We saw yesterday that Daniel advised the king to mend his ways, and maybe the Most High God would relent. So what did the king do?
(28) "All this happened to Nebuchadnezzar the king.
(29) "Twelve months later he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon.
(30) "The king reflected and said, 'Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?'
He looks at all he has built and beautified in the whole royal city, and again his pride rears up, and he takes credit for himself for everything he's done.
(31) "While the word was in the king's mouth, a voice came from Heaven,
While he was still praising himself, he was interrupted!
saying, 'King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared: sovereignty has been removed from you,
(32) 'and you will be driven away from mankind, and your dwelling place will be with the beasts of the field. You will be given grass to eat like cattle, and seven periods of time will pass over you until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes.'
The same pronouncement he learned from Daniel a year ago is still in effect. This king still didn't realize that he is accountable to this Higher Power, the Most High God. So God made it clear to him, in his own lengthy experience.
(33) "Immediately the word concerning Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled;
So what God said he would do, He did. And this is how it worked out:
and he was driven away from mankind and began eating grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of Heaven until his hair had grown like eagles' feathers and his nails like birds' claws.
The medical term for this mental illness is "boanthropy." He became like the brute beast he imagined himself to be, reduced to a state of a grazing beast in a field. Through this seven years, his physical appearance became animal-like, his skin toughened into a hide through constant exposure to the elements, and the hair of his head and his body became matted and coarse, like eagle feathers, and his fingernails and toenails grew into claws like a bird. This was the wretchedness of his condition, demonstrating his sinking to a subhuman level.
This man's pride was so ingrained and had such a powerful hold on him, that it took this extreme condition for this extended time to drive it from him.
(34) "But at the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward Heaven and my reason returned to me,
After seven long years of this humiliation of dementia, he finally looked to Heaven, and this is what his reason let him realize:
and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever;
"For His dominion is a lasting dominion, and His kingdom endures from generation to generation.
(35) "All the inhabitants of the Earth are accounted as nothing, but He does according to His will in the host of Heaven and among the inhabitants of Earth; and no one can ward off His hand or say to Him, 'What have You done?'
Nebuchadnezzar is telling the world that this Most High God really is God, and that His power exceeds all other power, and that His authority to rule goes on forever. Everyone who lives on the Earth is worth nothing compared to Him, even the most powerful king like himself. There is no one who has any standing at all to even question anything He decides to do, because He has the authority to do whatever He wants, and He will do what He wants to do.
We are all accountable to Him, but He is not accountable to any other. He is the Most High God, there is none other but Him.
(36) "At that time my reason returned to me.
When he was ready to humble himself before this Most High God, that is when he was healed of the condition he suffered for seven years.
And my majesty and splendor were restored to me for the glory of my kingdom, and my counselors and my nobles began seeking me out; so I was reestablished in my sovereignty, and surpassing greatness was added to me.
God, in His mercy, restored to Nebuchadnezzar all the glory and majesty and power he had lost in his illness, and even more. Because he was finally ready to submit to the authority the Most High God held over him, he ended up with more than he'd ever had before. This is the grace and generosity of our God.
(37) "Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt and honor the King of Heaven, for all His works are true and His ways are just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride."
This is a stupendous admission from this proud despot of a king. This is the last thing we are told about this man, that he was humbled and gave God the credit and glory for His great majesty, and His power and authority to manipulate even a proud despot into humility before Him.
So was Nebuchadnezzar converted? Did he become a believer?
This is the last we hear of him. God had finished working in his mind and heart, and (apparently) drawn him into faith. So this is the end of his story here, with this happy ending. The next verse talks about the next king.
God had Daniel include this edict from this worldly king in his book because He wanted all of us to hear this admission from the king's own hand. First person witness and testimony. The strongest evidence in any court.
Our God will do whatever is necessary, everything possible and impossible, to draw to Himself those He chooses to be His own children in His family. Even bringing extreme circumstances upon those He is calling.
No matter how extreme you consider your circumstances to be, are they as all-encompassing as what He put upon this king? No? Then He is being gentle with you!
I am amazed at our God's graciousness and generosity to allow this ancient king to lose everything, his home, his reputation, his prosperity, his very mind! Then when he was willing to turn to Him and acknowledge his accountability to Him, God not only returned everything he had lost, but exponentially increased everything!
We also see that He doubled everything Job lost, when he was willing to humble himself before the Lord (Job 42: 12-13, compare 1: 2-3).
God has not changed. He will still bring extreme circumstances to draw people to Himself, and He has given John the final book in our Bible to explain some of the extreme things He will allow in this world and on this Earth before He sends His Son back to reign here.
When circumstances turn our lives upside-down, we can look at our Father's character and know that He allows everything that comes into our lives for our own good, and for His glory. We only need to draw closer to Him, learning to do His works that He planned before time for us to accomplish to grow His Kingdom. And whatever we lose in the process, we know that He will replenish beyond our expectations and imaginations!
That is our purpose for being here where we are, now when we are at this time. There are things we are to do and accomplish that no one else has been able to do until now. There is no one else who can do what each of us is to do, because we each have our own personalities and abilities. We are to work together, each one doing what someone else cannot, serving one another, so that everything will get done and be finished for our Lord Jesus when He returns to be our King!
O my Father, You are so good! You are so wise! You are always on time! Even when we are anxious for Your glory to be seen, grant us patience to carry on until the moment You appear!
Help us to continue to broadcast Your Good News throughout every nation in the whole world, so that every living person will be able to see and hear and understand how wonderful You are, to offer such a gracious and generous gift of Salvation to each one of us!
Father, fill Your great house will all of Your uncountable children, so that Your grand Banquet Table will be surrounded by Your Redeemed family, enjoying sweet fellowship with You and one another throughout all eternity!
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is our Christ, the Most High God, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come swiftly, Lord Jesus!
