A walk on the roof | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: September 11, 2024 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 7, No. 18

“All this happened to King Nebuchadnezzar. Twelve months later, as the king was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, he said, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?”” (Dan 4:28-30NIV)

What made Nebuchadnezzar say such proud words to himself? The things he saw! What did he see? Well, he saw the beauty of his kingdom. And was anything wrong with that? No! Nothing is wrong with seeing beauty, the beauty of creation or the beauty of the works of our hands. But the conclusion we draw, having seen the beauty of creation or that of the works of our hands, may just be the difference between promotion and downfall for us.

As the account goes, when Nebuchadnezzar saw the beauty of his kingdom, his heart was lifted up with pride. He began to praise himself for being so mighty and powerful and for building everything he could see in Babylon for his own glory and majesty. But was he right? Did he actually have any power of his own to building himself anything? No, he didn’t!

Everything this king saw about Babylon that night, as beautiful as it was, was nothing but a gift to him from God. It did not come to him because he was some rare breed of humanity; neither did it come to him because he was better than the rest of mankind. But because he did not realize this, he allowed pride to fill his heart. So, he said what was too much for his mouth to say and was taught a very great lesson by God for it. He ran mad and lived like a beast in the jungle for some time. And if had not been for the mercy of God shown to him, he would have perished in that condition. (Cf. Dan 4:31-37)

But what led this man to experience all that? It was a walk on the roof. It was his walk on the roof of his palace one night that led him to see what he could not handle. Yes, being on the roof of his palace gave him an advantage to see what most people may not see in their entire lifetime. But he did not have enough humility to handle what he saw. So, the advantage he had turned into a disadvantage and almost cost him his life and his kingdom.

So, being in a position of advantage does not always prove advantageous to people. Yes, being in a position of advantage may give us the privilege of seeing, hearing or knowing what others may never know in their entire lifetime. But if we do not have the character to handle what we are privileged to see, hear or know, what is meant to be advantageous to us may end up becoming disastrous.

As we are further shown in the bible, David too experienced something similar to what King Nebuchadnezzar experienced. Look at how this is given to us in the bible:

“One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, “Isn’t this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite?”” (2Sam 11:2-3NIV)

What made David see beautiful Bathsheba while she was taking her bath that night? A walk on the roof of his palace! If he were not the king of Israel at the time, he may not have the advantage of walking on the roof of the palace. But he was the king. And was that a bad thing? No, it was not at all. In fact, it was God that chose him to be king. So, he had every right to walk on the roof of the palace.

However, because he did not have sufficient strength of character to handle what his walk on the roof of his palace gave him the privilege of seeing, he ended up becoming an adulterer, a deceiver and murderer. And if he too, like Nebuchadnezzar, had not been shown mercy, he would have lost his life and his kingdom because of the matter. (Cf. 2Sam 11&12)

So, don’t just desire to be in an advantageous position, where you can see things, hear things and know things, even the secrets of darkness. Also, learn to pray to God to build you up to be able to handle whatever your position of advantage in life may throw at you. Learn to pray as well that God will keep you from seeing, hearing or knowing things that you cannot handle without destroying yourself. Otherwise, someday, you may just realize that all the things that seem to be advantageous to you are nothing but curses to your life. And may that not be your portion, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Cheers!

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