TODAY IN THE WORD
Several decades before Christopher Columbus came to America, a remarkable event happened in the South American Incan Empire. King Pachacuti began to question his people's worship of the sun when he observed that the sun did the same thing over and over, acting more like a laborer than a god. There was a legend of an omnipotent creator God, named Viracocha, and Pacha-cuti decided that this must be the true God who alone must be worshiped.

Equally remarkable is the account of the conversion of Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, which the king himself narrates. Before his dream, he had a fairly high opinion of himself, which is understandable considering that this king's rule spread from Egypt to modern Iran. If we were to walk beside the king as he surveyed the city of Babylon (vv. 29-30), we would see one of the greatest cities of antiquity, boasting two of the seven wonders of the world: the hanging gardens of Babylon and the great city wall. But human pride is a dangerous thing, and Nebuchadnezzar's pride had to be broken if he was ever going to come to know the Most High God.

Daniel had already demonstrated his God-given ability to interpret the king's dreams (see Dan. 2). The tree of this dream symbolized the prosperity and growth of Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom. Although this cosmic tree extended over a very large region, it was cut down, with only a stump remaining. Such a dream would have been disturbing to most people, but when Daniel understood that it applied to Nebuchadnezzar, we can understand why he was hesitant to explain it to the powerful king (v. 19).

Despite the unusual way in which Nebuchadnezzar was humbled, God was merciful to protect him and to lead him to a correct understanding of himself and of God. After his ordeal, the great king understood that the Most High ruled over the eternal kingdom—even Babylon the great couldn't compare to that. Moreover, he wanted all peoples to know about the Most High God (v. 1), not the great king Nebuchadnezzar.

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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
No matter how powerful, no one is beyond God's reach. Like the Incan king Pachacuti, Nebuchadnezzar realized that only one God alone must be worshiped.

If you would like to read other accounts like Pachacuti's, we recommend, Eternity in Their Hearts, by missionary Don Richardson, available at most Christian bookstores. This book further illustrates what we see in Daniel 4: God is sovereign over even the most powerful human rulers, and He desires to reveal Himself to the peoples of the world.

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