God’s Word for You

Daniel 11:3-4 A tool in God’s hand

by Pastor Timothy Smith on Tuesday, January 6, 2026

3 Then a warrior king will arise. He will rule a vast dominion and he will do as he pleases. 4 And while he is still rising in power, his kingdom shall be broken and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not to his descendants. It will not have the power with which he ruled, because his kingdom shall be uprooted and be given to others.

These verses foresee the meteoric rise and the sudden death of Alexander the Great. Alexander III (356-323) became King of Macedon (northern Greece) when he was twenty, following the death of his father, Philip. He ruled for thirteen years, dying at the age of 32. He fought and won twenty battles, a record unmatched by any other general or military leader in history. But he did not follow any laws. He did “as he pleased,” forcing his way through the world because he had superior strength but ignoring treaties, alliances, promises, laws, and even family ties. He was mighty and victorious, but he lacked humility and civility; he could not be trusted, and had, as soldiers for a thousand years acknowledged, he had “his rages, and his furies, and his wraths, and his cholers, and his moods, and his displeasures, and his indignations.” He was useful to God, but he failed to acknowledge God.

The “vast dominion” of Alexander extended from the western end of Greece, south into Egypt, and eastward through Syria, Persia, Armenia, Iran, Afghanistan, and as far east as Kashmir on the border of Tibet and the Punjab region of western India.

Alexander died, “still rising in power,” on his way home from India in 323 BC. He had gotten as far as Babylon, and entertained his friend, Admiral Nearchis, who had sailed an exploratory voyage around the Persian Gulf and along the northern coastline of the Indian Ocean. Following their celebration, which involved heavy drinking all night and all the next day, Alexander complained of sharp pains and weakness. He developed a fever, and died about twelve days later.

Alexander’s kingdom was divided into several parts. The most notable were to the four Diodochoi (sometimes spelled Diodochi) or “Successors.” Of these, Lysimachus (ruling western Asia Minor) and Cassander (ruling Greece and Macedonia) do not enter into the prophecies of Daniel. The Empire of Seleucus (“the King of the North”) included Damascus, Syria, Persia, and everything eastward to Tibet and India. Egypt was ruled by Ptolemy, “the King of the South.”

This division is described as “toward the four winds of heaven” because magnetic compasses were not developed for navigation until the twelfth or thirteenth century AD. The simplest directional point was called “sunward” or “toward the sunrise” (Exodus 27:13; Numbers 2:3; Joshua 1:15). The other directions were sometimes given as “toward the dark” or Zaphonah (north, where there is less light), “toward the desert” or Negev (south), and “toward the sea” or Yammah (west). All of these appear together in Genesis 13:14.

Alexander’s kingdom did not go to his son Philip III (who was not yet born when he died) but to various generals who were powerful enough to take command. This division is why the kingdom did not have the power it had under Alexander.

Alexander succeeded by the will of God and by the help of “God and his angels,” but he never gave God credit. “Only the prayer of the true church preserves all kingdoms for the sake of the little band of the godly, who are in need of a lodging place in this life.” For the true church is hated and despised by the world. Even when one of us gains some success, the devil tempts everyone to scream that it’s on account of talent, or luck, or circumstance—anything or anyone but God.

And may Christians beware when they achieve great power or authority. It is too easy to imagine that one is useful to God because one is so wonderful, so holy, so righteous. But God would use a sow or a crow as quickly as he would use a beautiful white horse if the swine or the scavenger suited his holy purpose. It is a good prayer to ask, “Use me in your kingdom,” but do not forget to pray, “and forgive my many sins!” For it is a fine thing to be a tool in the hand of the Lord, but a tool can be set down, discarded, or forgotten. Therefore, pray and beg God to be more than a mere tool in his hand. Rather, pray that he would make you his dearly beloved child.

In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith

 

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