A Journey Through The Old Testament - Elmer Towns

Nebuchadnezzar had seen one of the most magnificent displays of God’s love and
protection of His people; yet he was still not yet willing to make Jehovah his God. He did,
however, take another step in that direction. He now concluded “there is no other God who can
deliver like this” (Dan. 3:29). That statement demonstrated the power of the testimony of these
three men in the midst of their trial. They had a positive influence on the king in moving him
closer to an understanding of the uniqueness of Jehovah.
God had demonstrated His power to Nebuchadnezzar in a couple of very unique ways,
but still the king was slow to adopt the Lord as his God. The grandeur that was Babylon caused
him to be proud of his accomplishments. It was his pride that hindered him from recognizing the
Lord as his King of heaven. God could only reach Nebuchadnezzar when He had demonstrated
His ability in humbling the proud.
Again God gave the Babylonian king a dream only Daniel could interpret. In his dream
he saw an angel calling out to cut down a tree. The nature of the dream was such that it left the
king terrified (4:4). Probably because of his previous experience with Daniel in the interpreting
of dreams, Nebuchadnezzar appealed to him to interpret the dream for him. Daniel had proved to
be a discerning man, so much so that his wisdom had become proverbial within his lifetime (cf.
Ezek. 28:3).
It did not take Daniel long at all to understand the interpretation of the dream, but what he
realized left him shaken. Nebuchadnezzar was the tree that God would cut down. By this time,
Daniel had probably developed a good relationship with the king, and this was the kind of thing
Daniel might wish on the king’s enemies, but certainly not on his friend. His final message to
Nebuchadnezzar was one of impending judgment. But even as Daniel warned the king of what
was about to happen to him, he appealed to the king to repent and perhaps escape the judgment
of God. Unfortunately, Daniel’s appeal fell on deaf ears (Dan. 3:8-27).
It was a year before the dream became the experience of the Babylonian king. He was at
that time admiring the city he had built. One of Nebuchadnezzar’s principle concerns had been
the building of Babylon. His hanging gardens were one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It
was among the most beautiful cities of the world. As one reads of the splendor of Babylon in
those days, it is easy to see how the king could be consumed with pride in his accomplishment.
Yet on this occasion, even as he congratulated himself for his many accomplishments, God did
what He needed to do to humble the proud (vv. 28-32).
Nebuchadnezzar was apparently struck with some kind of madness which caused him to
live like an animal. There are at least three kinds of madness which could account for the
symptoms Nebuchadnezzar experienced and his subsequent behavior pattern. These include
Boanthropy, Lycanthropy, and Insania Zoanthropica. Each of these conditions involves a person
who appears to think of himself as an animal and adopts the behavioral patterns of that animal (v.
33).
The king remained in this mental state until he came to the place where he recognized
God for who He was. Only when that occurred was his reason restored to him. He was then
greatly troubled, his countenance was changed, and his lords were astonished” (v. 9).
Word soon spread throughout the city of the king’s dilemma. On hearing of the problem,
the queen made her way to the banquet hall with advice for the troubled king. This “queen” is
thought by many commentators to have been Nitocris, the daughter of Nebuchadnezzar, the wife
of Nabonidus, and mother of Belshazzar. In describing Daniel’s unique gifts, the queen mother
used the same phrases Nebuchadnezzar had used (cf. vv. 11-12; 4:8-9, 18). This suggests she