You might remember that in our last study Daniel revealed the interpretation of King Nebuchadnezzar's dream. This was God's warning to the king that he needed to change his ways or else all these things were to happen.
We pick up our story tonight in Daniel chapter 4: 28.
Read Daniel 4: 28-30. We are told very clearly in verse 28 that all of this happened. But take note that even though judgment on the king had been predicted, God still had mercy upon him and tried to get king Nebuchadnezzar to repent. The Lord patiently gave the king one whole year to repent. But all of God's mercy was to no avail.
So, 12 months after Daniel's warning, while the king was walking on the roof of his royal palace, a surge of pride swelled up within the king from the depths of his heart. While looking out over the beautiful city, he once again boasted that it had been his power alone that had built Babylon.
Granted, it was true that Nebuchadnezzar had been very successful as a ruler in expanding the territory of the empire and in completing a large number of construction projects. All of this had added to the beauty of the city. For example, it was during his administration that the famous hanging gardens of Babylon were built as well as the famous Ishtar gate and a number of temples. A number of military fortifications had also been completed and other building projects.
The problem was not that Nebuchadnezzar had achieved all of these things during his reign in Babylon. The problem was that Nebuchadnezzar totally ignored God, denying Him as the source of his ability and success.
We get back to the subject of pride. Pride diminishes God and exalts self. Pride either overlooks or refuses to acknowledge that God is the source of life and of all ability. So whatever success a person achieves, the Lord is the ultimate source of that success.
Read Daniel 4:31-32. While Nebuchadnezzar's arrogant words were still on his lips, a voice suddenly speaks from heaven pronouncing judgment upon the king. And the judgment was guaranteed because it was the voice of God Himself. God spelled out three features of this judgment:
-The King was to lose his Royal authority immediately.
-The King was to become insane and live outside among the animals.
-The King was to remain insane for 7 years, until he was humbled before the Lord and was willing to acknowledge that the Lord is sovereign - - that the Lord controls all the kingdoms and affairs of this world.
Read Daniel 4:33. In that very hour, the hand of God's judgment fell on Nebuchadnezzar. This horrible delusion struck the king and he became completely insane. He was driven from human society and began to behave like an animal, living outdoors exposed to the weather. His hair soon grew to be extremely long and matted, and both his fingernails and toenails grew as long as the claws of a large bird. Through the years of his adult life, Nebuchadnezzar had treated people cruelly like animals. Now he was reaping what he had sown. He had become insane, thinking and acting as though he were a wild beast.
Read Daniel 4:34-36. Finally, after 7 years of insanity, the Lord began to restore the king's mind. The king began to regain his reasoning skills and to realize what a fool he had been. Convicted of his sinful pride and wicked ways, he lifted up his eyes toward heaven and looked to the Lord.
We don't have any way of knowing for sure, but the King’s behavior is a strong suggestion of faith and repentance - - a genuine conversion experience. Remember that Daniel had been the chief royal advisor to Nebuchadnezzar for over 30 years. Considering how faithful Daniel was to the lord, he was bound to be a strong witness in sharing the word of God with the king. That fact plus the other major encounters Nebuchadnezzar had with God points strongly toward this being a genuine conversion.
Whatever the case, through the intervention of the Lord, the King was healed mentally, just as the Lord had predicted. With a heart full of thanksgiving, Nebuchadnezzar immediately exalted the Lord:
-in verse 34 he prays the Lord is the one who lives forever.
-he honored the Lord's eternal dominion and Kingdom that endure from generation to generation.
-in verse 35 he confessed that all people are as nothing when compared to the Lord.
-in the last part of verse 35 he acknowledged the Lord's sovereignty, that the Lord controls both the beings of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one could challenge either the wisdom or the power of the lord.
Read Daniel 4: 36 again. After Nebuchadnezzar repented, the Lord returned him to the throne. Keep in mind that Nebuchadnezzar was one of the greatest Kings in all of history. So, the royal advisors, nobles, and army commanders were not only stunned by his recovery but also were overjoyed. They knew that the king who had built the empire to such heights of glory and grandeur could now be reseated upon the throne of Babylon.
In all of this, Nebuchadnezzar became even greater than before. In recording this event, the king himself declared that he was honored more than ever before and considered to be greater than he was before his illness.
A little bit of background information. It is believed that King Nebuchadnezzar had this dream about the huge towering tree in the latter years of his reign. The latter date is suggested because the empire was at peace (4:4) and the Kings construction project seem to have been completed.(4:30).
Just so we will realize it, the events of this one chapter spanned a period of 8 years, and Nebuchadnezzar reigned for some period of time after the events took place. So, considering that Nebuchadnezzar rule for 43 years, the dream probably took place 10 or more years prior to his death. Whatever the case, it had been about 30 years since Daniel's three friends had been thrown into the fiery furnace. Daniel was probably somewhere around 50 years of age at this time.
Read Daniel 4:37. Nebuchadnezzar closed his strong testimony with two final proclamations. First, he praised the Lord, as the king of heaven. He declared that the Lord's works are true and His ways are just. Simply stated, whatever the Lord does is always right and just.
Second, Nebuchadnezzar issued a warning to the people throughout his kingdom. He declared that the Lord always humbles those who walk in pride. He himself was a prime example of that fact, because he had painfully suffered the humiliation of God's judgment upon his arrogant heart and self-sufficient behavior.
So, this chapter begins with the King praising God and ends with the King praising God. We have learned several things from this chapter. Tonight's passage stresses that God warns us against sinful pride and against an arrogant manner of independence or self-reliance. When we exalt ourselves above others, we degrade them and often bring pain and suffering into their lives. When we think of ourselves as being self-sufficient and in no need of God, we either ignore or deny the fact that God is the giver of life and of all the skills that we have. He is the giver of every good and perfect gift that falls upon the human race. So once again, God strongly warns us against pride and self-sufficiency.
Matthew 23:12 – “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
Proverbs 11:2 – “When arrogance comes, disgrace follows,
but with humility comes wisdom.”
Proverbs 16:18 – “Pride comes before destruction,
and an arrogant spirit before a fall.”
Isaiah 5:21 - “Woe to those who consider themselves wise
and judge themselves clever.”
Proverbs 26:12 – “Do you see a person who is wise in his own eyes?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.”
