The powerful king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, had a dream. He reported the dream to Daniel, the young Hebrew captive, and asked him for the dream’s interpretation.
“There was a tree in the middle of the earth, and it was very tall. The tree grew large and strong; its top reached to the sky, and it was visible to the ends of the earth. Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit was abundant, and on it was food for all. Wild animals found shelter under it, the birds of the sky lived in its branches, and every creature was fed from it” (Daniel 4:10–12). Next he heard a voice from heaven saying, “Cut down the tree and chop off its branches; strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit... Let him be drenched with dew from the sky and share the plants of the earth with the animals. Let his mind be changed from that of a human, and let him be given the mind of an animal...” In the dream, God explained His purpose and plan. “This is so that the living will know that the Most High is ruler over human kingdoms” (Daniel 4:14–18).
Daniel, with wisdom from above, declared, “King, you’re the tree. Your kingdom will be taken from you.” ... “You will be driven away from people to live with the wild animals. You will feed on grass like cattle and be drenched with dew from the sky ... until you acknowledge that the Most High is ruler over human kingdoms” (Daniel 4:25).
It happened just like Daniel predicted. Before long, the king was dethroned and the most powerful man on the planet was wandering the fields and pastures like a wild animal. The Sovereign God intervened into the affairs of man. He took the kingdom from Nebuchadnezzar. He took his sanity and his pride. God did this to prove His own greater power, His ultimate rule and reign.
When Nebuchadnezzar’s sanity was restored, he “looked up to heaven, and ... praised the Most High and honored and glorified him... ‘For his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are counted as nothing, and he does what he wants with the army of heaven and the inhabitants of the earth. There is no one who can block his hand or say to him, “What have you done?” ’ ” (Daniel 4:34–35).
God controls the affairs of man. “Everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and by him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:16-17).
Paul taught the Romans to “submit to the governing authorities, since there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are instituted by God” (Romans 13:1). One of the best things about living in America is our freedom to vote. But get this... God’s vote is the one that really counts! God is sovereign!
He rules and reigns over all human affairs.
All Scripture quotation, except as otherwise noted, are from
Holman Bible Publishers’ Christian Standard Bible.
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