Hey, Everyone!
If you haven’t noticed, the faithwriters theme this past few months has been the 7 deadly sins. I’ve posted most of them.
Lust: All consuming desire or want (The Mitzvah Mizer)
Gluttony: Overindulgence, overconsumption (I am Ginger)
Sloth: Laziness, inactivity (Sweet Chariot)
Rage: Uncontrolled violence and hatred (The Invitation)
Envy: Jealousy of another’s advantage (From One Hair To Another)
(I haven’t posted Greed)
And, the cherry on top is Pride.
I chose the story of King Belteshazzar and his pride in Daniel 4.
It was a little weird trying to get in the mind of someone losing his mind… but I hope it worked out.
Enjoy!
“I’ll be back in a few minutes,” I tell one of my servants, “I’m just going out for a walk on the roof.”
“Yes, King Belteshazzar.”
I nod and walk up the stairs into the fresh air. Spring has just begun and Babylon is in all of her glory. Flowers burst with color everywhere and a faint smell of nectar carries on the breeze. I breath in deeply and let out my breath, smiling. Walking over to the edge, I prop an arm up on the railing and survey the royal city below.
In the evening light, the golden spires of my kingdom shine like the sun itself. I feel so happy with myself and my city that I feel as though my chest might burst.
“Look at this great city of Babylon!” I shout, “By my own mighty power, I have built this beautiful city as my royal residence to display my majestic splendor. There is no city on earth to compare!”
But before I even finish speaking, a voice louder than anything I’ve heard before in my life thunders down from above.
“O King Nebuchadnezzar, this message is for you!”
I feel like I just got hit in the stomach. Daniel’s prophesy! My dream! How could I be so stupid? I had been so careful of my pride the past year, but I’d just let it slip and would have to suffer the consequences.
“You are no longer ruler of this kingdom. You will be driven from human society. You will live in the fields with the wild animals, and you will eat grass like a cow. Seven years will pass while you live this way, until you learn that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of the world and gives them to anyone he chooses.”
My knees feel weak and I fall to the ground. Regret fills my being. Can I never change?
“Sir!” My servant runs up onto the roof next to me. “What happened? Are you alright?”
I gasp for breath, trying to fight the strange feeling coming over me.
“My king!” My servant comes down next to me, “What . . .?” he trails off, gasps and calls for someone else.
“The prophesy! It’s coming true!”
I remember nothing more.
*
I feel like I’m coming out of a dream. I can’t quite make out my surroundings and my head feels strange. Shaking my head, I look down.
I’m on my hands and knees in the field, damp with rain and dew. My hair is in my face, my mouth is full of grass and my fingernails look like talons. I hurriedly spit out the grass and pull myself upright. Daniel’s words echo through my mind.
You will be driven from human society, and you will live in the fields with the wild animals. You will eat grass like a cow, and you will be drenched with the dew of heaven. Seven periods of time will pass while you live this way, until you learn that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of the world and gives them to anyone he chooses.
It’s all too obvious that part came true. Shame washes over me like water, rinsing away any former notion of my own greatness. Who was I to think that I was anything compared to God? It makes no difference to him whether I’m a king in a palace or a cow in a field. I am nothing to him.
Then tears come to my eyes as I remember the second part of the prophesy,
But the stump and roots of the tree were left in the ground. This means that you will receive your kingdom back again when you have learned that heaven rules.
All trace of pride is gone from my wicked heart, washed by his mercy.
Truly, God is all Daniel says he is.
Please tell me what you thought!
~writefury
writefury 