August 17
August 17
Your Lord is the King of kings. Every human leader exists and operates under his authority.
We often forget that there really is a King of kings who sits on the throne of the universe as the ruler of nations. Because we forget that our Lord is the King of kings, we fret too much in the face of the power and corruption of human kings. Or we look for our hope and security in human leaders, and, because we do, we unite ourselves too closely to them. All human leaders have limited power for a limited time, but this isn’t so with our almighty and eternal King. Our King has the power to turn human kings to go wherever he wants them to go, whenever he wants (see Prov. 21:1).
King Nebuchadnezzar was one of the most evil kings in the Old Testament. He took the people of God captive, and then commanded them to worship him. He was self-obsessed, arrogant, and vicious, so much so that God humbled him in a graphic and unforgettable way (see Dan. 4). Yet we find this evil man choosing to do good for the prophet Jeremiah. Remember, Jeremiah was a courageous spokesman for the very faith that Nebuchadnezzar was working to crush in the people of God. Why would the king choose to protect him?
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon gave command concerning Jeremiah through Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, saying, “Take him, look after him well, and do him no harm, but deal with him as he tells you.” So Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, Nebushazban the Rab-saris, Nergal-sar-ezer the Rab-mag, and all the chief officers of the king of Babylon sent and took Jeremiah from the court of the guard. They entrusted him to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, that he should take him home. So he lived among the people. (Jer. 39:11–14)
This evil king commanded the captain of his guard not only to do Jeremiah no harm, but also to take care of him. The captain of the guard then called on all the king’s chief officers to follow through on the king’s order. Why did Nebuchadnezzar choose to be so good to Jeremiah? There is only one answer, and it is found in the very first chapter of the book of Jeremiah. We remember the calling and commissioning of this prophet. God made Jeremiah a promise, knowing that his mission would be difficult and dangerous: “They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the Lord, to deliver you” (Jer. 1:19). God had promised to protect his prophet from harm, and he raised up King Nebuchadnezzar to be his instrument of protection. God worked in the heart of this evil Babylonian, so that he would use his power to protect Jeremiah from harm.
Your Lord is the King of kings, who has power over every earthly king. This means that, ultimately, the will of the King of kings will be done.