I also believe that Neb’s heart is changed by another passage that seems to refer to him in Daniel 7. “The first was like a lion and had eagle’s wings. Then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man and the mind of a man was given to it.” Daniel 7:4 He who once saw himself soaring above all others, would now have the mind of a man. He who was once marked by the insanity of pride would finally find that God alone deserves the praise.

“Father, release us from the insanity of our pride. Give us a heart of humility and one that will acknowledge your glory.”

SALT AND LIGHT