Lesson Study 3 Copy

“Nebuchadnezzar the king, to all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: be multiplied to you.”

Daniel 4 is the only chapter in the Bible written by a former pagan king. It contains the story of how he found lasting inner peace and became a believer of the only true God.

“I thought it good to declare the signs and wonders that the Most High has worked for me. How great are His signs, and how mighty His wonders!”

Nebuchadnezzar has spent the past 36 years building his kingdom and acquiring wealth. He has conquered his enemies and built the largest and most beautiful city in the ancient world. Babylon has three royal palaces. One contains one of the seven wonders of the ancient world—the Hanging Gardens. Babylon is considered to be impregnable to assault with double and even triple walls. Nebuchadnezzar’s religious fervor to pagan gods is demonstrated in no less than 53 temples, 955 small sanctuaries, and 384 street altars. Its tallest shrine rises 300 feet over the very place where the ancient tower of Babel had once stood and is the most famous temple in the East. Even though Nebuchadnezzar has achieved earthly success, it takes losing everything he has acquired for him to accept the true God who will give him the heavenly kingdom and its eternal riches.

“I saw a which made me afraid, and the thoughts on my bed and the visions of my head troubled me.”

In mercy God gives the king another dream, to warn him of his peril and of the snare Satan has laid for his ruin.

“Therefore, I issued a decree to bring in all the men of Babylon before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream.”

This was the same group the king had once ordered to be executed for failing to interpret the dream in Daniel 2. Now many years later, they fail again.

“At last came before me… and I told the dream before him.”

Why didn’t Nebuchadnezzar call for Daniel when he first had the dream? He knew Daniel could interpret dreams. The answer probably lies in issues like pride, stubbornness, and fear of the truth that Daniel’s God would tell him. But God’s truth—if it can get past our pride—will never hurt us. Jesus Himself said, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” John 8:32). Before going to the next question, take a moment to read verses 10-18 to learn what Nebuchadnezzar saw in his troubling dream.

“Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was for a time, and his thoughts troubled him.”

The meaning of the dream startles Daniel. He realizes his duty to reveal to the aged king that a terrible judgment is about to fall upon him. This is not the type of thing people could safely tell ancient kings. Regardless of possible consequences, Daniel speaks the truth in love, because he understands that God in His mercy is seeking to lead the king to eternal life.

“It is , O king, who have grown and become strong.”

The tree represents king Nebuchadnezzar. This prophecy is unique because we have the prophecy, the Bible’s interpretation, and the historical fulfillment within one chapter. While not always packaged in one chapter like this, all the other prophecies follow the same order: the prophecy, the Bible’s interpretation, and the fulfillment in history.

“They shall drive you from men, your dwelling shall be with the of the field, and they shall make you eat grass like oxen.”

After all his miraculous experiences with God (recorded in chapters 1 through 3), the king still hasn’t learned to honor the God of heaven. But the God he refused to personally accept is not willing to give up on him without providing another chance. If the king’s wealth and power
stand in the way of Nebuchadnezzar’s accepting God, the Almighty will remove it all from him in a moment. The king will lose his mind and become like an animal for seven times, or years. God will teach him lessons in humility that he refused to learn otherwise.

This story illustrates how God works with us. God doesn’t want anyone to be lost. (See 2 Peter 3:9.) He provides opportunities for us to come to Him and be converted but we decide whether or not to respond. One of the most thrilling and sobering truths of Scripture is that God respects our choices, for either good or evil. We should always be quick to discern the convictions of God’s Spirit and hasten to obey Him. We never know when we are hearing our last invitation of mercy. (See 2 Corinthians 6:2.)

“Therefore, O king, let my advice be acceptable to you; break off your by being righteous, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor.”

Daniel knows this is an important turning point in Nebuchadnezzar’s life. Like God, Daniel longs for the king’s eternal salvation, and so he pleads with him to be converted. Daniel defines conversion to literally mean “to turn around” from sins by breaking them off. He says we find the power to do this “by being righteous.” The ability to do what is right only comes through confessing our need to God and asking Jesus into our lives. In answer to our prayer, God erases our past record of sin and makes us righteous in His sight. Furthermore, Jesus cleanses our heart and puts new desires within. (See Ezekiel 36:25- 27.) He does this freely because He loves us and we ask Him to do it! (See Ephesians 2:1-10.)

“The king spoke, saying, ‘Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by mighty power and for the honor of majesty.”

Perhaps Nebuchadnezzar intended to follow Daniel’s advice but after twelve months he still hadn’t gotten around to it. The king had fallen into the devil’s most successful trap—procrastination. Putting off a decision to do right and follow Christ just isn’t safe. If we fail to act when convicted, it almost always takes more drastic measures to wake us up again. Incredibly, God is so good that He continues to seek some way to reach us. Sometimes He succeeds; other times we procrastinate until it’s just too late. Procrastinating to follow God and His Word is the most dangerous mistake anyone can make.

Like a loving parent, God finally had to do what He did not want to do, because He knew it was for Nebuchadnezzar’s best good. Verses 31-33 tell us that everything the king had been warned about twelve months before came to pass “that very hour.”

“He does according to will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’ “

After spending seven years totally dependent upon God like the animals, Nebuchadnezzar finally learns the lesson that God is sovereign. Our duty as God’s creatures is to seek His will so we may obey and glorify Him.

“Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are and His ways .”

No, God didn’t “beat him up” till he gave in. The Lord doesn’t want terrified believers; He wants us to serve Him out of love and respect. Nebuchadnezzar came to know God in this way. He saw that even his own punishment was “truth” and “justice,” and that the Lord had allowed it all because He loved him.

“And those who walk in He is able to put .”

Imagine the “culture shock” of this king of the mighty Babylonian Empire when he came “face to face” as it were with the Creator of heaven and earth. Nebuchadnezzar had his name stamped on thousands of mud bricks used to build his great city, but the Creator has written his name on every living creature, every cloud and river, every star and planet. It’s not a very flattering comparison, is it?

Pride is the embryo of all sin. It says, “I am going to do it my way regardless of what my Creator says.” As Nebuchadnezzar learned, sinful pride must be surrendered, or we can never experience God’s peace in our lives.

a. John 3:16 NKJV “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” We must see and believe God’s immense love for us—so great that He would die to save us.

b. 2 Corinthians 7:10 NKJV “For godly sorrow produces leading to salvation.” We need to repent of our sins because they cause pain to God and others.

c. 1 John 1:9 NKJV “If we our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Jesus will forgive us our sins, cleanse us as though we never have sinned, and pay the death penalty that we deserve—all this because we come to Him and confess our sins in prayer! What a wonderful trade Jesus makes with us!

d. Revelation 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock, if anyone the door, I will come into him and dine with him, and he with Me.” Jesus is waiting for us to open the door of our hearts and invite Him in to be our friend who will guide our lives.

Accepting Jesus is the real secret to peace and happiness. Nebuchadnezzar learned this the hard way, but we don’t have to. It is very significant that this conversion story is found in a book on prophecy because conversion is the real purpose of prophecy. If we study prophecy only to learn what is coming on planet Earth, but we don’t make the all-important heart preparation for eternity, we will not benefit from our knowledge.

This response will be awarded full points automatically, but it can be reviewed and adjusted after submission.