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Few times in Scripture do we have God speaking into a life more than Nebuchadnezzar’s. The Book of Daniel includes the interpretation of the Kingdoms dream,1 the confrontation regarding the worship of the King’s image,2 and the dream of arrogance.3  In each of these the outcome is Nebuchadnezzar making a proclamation of truth about the LORD that would rival what most of us would ever publicly declare for all to hear.

The king answered and said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.” 4 
Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God. Therefore I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way.” 5
At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, 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?”…  Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble. 6

What more would you ask before you would qualify someone as a ‘believer’ for the king has recognized the LORD’s unmistakable involvement in each passage. ‘You God is God of gods and Lord of kings’ and ‘a revealer of mysteries’. He blesses God, acknowledges His intervention and ability to deliver, an authority beyond his own. The king decrees that this God is to be respected or else. Also that this God is Most High, worthy of praise, honor, has His own dominion that is eternal, is the King of heaven and able to humble the proud. What more could there be for Nebuchadnezzar to be a believer?

But yet it is just so much more information in his life. The duration of his recognition of the LORDship of God is fleeting. Remember, these are sequential occurrences which are almost ignorant of each preceding experience. Is it possible to know so much about God, to experience such dynamic events, to have such bold confrontations with God and not come into a life in agreement with the One you acknowledge following each experience? Even though the LORD gives him the portfolio of kingdoms to come, he does not take it to heart. In fact, just maybe that image in the first dream becomes his inspiration for the golden image he makes of himself in the second confrontation. Notice that Nebuchadnezzar ‘refines’ the materials of his image, improving his image of himself. Then with the final dream—how do you receive such a complete revelation warning you of what is in your future with the deliberate encouragement to change and then a year later be oblivious to your entering into what had been prophesied but with reckless ignoring of the warning.

Apparently from Nebuchadnezzar’s example given to us for our edification, it is possible to know about God, to say the right things about His character, to recognize His God-ness and yet not take any of what is known to heart, to make it part of your life and soul, to not enter into a relationship with God that is agreeable to His desires. It was not for entertainment that God placed Daniel and the other Three into the court of the King but to give Nebuchadnezzar the opportunity to change his life, to change the course of his kingdom. God provided him with three distinct witnesses of who the LORD is and yet it appears the King just passed on by the time of decision to serve God instead of self.

We live in an age that was touted as the Information Age not too many years ago but with the explosion of social media, twenty-four seven ‘news’ cycles and the burgeoning popularity of media influencers expressing opinions as fact and truth, that age likely places us in a quagmire of distorted ‘information’ about who God is, what is important to Him and what is vital for an agreeable-to-Him relationship that will have any possibility of endurance beyond the moment.

For additional glimpses of the life of Nebuchadnezzar, please see our devotionals for May 22 Revealer of Mysteries, May 23 But if Not and May 24 Return to Reason.

FOOTNOTES & LINKS:
1 Daniel 2:31+45 ESV – Blue Letter Bible link
2
Daniel 3:13-29 ESV – Blue Letter Bible link
3 
Daniel 4:13-37 ESV – Blue Letter Bible link
4 Daniel 2:47 ESV – Blue Letter Bible link
5 Daniel 3:28-29 ESV – Blue Letter Bible link
6 Daniel 4:34-37 ESV – Blue Letter Bible link
All Scripture references from the Blue Letter Bible, ESV
at https://www.blueletterbible.org
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version
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a Publishing Ministry of Good News Publishers.
All rights reserved.

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