Psalms 8:1, 16:2, 31:1-3

My Shepherd met me in His green pastures and laid me down in Daniel 3.15:

Daniel 3:15 Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?

Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that he could not remember. God told Daniel the dream and its interpretation, and Daniel related this to the king. Nebuchadnezzar saw an image with a head of gold, an upper body of silver, belly and thighs of brass, legs of iron, and feet and toes of iron mixed with miry clay. He watched as a stone cut from “the mountain” without hands fell upon the feet, and obliterated the gold, the silver, the brass, the iron, and the miry clay. Daniel explained this represented the succession of those kingdoms which would be given stewardship over the dominion from Nebuchadnezzar to the coming of the “great stone” — which represented Christ (Daniel 2:45*; Matthew 21:42).

It was about 20 years after Daniel interpreted the king’s dream that Nebuchadnezzar had his own ideas about his kingdom, and created his image of gold from head to toe (Jeremiah 52:30; Daniel 3). He demanded the entire world worship the ‘image which I have made” (Daniel 3:5).

Along the still waters, I thought about man’s use of “government” to usurp God’s place in the lives of mankind. The power of government is such that men of weak character find it a useful tool of despotism, which we see in full display in the story before us. Since Nebuchadnezzar was told he was represented by the golden head of the dream image, and the record shows he had a tendency toward self-worship (Daniel 4), the expectation he created the golden image in his likeness seems likely. But even if he intended it to represent his governance, it is clear he was defying Daniel’s interpretation of his dream image, and requiring all the world to bow to the GOVERNMENT as GOD.

That’s what socialism/communism does, that was the objective of Karl Marx, to displace GOD, to rid Him from the earth, to “break the bands and cords” of the LORD and His Anointed (Christ).

I have avoided any attachment to government for my personal sustenance or support, beyond what is required of me to honor the honorable, to pay what tribute is legally required, and otherwise obey every ordinance under GOD. Like my forebears, I own Christ alone as my KING, the overarching authority over all kings of this earth (Revelation 1:5; see Acts 5:29).

God is my supply, my sustainer, my life now and ever. He alone commands my knee; I stand with Daniel’s band, his three friends who, when commanded to worship Government, and bow to the antichrist image representing Satan’s system of it, I say with Daniel’s friends: “We are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up” (Daniel 3:16-18).

Let us be careful to never replace God with government.

In the valley, kneeling before the only King Whose magnificent love can bend my knee, I heard the call: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23).

At the table, He spoke to me of trials, of tribulations, of faith tested and purified, and i noted the print of the nails in His hands as He poured the holy oil upon my crown, and received my cup surrendered to Him, which He filled with that daily portion, mixed with sufficient measures of His grace to sustain me. Goodness and mercy appeared, ready; my King stood, and I with Him; we walked into the harvest.

Praying for revival! 🙏

Going live asap:

https://rumble.com/v7fcljw-shepherds-pasture.html

[*The order of the materials given to Nebuchadnezzar in his dream was gold, the head, silver, the upper torso, brass, the belly and thighs, iron, the legs, iron mixed with miry clay, the feet and toes. However, when Christ returns (the stone falling upon the feet), He destroys them in this order: the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, then the gold. This raises a question regarding the relationship between the iron and the “potter’s clay” (Israel? see Isaiah 64:8; see Jeremiah 18:3-6), and the brass and clay. Daniel 2:41 — the iron and clay represent a division of the kingdom, which makes it a combination of two parts, part of iron and another part of clay. The “fourth kingdom” will attempt to mingle the iron (Israel) into the iron (fourth kingdom) but these will not bond, “even as iron is not mixed with clay” (Daniel 2:43).]