Daniel 4 - The Curse of Nebuchadnezzar

v1-9: The King's Pride

The chapter begins with King Nebuchadnezzar declaring his praise of God to all nations, for he has seen the signs and wonder of God through Daniel and his friends. The king praised God as a God of Signs and Wonders. He indiicated that: 

1. A mystery revealer and mighty deliverer (Dan 2:47; Dan 3:28-29). Only Daniel can interprets God's message. 

2. His kingdom lasting forever. (Dan 4:3)

3. All powerful, does as He pleases and to no one He answers. (Dan 3:17-18; Dan 4:35)

4. Merciful restorer, just and righteous, but the proud He humbles. (Dan 4:37)

But the King still has a lot of pride and ego. He hasn't really changed in this heart or in his character. He did not do what God wants him to do. In another word, he is a hypocrite. 

He said, "I Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and prospering in my palace. I saw a dream that made me afraid. As I lay in bed the fancies and the visions of my head alarmed me." (v4,5)  He admitted that he is enjoying himself in his grand palace, before he had a dream that made him afraid. He didn't know that he is a fool to show off his wealth, when his life can be taken away anytime.  (Lk 12:20). He did not appreciate that all his riches and power came from God, it's not from himself and his military might. 

Psalm 92:12-13 tells us: "The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God." Deuteronomy 8:18 also says: "But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth."  He did not count his blessings from God, but boasted about it.

According to scientists and researches, dreams helps the brain process emotions. It’s common to dream about significant events from waking life. Another theory is that most dreams reflect the same concepts and concerns as our waking thoughts. In other words, dreams are caused by ourselves. 

However, from the scriptures, we also found that dreams can also come from God. The king's dream comes from God. 

Some people may also think that Satan also create dreams while we are sleeping. This is not true. Satan cannot give us dreams directly. The bible tells us that Satan used to be an angel and rebelled against God. (2 Corinthians 11:14; Ezekiel 28:12–18) Angels do not have the ability to read our minds or give us dreams.

However, Satan can cause us to dream from a natural result of fear and guilt that he causes in our lives. People who doubt in God’s word and his love often live in fear. The more fear and the more sin in our lives, which causes feelings of guilt, regret and condemnation in our souls, the more nightmares we have from our souls. 

An example of this is when a person was traumatized by an accident or robbery. The person will have nightmares for a long time, because it takes him time to trust God again to protect him from future harms. Once he has trusted God again, the nightmares will go away. 

God does at times speak directly to people through dreams, but His intent would never be to bring fear. He is merciful and full of wisdom. He is not the author of confusion. He doesn’t bring fear. He is just. He is gracious. He doesn’t accuse. He is kind and gentle. 

However, if God gives us a dream or vision of something terrible, he may be trying to warn us of a bad future or warn us to stop something we are doing (including sin) or to start doing something (a call from God). Daniel himself had a dream that terrified him where he saw four beasts that represented four kingdoms. (Daniel 7:1-28)

If we awake with a sense of urgency after a dream, we can take the time to pray over it. If the dream is important, we can be assured that as we pray and wait on the Lord that He will give us the interpretation and understanding (Daniel 2:20-23, 28; John 16:13).

As usual, the King ordered his magicians, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers to interpret the dreams, and as usual, they were unable to. At last Daniel came to the king, and king recognized that he has the spirit of the holy gods* in him, and is capable of interpreting the dream. 

It is important to note that while Nebuchadnezzar used the language of his own polytheistic beliefs ("the holy gods"), the book of Daniel consistently portrays Yahweh as the true God, supreme over all other gods, and the source of Daniel's wisdom and understanding.

v10-18: The Dream Revealed 

The king then recounted his disturbing dream he had. It was about a large tree that grew to become strong, and it was visible to the whole earth. The tree was beautiful and fruitful, and provided shades for all the birds, and provided food for all flesh. 

Suddenly, a watcher - a holy one - came down from heaven.  He gave a loud command to chop down the tree and remove the branches, leaves, and scatter the fruit. The beasts and birds would flee away. The stump of its roots would be bound with a band of iron and bronze, and he will be wet with the dew,  and he will live with the beasts of the field.  His mind will be replaced with the mind of an animal. The period of this curse will be for 7 years.  The lesson of this curse if to declare that God rules the kingdom of men, and He gives it to whomever He wills, even the lowliest of people. 

In Daniel 4:17, when it refers to "the lowliest of people," it means individuals who are humble or of low status in society. The verse emphasizes that God, as the Most High, has the authority to choose and appoint leaders over earthly kingdoms, regardless of their social standing or worldly status. This reminds me of how David, a shepherd, can become one of the greatest king when he obeyed God. 

v19-27: The Dream Interpreted 

Daniel himself was dismayed to hear the dream, for he immediately knew the meaning. The king told him not to worry about the dream and interpretation, but to speak up.  Daniel express that the dream should fall upon the king's enemies instead on the king. 

Daniel told the king that the tree represents him, whose kingdom and greatness had become well known to all nations. However. God had made a decree to cast him out to live with the cows and sheep, and to eat grass with them. Seven years will pass until he realize his kingdom and power came from God, and that God can remove it from him and give it anyone He wants. The stump refers to his kingdom, that will be returned to him after he understand that God is the sovereign and the real ruler of all kingdoms.

In v27, Daniel advised the king to "break off your sins by practicing righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, that there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity.”  In other words, if the king repents and live righteously, it may delay or cancel God's punishment on him. God is giving a second chance to Nebuchadnezzar. 

v28-33: The Dream Fulfilled 

Despite Daniel's warning, the king did not repent of his pride even after giving the chance for a year. He boasted as he was walking in the roof of his palace  “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” (v30)

There are four emphasis in this proud remark: "I have built" - my effort; "by my mighty power" - my power; "as a royal residence" - my enjoyment; "for the glory of my majesty" - my exaltation. Not once did he attributed his success to God. Instead, his pride is self-centered. 

Philippians 2:3 says: "Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves." 

Before he could close his mouth, he heard God declaring the curse on him, that he will be driven out to the field and to eat grass like the ox. (v32). 

The persistent craving for grass could be linked to underlying psychological issues such as Pica Disorder, which is a disorder characterized by persistent cravings and consumption of non-food substances, including grass, dirt, hair, or other inedible items. Pica can be associated with nutritional deficiencies, such as iron or zinc deficiency, or may be a result of underlying psychological factors such as stress, anxiety, or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Another more likely cause is due to a rare form of deviant behavior known as "boanthrophy" as proposed by Old Testament scholar R. K. Harrison. Nebuchadnezzar “imagined himself to be a cow or bull, and acted accordingly”.  Harrison “actually observed a clinical case of boanthropy in a British mental institution in 1946”.  A man “in his early twenties, in fine bodily health but decidedly anti-social, spent whole days from dusk to dawn outdoors on institutional grounds. He was limited in his ability to care for himself. They gave him water from a clean container so he wouldn’t drink from mud puddles. But as he wandered over the grounds, he would pluck up chunks of grass to eat; he never ate institutional cuisine with other inmates” (R. K. Harrison)

The underlying cause of boanthropy is not well understood, but it is often associated with underlying psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or other forms of psychosis. These conditions can lead to distorted thinking, perception, and beliefs, including the belief of being an animal. If an individual with boanthropy believes they need to eat grass, it may be due to their delusional belief rather than a physiological need or nutritional deficiency. 

Nevertheless, whatever the cause were, it is not possible for a man to eat grass alone and survive for seven years. Grass lacks the essential nutrients required for human sustenance, and such a diet would lead to severe malnutrition and health complications. It should be interpreted as a miraculous event, attributed to divine intervention rather than a natural occurrence. It is also unlikely that nobody was caring for him, as he is royalty. Though food and water was provided for him and he may have eaten it as well. However, his deranged mind prefers to eat grass instead.

v34-36: The King Humbled

After 7 years, God healed the king and He realized who God really is. "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" (v34)

This statement is different from what he said in v3. Here he says "I blessed the Most High...", a personal confession and application of how he really feels. He humbly admitted that God "does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth" v35

When his "counselors and lords" found him sane, they re-establish him as king again. The king's last words in Daniel was "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." v37

Summary

Nebuchadnezzar's insanity and subsequent restoration to his senses were seen as acts of God's judgment and mercy. The story emphasizes the importance of humbling oneself before God and recognizing His sovereignty.

Questions

1. What does a flourishing life look like to you? 

To me a flourishing life is when others benefit from my contribution such as serving them, provide for them. Just like the trees provided shades and fed the beasts. To benefit others I depend on God to provide me with talents, money, and most importantly the love and compassionate for others.