Today’s passage: Daniel 4:1-18
Helpful thoughts:
- The events of chapter 4 would have been toward the end of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign. Daniel would have been closer to fifty years old by then.
- This chapter is very uncommon in that it is written from the perspective of Nebuchadnezzar himself (Save the portion where he goes crazy).
- The king desired to show the “signs and wonders that the Most High God” had done for him.
- In these verses, the king of Babylon is declaring to the world that God is the everlasting King and sovereign over the world. That’s a big deal, but later we will see that his level of respect for God (Though he never got rid of his own god…) at the end of his life did not carry down to the next generation.
- Nebuchadnezzar believed the God of Israel was the most powerful God, but the true God was never his God.
- The king now refers to Daniel by his Hebrew name, giving honor to Daniel’s loyalty to the God whom his name points.
- The “watchers” and the “holy ones” are angels.
Questions to consider:
- What are some evidences in this passage that Nebuchadnezzar had not truly repented and submitted himself to God alone?
- Are kings and leaders always the greatest of people? How do they come to power? Who is ultimately in control at all times?
- What is the difference between believing that God is great and calling Him your Lord? What is the difference between believing that Jesus died on the cross and receiving the gift of salvation by faith? What is the role of repentance in being born again?