Because the king of Egypt said,"The river is mine, I have made it," judgment was pronounced."It shall be the basest of kingdoms ; neither shall it exalt itself any more above the nations." (Ezek. 29:9-15.)And so it has come to pass.

Because the heart of the prince of Tyre was " lifted up" and he said, " I am a god," he was brought down to the pit. " I will scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock. It shall be a place for the spreading of nets . . . for I have spoken it saith the Lord God." (Ezek. xxviii, 26:)

"The Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon, with fair branches and a shadowing shroud, and of high stature. . . . Therefore, thus saith the Lord God; because thou hast lifted up thyself in height . . . and his heart is lifted up in his height … I have driven him out for his wickedness … to the end that none of all the trees by the waters exalt themselves for their height." (Ezek. 31:)

As the king of Babylon walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon, he spoke and said, "Is not this great Babylon which I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power and for the honor of my majesty." In "the same hour" God spoke to him, "the kingdom is departed from, thee," and he was driven out from men and eat grass like an ox. At the end of the days, he "lifted up his eyes to heaven," and his understanding returned to him, and he blessed the Most High. A beast looks downward. When the king looked upward, to heaven, he was restored ; he came to himself, like the prodigal son. He was no longer an idolater, but a worshiper; he praised and honored Him that liveth forever. " Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and His ways judgment, and those that walk in pride He is able to abase." (Dan. 4:37.)

Thus we see the fall of these empires came through pride, and that pride will bring judgment upon all nations and establishments at last. When the Lord comes we find in Is. 2:, "Enter into the rock (hid themselves in the rocks, Rev. 6:15,) and hide thee in the dust for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of His Majesty. The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day." Notice the terms that are heaped together in this and following verses:"lofty looks"- "haughtiness" – "proud and lofty"-"lifted up"– "cedars of Lebanon"-"oaks of Bashan "-"high mountains"-"high tower"-"hills that are lifted up." This is God's announcement of man's condition at the second coming of Christ to reign over the earth.

To some who were choosing the best places at an entertainment the Lord uses almost the words of the king of Babylon, "For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased." (Luke 14:)

Are we aware that in seeking honor from one another in a small company, or at any time, we are on the road that led to Nebuchadnezzar's humiliating abasement ?

Humility is the only road to honor. The Lord is our example.

How impressive the connection between secret thoughts of the heart and far-reaching results :" Is not this great Babylon that I have built" has its end in this,-"Babylon the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees excellency shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It shall never be inhabited ; neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation :neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there :neither shall the shepherds make their fold there. But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there, and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures, and (ostriches) shall dwell there, and wild goats shall dance there, and jackals shall cry to one another in their places, and wild dogs in the pleasant castles." " I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible." (Is. 13:)

Survey the ruin of Tyre-a place bare like the top of a rock (Ezek. 26:4), and link it with Tyre's pride and exulting over Jerusalem's distress; and contemplate Egypt's condition-the basest of kingdom's, and connect this with the thought "The river is mine, I have made it." The proud thought indulged was the seed and root of centuries of humiliation. "Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life."

He who " humbled Himself" has been "received up into glory," His word is, "follow thou Me." E.S.L.