Daniel 4: Nebuchadnezzar's Pride & the Tree of Doom!

Bible Study Series: Daniel, Babylon and the End Times

Daniel Chapter 4 Lesson:  Nebuchadnezzar's Pride & the Tree of Doom!

by I Gordon

We looked last time at Nebuchadnezzar and the temple of doom. Well, not quite but something close... Nebuchadnezzar and the fiery furnace. It was and is an amazing chapter. You may remember that the king gave everyone one of two options - bow down before a 90 foot image he had set up or be burnt alive in his specially heated fiery furnace. Hmmm... which to choose, which to choose? Well we saw that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego chose correctly - they weren't going to bow down in worship to an idol and disobey the true God. So into the fiery furnace they went. And with them, through the whole ordeal, was seen the 4th man. Yes, right in the fire with them was seen the Son of God! So this study carries on in chapter 4 and looks at Nebuchadnezzar and the tree of doom. We left the king last time on a good note where he honored the God of Israel and exalted our three Jewish friends. But it seems that for this proud king to be truly changed, it will require a more personal meeting with the Lord God. So specifically we'll look at the following this time:

• Why this chapter is unique. What is it that you are actually reading?
• The heart and desire of natural man. What are the 5 P's that fallen humanity strives after?
• Nebuchadnezzar's second dream - What did he dream and why did it terrify him?
• The root of the king's (and humanity's) problem - Why oh why all those I's and My's?

This will be the first of two messages looking at this interesting and unique chapter. The lessons given in this chapter are universal, applying to Christian and non Christian alike, showing the heart and desire of man verses the heart and desire of God. 

One Unique Chapter

Dan 4:1-3 King Nebuchadnezzar, To the peoples, nations and men of every language, who live in all the world: May you prosper greatly! (2) It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me. (3) How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom; his dominion endures from generation to generation.

So straight away we see that Daniel 4 is a unique and awesome chapter! This chapter records a public decree, likely a written testimony from King Nebuchadnezzar himself, sent to all peoples, nations and languages. Now I'm sure everyone receiving this would have thought 'Oh here we go again... What is this decree going to be this time? Last time we all had to come and bow down before this giant image he made lest we get thrown in the fire. What now?' And it is fair to say that they would have been shocked here as well... but in a good way. You see this chapter is the personal story of a man who at the time of writing was the most powerful person on planet earth. This is his personal testimony and clearly he had something important that he wanted to make known. You will note that he starts by stating 'may your peace abound' or 'may you prosper greatly' as some versions state. That is pretty friendly and actually quite pleasant coming from the man whose favorite saying was that he was going to 'tear you limb from limb and turn your house into a rubbish heap!'¹ Has something mellowed the king to the point where he's starting to sound more like Peter or Paul from the New Testament than the death-threatening king we've seen so far? Yes. Something sure has happened... something radical! You see, the king has come to experience something of this peace that he now writes about - the peace that only comes when a man is right with God (Rom 5:1). J. Vernon McGee writes:

Nebuchadnezzar sends a message of peace to "all peoples, nations, and languages" of his kingdom. He is not speaking of peace among nations—he already has such peace, attained by his military might and enforced by his superior power. Rather, he speaks here of the peace of heart which comes to a sinner when he knows he has been accepted of God and is at peace with God. This man's own tranquility was restored to him, as we shall see in this chapter.
J. Vernon McGee

And Nebuchadnezzar wants everyone to know about it! There is certainly a lesson in that for us. The NASB says for verse 2 'It seemed good to me to declare the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for me.'² This is very personal to Nebuchadnezzar and yes, it is always good to declare what God has done for us. And Nebuchadnezzar doesn't disappoint in this testimony! What has happened to this king that he now knows that there is a 'Most High God' whose 'kingdom will never come to an end'? Let's look at what he had to say and again, always remember that this is a royal written proclamation of his own personal story to all throughout his realm. 

What mankind desires - The 5 P's 

Dan 4:4-5 I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at home in my palace, contented and prosperous. (5) I had a dream that made me afraid. As I was lying in my bed, the images and visions that passed through my mind terrified me.

So the king had a terrifying dream. But before rushing ahead too fast into this, let's just take note of the situation as it existed at the start of Nebuchadnezzar's story. What situation do we find king Nebuchadnezzar in? Well, basically ease, comfort and prosperity. You could say that he had the 5 P's that most of humanity desires:

So this king had it all right? I mean, what more could you want? I said in the introduction that we would look at the heart of man versus the heart and desire of God and here it is... here is the heart and desire of man. The 5 P's contain the goal of the vast majority of humanity. Even Christians at times!³ This is what most spend their time and effort trying to achieve - Prosperity, peace, pleasure, power and the palace. And it should be said that these things can be the gift of God at times. But when the gift of God takes the place of God then 'Houston, we have a problem!'

So this was the situation that the king found himself in. Peace, power and prosperity but no God, grace or gratitude. So Most High shakes this situation up, for Nebuchadnezzar receives a second God-given dream that rattles him to his core. Obviously, God is well able to shake things up for Christians and non-Christians alike when needed. His heart and desire is often not ours for He has priorities that are far higher and far longer lasting than ours! Let's see how He would shake things up in the life of this self-content king. 

The stubborn heart

Daniel 4:6-9 So I commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be brought before me to interpret the dream for me. When the magicians, enchanters, astrologers and diviners came, I told them the dream, but they could not interpret it for me. Finally, Daniel came into my presence and I told him the dream. (He is called Belteshazzar, after the name of my god, and the spirit of the holy gods is in him.) 

As the king continues recounting his story to all the peoples and nations, we see that faced with a terrifying dream he initially goes to his own people. Why? Well, clearly they walked in first so I guess that is a pretty good reason. But there is more to it. In the ancient world military conquests generally meant that your 'gods' were greater than that of the conquered nation. Well here was king Nebuchadnezzar... he had conquered all that he didn't care for so clearly his Babylonian gods must be the most powerful gods right? And yet he knew that Daniel worshipped the God of Israel and the king didn't want to have to acknowledge that Daniel's God could reveal things that his own gods couldn't! It would kind of be like a staunch crystal-loving, spirit guide led New Ager having to come to a Christian and ask for wisdom or prayer. It could happen but there is a bit of pride to swallow first! 

The bottom line from this is that most people are stubborn and don't want to acknowledge God unless they have to. Some have to face a major trial before seeking His face. Some hold off right to the end of their life. And some, sadly, hold off even when hanging right over the edge of a Christless eternity. But God knows what buttons to push to give people the right opportunity to acknowledge Him and that is what He is about to do with the king. And in a 'deja-vu' moment replicating what happened with his first frightening dream, his Babylonian 'wise-men' prove anything but and Daniel finally comes before the king.

Not just another tree chopped down

Daniel 4:10-18 I said, 'Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you, and no mystery is too difficult for you. Here is my dream; interpret it for me. These are the visions I saw while lying in my bed: I looked, and there before me stood a tree in the middle of the land. Its height was enormous. The tree grew large and strong and its top touched the sky; it was visible to the ends of the earth. Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit abundant, and on it was food for all. Under it the beasts of the field found shelter, and the birds of the air lived in its branches; from it every creature was fed. 'In the visions I saw while lying in my bed, I looked, and there before me was a messenger, a holy one, coming down from heaven. He called in a loud voice: 'Cut down the tree and trim off its branches; strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the animals flee from under it and the birds from its branches. But let the stump and its roots, bound with iron and bronze, remain in the ground, in the grass of the field. ''Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let him live with the animals among the plants of the earth. Let his mind be changed from that of a man and let him be given the mind of an animal, till seven times pass by for him. ''The decision is announced by messengers, the holy ones declare the verdict, so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest of men.' 'This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, had. Now, Belteshazzar, tell me what it means, for none of the wise men in my kingdom can interpret it for me. But you can, because the spirit of the holy gods is in you.' 

So the king had a dream of one very impressive tree that grew enormously tall and stood out for its beauty and abundance. This tree was visible to the ends of the earth signifying that extent of the Babylonian kingdom and its influence on the then known world. Beasts and birds alike are said to have found shelter and provision under this tree. And yet, in the midst of this impressive tree watching exercise, an angelic 'watcher' comes forth and issues a decree of judgment: The tree will be chopped down.

Now, there are a few interesting things to note in this vision of this great tree. In Renald Showers book 'The Most High God' he writes:

In his inscriptions, Nebuchadnezzar boasted that he had personally cut down some of these huge trees (from the forests of Lebanon). He even had a picture of himself cutting a cedar inscribed on stone. One gets the impression that the king exalted in the fact that he could cut down such a towering giant of strength. This king who delighted in cutting down trees would himself be cut down.
Renald Showers

So it seems that God very specifically gave the king this vision of a large tree being cut down. For him it was the tree of doom and it concerned him greatly. But note there was a flicker of hope for the tree wouldn't be completely destroyed. The stump would be left in the ground but with a band of bronze around it. Bronze in the Bible speaks of judgment and so it would be for this king. Now a tree in scripture can be used to represent a man (Psalm 1:3, Jer 17:8) and also a nation (Mat 24:32-33). The olive tree is even used to speak of the people, both Jews and Gentiles, in the program of God (Rom 11:16-24). We see here that what the king saw and heard swaps from being a tree to a person in his vision. It goes from 'cut down the tree' to 'let him (that which was cut down) live with the animals among the plants of the earth'. No wonder he was beginning to sweat! And a time frame is given - it would be 'till seven times pass by for him'. Now his so called 'wise-men' have let him down again so it is back to Daniel... Can he help? Can Daniel's God give revelation where others have failed?

Daniel interprets the vision

Daniel 4:19-27  Then Daniel (also called Belteshazzar) was greatly perplexed for a time, and his thoughts terrified him. So the king said, 'Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its meaning alarm you.' Belteshazzar answered, 'My lord, if only the dream applied to your enemies and its meaning to your adversaries! The tree you saw, which grew large and strong, with its top touching the sky, visible to the whole earth, with beautiful leaves and abundant fruit, providing food for all, giving shelter to the beasts of the field, and having nesting places in its branches for the birds of the air - you, O king, are that tree!  You have become great and strong; your greatness has grown until it reaches the sky, and your dominion extends to distant parts of the earth. 'You, O king, saw a messenger, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, 'Cut down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump, bound with iron and bronze, in the grass of the field, while its roots remain in the ground. Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven; let him live like the wild animals, until seven times pass by for him.' 'This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree the Most High has issued against my lord the king:  You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like cattle and be drenched with the dew of heaven. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes. The command to leave the stump of the tree with its roots means that your kingdom will be restored to you when you acknowledge that Heaven rules. Therefore, O king, be pleased to accept my advice: Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue.'

Ok... not very good news for the king is it? God is going to do something very radical to this king so that he will be brought to the place where he will finally acknowledge the God of Daniel as the Most High God. In fact, the interpretation and meaning is so radical that at first, even Daniel hesitates to speak. It is interesting to see that Daniel wishes no ill-will upon the king. From a natural point of view, you may think that Daniel would resent what the king did in attacking Judah and taking so many, including Daniel and friends, into exile. But Daniel sees this as from the hand of God, just as the scripture foretold (Jer 25:9), and has become quite close to this semi-crazed king. He would prefer that the interpretation applied to Nebuchadnezzar's enemies and not the king himself. But he must speak. In like manner, the gospel can sometimes be hard for some to hear, and hard for others to give, but like Daniel we are still called to speak the truth in love. We want to show the same type of concern that Daniel did though in giving the message. Scripture says:

'For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God.' (2 Cor 2:15-17)

So Daniel tells the king the God is going to judge him for seven periods of time (most likely seven years because of his appearance in Dan 4:33). During that time the king will live and act like an animal. According to the Ryrie study bible notes, the king's illness is boanthropy (which is imagining himself to be an animal and acting accordingly.) The only advice Daniel gives Nebuchadnezzar is to renounce his sins and act righteously. Sound advice. Could not God repent of his warning of judgment if the king repented of his sin and pride? Of course He could just as He did when Nineveh repented in the days of Jonah. And it seems to have worked for a little while... Twelve months to be precise as we shall read. But when pride is firmly established in the heart of a man it is only a matter of time before it rises again... and here it comes.

The root of the problem - All those I's and My's!

Dan 4:28-32 All this happened to King Nebuchadnezzar. Twelve months later, as the king was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, he said, 'Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?' The words were still on his lips when a voice came from heaven, 'This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you. You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like cattle. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes.'

It took 12 months from Daniel's interpretation of the vision, but soon enough the king was back to his life of ease and pride! As he walked around the roof of his palace, surveying all that he could see, he couldn't contain himself any longer! He just had to give glory, honor and praise to the one who had performed and made such marvelous things... 'and yep' he thinks to himself, 'that would be me!' So not being able to contain himself any longer, he declares 'All this is by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty!' Oh dear. Here we have the heart of man. It may not always come out in such grandiose terms, but it is there in each of us. In contrast the Bible declares that all things were made by Jesus and for Jesus! (Col 1:16).

Nebuchadnezzar would have been far better to take the Benjamin Franklin philosophy when he said:

"The greatest monarch on the proudest throne, is obliged to sit upon his own rear end." 
Benjamin Franklin

Ha! I like that but sadly no... Nebuchadnezzar has both a poor memory and an inflated ego and sure enough, the interpretation of the vision came true. While he is still speaking these words, his voice is interrupted by a voice from heaven. The king is used to giving decrees but here is a decree for him from a much higher authority! 'Your royal authority has been taken from you... you will live with the wild animals'. Gulp! 

Our Daily Bread gives the following modern day example of this with the life, and death, of Romanian leader Nikolai Ceausescu.

Ceausescu, after years of cruelly persecuting Christians and killing all potential threats to his power, instructed the National Opera to produce a song in his honor that included these words: “Ceausescu is good, righteous, and holy.” He wanted this song to be sung on his 72nd birthday on January 26, 1990, but on December 25, 1989, he and his wife were executed. Although his overthrow was part of the anticommunist revolution that swept through eastern Europe, many Christians see his sudden downfall as an act of God. One Romanian, Peter Dugulescu, said that it was “because he took for himself the glory of God.”

God opposes the proud

The Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, is completely consistent and clear on this - 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.' The Psalmist spoke of the arrogant and prosperous saying:

Psa 73:3-6 I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. (4) They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. (5) They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills. (6) Therefore pride is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence.

The western culture today is based around pride and self-focus. The youth are more and more fascinated... with themselves. How they look, their social media profile, their followers... It is very much a 'me, me, me' generation. I also wish that many of the world leaders today would hear and learn from this. Unfortunately, like Nebuchadnezzar, many only learn from experience. They cannot be told the truth. But God has ways of humbling all those that would walk in pride and like some sickly medicine, it isn't always nice as it goes down... but it is for their, and our, good! And from a prophetic perspective, the Bible speaks of the pride of man ultimately falling, like a mighty tree, in the day of the Lord. 

Isa 2:9-17 So man will be brought low and mankind humbled-- do not forgive them. (10) Go into the rocks, hide in the ground from dread of the LORD and the splendor of his majesty! (11) The eyes of the arrogant man will be humbled and the pride of men brought low; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day. (12) The LORD Almighty has a day in store for all the proud and lofty, for all that is exalted (and they will be humbled), (13) for all the cedars of Lebanon, tall and lofty, and all the oaks of Bashan, (14) for all the towering mountains and all the high hills, (15) for every lofty tower and every fortified wall, (16) for every trading ship and every stately vessel. (17) The arrogance of man will be brought low and the pride of men humbled; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day,

Conclusion

Well that is where we will leave this study⁴. We'll leave it with a vivid manifestation of that strange principle, that strange mystery of iniquity that indwells each of us - pride. This would be a good chapter for all the leaders of this world, whether they be Trump, Putin, Jinping or anyone else. Somehow the king would have to go from 'I and Me' to 'Him and He'! And as C.S Lewis once said

“A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you're looking down, you can't see something that's above you.”
C. S. Lewis

But God has His means of humbling pride. It can be done under the pressuring hand of God, for even the most hardened proud man as we shall see with the king. Remember also the words of Job for they will be telling in the life of our proud king:

Job 12:23-25 He (God) makes nations great, and destroys them; he enlarges nations, and disperses them. (24) He deprives the leaders of the earth of their reason; he sends them wandering through a trackless waste. (25) They grope in darkness with no light; he makes them stagger like drunkards.

The next part of Daniel 4 will explore the lessons that this king had to learn and what humanity needs to learn. And as a final reminder again, remember that this chapter truly is unique for where else in the Bible do you hear the personal and dramatic testimony of the most powerful person in the world? And as we shall see in the next study, the fires of God will soon burn strongly upon this king of Babylon. And yet, through grace, he may just come through refined and not utterly consumed. In fact, *spoiler alert*, by the end of the chapter he will be giving glory and praise to the true God, the Most High God! That shall be covered in the next study - Nebuchadnezzar, lessons from a loon! Until then...

God bless!

FOOTNOTES