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T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
July, 1933
o f men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.” Restored to his throne, the great monarch publicly testified: “ Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judg ment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase” (Dan. 4 :37 ). In these days o f dethroned kings and tottering empires, would to God that the testimony o f that ancient world ruler might be proclaimed world w ide! Only as kings and rulers honor and ,obey the King o f heaven can any of them endure. Yet what do we see? Amassed wealth and dire poverty side by side; abundance o f food, but mil lions who are hungry; multiplicity of laws, but growing crime and lawless ness ; great leaders, but confusion and darkness of council; no sense of na tional sins, but plenty of national pride; atheism and despair on the increase; heaven ignored and hell no longer feared! But still “ the heavens do rule,” as Daniel said; and in the words of the psalmist, “ the wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that for get God.” S u p r e m a c y The kingdom o f God is “ super” in the sense that it rules over all. All earthly kingdoms are subject to it. In all the affairs of men, particularly in matters o f government, it speaks the final word. As the court of final appeal, its decisions are absolute. Nebuchad nezzar knew this, and rulers of this present time must learn it. So quietly and unostentatiously are the affairs o f the superkingdom usually administered, that its very existence sometimes is questioned and even de nied. One might as well deny the un seen forces which quietly keep the roll ing suns and stars and planets in their orbits, and which maintain order throughout the universe. The more per fect a machine, the more quietly it operates. When occasion demands, the throne can speak with the voice o f thunder, in the rushing flood, or in the rumble of the earthquake. But the “ still, small voice” may be more effective. Whether it be the voice o f judgment or the voice o f compassion, it is the voice o f final decision. Adam heard it, and Cain, and Enoch, and Noah, and Abraham, and Moses—but why extend the list? Since the “ law o f the Lord is per fect,” it is only just that His kingdom be supreme. In a sense, the laws of God are self-rewarding and self-penalizing. Departure from them entails harm, and the keeping o f them brings great re
to the nation of Israel! And woe to any like-minded nation! King Saul, the people’s choice, was a lamentable fail ure ; but David, God’s choice, was as marvelous a success. His heart was right before God and God honored him. Coming to the reign of Solomon, we find this most remark able statement: “ Then Solomon sat on the throne of Je hovah as king instead o f David his father” (1 Chron. 29: 23 ). That is, the throne o f Israel was God’s throne, no matter who the man was that occupied it. Hence, when the angel Gabriel said to Mary concerning Jesus, the as yet unborn king, that the Lord God would give Him the throne o f His father David, should it surprise us? This simply meant that Jesus would one day rightly supplant all human representatives as the King of Israel. The throne o f David was already His throne. From it He will yet reign, not over Israel only, but over all peoples, nations, and languages (Dan. 7 :14 ). G e n t i l e T e s t im o n y The superkingdom was also evident and often acknowl edged in Gentile history. Take, for example, the Egyptians. In the time o f Moses, Egypt was mighty, domineering, cruel, and wholly given over to idolatry. Jehovah and His kingdom were not in their thoughts or plans. They neither knew Him nor served Him. When in His name Moses demanded of Pharaoh that he let His people go, haughty Pharaoh replied: “ Who is Jehovah, that I should hearken unto his voice to let Israel go? I know not Jehovah, and moreover I will not let Israel go”. (Ex . 5 :2 ). Thus did proud Pharaoh throw down the gauntlet to the Lord of heaven and earth. That was a battle r o y a ls upon one side Jehovah,'and upon the other side Pharaoh and the gods of Egypt. Plague after plague was sent upon Pharaoh and his people. W hy? “ And the Egyptians shall know that I am Jehovah, when I stretch forth my hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them” (Ex . 7 :5 ), and also that Pharaoh might “ know that I am Jehovah” (Ex . 8 :10, 22). But the divine judgments upon Egypt were also for the purpose of estab lishing God’s authority among all the nations of the earth (Ex. 8 :22 ; 9:14, 16). The first echo of this is found in the closing words of Rahab to the two spies: “ For Jehovah your God, he is God in heaven above, and on earth beneath” (Josh. 2 :11 ). Proud Pharaoh was humbled. He learned, and the Egyptians learned to their sorrow, that Jehovah is God indeed. Egypt was despoiled because she determined to thwart His will. A t a much later time, another Gentile ruler added his testimony to the power and sway of the superkingdom. God’s people were in the land o f Babylon because of their idolatries. King Nebuchadnezzar had been used by God to punish His people for their sins. The king had ruthlessly destroyed the city and the temple of Jehovah and carried away His people into captivity. This Gentile monarch ruled over a vast world empire. One day while walking in the royal palace, he said, “ Is not this great Babylon, which I have built for the house o f the kingdom by the might o f my power, and for the honor of my majesty ?” While the word was still in the king’s mouth, a voice from heaven said, “ O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee” (Dan. 4:30, 31). W e are familiar with the story. The prophecy o f Dan iel, uttered only twelve months earlier (Dan. 4 :24,25), was literally fulfilled, and for seven years Nebuchadnezzar lived as a beast o f the field. A t the end of the days, his under standing returned and he praised the Most High whose kingdom is everlasting, “ and he doeth according to his will in the army o f heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth” (Dan. 4 :35 ). He knew now that Daniel was cor rect in saying that “ the Most High ruleth in the kingdom
ward, whether for the individual or for the nation. They are the perfect guide for the lowliest of men, and also for kings and rulers. The powers that be are ordained o f God, the apostle
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