Nebuchadnezzar is an example of extreme pride in the lives of humans. Because of his extreme sin, God gave extreme punishments; but He also gave great grace.
Nebuchadnezzar was a great king and had seen the power and wisdom of God through the story of Daniel and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel 3).
In chapter 4, The king began to have strange dreams for the second time. Yet again the Lord used Daniel to interpret those dreams. In the dream God portrayed to the king through Daniel that He was going to smite down the king because of his pride.
Daniel pleaded with the king that he would listen to God’s warning, but the king’s prideful heart was hard.
Daniel 4:30
“’Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty powers as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?’”
And God’s punishment immediately came upon him.
“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, 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.”
Immediately Nebuchadnezzar’s mind became as a beast. For seven years, he lived with a hard heart and a beast’s mind, because he would not submit to God; and yet God was gracious.
God could have killed him right there for his sins and He can do the same to us for our prideful thoughts and actions. God is the only powerful being in existence and we insult Him by thinking that we can somehow be good in any way.
God is the only good in us. Our boast should never be in us. He saved us! We did nothing. All we can do is thank Jesus for His grace on the cross and His continuous grace as we continue to be prideful and sinful.
And God continues to show his grace to Nebuchadnezzar, because God allowed him to be humbled and the king “lifted his eyes to heaven” and he boasted in God:
Daniel 4:34b-35
“for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation;
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?’”
Then God not only restored the king's mind, but his kingdom as well. God lavished grace upon Nebuchadnezzar that we cannot understand because we are sinful human beings.
The proclamation of God's greatness, spoken by Nebuchadnezzar, are truly humble words. We are accounted as nothing. We have nothing to give to make us worthy to save, but we can thank the Lord and praise Him for the work He did for us that we could not do. Thank you, Lord! Humble me by showing me how filthy and unclean I am and how Holy and Gracious you are!
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