Fear is both good (positive) and bad (negative), depending on who or what one fears and, equally important, why.  In the spiritual realm, the outcome of fear can have eternal implications.  The importance of the right kind of fear is stated in the Truth that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”  Without fear of God one will not please Him.  Without fear of Him, there is no wisdom.  Without wisdom concerning Him one cannot be saved.  In this posting we will examine the phenomenon of having both good and bad fear.

One example of having both good and bad fear is to fear the Lord enough to know who and what He is, but not fear Him enough to embrace Him as Ruler.  Such was the case of Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar.  Approximately 150 years after the Assyrians defeated the 10 northern tribe of Israel and took them into slavery, King Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylonian army defeated the Judahites (nicknamed “Jews” by the King James translators) and took the survivors back to Babylon as slaves.

King Nebuchadnezzar wanted four of the Jewish slaves to serve him personally.  His chief eunuch, Ashpenaz, chose Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah to train and prepare to serve the king.  Ashpenaz gave them each a Babylonian name–Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego respectively.  Following the Scriptural model, I will call Daniel by his Jewish name and his three companions by their Babylonian names.

Not long after they began serving Nebuchadnezzar the king had a dream that frightened him greatly.  He called in all of the nation’s magicians, astrologers, sorcerers and Chaldeans and commanded that they tell him what he had dreamed (for he could not remember), then to interpret what the dream.  They could not, so he declared that all of them would die, including Daniel and his three Jewish (Hebrew/Israelite) companions.  Daniel heard about the king’s edict and told him  that his (Daniel’s) God would reveal both the king’s dream and its interpretation.  Which he did through Daniel.

Nebuchadnezzar was so impressed that he fell on his face and worshiped DANIEL.  He then paid homage to Daniel’s God, saying that He was the chief of gods and the king of kings.  Though none of the gods of the magicians, astrologers, sorcerers and Chaldeans could do what Daniel’s God did, Nebuchadnezzar simply added Daniel’s God to their number.  However, he did give Daniel’s God a slightly higher status than the other gods, whom he continued to recognize.

Nebuchadnezzar’s response to the miracle Daniel’s God had performed was to build a 90-foot-tall golden image and commanded all people of the kingdom, including the Jews, to bow down and worship it.  Daniel’s friends refused to do so and their refusal was reported to the king who commanded that they be thrown into a fiery furnace.  But when this took place, God miraculously saved them from the flames.  Totally impressed again by the Jews’ God, the king publicly acknowledged that their God had saved them, saying: “Blessed is the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who sent His angel to deliver His servants who trusted Him ….”  Once again the king admitted publicly that their God had done the impossible.  He went so far as to decree that anyone who spoke a word against their God would be cut to pieces.  But again, he refused to bow down to the true God and vow allegiance to Him.  Note that, though he admitted that the God of the Jewish men was all-powerful and that they were His servants, he had them thrown into the furnace.

So impressed with the Hebrew’s God was the king that he wrote a letter to the people in his kingdom in which he told them of all the signs, miracles and wonders he had seen the Hebrews’ God perform.  His letter comprises chapter 4 of Daniel’s book.  In the letter he wrote: “I praise and honor Him that lives for ever and ever.  How great are His signs and wonders.  His kingdom is everlasting and His dominion is from generation to generation.”  He also wrote: “The Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and He gives those kingdoms to whomever He wants and sets over them the basest (worst) of men.”  He was obviously impressed with, and surely fearful of, the God of the Jews.  However, he refused to acknowledge Him as his god.

Later, Nebuchadnezzar had another dream.  Again he consulted his seers who could tell him either his dream or the interpretation of it.  Again he consulted Daniel who told him the dream and its interpretation, giving all credit to His God.  The interpretation spelled tragedy for the king for it foretold that great punishment would be coming upon him due to his pride.  Daniel told him that he would become like an animal and would live as one for seven years.  He would roam the fields with the oxen and would even eat grass as they did.  At the end of 7 years the king would, “know that the Most High rules the kingdoms of men and gives those kingdoms to whomever He wishes.”  In spite of everything that had happened, the king’s pride would continue unchecked.

A year later the dream came to pass.  Seven years after it began, the curse ended and the king returned to his place at the head of the greatest nation on earth at that time.  Humbled at last, Nebuchadnezzar proclaimed: “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol the King of heaven, Whose works are truth and His ways are judgments.”

Nebuchadnezzar openly admitted that Daniel’s God ruled the nations of the earth and placed at their heads whomever He wished.  YET HE NEVER BOWED TO HIM, NEVER WORSHIPED HIM AND NEVER ACCEPTED HIM AS HIS GOD.  The king praised Daniel’s God and undoubtedly feared Him, paid homage to Him and spoke well of Him.  But he did not fear Him enough to embrace Him as his Lord and Master Who must be obeyed.  L.J.