THE LESSON THE PRIDE OF KING NEBUCHADNEZZAR TAUGHT HIM: EXPERIENCE BEING HELPLESS AND THEN YOU CAN LEARN TO BE KIND
King Nebuchadnezzar whom God compared to ‘gold’ while other succeeding kingdoms were described as silver, brass, iron and clay, was the greatest and is probably the greatest of all gentile kings of all time, came face-to-face with these two figurative women named HUMILITY and PRIDE.
In the book of Daniel, we are not told about HUMILITY’s role in the rise of King Nebuchadnezzar. In this world, PRIDE can make her advocates rise too. As a matter of fact, most worldly greatness were a work of Pride. But this kind of greatness is momentary. The Great King of Heaven may allows Pride and her man to rise, for future lessons, but surely this Great Judge will act once Pride and her man reaches the measure of their arrogance.
This is the experience of Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon. As soon as he became aware that he was the head of gold of the great statue he saw in his dream, he soon decreed that a replica be erected and that all people should bow down before it, which is tantamount of worshipping Nebuchadnezzar.
Three officials did not. They argued that only God is worthy of such worship. They were the three Jewish friends of Daniel. And look and see the great pride of this king. “Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and his attitude towards them changed. He ordered the furnace be heated seven times hotter than usual.” He also made sure that the strongest men would bind and throw the three to the raging furnace. So hot was the fire that some of them who threw the three were eaten up by it and died!
But, as this famous story goes, the three friends of Daniel, were walking in the fire unharmed!
That was the first blow against Nebuchadnezzar’s pride. It was first time he acknowledged God: “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. Therefore, I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, FOR NO OTHER GOD CAN SAVE THIS WAY.”[1]
Now, you’d think Nebuchadnezzar had learned the lesson of meekness and humility fully?
Nay, not yet. He was still proud in some aspects, although he acknowledged God and no longer lifted himself to be worshipped like Him. His relationship with God had improved. But he was still merciless to his fellowmen. He still thought himself great and the one who built the kingdom. One day, while he was walking on the roof of his royal palace in Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar mused: “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?”[2]
Personal pride and mercilessness towards the poor were akin. These were the main sins of Nebuchadnezzar.
A warning was in order. It was done through a dream. A mighty majestic tree whose branches and leaves extended to great distances and upon birds took their shelter, was suddenly cut down, its mighty branches trimmed off, its leaves stripped off and its fruits scattered!
Daniel spoke to the king and told him that he was his tree. Seven years were to pass, if he would not immediately humble down, when he would became insane and lived in the forest among wild animals until he would acknowledge the sovereignty of God – or until he would learn the lesson that “THE MOST HIGH IS SOVEREIGN OVER THE KINGDOMS OF MEN AND GIVES THEM TO ANYONE HE WISHES AND SETS OVER THEM THE LOWIEST OF MEN”.[3]
What was the antidote of Pride? Humility! That is, meekness (e.g., Acknowledgement of God’s sovereignty over all human kingdoms) and mercy (e.g., kindness towards the poor and the oppressed.)
As soon as Daniel finished interpreting the dream to the king, Daniel earnestly advised the king, “Therefore, O king, be pleased to accept my advice: Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by BEING KIND TO THE OPPRESSED. It may be that your prosperity will continue.”[4]
But instead of meekness and humble acknowledgement of God’s all-sovereignty, he instead prided and say, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?”[5]
To man, especially when you are in some heights (degree of success and greatness), two things are most difficult to do: 1) complete humble acknowledgement of God’s reign over man; and 2) showing compassion to the poor.
This was Nebuchadnezzar’s sins: He could not love God above all or above himself, and he could not love his poor fellowmen enough so as to stop maltreating them!
His sins are our sins: lack of love for God and lack of love for the fellowman. In short, excessive love for Self which, when opposed, offended or not pleased, manifest as anger and cruelty!
We can say, with all truthfulness, that NEBUCHADNEZZAR LIVES IN US. HE IS ALIVE IN US. WE ARE NEBUCHAD-NEZZARS. Little Nebuchadnezzars, to say the least. For we too do not acknowledge God’s complete godship and fatherhood over us; we still defy Him in many aspects and stand as one greater and better than Him!
We, too, do not show genuine mercy to the poor. We treat the beggar outside our door coldly. They experience the same coldness that the night gave them. Instead of giving them warm reception and the best hospitality we can give, we sent the beggars away after a token of superficial compassion. This is the dictate of pride that lurks inside us!
As with Nebuchadnezzar, so it is with us. There is no other way but to LET HIM/US EXPERIENCE THE MISERY AND POVERTY AND THE SAME PAIN OF THOSE HE/WE HAD REJECTED.
Nebuchadnezzar became poor – as a matter of fact, poorer than the poor. He became insane and dwelt among the wild beast of the forest for 7 years, in fulfillment of the prophecy and warning.
After only when he tasted what it was to be a poor, did he develop the kindness for the poor!
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