Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power …? (Daniel 4:30)
Daily reading: 2 Samuel 8
The famous quote “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely” was written in a letter by Lord Acton, a 19th-century English historian and moralist. He also said: “Great men are almost always bad men.” Take Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, who built a golden image and demanded worship—until God humbled him. After losing his sanity, he acknowledged God’s sovereignty: those who walk in pride he is able to humble (Daniel 4:37). Manasseh, king of Judah, committed terrible evil, even sacrificing his sons. But in exile and distress, he repented—and God restored him. Power changed these men for the worse, until God changed them. Don’t we long today for a ruler who governs in truth? That ruler is Jesus. He will return and reign in righteousness: nation shall not lift up sword against nation (Isaiah 2:4). Until then, we are invited to follow Him now, the all-powerful but incorruptible One.
