LESSON

*October 16-22

Nebuchadnezzars

Judgment

SABBATH AFTERNOON
Read for This Weeks Study: Daniel 4.
Memory Text: 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 abase (Daniel 4:37, NKJV).
arry Truman was the caretaker of a recreation lodge on Spirit
Lake, five miles north of Mount St. Helens smoke-enshrouded
peak in Washington State, U.S.A. Harry had been warned by
rangers and neighbors that the mountain was going to explode. Warnings
blared from loudspeakers on patrol cars and helicopters and blinked from
battery-powered signs at every major crossroad. Radio and television
announcers pleaded with their audiences to flee. Harry Truman ignored
them all. He grinned on national television and said, Nobody knows more
about this mountain than Harry, and it dont dare blow up on him. On
May 18, 1980, at 8:31 A.M., the mountain exploded, flattening everything
for 150 square miles, including Harry, his cabin, and his cats.
Harry was warned but not forced. In a sense, its the same with God and
us: Were warned but not forced, even if those warnings can sometimes be
very forceful. This week well take a look at one instance in which the
Lord worked in a powerful way to get someones attention.

The Week at a Glance: What was King Nebuchadnezzars

fundamental problem? What parallels exist between this chapter and
Daniel 2?
*Study this weeks lesson to prepare for Sabbath, October 23.

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S U N D AY October 17

A Royal Testimony (Dan. 4:1-9).

This chapter contains the remarkable testimony of King
Nebuchadnezzar, the reigning monarch of the world, who now humbled
himself before the King of the universe and acknowledged his dependence upon the Lord, the Most High, the One who rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses (Dan. 4:25, NKJV).
Over the course of his long reign (605562 B.C.) he had learned that the
Hebrew God is a revealer of secrets (Dan. 2:28) and that He saves His
faithful followers from the fiery furnace (Dan. 3:27, 29). Yet, his heart
remained proud and independent. God, therefore, removed him from
his throne and humbled him into the dust. After the recovery from his
sickness, he submitted fully to God. The once proud monarch had
become a humble child of God.Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings,
p. 521.

Read carefully the kings words in Daniel 4:3, where he talks about
Gods kingdom as an everlasting kingdom. Contrast those words
with what happened in Daniel 3 and with Daniels interpretation of
the dream in chapter 2 (vs. 44). What did the king seem finally to
learn about humankinds futile attempts at immortality apart from
God?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
From the earliest times of the great controversy, when Satan first tried
to be God (Isa. 14:12-14), up through the rise of the man of sin (2 Thess.
2:3, 4), and until the final crisis over worship (Rev. 14:9-11), humankind
in one way or another, has wanted to be God. This trait was seen in
Nebuchadnezzar, as well.

Go back through everything weve read about Nebuchadnezzar so far.

In what ways was he trying to be God or, at least, playing the role of
God?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
You dont need to be a proud, powerful monarch in order to fall
into this trap of trying to be God. In what ways, often very subtle,
can anyone, rich or poor, weak or powerful, be tempted to play
God? Why is falling broken before the Cross the only sure remedy
against this dangerous spiritual trap?

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TEACHERS

COMMENTS

Key Text: Daniel 4:37.

Teachers Aims:
1. To confirm that pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.
2. To affirm that God shall exalt those who humble themselves.
3. To reveal Gods mercy and His readiness to forgive and to restore.
Lesson Outline:
I. Nebuchadnezzars Second Dream (Dan. 4:10-18).
A. After acknowledging Gods kingdom as an everlasting kingdom,
Nebuchadnezzar receives a second dream from God.
B. This time God uses an immense tree to symbolize the king, one that
spreads its branches across the earth and seems to reach to heaven.

II. Daniel Interprets the Dream (Dan. 4:19-27).

A. Daniel is reluctant to tell the king that the dream means he will suffer
insanity for seven years.
B. The dream serves as a warning to Nebuchadnezzar, who still denies Gods
sovereignty.
C. Daniel advises the king to accept his counsel to humble himself in order
to avoid disaster.
III. From Humiliation to Conversion (Dan. 4:33-37).
A. One year later, the kings prideful words reduce him from nobility to
wretchedness.
B. After seven years of insanity, Nebuchadnezzar acknowledges the Most
High God.
Summary: Nebuchadnezzar says it best: And at the end of the days I
Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding
returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him
that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom
is from generation to generation (Dan. 4:34).
COMMENTARY
I. You Are Not God.
First of all, states the Alcoholics Anonymous manual, we had
to quit playing God. It didnt work.Alcoholics Anonymous,
p. 62, as cited at <http://www.whytehouse.com/big_book_search/
book/ch5p62.html>. From Nebuchadnezzar to the present day, people have had an irresistible desire to play God. During all this time,
however, it has never worked.
Nebuchadnezzar had the most powerful empire of his day on

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M O N D AY October 18

Nebuchadnezzars Second Dream (Dan. 4:10-18).

Nebuchadnezzars second dream was not about an image but about a
tree. This tree was so tall that it seemed to reach into heaven and could be
seen from any part of the globe. Its immense size and spreading branches
displayed its powerful influence.

Read Daniel 4:10-17. What was the dream about? What sequence of
events happened in the dream? And what does the dream itself say
about the purpose of the dream?
The tree symbolism was not strange to Nebuchadnezzar. Herodotus
tells of the case of Astyages, Nebuchadnezzars brother-in-law, who had
also dreamed of a tree symbolizing his dominion over part of the world.
Nebuchadnezzar himself, in an inscription, compares Babylon to a great
tree sheltering the nations of the world.Quoted by J. Doukhan, in
Secrets of Daniel (Hagerstown, Md.: Review and Herald, 2000), p. 63.
In Daniel 4 the reign of Nebuchadnezzar is symbolized by the tree in
the midst of the earth (vs. 22), highlighting its importance. Babylon was
approximately in the center of the then known world.
The king then sees a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven
(vs. 13, NKJV). Throughout history God has been the Holy Watcher
who cares for His people. The prophet Hanani reminded King Asa that
the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show
Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him (2 Chron.
16:9, NKJV). Nebuchadnezzar recognized that the Holy Watcher was
similar in appearance to the One who walked with the three Hebrews in
the fiery furnace.Ellen G. White, in Review and Herald, Feb. 1, 1881.
The stump and the band refer to Nebuchadnezzars preservation,
despite his humiliation. He was to be restored as king after he came to
know God. During his madness, he also may have been bound with a
bronze chain to restrict his movements. There is some evidence for a
Mesopotamian custom of putting metal bands on trees, whether to prevent them from cracking or for some other reason that is not clear.
Remnants of a tree with bronze rings or bands were unearthed at
Khorsabad, at the entrance to the temple of [the sun god] Shamash. (See
J. J. Collins, Daniel [Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1993], p. 226.)
Read Daniel 4:17. What do you understand those words spoken to
the king to mean? Why must the living know these things? What
comfort does knowing these things give you? At the same time,
what difficult questions does this knowledge raise?

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COMMENTS

which to try out his imaginary godhood. We, on the other hand,
have only our little lives and realm of influence. Yet, the results of
playing God are always the same: chaos and ruin.
In spite of these cautionary examples, why do we try to play God
again and again? The first temptation that gave us the world as we
know it was rooted in the lie that we could be like God, knowing
good and evil (Gen. 3:5, NIV). So, the human tendency to take
Gods place is at the very root of sin.
Texts such as Romans 12:2; Galatians 5:22, 23; 1 Corinthians
13; and 2 Peter 1:3-8 indicate that we are to develop a Godlike character. But we do not achieve this by trying to play God in our own
life or in anyone elses. Rather, this development is brought about
by submitting to the Being who really does happen to be God. That,
after all, is what God Himself did in the form of Jesus, who,
although he existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with
God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of
a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men(Phil. 2:57, NASB).
To the contrary, the more we try to become what we perceive as
Godlike, the further away we drift from knowledge of the true God
and His will. Nebuchadnezzar demonstrated this quite well when in
his efforts to become an object of worship, he succeeded only in
becoming something less than human.
II. Useful Quotes About Not Playing God.
The serpent appeals to the human desire to be like God. This is
a right and reasonable desire. The later command, ye shall be holy;
for I the Lord your God am holy (Lev. 19:2; see also Matt. 5:48),
makes it clear that man is possessed of the potentiality to become
like Godin character. This likeness is to come through submission to Gods will. The serpent in telling the woman that likeness to
God is to be achieved by defiance of his command . . . suggests that
the likeness which is within human reach is likeness not in character but in power. He suggests that man can make himself the equal
of God.The Interpreters Bible (Nashville, Tenn.: Abingdon
Press, 1982), vol. 1, p. 505.
The man and his Creator God are not equals. God asserts his
authority over mankind very early in human history. Admittedly, the
word authorityleaves a bad taste in the mouths of many today. We
dont like to be told what to do. We want to decide things for ourselves.
Nevertheless, Genesis asserts that God lays down rules with
regard to what the first man and woman can and cannot do in the
garden. According to Genesis, humanity is not autonomous [selfgoverning; sovereign].David R. Helm and Jon M. Dennis, The
Genesis Factor (Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books, 2001), p. 53.
The knowledge of good and evildiscerning, determining,

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T U E S D AY October 19

Daniels Advice (Dan. 4:19-27).

Compare Daniel 2 with Daniel 4:1-9. What are the parallels between
the two events?
Though they share much in common, a few crucial differences exist
between the two stories. One of the most striking is that, in Daniel 4, the
king doesnt threaten anyone with death. Though he has a long way to go
spiritually, perhaps what we see here is a bit of the sanctifying process of
God working on him. He no longer wants to kill those who dont satisfy
his every whim.

How did the dream affect Daniel, and why was he so reluctant to speak?
Dan. 4:19.
Daniel was troubled because of the gravity of the situation. How do
you tell the king that he will become insane for seven years? Yet, he had
to tell him the truth, whatever the consequences. The counsel that Daniel
eventually gave indicates that the king could still avoid the threatened
judgment. God intended the king to learn a certain lesson from this
dream; or, if not from that, from the experience it forecast. Then, when
the lesson was learned, his kingdom would be restored to him.

What was it God wanted the king to understand? Dan. 4:25. Why would
the Lord want him to know this?
Gods rulership was the lesson God had been seeking to teach the king
from the beginning. Some thirty years earlier Daniel had told the king,
the God of heaven has given you a kingdom (Dan. 2:37, 38, NKJV),
but Nebuchadnezzar had set up an image of gold to declare his independence from the Most High. In other words, he had refused to accept
Gods sovereignty. Now he was given another opportunity to learn this
lesson, but again he failed.
The king was someone given great privileges yet who flouted those
privileges, someone whom the Lord had touched in a miraculous
way and yet who still continued to defy Him. And yet, in all this,
God wasnt going to give up on the king (see Dan. 4:27). What does
this tell us about our God (Exod. 34:6; 2 Pet. 3:9, 15)? What hope
does this offer to you, who in your own sphere might be guilty of
the same thing as Nebuchadnezzar?

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COMMENTS

controlling, and prescribing right and wrong, morality and

immorality, salvation and perdition, life and deathis the unique
attribute and the exclusi ve prerogative of divinity. . . . To have this
awesome knowledge and responsibilityto be like God in this
senseand not be God, is mans undoing. . . . Alienated from the
Creator who made him, cut off from the God who sustains him, and
incapable of bearing the burden of the knowledge of good and evil,
man can only die.Charles C. Cochrane, The Gospel According
to Genesis (Grand Rapids, Mich.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing
Co., 1984), p. 41.
We want to play God! Thats exactly the way sin is described
in Genesis. The serpent tempts Adam and Eve to be like God

Inductive Bible Study

Texts for Discovery: Isaiah 14:12-14, Daniel 4,
Revelation 14:6-12.
1 In this weeks lesson God again uses the dreams of an ancient

king to highlight values He prizes. What are some of these values? Why are humility and personal responsibility as important
as the rise and fall of nations? How should the words of Micah
6:6-8 apply to world leaders and to us personally? Explain.
2 In every age God uses different means to communicate with

His people. In Daniels time it was dreams (among others). In

Jesustime it was parables. Read Hebrews 1:1, 2. What are some
unique ways God communicates with His people today? How are
these ways different than in times past? How are they the same?
3 What words did Daniel use to indicate he was reluctant to pro

claim Gods judgment message against Nebuchadnezzar? (See

Dan. 4:19.) In one sentence, describe the relationship between
Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar. Did that relationship make it easier
or harder for Daniel to tell it like it is? Explain your answer.
4 Is pride ever justified? Explain. What makes pride so danger

ous to our spiritual health? What was Pauls antidote to pride?

Read 2 Cor. 12:7-10.
5 Daniel 4 is Nebuchadnezzars testimony (written in his own

words) about how God rescued him from spiritual destruction.

Although it probably was not a pleasant experience at the time,
Nebuchadnezzar came to appreciate what God had done for Him.
What might you be going through now that will eventually yield
positive results? How does knowing that God is in charge make
it easier for you to persevere?

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W E D N E S D AY October 20

The Kings Humiliation (Dan. 4:28-33).

Why did God punish Nebuchadnezzar when he exclaimed, Is not this
the great Babylon I have built? (After all, it was true that he had
built large parts of the city.) Dan. 4:30, NIV.
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Babylon covered an area of approximately two square miles. The total
length of its inner and outer walls was about thirteen miles long; the double wall fortifying the city measured more than ninety-six feet in width.
(See The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 4, p. 795.) It was a religious center without rival. A cuneiform tablet of Nebuchadnezzars time lists 53
temples dedicated to important gods, 955 smaller sanctuaries, and 384
street altarsall of them within the city confines.Page 797. The center of Babylons glory was the famous temple tower Etemenanki, dedicated to the god Marduk, which was 300 feet square at the base and more
than three hundred feet high. In ancient times it was only surpassed by the
two great pyramids at Giza in Egypt. Nebuchadnezzars reputation as a
builder has been preserved in the writings of the Babylonian priest
Berossus. (See Josephus, Against Apion, 1.19.)
As soon as the boastful words, Is not this the great Babylon I have
built (NIV), had left the monarchs lips, judgment was meted out,
and he became insane. What do we know about the sickness with
which Nebuchadnezzar was afflicted?
Nebuchadnezzar possibly suffered from a form of insanity in which a
man thinks that he is an animal. It could have been lycanthropy, which is
the wolf-man syndrome, or boanthropy, in which a person thinks he/she
is an ox. A Babylonian cuneiform text, published in 1975, may refer to
Nebuchadnezzars madness. The text states that the king gave contradictory orders, refused to accept counsel, showed love neither to son nor
daughter, neglected his family, and no longer performed his duties as head
of state. (See Siegfried H. Horn, in Ministry, April 1978, p. 40.)
Read carefully verses 28-33 of Daniel 4. The exact thing that
Nebuchadnezzar boasted about was the exact thing that he lost.
What spiritual principle is seen here? What lessons can we, on a
smaller scale, learn from this incident? Contrast what happened
here with the story of the rich young ruler (Matt. 19:16-23). What
differences do you see here in how the Lord dealt with these two
people?

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COMMENTS

(Gen. 3:5). We want to be Number One; indeed, sin is looking out

for Number One. But that place is already occupied. To covet it is
to put ourselves where God alone belongs. When we make ourselves the center of the universe, we have put the creature in the
place of the Creator. What else is that but worshipping an idol
instead of the true God?Dorothy and Gabriel Fackre, Christian
Basics (Grand Rapids, Mich.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.,
1991), p, 20.

Witnessing
Picture this: You are at work, minding your own business, when
halfway through the morning you become aware of a fair amount
of noise (banging of file cabinet drawers, spurts of low-volume
mumbling, occasional pacing, etc.) invading the office. You are a
bit curious, but you have tons of work to do. You attempt to banish the disturbance from your mind in an effort to concentrate on
your own long-overdue projects. However, the noise continues
and, frankly, it is getting annoyingnot to mention it is breaking
your concentration. Eventually you move your chair just enough
so that you can get a clearer picture of the source of the noise
the cubicle across the hall. You catch a glimpse of your co-worker
pacing, hands jammed in his pockets. Next thing you know, he
runs them through his hair and mutters to himself. To say he is
agitated would be a major understatement!
You are fully distracted now. You get up from your chair and
pay him a visit. It turns out that the boss has just had a little chat
with your co-worker; he has been told that if he does not immediately pick up the pace at work he will be joining the ranks of the
unemployed. You are not quite sure what to say. You make some
sympathetic gesture, then quickly rush back to your own office.
Before long you notice that your own pace has dramatically increased and you are feeling more industrious than you have in a
long time.
Sometimes God must grab our attention in much the same
way. He may shake us up a bit by allowing us to face a defining
moment in time. It is then that we know we must find Him, hold
on to Him, and follow Him. How blessed we are that He cares so
very much about our salvation that He will make every effort to
redeem us.
God depends on us as His ambassadors to help Him attract the
attention of those around us, whether it is family, close friends,
neighbors, or strangers, so all will be exposed to His love and
offer of salvation. So, think long and hard about specific ways
you can partner with God this week to attract attention!

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T H U R S D AY October 21

Nebuchadnezzars Conversion (Dan. 4:34-37).

Royal conversions are unusual but not unknown. King Agbar of Edessa
in Mesopotamia, it is said, became a Christian when the gospel was
preached to him.

What were the important points of Nebuchadnezzars sermon after

God restored him to his throne? Dan. 4:34, 35, 37.
The return of reason is said to have come to the king with his recognition of the true God. The once proud monarch had become a humble
child of God; the tyrannical, overbearing ruler, a wise and compassionate
king. He who had defied and blasphemed the God of heaven, now
acknowledged the power of the Most High and earnestly sought to promote the fear of Jehovah and the happiness of his subjects. Under the
rebuke of Him who is King of kings and Lord of lords, Nebuchadnezzar
had learned at last the lesson which all rulers need to learnthat true
greatness consists in true goodness. . . .
Gods purpose that the greatest kingdom in the world should show
forth His praise was now fulfilled. This public proclamation, in which
Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged the mercy and goodness and authority of
God, was the last act of his life recorded in sacred history.Ellen G.
White, Prophets and Kings, p. 521.

How does Nebuchadnezzars hymn of praise indicate that he had experienced a true conversion? Dan. 4:34-37.
There are a number of indicators to show that this conversion was genuine. (1) His desire to give God publicly the glory at the expense of his
own humiliation shows that the once proud monarch no longer thought
himself to be the greatest king on earth. (2) In chapter 3 he had defied the
God of the Jews; now he acknowledged Him as the true God of heaven
who held the kings destiny in His hand. (3) His selfishness and selfglorification gave way to concern for the glory of God.
True repentance and sorrow for sin denote that inward change of
mind, affections, convictions, and commitment that leads to the outward
turning from sin to God and His service.
Notice carefully the language of Daniel 4:34-37. See the sense of
the kings utter dependence upon God. Why is that attitude so
crucial for anyone who seeks to serve the Lord? How does the
Cross help us understand our total dependence upon God, especially for salvation?

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III. What the Bible Says About Humankind in Relation to God.

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he
created him; male and female he created them (Gen. 1:27, NIV).
You will not surely die, the serpent said to the woman. For
God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and
you will be like God, knowing good and evil (Gen. 3:4, NIV).
Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: Be
holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy (Lev. 19:2, NIV).

Life-Application Approach
Icebreaker: Our lesson this week focuses on crisis prevention: How important it is for us to listen to the admonitions of
God and to heed His warnings in order to prevent calamityin
both our temporal and spiritual lives.
Thought Questions:
1 Mark 7:21-23 shares with us that pride comes from within,

pride is evil, and pride defiles humanity. However, is all pride

bad? Is it evil to have pride in ones country or to be proud when
your aunt finishes college at the age of 65 or when you pick the
very first tomato of the summer from your garden? If this is not
pride you are feeling, how else might you define it?
2 Nebuchadnezzar is an example of one who wished to play

God. What are some ways todays society plays God? Do you
believe some of these actions are necessary because of the sinful
environment in which we live?
Application Questions:
1 Ellen White tells us that dreams are one of Gods own

appointed mediums of communication.Patriarchs and

Prophets, p. 683. God sent dreams to Nebuchadnezzar in order to
convey prophetic messages to him. From this we know that God
can use dreams to warn us and show us the future. We are, however, warned in both the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy to be
wary of false dreams and visions, since they may be the work of
Satan. How would you respond to someone who is concerned
over the significance of a dream, and how would you help him or
her to know whether or not it came from the Lord?
2 The next time you hear thrilling church-growth statistics, take

a moment and ask yourself the following: What can I do to

ensure that these precious souls truly have the thrill of conversion
in their lives? Share now how you plan to start!

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F R I D AY October 22
Further Study: Read the chapter entitled True Greatness in Ellen
G. Whites Prophets and Kings, pp. 514521.
King Nebuchadnezzar, before whom Daniel so often honored the
name of God, was finally thoroughly converted, and learned to praise and
extol and honour the King of heaven. Ellen G. White Comments, The
SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 4, p. 1170.
Gods judgments against men may be averted by repentance and conversion (see Isa. 38:1, 2, 5; Jer. 18:7-10; Jon. 3:1-10). For this reason
God announced the impending judgment upon Nebuchadnezzar but gave
him a full year in which to repent, and thus avert the threatened calamity
(see Dan. 4:29). However, the king did not change his way of life, and
accordingly brought upon himself the execution of the judgment. . . . God
forewarns peoples and nations of their impending doom. He sends a message to the world today, warning of its rapidly approaching end. Few may
heed such warnings, but because adequate warning has been given them
men will be without excuse in the day of calamity.The SDA Bible
Commentary, vol. 4, p. 792.

Discussion Questions:
1 In the eyes of humankind, Nebuchadnezzar was one of the

greatest kings in the ancient world; but in the eyes of God, what
really constitutes greatness?
2 Conversion is the work of the Holy Spirit on the hearts of indi
viduals. Is there anything we can do to help a person who is
under conviction to yield to Gods Spirit?
3 A theme seen in this chapter, as well as in some preceding it, is

the sovereignty of God. Why is this such an important topic to

understand? What role does the Sabbath play in helping us
understand this crucial truth?

Summary: The experience of Nebuchadnezzar in this chapter is an illustration of the truth of Proverbs 29:23, A mans pride will bring him low
(NKJV). Yet, his public confession and his desire to give God the glory
indicate that he had a true conversion experience.

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