Be RIGHTEOUS and SHOW MERCY to the POOR!
September
12 Bible Reading: Daniel Chapters 4-6
Be RIGHTEOUS and SHOW MERCY to the POOR!
"Therefore, O king, let my advice be
acceptable to you; break off your sins
by being righteous and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. Perhaps
there may be a lengthening of your prosperity." (Dan. 4:27)
The
Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar had much to be proud about…he had won almost
every military battle that he had ever fought…his empire spanned the entire Middle
East…he had extensively rebuilt his capital city of Babylon extravagantly…he
had unimaginable wealth and power. For these and other reasons, his heart was
lifted up in pride—so much so that he apparently forgot a basic truth: “Heaven rules” (v. 26).
Daniel 4 starts
with a proclamation of Nebuchadnezzar in which he recounts the sequence of
events that had taken place during his recent humiliation that was orchestrated
by God. This was the same proud, self-centered king who had erected his own image
at Dura and had ordered every person in his kingdom to bow before his image. However
God, who holds the absolute power and authority, changed the proud king’s heart
by permitting him to be temporarily insane and behave like an animal for seven full
years. His kingdom was later restored by
the sovereign will of God!
While
interpreting the dream to Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel had hoped that the events
predicted could be averted by an immediate and true repentance on the part of
the king. In fact, Daniel had advised him to repent from his sins (see v. 27
above). It is possible that Nebuchadnezzar was allowed a full year in the hope
that he might repent and avert the judgment of God resulting from his pride. Perhaps
the king had listened for a while, but a year later his arrogant pride brought
judgment upon himself. Even Daniel’s
sincere pleading could not overcome the king’s pride!
It is
interesting to observe Daniel’s advice: “Break
off your sins by being righteous and your iniquities by showing mercy to the
poor” (v. 27). This statement suggests that righteousness for Nebuchadnezzar equated with showing mercy to the poor.
Apparently, the king disregarded Daniel’s advice and persisted in his pride and
arrogance, while ignoring God. As a result, God took away Nebuchadnezzar’s position
and power (v. 33) until he turned to the Lord and admitted that God still rules
over all (vv. 34–35). It is very much possible that he then instituted a reign
based on truth, justice, and humility while giving utmost deference to God (v.
36–37).
Let us
understand that righteousness and mercy
are two of the marks of true conversion to God. No matter what position we
have in life, we need to understand that everything
good that we possess has come from God. "Every
good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father
of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning"
(James 1:17). Let us also remember that God
is sovereign. When man tries to take the place of God, he becomes like a
beast. God still resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. "Surely
He (God) scorns the scornful, but gives grace to the humble." (Prov.
3:34)
Today, let
us break away from the cycle of sin that easily ensnares us (Heb. 12:1) by
putting on Christ (Gal. 3:27) as our robe of righteousness (Isaiah 61:10), and
please God by showing mercy to the poor and downtrodden among us!
