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Success turns some people into jerks.
Take, for example, King Nebuchadnezzar, the ruler of ancient Babylon. He conquered the Middle East, including Israel and Judah. Nebuchadnezzar was so successful that he believed he should control everyone and everything.
Nebuchadnezzar even wanted to dictate how his subjects worshipped. The book of Daniel tells about Nebuchadnezzar erecting an image of gold 90 feet high and 9 feet wide. Nebuchadnezzar brought some of the most important people in his kingdom together, the "movers and shakers" of Babylon, and told them: "As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace." While the statue may have represented a Babylonian god, the relative proportions of the statue lead many Bible scholars to conclude that Nebuchadnezzar's statue was an image of himself, and King Nebuchadnezzar's subjects would worship — or else!
What a jerk!
You've probably encountered people like Nebuchadnezzar, folks who are successful and it goes to their head. The boss who micromanages because she thinks she's the best at everything. The star of the team who thinks he is the team. The big donor at church who exerts control over every decision. Top performers sometimes have "riders" in their contracts that even list specific demands for their dressing rooms. Frank Sinatra expected cherry LifeSavers, chilled jumbo shrimp and Jack Daniel's whiskey. Madonna wants white leather couches, black satin drapes and fresh roses cut to a specific length. Mariah Carey requires a new toilet seat on her toilet.
Perhaps some of these folks need a reminder that they don't own the world!
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, loyal Hebrew subjects to Nebuchadnezzar, couldn't give their king the worship he demanded. Their Law, the Law of God, ordered, "You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments" (Exodus 20:4-6, NIV). For these Jews, the Law of God trumped Nebuchadnezzar's law, so they refused to worship the image, even when Nebuchadnezzar threatened to end their lives by throwing them into a fiery furnace.
You've heard the story before. Filled with rage, Nebuchadnezzar ordered his 3 faithful servants thrown into a blazing furnace, one so hot that the heat killed the soldiers who carried out the sentence. But then, when Nebuchadnezzar looked into the furnace, he "...leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, "Weren't there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?" They replied, "Certainly, Your Majesty." He said, "Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods" (Daniel 3:24-25). Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the furnace unharmed, without even the smell of smoke on their clothing. God protected them.
If only Nebuchadnezzar had learned this lesson. But in the very next chapter of Daniel, after being warned that he should be more humble, Nebuchadnezzar's ego displayed itself again. Nebuchadnezzar 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?" Before the words were out of his mouth, God pronounced sentence: You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like the ox. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes." Nebuchadnezzar's punishment lasted until "...I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever. His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation."
Nebuchadnezzar ceased to be jerk when he recognized how big and powerful God is. May every jerk meet God, learn that same truth, and cultivate some humility!