Date: 02/08/2021

Series: Thriving In Babylon

Speaker: Ross Tenneson

The Proud King and The Humble King

Ross Tenneson / General

Daniel / Pride / Daniel 4:4–37

Notes

- Neb = fallen tree of life

- Jesus = better tree of life

 

Summary

Exegetical: God humbles Nebuchadnezzar so that he would know his kingdom is over all (and then could raise Nebuchadnezzar up).

Sticky: Depend on God; don’t try to be him.

Connection

I tried to ride a motorcycle for the first time this summer. It did not go well. I instantly crashed into a curb, went to the ER for the second time in a year, and put an ugly scar on my leg. I was very embarrassed and humbled by this event.

And yet, would you believe me if I told you that our humbling, though unpleasant, is necessary for God to make us like Jesus and give us greater joy?

Though often unpleasant, the process of becoming humble is a great gift God gives us and actually uses to raise us up. Our culture around us, influenced by spiritual Babylon will project pride and tempt us to do the same. On the other hand, in the kingdom of God, the Lord leads us with humility and into humility.

Let’s see how this plays out in the life of king Nebuchadnezzar,

Revelation

English Standard Version Chapter 4

I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and prospering in my palace. 5 I saw a dream that made me afraid. As I lay in bed the fancies and the visions of my head alarmed me.

Many of us probably don’t identify with Nebuchadnezzar in the story of Daniel. Yet, I’m a lot more like him than I would care to admit (and I suspect all of us are). Though many of our lives are difficult, we still enjoy greater prosperity than many humans in the world and in history dream of.

So here he is in his prosperity, and he is in the process of forgetting the Lord. Yet, God is kind and gracious to Nebuchadnezzar. He sends him another dream at night to arouse him from his spiritual slumber. The dream alarms him as God makes him aware of his pride and the judgement that is coming.

You may have noticed that there have been two times already that Nebuchadnezzar humbled himself before the God of heaven and acknowledged his greatness. Yet, we keep finding him walking pridefully against God’s rule. What is going on here? Nebuchadnezzar is painting a picture for us of the long and difficult road it often is to make a disciple. Anyone who ministers patiently to others know that there will be days where someone will confess love for Jesus and devotion to him, and then fall back into sin and rebellion (we even have days and moments like these).

God’s and Daniel’s patience with Nebuchadnezzar is a reminder and call to us to patiently walk with those who do not know God yet or are slowly coming to know him.

How does Nebuchadnezzar respond to this new dream from God? Verse 6 says, 

English Standard Version Chapter 4

6 So I made a decree that all the wise men of Babylon should be brought before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. 7 Then the magicians, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers came in, and I told them the dream, but they could not make known to me its interpretation.

Although Nebuchadnezzar is aware of the God of Israel (through Daniel’s faithful testimony to his power and glory), yet he resists the idea that he is God over all other God’s and alone deserves our worship and trust.

Instead, he summons the same pagan spiritual advisors and asks for their help.[1] Yet, their counterfeit spirituality cannot help the king.

We are seeing progress in Nebuchadnezzar. He no longer threatens to kill everyone if they can’t interpret his dream. Though pride still rules his heart, it has less of a stranglehold on him through Daniel’s and his friend’s ministry.  Now Daniel has a chance to continue to point the king toward trust in Yahweh,

English Standard Version Chapter 4

8 At last Daniel came in before me—he who was named Belteshazzar after the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods—and I told him the dream, saying,

We can see that Nebuchadnezzar doesn’t quite know what to make of Daniel. Daniel’s pagan name is emphasized here, showing that Nebuchadnezzar still sees Daniel as under the God of Babylon.

Yet, he also knows that Daniel has an unusual power upon his life, and so he has a special urge to confide in Daniel. In this scene, we can see Nebuchadnezzar’s trust in Daniel grow: he now freely shares with him the vision he had rather than expecting Daniel to tell it to him.

When you live like Jesus lived, your neighbors and friends may grow to trust and confide in you, giving you powerful opportunities like this one to point them to Jesus, 

English Standard Version Chapter 4

9 “O Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you and that no mystery is too difficult for you, tell me the visions of my dream that I saw and their interpretation.

Nebuchadnezzar just told Daniel he is going to tell him the dream, and he tells it to him in the next verse. Yet, here he asks Daniel to tell him the vision of his dream. It’s like he’s having trouble trusting Daniel, yet he decides to go ahead and tell him, [[possibly tell as story]]

English Standard Version Chapter 4

10 The visions of my head as I lay in bed were these: I saw, and behold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great. 11 The tree grew and became strong, and its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth. 12 Its leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, and the birds of the heavens lived in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it.
13 “I saw in the visions of my head as I lay in bed, and behold, a watcher, a holy one, came down from heaven. 14 He proclaimed aloud and said thus: ‘Chop down the tree and lop off its branches, strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts flee from under it and the birds from its branches. 15 But leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, amid the tender grass of the field. Let him be wet with the dew of heaven. Let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth. 16 Let his mind be changed from a man’s, and let a beast’s mind be given to him; and let seven periods of time pass over him. 17 The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, the decision by the word of the holy ones, to the end that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men.’ 18 This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, saw. And you, O Belteshazzar, tell me the interpretation, because all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation, but you are able, for the spirit of the holy gods is in you.”

God graciously shows Nebuchadnezzar the truth about God, himself, and the world through images and symbolism. These images and symbolism are not less real than the things we can see and touch, but as real (or even more real), because they tell us what’ s most true about God and about ourselves.

In this case, Nebuchadnezzar was supposed to respond to this truth God gave him by humbling himself. However, when we read further, we will find that he does not. Instead, it takes a painful circumstance to humble him.

Friends, there is an important lesson here: we can respond to God’s truth and humble ourselves (which is painful), or we can wait for God to humble us, which is often far more painful.

Once again, we are going to lean on Daniel to help us see what this dream means,

English Standard Version Chapter 4

19 Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was dismayed for a while, and his thoughts alarmed him. The king answered and said, “Belteshazzar, let not the dream or the interpretation alarm you.” Belteshazzar answered and said, “My lord, may the dream be for those who hate you and its interpretation for your enemies!

Daniel foresaw the judgement that God was bringing on Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar was responsible for the destruction of Daniel’s beloved country. Nebuchadnezzar had threatened Daniel’s life in chapter 2. In light of this history, it’s amazing on Daniel responds:

Instead of his heart rejoicing at the downfall of this man, his thoughts alarm him (he’s probably afraid of telling the king about his downfall, Calvin). Also, he says to Nebuchadnezzar: “may this not be for you but for someone else!” Daniel seems to care for this man.

In Daniel’s response to Nebuchadnezzar, we see a picture for us of the longsuffering of Jesus. He serves us so faithfully and so mercifully even though we have treated him so poorly. In our modern day Babylon, God asks us to respond to our neighbors with this same kind of longsuffering. Who has wounded you deeply? I believe God wants you to have mercy for that person.

Now, Daniel unveils the meaning of the dream for Nebuchadnezzar,

English Standard Version Chapter 4

20 The tree you saw, which grew and became strong, so that its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth, 21 whose leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in which was food for all, under which beasts of the field found shade, and in whose branches the birds of the heavens lived— 22 it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong. Your greatness has grown and reaches to heaven, and your dominion to the ends of the earth.

Nebuchadnezzar is the tree in the vision. The vision hearkens back to the garden of Eden and the vision portrays Nebuchadnezzar as the tree of life.[2] God meant to sustain life through the tree of life in the garden. Similarly, he raised Nebuchadnezzar up to be his instrument and tool in giving and sustaining life in others. 

Yet, there is something amiss in this vision about Nebuchadnezzar. The vision says that he “grew and became strong” (v. 20). When you look up that word in original language, it can also mean: “to grow hard, become arrogant, become overbearing.”[3] Also it says that his “greatness has grown and reaches to heaven” (v. 22), a phrase that sounds a lot like the tower of Babel in Genesis 11 whose top reached into “the heavens.” This vision represents Nebuchadnezzar as a proud king who rather than submitting to God is arrogantly ruling apart from him.

In what ways do we tend to live like Nebuchadnezzar— proud and needing no help from God?

•     Do you ever go whole days without reading your Bible or praying?

•     Do you neglect church gatherings or close relationships with other Christians?

•     Do you decide what is right and wrong for yourself rather than listening to God’s Word?

•     Do you trust in yourself or something else for your relationship with God rather than Jesus alone?

These are a few of the ways we can be proud like Nebuchadnezzar. How will God respond to the pride in Nebuchadnezzar? Let’s see,

English Standard Version Chapter 4

23 And because the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field, and let him be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven periods of time pass over him,’ 24 this is the interpretation, O king: It is a decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king, 25 that you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will. 26 And as it was commanded to leave the stump of the roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be confirmed for you from the time that you know that Heaven rules.

God responds to the proud by humbling the proud. In the vision, a “watcher” comes down. Another word for a “watcher” is a “holy one.” These are words for spiritual beings. “Angel” is another word for a spiritual being in the Scriptures. The watcher comes down from “heaven” meaning he comes on a mission from God.

What is his mission? It’s to chop down the tree: to bring the tree low is to bring Nebuchadnezzar low from his place of pride. And yet, he will also show mercy. He commands the angel to leave the stump and to put a protecting shield around it.[4] He also says that the judgement will last for sever periods of time (which we don’t know how long it is, yet since seven represents the number of perfection, we could see it as the right amount of time to humble Nebuchadnezzar). The watcher says the purpose of this season is so that Nebuchadnezzar would know who is truly God over all. God will humble this proud king and show him who is truly king.

Let’s keep reading on and we will flesh these ideas out more,

English Standard Version Chapter 4

27 Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you: break off your sins by practicing righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, that there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity.”

What would it look like for Nebuchadnezzar to humbly trust God as his king? What would change in his life if he embraced God as being higher than him? He would begin to rule like God rules. He would be holy like God and he would show mercy to the weak and needy like God. When God reigns over you, you start to treat other people like he does.

Sadly, this is not what happens yet,

English Standard Version Chapter 4

28 All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. 29 At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, 30 and the king answered and said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?”

Rather than heeding Daniel’s counsel, Nebuchadnezzar hardens his heart. He surveys his amazing kingdom from the roof of his palace, and instead of thanking and praising God, he begins to thank and praise himself.

How many of you know that prosperity is as great or an even greater temptation than suffering is?

One pastor helpfully sums it up,

You do not find one godly man who came out of an affliction worse than when he went into it; though for a while he was shaken, yet at last he was better for an affliction. But a great many godly men, you find, have been worse for their prosperity.

Now we see God’s response to Nebuchadnezzar’s pride,

English Standard Version Chapter 4

31 While the words were still in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you, 32 and you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” 33 Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers, and his nails were like birds’ claws.

God gave to Nebuchadnezzar his kingdom, and here he takes it away. He takes it away by giving Nebuchadnezzar the mind of an animal. We get a vivid picture here of what is actually the case when we are living with pride and disregarding God: we are out of our minds. There is nothing actually crazier and less sensible than living as if God is not important.

What is the effect of trying to life oneself up to God’s level? You don’t actually go up, you go down to the level of a beast. This is exactly what happened to Adam and Eve in the garden. They listened to a beast who told them to try to be on God’s level. Instead, they and their offspring descended to the level of treating each other cruelly like animals.

And here, Nebuchadnezzar stands forth as a warning to us of how trying to life ourselves up will actually cause us to fall come under the judgement of God.

Yet for us and for Nebuchadnezzar, there is a way to escape the judgement of God:

English Standard Version Chapter 4

At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me,

At the end of this period of time, Nebuchadnezzar finally understands that God reigns over him and he is not God. Before, he had fixed his eyes on his kingdom and worshipped himself, now his eyes go upwards, and his focus rests upon God. For the first time in this story, Nebuchadnezzar sees himself as lowly and God as high. God had accomplished his purpose. This chapter mentions 5 different times that God’s purpose in humbling Nebuchadnezzar was that he would know that he is God.[5]

And, as a result, God begins to lift him up. His reason returns to him and he returns from having the mind of an animal to having the mind of a man.

Then, this pagan king who is seeing that God reigns, speaks this beautiful poem,

English Standard Version Chapter 4

and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever,

                  for his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
      and his kingdom endures from generation to generation;
            35       all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,
      and he does according to his will among the host of heaven
      and among the inhabitants of the earth;
                  and none can stay his hand
      or say to him, “What have you done?”

Nebuchadnezzar praises praises God’s kingdom, God’s rule, and God’s plan.

No one can “stay God’s hand:” God is stronger than all other rulers.

No one can say to him, “What have you done?” God is wiser than all other rulers.

Before, he saw his own hand as sovereign:

English Standard Version Chapter 3

And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?

He finally sees God as in control. God is mighty in a way no other ruler is: his purposes always come to pass and he plans and rules over every detail of creation. He is completely in control. Everything down to the dust particles floating around us are going exactly where he wants them to. Therefore, we can perfectly rest in God and his rule and we don’t have to rule and be in charge ourselves. You are much better off trusting in God than in your own abilities, because unlike you, God has no problem running this universe.

And yet, his sheer power is not the only reason that we can rest and trust in him. There is another reason, even more sweet, that we can let go our our pride and humbly depend on God. I want us to turn our attention back to verse 17,

English Standard Version Chapter 4

17 The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, the decision by the word of the holy ones, to the end that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men.’

God’s desire is not to set proud men, but lowly, humble men on the throne to rule. Nebuchadnezzar was becoming a lowly man, but so far had failed. History is full of other examples of rulers who failed.

There is but one person in all of history whom we can rightly call “the lowliest of men.” He is the man God sent to us in order to be our king.

When we get to the book of Matthew, here is how Jesus describes himself,

English Standard Version Chapter 11

 28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Jesus is “gentle and lowly in heart.” Jesus is the humble king who is not like Nebuchadnezzar. He will never take advantage of you, he will never manipulate you, he will never retaliate against you. He will gently lead. (Maybe there was someone in authority who mistreated you in your past: Jesus is not like that. He never has and he never will).

Instead of clawing his way upward, he willingly went downward, in the path of serving others. Jesus’s path to the throne looks completely different than any other. The throne that God lifted him onto was a cross of wood. Jesus became the true tree of life who gives life to others. He’s the tree of life that Nebuchadnezzar or any other person cannot be.

There is no one more trustworthy than he is. There is no one we can rest in so completely. Since pride is our attempt to seize and take control of our own life and destiny, the cross is the solution that finally allows us to be humble. Since Jesus secures our life and destiny on the cross, we don’t have to anymore. If you don’t yet trust God yet, here is the greatest reason of all.

This also means that God has a good design in all of the hard things in your life that he is using to humble you. Whether they are your own fault, or completely outside of your control, God has a good plan to use pain and suffering in your life to help you be gentle and lowly like Jesus.

And here we see this happen in the life of Nebuchadnezzar as well (because God humbled him, we might see him in heaven),

English Standard Version Chapter 4

36 At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and splendor returned to me. My counselors and my lords sought me, and I was established in my kingdom, and still more greatness was added to me. 37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.

After God humbles Nebuchadnezzar, he exults and restores him. He brought the severe mercy of this humbling on him so that he could raise him up. When Nebuchadnezzar lowered himself and lifted his eyes to heaven, God lifted and raised him up.

Whenever we lower ourselves and whenever God lowers us to make us trust in him, his plan is always to elevate us.

What does that even mean?

In the life to come, we will reign with God as kings. We will find ourselves at unbelievable heights. Yet, this can happen if and only if we are humble now and put our trust in Jesus rather than any other.

God may also lift you up to unexpected heights in this life. When your character becomes like Jesus’s character, you are becoming a glorious being like Jesus. You may find yourself ministering to people you never imagined you would witness to (Daniel who was humble ministered to the most powerful man in the whole world!). You will get more of God’s spirit and his presence and power flowing through your life. For God to exult you in this life won’t be how the world would expect, but it is a real exulting; it is a real lifting up.

What is the main point of this text?

God wants us to humbly depend on him by letting go of whatever we are trusting in instead. Nebuchadnezzar had to let go of his kingdom. Yet, when his eyes went from his kingdom to God, he got something far more precious than a kingdom, he got more of God! God wants to give you more of himself today. You can have more of him today. Yet, humble dependence one the crucified Jesus is the only way to get it.

 

 

 

 

[1] John Calvin, Calvin’s Commentaries on the Book of Joshua & Psalms 1-35, trans. Henry Beveridge (BakerBooks, 2009), 252.

[2] From Brian Verrett’s unpublished and upcoming commentary on Daniel.

 

[3] Koehler, L., Baumgartner, W., Richardson, M. E. J., & Stamm, J. J. (1994–2000). The Hebrew and Aramaic lexicon of the Old Testament: Aramaic (electronic ed., Vol. 5, p. 2009). Leiden; New York: E.J. Brill.

[4] Baldwin, J. G. (1978). Daniel: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 23, p. 126). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

[5] David Helm, Daniel for You, ed. Carl Laferton, God’s Word for You (The Good Book Company, 2015), 59–88.