Daniel Chapter 4

Daniel

chapter 4: The Insane King

Chapter 4 of Daniel is one of the most remarkable chapters in the Bible. The venerated Jewish Scriptures, the Holy Word of God, the "Tanach" has been penned by the most holy, most godly men of the nation of Israel. Moses. Job. David. Daniel, Isaiah and many other prophets. Now we come to a chapter in this holy Book of books written by a Gentile.

This chapter is written by not just any Gentile, but the king of a pagan nation. And not just any pagan nation, but the nation that conquered Jerusalem, took its people as exiles to an ungodly land and completely destroyed the Holy City and its temple.

What is it about this man that authorizes him to a place as one of the authors of the Scriptures?

In short, he received an object lesson on pride so dramatic it has completely changed his heart. Chapter 4 is an affidavit king Nebuchadnezzar has published to the entire world as a testimony to the God of Israel.

God Hates Pride

Pride is just one sin, but in many ways it represents the root of all sin. Not only was pride the first sin experienced by man when Satan tempted Eve and Adam with the desire to be "like God:"

"For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
-- Genesis 3:5

Pride was in fact the very sin that caused Satan to be cast out of Heaven. This makes pride the original sin of Satan and of all the sins committed by mankind:

"You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you... You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you... So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub... Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings."
-- Ezekiel 28:13-17

Pride lifts up the heart to place the holder of this sin into a position he doesn't own, forgetting his place and losing respect and honor for the genuine holder of the desired position. There's a common saying, "a legend in his own mind" that refers to how we are distorted by pride. The Bible indicates that Satan experienced this:

"You said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High."
-- Isaiah 14:13-14

The writer of the Proverbs assigns a special consequence to the sin of pride:

"The LORD detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished. Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall."
-- Proverbs 16:5,18

Daniel's fourth chapter is specifically about the pride of one man, but we see in him a lesson for us all. Although Nebuchadnezzar's punishment for his pride was severe, it serves to tell us that we will all be brought down a notch according to our own position. You know the saying: the bigger they are...

The Purpose of Dreams

With our modern scientific knowledge, we often don't give much thought to dreams as having a spiritual element. The book of Job provides an interesting perspective on how God sometimes uses dreams to keep us from falling into pride.

Job's fourth friend, Elihu, offers some wise counsel that has an eerie resemblance to the account of Nebuchadnezzar recorded centuries later in Daniel. Notice the reason he gives for God's purpose in dealing with man through dreams and warnings:

"For God does speak -- now one way, now another -- though man may not perceive it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men as they slumber in their beds, he may speak in their ears and terrify them with warnings, to turn man from wrongdoing and keep him from pride, to preserve his soul from the pit, his life from perishing by the sword."
-- Job 33:14-18

Elihu says that God's specific purpose in dreams such as the one given to Nebuchadnezzar is to turn us away from sin and especially pride, in order to bring us to salvation.