So far, we have discussed identity, purpose, prayer, deliverance, temptation, God’s sovereignty and several other topics.

This week, we are in chapter four, but the next post will jump to chapter seven. Chronologically, chapter five and six come later. Daniel is written by splitting the “story” into the first half and the prophecy the second half, but I think there is much rich truth to be gained from reading it in the order it happens. It is also important to note that this chapter is somewhat controversial from a secular historical perspective which will be addressed towards the end.

If I’m honest, chapter four is my least favorite chapter in the book. It deals with the issue of pride. That sin is insidious and definitely the one that has tempted me most over the years. Pride can take many forms (i.e. self-sufficiency, organization, earthly wisdom, self-initiative, worry…). All of these are forms of pride because they are ways of saying, “God, I’m wiser than you,” “God, I don’t need you,” or “God I can do this by myself.” So why is pride so problematic?

• It is one of seven abominations to God (Proverbs 6:16-19). Not only that, but it is listed first.

• It was the original sin – both for Satan and for Adam/Eve (Isaiah 14:13-14 and Genesis 3:4-5).

• It questions God’s sovereignty (Romans 9:19-21, 1 Samuel 2:10, Isaiah 45:9-10, and Job 9:12).

• It tries to rob God of his glory (Isaiah 42:8, 48:11, Ezekiel 20:9, Psalm 106:8, Daniel 4:35).

• It tries to deny God’s sufficiency (2 Corinthians 3:5, 12:9, and many kings in the Old Testament).

People who walk in pride are in for a rude awakening. Some of the warnings given in Scripture include:

• That he will bring them down from their thrones (Luke 1:52)

• That he only knows them from afar (Psalm 138:6)

• That he resists the proud (James 4:6)

• That he treats them with scorn (Proverbs 3:34)

This is the background of pride and where we find Nebuchadnezzar. Most Biblical scholars place chapter four towards the end of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign. He has conquered all, he had grown more mighty than any other nation. He was the golden head of the statue, and he was prideful above all else. The chapter begins with his salutation to the nations. This seems to have been in the form or a letter or proclamation (V. 1). He begins with an acknowledgement that God is the Most High (V. 2). Notice, there is no qualifier here. He is not a specific person’s God. He simply is.

V. 3 – This is quite the statement. None of the gods worshipped in Babylon fell into this category. Even if they believed that their deity was eternal, which was not a central tenet of most false gods, they did not believe in eternal dominion. Deities would come and go. That is part of why the conquerors often imposed their gods on the conquered. However, Nebuchadnezzar acknowledges that this God is different.

V. 4-7 – Nebuchadnezzar has another dream. It disturbs him deeply and he calls the wise men to interpret the dream. However, they cannot offer an explanation. God worked in such a way that they couldn’t even lie about the dream.

V. 8-9 – Daniel arrives. This man whose name had been changed to Belteshazzar (meaning favored by Marduk). The one who had been named after a false god, has The Spirit of The Holy God in him. This is a central truth. The Spirit that dwells in us is always the true indicator of our identity – not what other people (or the Devil) call us. Nebuchadnezzar begins to explain his dream.

V 10-18 – Nebuchadnezzar explains this dream

• V. 10-12 – He sees a tree. It is tall, strong, and beautiful. It bears fruit and sustains many other nations (beasts of the field).

• V. 13 – A watcher – Daniel is the only book that refers to angels as watchers. However, other places in the Bible indicate that they do indeed watch/observe. Daniel provides a surprising amount of information regarding angels and their responsibilities which will be addressed later.

• V. 14-15 – This is the picture of Nebuchadnezzar’s greatness being removed and the kingdom being stripped from him.

• V. 16 – Likely this is a form of Lycanthropia, Zoanthropica, or Boanthopy – all are recognized disorders in the medical field. Interestingly, the word “heart” used here refers to two different aspects – both his spirit and his body. The decree of “seven periods of time” is complicated. Some have simply argued that is seven years. Others have said it was tied to the rotations of the earth and was only seven months. Some have even said it is an indeterminate amount of time and the “seven” is in reference to the number of perfection and merely denotes that he would be transformed until God’s will was accomplished. Regardless, a period of time will pass.

• V. 17 – The intention of this punishment was not to humiliate Nebuchadnezzar. Rather, it was to demonstrate God’s sovereignty. It was designed so that Nebuchadnezzar would have no choice but to acknowledge God’s supremacy and might.

• V. 18 – This has the same understanding of The Spirit of The Holy God that we find in v. 8 and 9. Whether Nebuchadnezzar fully understood the notion of holiness, we don’t know. However, he did understand that Daniel was different – and that his God was vastly different than any that could be found in his own temples.

V. 19 – This verse has always fascinated me. Daniel could have become bitter or hardened to the point that he rejoiced in Nebuchadnezzar’s judgment. He could have also bought into the lie that God was all-loving to the exclusion of holiness. Instead, Daniel is distressed for the king – and calls him to repent (in a few verses).

V. 20-26 – Daniel interprets the dream. Nebuchadnezzar will be driven from men, but after the allotted time, his kingdom will be restored.

V. 27 – Daniel issues a call to repent. He risks the wrath of the most powerful man in the world. He was not looking for vindication, he desired to see Nebuchadnezzar change. How do we respond to people living in pride/sin (or when we live in pride)?

• Jude 23 explains that there are different possible responses. Sometimes compassion is needed and other times a more aggressive approach is demanded.

• It should be dealt with decisively – especially if it is in a brother or sister in Christ – but then restoration should also be swift (1 Corinthians 5:5 & 2 Corinthians 2:5-11).

• Persuade others. We have been made ambassadors. We are not living for our own glory, ministry, or goals. Our ministry is reconciliation on behalf of Christ and for the furtherance of his kingdom (2 Corinthians 5:11-21).

• Compassion and truth must be married. People need to hear the truth so that they can repent, but being purposefully abrasive or angry at the person is not productive. Some of the harshest words in Scripture were reserved for the overly religious and the sinning believers – not the lost pagans.

V. 28-29 – Interestingly, it had been a year since Daniel interpreted the dream. Perhaps the king felt the danger had passed. After all, nothing had happened. Regardless, he is walking in one of his palaces, one of his greatest accomplishments, and there is a return of fierce pride.

V. 30 – Multiple times in one verse, Nebuchadnezzar attributes glory, majesty, and honor to himself. This is pride at it’s most visible and obvious, but it can also take many less noticeable forms.

V. 31-32 – Immediately, notice that once judgment falls it is instantaneous. God gave him a year to repent and he did not. Now, it is too late. The prophecy that he will be driven from men will be fulfilled until he knows the truth that God alone is sovereign.

V. 33 – He is driven from the kingdom until God’s purpose is accomplished. This raises an interesting point regarding the historical accuracy of Daniel. No other book (perhaps other than Revelation) contains such vivid and accurate prophecy. It has been attacked by secular historians for years. Many actually record the dates of writing more than one-hundred years after the events of the book because they do not want to acknowledge that God so accurately predicted the future. The situation with Nebuchadnezzar raises a few important factors related to the historical account:

• While the Babylonian annals do not contain specific refences to Nebuchadnezzar’s malady (would you want to admit that the king lost his mind?), there are several indicators that Nebuchadnezzar did not reign 43 consecutive years

  • There is a surprising dearth of information in the royal records from around 582-575 BC (a seven-year period)

  • Also, Nebuchadnezzar’s son, Amel-Marduk (Evil-Marduk in Hebrew), ascended the throne after his father’s death. However, after only two years, he was murdered and Neriglissar staged a coup to assume the throne. He claimed to be the son of the king, and specifically named his father, Bel-shum-ishkum as the king of Babylon. However, there is no record of his father’s reign. It does appear that Neriglissar married Nebuchadnezzar’s daughter, thus making him a type of son, but he does not give Nebuchadnezzar’s name as his father. Bel-shum-shkum was an influential court official, according to official Babylonian documents. However, he was certainly not a king. We know that Nabopolassar (Nebuchadnezzar’s father) reigned for more than twenty years before the throne was passed directly to Nebuchadnezzar who reigned for forty-three years. So, when did this supposed reign by Bel-shum-ishkun take place? Wouldn’t it be interesting if this man took over temporarily while Nebuchadnezzar was wandering around like an animal? This would have strengthened Neriglissar’s claim tremendously and explain why one of Nebuchadnezzar’s other sons did not ascend the throne.

  • There have also been arguments that Bel-shum-ishkum is one of the court officials introduced in Jeremiah 39. The names given in Hebrew are obviously different. However, this is difficult to prove. Regardless, the question of Neriglissar’s parentage and his claims to the throne raise significant questions regarding the claim that there is no evidence regarding Nebuchadnezzar’s illness.

V. 34-37 – He finally repents, gives God the glory, and his kingdom is restored – just as promised. This is an important sequence. Repentance must come first. There is an acknowledgement that God is sovereign, and we are not. Until there is repentance, there cannot be change. It can be tempting to try and move past sin without admitting that we were wrong. Nebuchadnezzar did not make this mistake.

• He acknowledges God as the Most High – The name is El Elyon and found throughout Scripture (Psalm 78:35 & Genesis 14:18-22 to name two) However, the concept of his sovereignty above all else is a constant theme.

• He admits that God Is sovereign and can do what he wills (Job 42:1-6)

• This reminds me of the story found in Jeremiah 18 regarding the Potter’s house. God desires to shape and mold us into the likeness of his Son. Will we choose to voluntarily surrender to his pressure or will we rebel and be ruined on his wheel?

When we acknowledge the emptiness of our pride as Nebuchadnezzar did and we begin to see glimpses of God’s power, it changes or perspective on our own perceived self-sufficiency and God’s character.

We will either become resentful and bitter at this revelation of God’s sovereignty or we will give God glory, and that will lead us to chapter seven.