Daniel 4:1-37

“God save the King!”  This expression could apply very well to this chapter.  God used Nebuchadnezzar as an instrument of judgment on the children of Israel.  He was not a godly man and in today’s culture would have been labeled as a terrorist.  Hitler and Osama Bin Laden would be comparative characters from more recent history.  Yet, God has been graciously revealing Himself to Nebuchadnezzar through dreams and the testimony of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.  He is about to get his final lesson in perhaps the most difficult and bazaar way imaginable.  God is glorified through the radical transformation of lives and Nebuchadnezzar is about to go through a very radical transformation.  This is God’s desire for every man and He is willing to go to great and extreme lengths in order to accomplish His will.

NEBUCHADNEZZAR IS PERPLEXED BY A PROBLEM: Another perplexing dream comes to Nebuchadnezzar.  This time it is a giant tree that is seen from all over the world and provides food and shelter for many.  This mighty tree is cut down but the stump is left.  Only Daniel is able to interpret the dream but it is not a very good interpretation for the king.  Daniel warns the king that he is about to be humbled by God so he urges the king to repent of his sin and humble himself before the Lord in hopes of escaping this terrible fate.  God warned Nebuchadnezzar of the judgment that was to come down upon him.  God is always faithful to warn mankind about His judgments.  Unfortunately, we often choose to ignore God’s warnings and end up suffering the consequences of our sin.  Tragically, many ignore God’s warnings of the wrath to come and it will be too late for them to escape for all of eternity.  God will often judge men as He did Nebuchadnezzar as a means of drawing them to Himself.

NEBUCHADNEZZAR IS PUNISHED FOR HIS PRIDE: Despite Daniel’s plea for Nebuchadnezzar to humble himself, he continued to walk in pride.  One night he was admiring his kingdom and patting himself on the back when his vision came true.  He literally went insane and was driven away from men.  He was chained to a tree like an animal and spent seven years eating grass like a cow and living like a beast.  God has very creative ways of teaching us humility.  Of course He would always prefer that we learn it through His Word and His Spirit; but if we refuse to humble ourselves, He has other means.  After the seven years passed, Nebuchadnezzar finally looked to the Lord and humbled Himself.  Pride is an abomination to God and He will go to great lengths to drive pride out of our hearts.  The only way any man will ever be able to come to God is through humility.  Proud people refuse to repent and will never place their trust in Christ.  They think that they are good enough and are not willing to place their faith in another.  God longs for us to humble ourselves before Him so that we can enter into a relationship with Him.

NEBUCHADNEZZAR IS PROSPEROUS THROUGH PURITY: When Nebuchadnezzar humbles himself before the Lord; his sanity returns to him and he is restored to his position as king.  This must have been a very strange situation for all the people who were running the nation in his seven year absence.  Finally, He recognizes the Lord and sovereign over his life and he is purified from his sins because of his repentance and faith.  God has been revealing Himself to Nebuchadnezzar for a long time and he finally comes to the point of submission.  Besides having his sanity back, he also has his power and prosperity returned to him.  The difference now is that he praises God for the blessings of life and He worships God as the one and only God.  Idolatry is a very real form of insanity that is a part of every man’s heart.  The only means of being restored to a sound mind and heart is by humbly repenting of our sin and trusting Christ alone to save us from our sin.  He will restore us to being genuine worshipers for the glory of God.

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