This Week's Story
click here to play audioNobody has the power to block Big Man Neb.
This Week’s Story relives American history and the Bible through brief inspiring stories presented on mp3 audio recordings and text for reading.
What happened to Big Man Neb?
“Did you hear the NEWS?”
“Nothing unusual.”
“Then your ears are plugged! Last night The Big Man was forced out of the palace.”
“That is unlikely.”
“Did you forget that I am a royal guard in the palace?”
“No, but I know that nobody has the power to block Big Man Neb.”
“You are wrong. Last night ‘O Great Nebuchadnezzar’ looked at the city from the flat roof of his palace. As I stood guard he boasted, ‘Look, at this great city! I built Babylon. When people look at it, they see my royal splendor!’”
“He likes to talk about his accomplishments.”
“Yes, and his talk is dangerous!”
“For whom?”
“Him, and maybe all of us! I think his dream is coming true. Last year he dreamed of a huge strong tree loaded with fruit. All the world could see it and received food from it.
“In his dream a messenger shouted, ‘Cut it down. Leave a stump and roots. For seven years he will live with wild animals, have the mind of an animal, and eat grass.’
“The messenger talked as though the tree was a person. The king’s wise men were baffled when they heard the dream. Then Daniel, the Hebrew adviser, came to the king. The king said, ‘I know that the spirit of God is in you.’ The Big Man described his dream and Daniel told him,
“‘Your Majesty, the tree is you. It is what will happen to you. You will receive your kingdom again when you learn that God rules. Stop your evil. Maybe then you will not be the mighty tree cut to a stump.’”
The royal guard continued his report. “A year has passed since the king had his dream. Last night after I heard the king’s boasting, a voice called, ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, I have a message for you. You no longer rule this country. You will be driven away from humans. You will wander in fields with wild animals and eat grass. Seven years will pass. You will learn that the Almighty God rules the kingdoms of the earth. He gives nations to whom He chooses.’
“Within an hour after the voice spoke, men removed the king as he babbled gibberish. Myself and other royal guards watched.”
Seven years passed. No ruler was selected to take Nebuchadnezzar’s place. His senior general and advisers formed a temporary government.
While life in Babylon continued, the Big Man lived in fields far from the city. He grew hair long as eagle feathers and nails like the claws of a bird. Whether dew covered the ground, rain fell, or the sun blazed, he survived.
One day he looked up. His mind became clear and he spoke, “Almighty God, you are most high. People are nothing compared to you. You can do as you will among angels of heaven or people upon earth. Your rule and kingdom are eternal. I honor and worship you.”
The king returned to his palace. His officers and advisers accepted him as king. He declared, “Now I praise the King of heaven. His acts are true and just, and he can humble the proud.”
This is Barbara Steiner with a king who fell under the weight of his pride.
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