Psalm 8:1, add 31:1-3

My Shepherd met me in His green pastures, and found me feeding in Daniel. I’ve been spending time in that pasture lately, and this morning, Lord willing, I’ll be speaking on a subject from Daniel. What has intrigued me of late are Nebuchadnezzar’s acknowledgments of God by royal decree. There are three occasions when the king made a confession that the God of Israel was above all gods:

Daniel 2:47 The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret.

Daniel 3:29 Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.

Daniel 4:37 Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.

Judah had forgotten God (Jeremiah 2:32). As He promised, the nation that forgets Him will be judged (Psalm 9:17). God transferred the kingdom from Judah to Babylon (Daniel 2:38). This was a major shift, to take the kingdom from a people called by His Name and give it to a “foolish nation” (Deuteronomy 32:31 had begun its fulfillment). The Babylonians were idol worshippers.

The book of Daniel is the record of God’s transfer of the kingdom from Israel to the Gentiles. In this book, God emphasizes one critical thing that the Gentile nations must understand as stewards of the kingdom: the LORD is GOD of gods, and King of Kings, and the Heavens rule (Daniel 4:26). That one thing, above all others, was the essential requirement God laid upon the Gentile nations which He would raise up to steward the kingdom of man.

Along the still waters, I reflected on these things.

God emphasized to Nebuchadnezzar that He rules the earth and gives the kingdom of God (which refers to His rule over man and the dominion He gave to man over the earth—Genesis 1:26-27) to whomever He pleases (Daniel 4:17).  He had given this to Israel, but that nation forgot God, and the kingdom was removed from her and given to the Gentiles. The Gentile nations needed to understand this lesson. We must learn from Danie that God requires the leaders of His nation to acknowledge Him publicly.

Daniel prophesied that the kingdom would pass from Babylon to Persia, to Greece, and then to an unnamed fourth kingdom. Jesus prophesied that the kingdom of God  He offered to Israel would be withdrawn, and given to “a nation bringing forth the fruit of it”(Matthew 21:43). Lord willing, in my messages today, I’ll show how this kingdom came to be settled on America.

America must not forget her acknowledgment of her place under God. She must not “forget God.”

Nebuchadnezzar was humbled before God on three occasions. First, on the occasion of his receiving the Kingdom, when Daniel interpreted a dream that the king had forgotten (Daniel 2)—the colossus with a head of gold, upper torso of silver, belly and thighs of brass, legs of iron, and feet of iron and clay. This represented the transfer of the kingdom of God from Babylon to Persia, to Greece, and then to the fourth kingdom.

Second, about 16-18 years later, when Nebuchadnezzar forgot the God of Daniel, and, it seems, rebelled against the prophecy Daniel gave to him, for he erected a colossus, an image he demanded all mankind worship, that was all of gold (Daniel 3). The king was reminded Who rules in the kingdom of men and humbled himself (Daniel 3:28-29). The king made a public decree that the God of Daniel’s three lieutenants is the one true and living GOD. This is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of Israel, who is the ruler of heaven and earth, the God of Daniel, Whom he extolled in Daniel 2.

Third, roughly another 15 years later, Nebuchadnezzar’s pride welled up in him again, and he was humbled by God through another dream interpreted for him by Daniel (Daniel 4). At the end of this reminder that the Kingdom of GOD rules over the kingdoms of men, Nebuchadnezzar made another public decree affirming that the GOD of Heaven rules over the kingdoms of men (Daniel 4:37).

America was founded on this truth, enshrined in the Declaration. But over time, she had to be reminded. The first reminder was during the Civil War. At that time, the nation’s lawmakers declared that “In God We Trust” would be engraved on some of our coins (1861-1865).

Communism rose its vile visage over the world in 1922, when the Russians adopted the philosophy of the militant atheist Karl Marx as the governing principle of their country. In the 20s the anti-God philosophy of government began appearing in American academia, and later, Russia declared they would bury America, and Communism would rule the world (Psalm 2). Many Americans began warming to Communism, and a Cold War commenced. In the fifties, it was decided America must openly declare itself a nation “under God,” and Congress added these words to our pledge in 1955.

We must make a personal declaration of “In God We Trust,” and affirm our place “Under God.”

In the valley, Jesus met me and reminded me that it is the Truth that makes us Free, and that His Spirit brings Liberty. He insists that we publicly acknowledge Him and remember our national motto: “In God We Trust.” We are seeing a national movement to reaffirm this great truth; we are in the midst of our own third reminder. But we must remember this personally and do so publicly every day. He spoke, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

At the table, He anointed my head with His oil and filled my cup with His grace. Goodness and mercy attended as we went together into the harvest.

Praying for revival! 🙏