Nebuchadnezzar and the Trinity: Part Three

The third and final episode of King Nebuchadnezzar’s journey to faith takes place in Daniel 4.

Once again, here is the chart I am using to look at these things. This post deals with the final row. The “who” is who in the story is representing God, the “what” is what the idol is, and the “where” is where the king ends up in his faith. As you can see, this time the third person of the Trinity is in play. In a fourth bonus post, I will explain what is going on in the “Image of God” column for all three stories.

Neb’s Story	God	Who	What	Where	Image of God	Chapter
Part 1	Father	Daniel	Dream	Belief in the God of Heaven	Physical	Daniel 2
Part 2	Son	Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego	Golden Image	Belief in the Angel of God	Social	Daniel 3
Part 3	Holy Spirit	Nebuchadnezzar & Daniel	Self	Belief in the Most High	Ethical	Daniel 4

Daniel 4: Nebuchadnezzar’s Feathers and Talons

Who

It is the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, who is emphasized in this chapter in contrast to the other two. It is the Spirit who searches out the deep things in the heart of a man. Here, rather than seeing the Father revealing secrets to Daniel, or the Son delivering Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, now Nebuchadnezzar receives spiritual counsel from Daniel who this time appears as his “friend” more than as his “father.” Additionally, the Holy Spirit speaks to the king through his own inner spirit.

This chapter is so personal that it was written by Nebuchadnezzar himself; it is his testimony. Witness to what the Lord has done is the Spirit’s work (Acts 1:8). The king’s testimony is so inspired it is part of the Bible. It’s opening almost reads like an epistle by Paul as he greets us, “Peace be multiplied to you” (verse 1).

Daniel is back and is acting in a Holy Spirit capacity. A phrase used in this chapter that is not used in the other chapters is “The Spirit of the Holy God.” Nebuchadnezzar uses it three times (verses 8, 9, 18) when telling about why Daniel can interpret dreams, because of whose Spirit is in him. In regards to the dreams, the focus here is the Spirit which is in Daniel in contrast to the focus being about the God of Heaven who reveals secrets in Daniel 2.

Returning to our two Trinitarian “who” lists, let’s see how Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar as “Holy Spirit” line up:

Human Relationships: Father, Brother, Friend

Office: Priest, King, Prophet

A friend or counselor is also an encourager. When Daniel is troubled by the dream, Nebuchadnezzar encourages him. “The king spoke, and said, ‘Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its interpretation trouble you.’” (verse 18). This is a stark difference from threatening to kill him if he couldn’t tell what the dream even was in Daniel 2. Nebuchadnezzar is a counselor to the counselor. They are now friends.

Daniel is also an encourager. The first thing he says in regards to the dream about the tree is: “My lord, may the dream concern those who hate you, and its interpretation concern your enemies!” (verse 19). Daniel is no coward, as his record clearly shows. He is therefore not trying to butter up Nebuchadnezzar. He means what he says because he is the king’s friend.

After interpreting the dream, Daniel acts as counselor when he gives the king advice. “Therefore, O king, let my advice be acceptable to you; break off your sins by being righteous, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. Perhaps there may be a lengthening of your prosperity” (verse 27).

(Quick note for those prone to follow trendy rather than biblical categories: observe how Daniel used the word “mercy” rather than “justice” in regards to helping the poor.)

Of course, Daniel is also prophet, telling what the dream means and very specifically what will happen to Nebuchadnezzar (20-26). Nebuchadnezzar is a prophet as he declares truths about God at the beginning and end of his chapter.

What

What is the idol, the false image, in Daniel 4? The answer is simple, it is the king’s own ego. He’s no longer worshiping his dream, or his sixty-foot golden statue. This time his precious is the one looking back at him in the mirror.

As often is the case in a Trinitarian trilogy, the third part is a combination of aspects from the first two. Here we have another dream, like in Part 1. We also have another fashioned image, like in Part 2.

The dream is of a tree which flourishes before being cut down. This is similar to the dream in Daniel 2 which was of a statue which was destroyed. But instead of focusing on the empires, we have zoomed in to look at the emperor. Daniel explains how Nebuchadnezzar is the tree. He is doing great, but then the Watcher says it is time for him to be cut down. However, in contrast to the statue which was ultimately destroyed, the tree keeps its roots and is watered.

Daniel also tells the king that the watered tree stump is the king when he is turned into a beast and he grazes in the grass for seven years. And as we see later in the chapter, this comes to pass. Here we have, like in Daniel 3, a fashioned image. But it is not made out of gold. Rather, it is made out of Nebuchadnezzar. He himself has been made into the form of a created thing, an animal. His self-idolization becomes manifest.

In both cases, the tree in the dream and the beast in the field, it is Nebuchadnezzar himself who is the “what”. He is the tree and he is the beast. Like all idols, the original purpose is good before being twisted and fashioned. A shady tree turns into a useless stump and a glorious king becomes a grotesque man-bird.

Though he is eating grass like oxen (32), the descriptions of Nebuchadnezzar’s appearance are ovian. “His hair had grown like eagle’s feathers and his nails like birds’ claws” (verse 33). The possible significance of this is that the emperor was supposed to be like a bird, an eagle, spiritually speaking, soaring above the world and overshadowing its inhabitants under the shadow of wings of justice. But God flies too, and his Watchers reported that the king had an evil eye. So God said, you wanna be a god instead of a godly man? You wanna be a literal eagle instead of an eagly-emperor? Ok, you can be an eagle and you can be an idol. Let’s see how you like it!

You become what you worship. Nebuchadnezzar was worshiping his inner bird, his inner spirit, not God’s Spirit, and like the prince in Beauty and the Beast, his soaring ego was made public and it wasn’t pretty.

As mentioned in Parts 1 and 2, false temples and idols require sacrifices. Nebuchadnezzar’s false temple was his Babylon, him being the god of that temple. But where is the sacrifice? He is not chopping people up and burning their houses like in Part 1, and he is not throwing anyone into a fiery furnace like in Part 2. What is the sacrifice?

The false sacrifice was the sacrifice of praise which he was giving to himself (30). Let me suggest that because he was sacrificing to himself, he himself became the sacrificial animal. But eagles are unclean animals, not for sacrifice, one might contend, so that theory doesn’t seem to work. But remember, it also says he ate grass like oxen (25, 33), which are sacrificial animals, so perhaps that is a hint that he was in some sense a living sacrifice. He worshiped himself and therefore himself became the sacrificial animal. The fire is the fire of time, the sun orbiting the earth. Like the furnace in Daniel 3 being heated seven times hotter, so Nebuchadnezzar is a beast for “seven times” (32), or seven years. All of his pride is put on the altar and burned over those years.

Where

Where does King Nebuchadnezzar arrive after the third episode of his faith journey?

The most occuring title given to God in Daniel 4 is Most High—five times (2, 17, 24, 32, 34). Nebuchadnezzar has learned to worship the Most High God. To get there he had to go to the lowest place and come out the other side. The king’s pride was completely obliterated under the merciful discipline of God, who then returned everything with some extra (36). For this the converted king was very grateful.

Nebuchadnezzar also mentions twice that “[God’s] dominion is an everlasting dominion and his kingdom is from generation to generation” (3, 34). He has learned that the Most High is bigger than his dreams, his power, and his ego. God is bigger than his world. God is God and Nebuchadnezzar is not.

I want to conclude by zooming in on the final paragraph in these three chapters about Nebuchadnezzar:

“At that time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my honor and splendor returned to me. My counselors and nobles resorted to me, I was restored to my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added to me. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and his ways justice. And those who walk in pride he is able to put down” (36-37).

Let’s look closer at this three-fold description of God.

1. King of Heaven
2. Whose works are truth
3. His ways justice

1.) In Daniel 2 God is referred to three times as God of Heaven. Now he is recognized as also being King of Heaven. He is the God of dreams and the revealer of secrets. Nebuchadnezzar has learned that God the Father is bigger than his dreams, than the unknown.

2.) In Daniel 3 Nebuchadnezzar praises the God who delivers. He did a mighty work in the furnace through his Angel who delivered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. This Angel, the Word of God, was the truest thing he’d ever seen. And the Truth set those three men free.

3.) In Daniel 4 Nebuchadnezzar ignored Daniel’s warning to be righteous (just) and merciful to the poor. Then justice fell upon him. He who had been treating his people like animals was now an animal himself. But he also learned of God’s mercy when God restored him after he had learned his beautiful lesson.