"Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity.
All this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar.
At the end of twelve months he walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon.
The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?
While the word was in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee."
Daniel 4:27-31
This is a good reminder to heed God's warnings. God warns us when we are going astray. We don't always hear it, or take it seriously, but he cares, and he wants us to have a chance to turn around. When God helps us out with such a warning, let's listen. Unlike Nebuchadnezzar, unlike Pharoah, unlike Laman and Lemuel... let's learn from their mistakes and change course. Let's develop some humility, and avoid the really bad consequences of thinking that ignoring God is a good idea. He is trying to help and save us from worse.
