But he looked upon Jehovah only as the God of the Jews, as
Daniel's God. He had not yet learnt that God was HIS God as well as
Daniel's; that Jehovah was very near his heart and mind, and had been
near him all his life; that from Jehovah came all his wisdom, his
strength of mind, his success, and all which made him differ, not
only from his fellow-men, but from the beast; that Jehovah, in a
word, was the light and the life of the world, who fills all things
and by whom all things consist, deserted by whose inward light, even
for a moment, man becomes as one of the beasts which perish. In his
own eyes Nebuchadnezzar was still the great self-dependent, self-
sufficing conqueror, wiser and stronger than all the men around him.
He thought, most probably, that on account of his wisdom, and
courage, and royalty of soul, the God of heaven had become fond of
him and favoured him. In short, he was swollen with pride.
God sent him again a strange dream, which made him troubled and
afraid. He told it to his old counsellor Daniel; and Daniel, at the
danger of his life, interpreted it for him; and a very awful meaning
it had. A fearful and shameful downfall was to come upon the king;
no less than the loss of his reason, and with it, of his throne.
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