Nebuchadnezzar’s action in relation to the vessels of the house of God was meant to honor his false gods, and to elevate them above the true and living God, the Lord of Hosts. Approximately 450 years before, the Philistines captured the ark of the covenant and put it in the house of their god, Dagon, only to find Dagon fallen on his face. The ark is a type of Christ, and God did not delay to punish the Philistines. The next day, Dagon was not only fallen but shattered (1 Sam. 5:1–5).

In the case of Nebuchadnezzar, the punishment was delayed for a while, for God was going to teach Nebuchadnezzar the important lesson recorded for us in Daniel 4, namely, that the Most High, the God of the heavens, is the only true God “whose dominion is an everlasting dominion … and He doeth according to His will in the army of the heavens, and among the inhabitants of the earth” (vv. 34–35). Did God then forget about the vessels? No, indeed! Read Daniel 5:17–28 and listen to Daniel’s words to the last Babylonian emperor, Belshazzar. Babylon fell and the next empire returned the vessels to God’s temple that was being rebuilt.

Now, is this not a lesson for us? We have a fallen nature that is not a bit better than that of Nebuchadnezzar, or Belshazzar, or Herod who was eaten by worms because he did not give glory to God (Acts 12:22–24). This nature wants to take credit for what God bestows by grace (1 Cor. 4:7). His grace should not make us proud but humble. Let us remember the Lord’s solemn words: “My glory will I not give to another” (Isa. 42:8).