A
Humbled King
By
Stephen Terry
Daniel,
John, and the Church, Chapter 4
(Based
on Daniel 4)
“Now
I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because
everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride
he is able to humble.” Daniel 4:37, NIV
As time passes, memories fade, but God is constant. King
Nebuchadnezzar had crossed many bridges since the day on the plain of Dura when
God had reminded him that even kings could not overrule divine commands. The smoky
smell of the brick kiln had long since faded from his nostrils, and with it,
the memory of that incredible day. Since then, Jerusalem had rebelled and that
revolt had been harshly repressed, ending with the destruction of Jerusalem.
But the warfare had not ended there. When the Egyptians
had hurled the Babylonians back from their border, other states had been
encouraged by this to resist the Babylonian king.[i] Therefore, after subduing
Jerusalem, Nebuchadnezzar spent several years laying siege to Tyre until they
also submitted.[ii]
However, the submission was only a token surrender as Babylon only succeeded in
taking the mainland portion of the city. Most of the valuables were moved to
the island, which was not taken until the Greek ruler, Alexander the Great
built a causeway from the rubble of the mainland city out to the island, giving
his army easy access to the defenders. The prophet Ezekiel said concerning
Alexander’s conquest of Tyre. “I will scrape away her rubble and make her a
bare rock.” Ezekiel 26:4, NIV But concerning Nebuchadnezzar, he made this
prophetic proclamation.
“In the twenty-seventh year, in the first month on the
first day, the word of the Lord came to me: ‘Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of
Babylon drove his army in a hard campaign against Tyre; every head was rubbed
bare and every shoulder made raw. Yet he and his army got no reward from the campaign
he led against Tyre. Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am going
to give Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will carry off its
wealth. He will loot and plunder the land as pay for his army. I have given him Egypt as a reward for his
efforts because he and his army did it for me,’ declares the Sovereign Lord.”
Ezekiel 29:17-20, NIV
As Ezekiel wrote, Nebuchadnezzar did turn his attention
once again to Egypt and fought the army of Pharaoh Ahmose II (probably Amasis in
the Babylonian Chronicle) at Mizraim. While the Babylonian record of this event
does not indicate a conquest of Egypt, there may have been a plundering in line
with what Ezekiel had written. This seems likely because the flower of the
Egyptian military had recently perished in a disastrous intervention against
the Greeks in Cyrene.[iii] While the Babylonian
record seems to indicate a sizable Egyptian force, it may have been thus weakened
militarily and not reflective of the true might of Egypt. Had Nebuchadnezzar
pushed a little harder all of Egypt might have fallen before the king. However,
remembering his previous decisive defeat, he probably hesitated to extend his
reach so deeply into hostile territory. Apparently content with his plunder, he
returned to Babylon.
This was not out of character for Nebuchadnezzar. He
battled against Judah on several campaigns dealing with more than one rebellion
before he decided to fully conquer the province and place the area under direct
Babylonian rule. Also, as was previously mentioned, he contented himself with
an incomplete submission by the citizens of Tyre. He appeared to be less
interested in actual conquest than in an acknowledgment of suzerainty and the
payment of tribute. As the tribute
flowed in, instead of continuing to battle, he chose to develop Babylon, and as
Babylon grew and became great so did Nebuchadnezzar’s pride.
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were one of the seven
wonders of the ancient world. Almost two thousand years had passed since anyone
succeeded in creating anything to rival the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. Nebuchadnezzar
may have sought not only to equal the earlier wonder but to surpass it if
possible. Two things are required to create such wonders. First there must be a
period with relative peace and safety. Second there must be a means to pay for
the wonder’s construction. The Egyptians accomplished this by unifying Egypt to
create the Old Kingdom,[iv] thereby creating the
peace and security and creating access to the resources of the entire kingdom
to create the pyramids of Giza as well as several other monumental works.
Nebuchadnezzar extended Babylonian power over much of
the Levant. When he withdrew to Babylon, he left little that could threaten his
kingdom. Having been crippled by the Greeks and then plundered by
Nebuchadnezzar, his greatest rival, Egypt, could no longer challenge his rule
in any meaningful way. He had the peace and safety to build a legacy, and the
plunder he brought back to Babylon as well as the ongoing tribute from
conquered kingdoms provided the wealth to finance whatever project he wished to
begin. It had taken Babylon much longer to arrive at this point than Egypt.
While Egypt enjoyed the security advantage of being accessible only across the
narrow isthmus of Sinai, Babylon arose in a tenuous environment of several
competing city states in a relatively small fertile area watered by the Tigris
and Euphrates rivers. This perhaps accounts for an Egyptian Empire spanning millennia
as opposed to a Babylonian Empire which only achieved its complete independence
from Assyrian influence after the battle of Carchemish in the late 7th
century BC. That empire then only lasted a few generations from Nabopolasser to
Nabonidus.[v]
Nonetheless, Nebuchadnezzar enjoyed a peace that allowed
him to construct the Hanging Gardens.[vi] A contemporary account
written by Berossus and quoted by Josephus in his Antiquities relates that
Nebuchadnezzar created the gardens in an effort to recreate the lush mountains
of his queen’s homeland. Sadly the gardens were destroyed by earthquake after
only a few centuries. Unlike the Giza pyramids, nothing physically remains to
enlighten our understanding of this great wonder. Whether it was before, during
or after this great project that the scenes of the fourth chapter of Daniel
occurred cannot be known but only speculated.
The chapter is presented as having been written by
Nebuchadnezzar himself. As in chapter 2, it begins with a troubling dream.[vii] The king had dreamed of
a beautiful and fruitful, enormous tree. Per command, the tree was cut down,
and the stump was fettered with metal. Then a pronouncement was given that the tree,
shorn of its finery, would be wet with dew and among the animals. It also
proclaims that the tree, which is obviously symbolic at this point, would lose
its sanity for seven years. While the tree may have been pleasing to behold,
its fate was not.
Unlike the earlier dream in chapter two, Nebuchadnezzar
freely recounts for his wise men the substance of his dream. However, in spite
of this, they are unable to provide him an interpretation. Fearing the
implications nuanced throughout the dream, Nebuchadnezzar was terrified and
called for Belteshazzar (Daniel) to interpret the dream. Daniel had been
elevated to high position because of his earlier success with dream
interpretation. His call for Daniel is indicative of the importance that the
king attached to this dream. He recounts the entire dream to Daniel and closes
his account with a statement of faith in Daniel’s ability to provide an
interpretation. In spite of the king’s faith in him, Daniel does not
immediately enlighten the king. Instead, the text tells us that he was “perplexed”
for a time. We are not told how long that time was, but perhaps we can infer
from chapter two that Daniel requested a day to make prayer for understanding
as he did then. Considering Daniel’s habit was to pray regularly,[viii] and that habit appears
to have been well known by others, such a request would not seem out of line
with his usual practice.
In any event, Daniel does provide an interpretation. He
states that the tree in the dream was Nebuchadnezzar and those things that
happened to the tree would happen to him. Perhaps we should acknowledge at this
point that while the biblical narrative identifies Nebuchadnezzar as the affected
ruler, extra-biblical, more closely contemporary Aramaic texts identify
Nabonidus as the ruler in question.[ix] Some have inferred from
the period of insanity referenced in the dream an explanation for Nabonidus’
failure to remain present to rule from his throne in Babylon. However, the
common understanding of his absence is related to his interest in archeology
and preservation of historically significant buildings and artifacts. To the
more hawkish among the Babylonian nobility, who saw threats to the empire in
every direction, this may have indeed seemed like insanity. However, we will
accept the designation of Nebuchadnezzar as the king in question per the
biblical account. This is because the dream assures the ruler that his kingdom
will remain intact, but Nabonidus saw his capital lost to the Medes and the
Persians while he was away campaigning against Cyrus, thanks to the failures of
Belshazzar who ruled in his absence[x] and the astuteness of
Cyrus who realized the importance of Babylon and what its capture would mean to
Nabonidus’ forces. We shall revisit this when we examine chapter five of
Daniel.
In any event, the current chapter tells us that
Nebuchadnezzar is spared enforcement of the doleful interpretation of his dream
for a year, perhaps because its meaning instilled a more reverential humility
in his heart. As time passed his humility decreased and in a moment of
unguarded egotism, he claimed the glory of Babylon as his own. In this, the
author of Daniel finds a sin of pride against God. However, the sin is also
against the people of Babylon whose labor and support contributed greatly to
the building up of the city. Whether it was the military that brought home plunder
from kingdoms conquered afar, merchants who brought the products of trade and
commerce into the city, artisans who wrought with skill to embellish the city
with their creativity, or simply the humble laborer carrying uncounted hods of
bricks on his back, all made their contributions to the magnificence of the
city.
Modern leaders are tempted to take the glory of their
times to themselves as well, forgetting the many who have contributed to the
glory of their governments. They would do well to heed what befell
Nebuchadnezzar. Possibly neglect of those who have done so much for the success
of others is a great affront to God as well.[xi] The Bible often addresses
the morality of kings and commoners alike. Because we do not call our rulers
“kings” does not mean we are exempt from these lessons about pride and
responsibility. After many centuries, these stories continue to play out in the
hearts and minds of each of us. Perhaps this is what is meant when we say the
stories of the Bible are “timeless.”
This story is also a reminder for those of us who might
be impatient concerning justice. We might look at the pride of rulers and the
injustice of their boasting and posturing and wonder why God is so longsuffering.
At times we might even find in that longsuffering an excuse to abandon faith
and even deny the existence of God. Yet we find in this story an assurance that
even though God’s mercy is great, it is not endless, and when the time is
exhausted, justice is swift.[xii] As the author writes,
while “the words were still on his lips…” judgment was passed on King
Nebuchadnezzar immediately and he lost his senses and was driven away from
people. He insanely ate grass without regard to the weather and his exposure.
He ceased grooming and became a wretch to all who saw him. We are told this
continued for seven years. Those who did not know of the prophecy might have
felt that this would continue to the end of his life and despaired of ever
seeing him rule the kingdom again. Without his faculties, he could reassure no
one. Perhaps this is why he felt it necessary to issue the decree regarding his
experience. Without that decree, others might question whether they could
depend on him or not when he returned to the throne. What would prevent a
recurrence? The decree was evidence that everything was according to prophecy
and not because of some frailty of the king’s health.
Like Job who suffered greatly with the loss of all his
wealth, his children, and even his health, Nebuchadnezzar was restored all, and
per his decree, not only was his kingdom and position restored to him. He “became
even greater than before.”[xiii] This certainly echoes
the statement, “The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the
first.”[xiv] It is a recurring theme
in the Old Testament that even when we must travel through “the valley of the
shadow of death,”[xv]
God is present there with us, and when the experience is over blessings will
overflow our cup.[xvi]
While this is a message that comforts us in our modern trials, perhaps it was
doubly so for the Israelites who had witnessed the destruction of Jerusalem and
were now experiencing the dark valley of captivity in Babylon.
The two-fold message of this chapter that God overrules
the affairs of even conquering kings and restores bountifully those who are
faithful through difficult trials was surely not lost on the captive Jews. Those
who remained faithful did see a restoration and a blessing as recounted in the
books of Ezra and Nehemiah. A temple was built and sacrifices were again
offered in Jerusalem. Eventually the temple the returned exiles built was
replaced by one built by King Herod, and that temple had the honor of being
visited by the Messiah. In that alone, the latter blessing of the Jews was
greater than the former. Had Israel recognized their time of visitation by
Jesus, the greater glory of his presence would have been only the beginning of
blessings. However, instead of proclaiming the glory of God like
Nebuchadnezzar, most of them rejected that glory, and instead saw the
destruction of that temple in 70, CE, and the beginning of suppression of the
Jewish faith by their Roman overlords. Eventually, with the end of the Bar
Kochba revolt in 135, CE, they even lost the right to enter the city of
Jerusalem.
Strangely this was because the Israelites repeated the
sin of Kadesh Barnea. Instead of recognizing God’s power in Jesus and accepting
where God was leading, they chose their own messiah in Bar Kochba. They made
this messiah in their own image of what they felt the messiah must be. They
felt that the messiah would deliver them from the Romans by defeating the
imperial armies. Since Bar Kochba promised to do this and Jesus did not, they
felt logically the messiah was Kochba and not Jesus. They had some initial
successes on the battlefield, but according to Cassius Dio[xvii], a son of a Roman
Senator who wrote several decades after the fact, over half a million Jews died
as a result of that mistaken messianic uprising.
Jesus advocated no revolution against Rome. Instead He
advised a humble acceptance of the status
quo. This was true whether being impressed into service,[xviii] assaulted,[xix] or even when paying
taxes.[xx] This was similar in
intent to Jeremiah’s instructions to the Babylonian exiles. He urged them to
settle down and accept their lot and even pray for the prosperity of Babylon.[xxi] Paul, the Apostle, also
expressed a similar idea in his letter to the Roman church.[xxii] Apparently such an
attitude makes it possible to have an effect even on kings as Daniel did from
the time of his captivity until the fall of Babylon to the Medes and beyond as
future chapters will reveal.