The King

written with JP and JF. There once was a powerful king,

Who thought he ruled everything.

God gave him the kingdom, the power, the glory.

But what did he do?

Well, that is our story.

You see, King Nebuchadnezzer (a mouthful I know),

Was as proud as they come, destined for sorrow.

King of Babylon!

Ruler of far and wide.

From the beasts of the field, to the birds of the sky!

As far as he could see, he ruled it all,

And had every reason to stand both proud and tall.

So, Nebby’s life in this manner thrived with no woes.

But then he had a dream; its meaning he didn’t know.

"I just had a dream, I want to understand.

Call all the magicians, sorcerers, and wise men in the land

To tell me the meaning and make it clear to me

What this dream is, and what is to be."

Conjurers, diviners, and Chaldeans came

To gain great reward, for glory and fame.

If only they declared to Nebby his dream and its meaning.

But what man on earth could guess what the king was dreaming?

Surely none but divinity would know without hearing.

And so they despaired and quit, at their feet peering.

King Nebby didn't like their failure too much.

He ordered that all the wise men be killed, and as such,

That put a certain someone in quite a predicament

For he was a wise man, but a bit different.

He feared and loved God, and God gave him the gift

Of interpreting dreams; their meanings no confusion to lift.

With his life on the line and death drawing nearer,

Daniel prayed and asked that the dream be made clear.

Thanks be to God!  He revealed the dream.

And this is the prayer that Daniel said on his knees:

"Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever!

He is the source of all wisdom, knowledge, and power.

He is the One who grants dominion to kings,

And to His servants reveals profound and hidden things.

To You, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise.

Before You alone I am continually amazed.

You have revealed the king's matter to me,

According to my honest and earnest plea."

Daniel was brought before the great king

To reveal the dream and so reverse the decree.

"As for the mystery into which the king has inquired,

Which has stumped both the magician and the diviner,

God in heaven has revealed its meaning to me,

And I'll declare it to you, O proud king.

Though I am no greater than any other earthly being,

God gave its interpretation, and me clearly seeing,

You, O king, must hear, hear and hear well.

This is your dream; may it your fears dispel.

"Behold, look!  A single statue of great splendor,

Made of the finest metals that man’s hands can render.

Awesome in form and impressive in size,

How could anything lead to its utter demise?

But keep on looking, there's more — a stone cut without hands.

It struck the great statue which became as if sand.

Blown away by the wind, like chaff from the fields,

The very memory of the statue gone, ended, cleared.

"You, O king, are its head of gold,

With power, and strength, and glory untold.

But a day is promised when the true King shall come —

The stone cut without hands, the conquering One.

His, the glory

His, the true kingdom

The mightiest of strengths

The God of all wisdom!

His kingdom alone will endure for forever,

And as King, He'll worshiped, honored, and treasured!"

King Nebby was grateful, and humbled a bit.

That God was supreme, he was willing to admit.

But soon his actions betrayed his proud, proud heart.

He built a gold statue, a great work of art,

And commanded every people, tongue, and nation,

To worship, give homage, to the idolatrous abomination.

Failure to obey meant the fiery furnace,

Burnt to a crisp without a moment’s notice.

Introducing Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego,

Men of courage and grit, willing to say, "No!"

To the king and his sinful decree.  No matter the cost,

They followed their God, counting all else loss.

Threatened with fire, and excruciating death,

They flinched not once, and held tight to His promise.

"O king, we need not give you an answer concerning this matter,

For our God will deliver us out of the fire,

And even if He chooses not to save us from the furnace,

We will not submit ourselves to the golden idol's service."

"Increase the flame!  Build it up seven times over!

Valiant warriors, tie and burn up the traitors!"

So great was the inferno, even those standing near were slain.

But what Nebby saw next almost made him faint.

In the midst of the fire, four men loosed and walking about,

Alive and well, without a shadow of a doubt.

""Were there not three bound and cast into the furnace?

Who is this fourth, who looks as a son of the gods?"  Most earnest

Was Nebby to call out the three men,

And praise their God who had delivered them.

"Blessed be your God and your great perseverance.

All ye nations, hear my mouth's clear utterance:

Never speak evil against the God of these men,

For He delivered His servants who trusted in Him.

Yielding their bodies, their lives, their plans, their rights,

Because He alone is the God of all might."

Soon another dream came, just as the first,

It stumped proud Nebby, but its consequence worse.

Here is the story; let's tell it quite plainly,

From the king's own mouth, let us hear what said he:

"A great tree, there stood, so beautiful and large.

All the earth’s creatures lived under its charge.

But at the sound of a single holy angel’s voice,

The tree was cut down, stripped of its power and joys."

"Leave the stump there, and the band of metal around it.

But he shall bear the punishment appropriate.

Let him be drenched to the bone with the dew of heaven,

And share with the beasts of the earth for seven

Periods of time, until he knows and knows well,

That the Most High rules over mankind's realms.

And bestows it upon whomever He wishes,

Sovereignly raising up shepherds and peasants."

"This vision alarmed and startled me so much,

I had Daniel come, and he revealed the dream as such."

"O king, the tree of great strength and height,

Represents you, the king of majesty and might.

Yet you are doomed to become like a beast for seven periods’ time,

Until you repent of your arrogant, God-hating pride.

For you fail to know and acknowledge the Ruler

Is King of all man, and of kingdoms the Giver."

"My confidence was shaken, it hit me like a wall.

As much as I had wanted to know, I didn't like this at all!

And yet, I refused to see God as the King,

And insisted on thinking I was in charge of everything.

"Just twelve months later, I said, 'Look at my wealth,

What a kingdom I built, all by myself!

By the might of my power and for my own great glory,

I should be, I must be, the point of this story!'

"Immediately, a voice from heaven spoke,

And declared Daniel’s words — the judgement, no joke.

The word concerning me was immediately fulfilled,

I was driven away from mankind to join the beasts of the field.

Eating grass like the cattle and bearing heaven's dew,

I became wild, and had sovereignties few.

"Seven period later, at last my pride broke, my confession came free,

I looked up towards heaven and my reason returned to me.

This part is too powerful to make up a rhyme,

So let’s go to Scripture and read it, this time."

For His dominion is an everlasting dominion,

And His kingdom endures from generation to generation.

All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,

But He does according to His will in the host of heaven

And among the inhabitants of earth;

And no one can ward off His hand

Or say to Him, ‘What have You done?'

"With these words from my new heart, birthed from God’s mercy,

I received my former kingdom, splendor, and majesty.

God added to me surpassing greatness and sovereignty,

Blessings from His good hand.  O, do I praise and exalt Thee!

"Now, I, Nebuchadnezzar, humbled king,

Do praise and exalt the true King of all kings.

His works are true and His ways always just.

In His gracious hand do I place all of my trust.

He has humbled my proud and wicked heart,

Pardoned my blatant idolatry and sinful start.

He is the true King, the Sovereign Lord,

May the Lamb receive His great, eternal reward!"