Topical Bible: Heathen: Nebuchadnezzar, After his Restoration

◄ Heathen: Nebuchadnezzar, After his Restoration ►

Jump to: Nave's • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

Nebuchadnezzar II, the king of Babylon, is a prominent figure in the biblical narrative, particularly in the Book of Daniel. His reign is marked by significant events that demonstrate both his power and his eventual acknowledgment of the sovereignty of the God of Israel. After a period of divine judgment, Nebuchadnezzar's restoration is a pivotal moment that highlights the transformative power of God's intervention in the life of a heathen king.

Background and Divine Judgment

Nebuchadnezzar's initial encounters with the God of Israel are characterized by a series of dreams and miraculous events. Despite witnessing the faithfulness of Daniel and his companions, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Nebuchadnezzar's heart remained proud and unyielding. His pride culminated in a divine judgment pronounced by Daniel, who interpreted a troubling dream that foretold the king's downfall due to his arrogance (Daniel 4:24-25): "This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree the Most High has issued against my lord the king: You will be driven away from mankind to live with the beasts of the field, and you will feed on grass like an ox and be drenched with the dew of heaven, until seven times pass you by, until you acknowledge that the Most High rules over the kingdom of men and gives it to whom He wishes."

The Period of Humiliation

As prophesied, Nebuchadnezzar experienced a period of humiliation, living like a beast and losing his royal dignity. This period of madness served as a divine chastisement intended to humble the king and lead him to recognize the supremacy of the God of Israel. The transformation of Nebuchadnezzar from a proud monarch to a humbled man is a testament to the power of God to change hearts and minds, even those of the most powerful rulers.

Restoration and Acknowledgment of God

After the appointed time of judgment, Nebuchadnezzar's sanity and kingdom were restored. This restoration is marked by a profound change in the king's attitude and beliefs. In Daniel 4:34-37 , Nebuchadnezzar himself recounts his transformation: "But at the end of those days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored to me. Then I blessed the Most High and praised and glorified Him who lives forever: His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are counted as nothing, and He does as He pleases with the army of heaven and the peoples of the earth. There is no one who can restrain His hand or say to Him, 'What have You done?'"

Nebuchadnezzar's acknowledgment of God's eternal dominion and his praise for the Most High signify a significant shift from his previous idolatrous practices. The king's declaration serves as a powerful testimony to the nations of the world, illustrating the truth that the God of Israel is the one true God who reigns supreme over all earthly kingdoms.

Significance in Biblical Theology

Nebuchadnezzar's restoration and subsequent acknowledgment of God's sovereignty hold significant theological implications. His account serves as a reminder of God's ability to humble the proud and exalt the humble. It underscores the biblical theme that God is sovereign over all nations and rulers, regardless of their initial beliefs or practices. Nebuchadnezzar's transformation from a heathen king to a worshiper of the Most High God exemplifies the potential for redemption and change, even among those who initially oppose God's will.

In the broader biblical narrative, Nebuchadnezzar's experience foreshadows the ultimate triumph of God's kingdom over all earthly powers, a theme that resonates throughout the prophetic literature and finds its fulfillment in the eschatological hope of God's eternal reign.

Nave's Topical Index

Daniel 4:1
Nebuchadnezzar the king, to all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied to you.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

True Greatness
... In the Lands of the Heathen Chapter 42 True ... thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee,
after that thou ... For seven years Nebuchadnezzar was an astonishment to all his ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 42 true greatness.htm

The Twelve Minor Prophets.
... foreshadowed God's purposes of mercy towards the heathen world, and ... which could not
have been the case after the victory of Nebuchadnezzar over the ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xxiii the twelve minor.htm

Book 9 Footnotes
... among the Israelites, but among these heathen mariners, seems ... says, this king was
slain by Nebuchadnezzar himself ... left in a manner desolate after the captivity ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/book 9 footnotes.htm

Perpetuity
... Apostles also, who converted all the heathen; and all ... A hundred years after the Talmud
Hierosol was ... When Nebuchadnezzar carried away the people, for fear they ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pascal/pensees/section ix perpetuity.htm

Approaching Doom
... When, early in the reign of Jehoiakim, Nebuchadnezzar for the ... even I, . . . will
scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 35 approaching doom.htm

Altar and Temple
... the unfortunate high-priest whose eyes Nebuchadnezzar put out ... be no sacrifices in
Babylon, and after him his ... with the glorious days when no heathen king had to ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture g/altar and temple.htm

Questions.
... 25. What request was made by these heathen colonists? 26. ... 31. What became of Babylon
after his death? ... 3. What was the Greek power in Nebuchadnezzar's dream? ...
//christianbookshelf.org/yonge/the chosen people/questions.htm

Amos and Obadiah.
... was of a low and formal kind, very much of the heathen worship having ... It was doubtless
written after the fall of Jerusalem under Nebuchadnezzar, 587 BC ...
/.../the way of salvation in the lutheran church/chapter xix amos and obadiah.htm

Interpretation of Prophecy.
... given over to the power of Nebuchadnezzar, who wasted ... wherewith the Lord will smite
the heathen that come not ... trump, not a thousand years after his advent; the ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xxxviii interpretation of prophecy.htm

The Return of the Exiles
... "After seventy years be accomplished at Babylon," the Lord had ... vessels of the house
of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took forth ... Then said they among the heathen,. ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 45 the return of.htm