Daniel 4:30-35
30 He [Nebuchadnezzar] said, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?” 31 The words were still on his lips when a voice came from heaven, “This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you. 32 You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like cattle. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes.”
33 Immediately what had been said about Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. He was driven away from people and ate grass like cattle. His body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird. 34 At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever. His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation. 35 All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: “What have you done?”
Earlier in the Book of Daniel, we see King Nebuchadnezzar asking Daniel for an interpretation of a strange dream, in which a beautiful, fruitful tree is cut down, bound up with metal, and exposed to the wild elements for several years. Daniel interprets the dream as having specific meaning for Nebuchadnezzar himself, warning the king that if he continues on his wicked, sinful path, he will receive the same treatment as the tree, being “cut down” from his throne and humbled.
The king, however, largely disregards Daniel’s warning until about a year later, when he’s walking around on the roof of Babylon’s royal palace–verse 30 is Nebuchadnezzar’s self-congratulatory murmur. This apparently is the final straw for God, Who has put up with the Babylonian monarch’s pompousness for long enough (verse 31-32 is God’s direct response).
And, just as Daniel’s warning had said, Nebuchadnezzar is stripped of his crown and put out to pasture, living among the wild animals until “seven times” pass (either seven years or seven lengths of indeterminate time). This most humbling condition finally gets through to the king, who states in verses 34-35 that he now realizes the true omnipotence of God. No longer is Nebuchadnezzar pridefully crowing about “his” accomplishments; he realizes that God has the actual power and control.
Why Does God Give This Harsh Punishment? Pride!
God’s actions toward Nebuchadnezzar can seem overly harsh and punitive, but we have to keep in mind that the Babylonian king thought himself akin to a god in some ways. After all, he had been the one to cast Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego into the furnace for not worshipping the image of gold he had personally set up. All his actions up until this point had been self-serving and self-important, and directly contradicted God. And, in a last insult to God, he had not heeded the warning sent in a dream and interpreted by Daniel. Thus, God had to do something a little more drastic to get through to him.
We can be just as stubborn as Nebuchadnezzar sometimes. We can get all caught up in OUR big plans, OUR talents and abilities, OUR self-sufficiency, etc., and forget all about God and the fact that He is the one who really has control. So God has to discipline us, not just to show off His power, but to keep us from pride’s lofty heights, which only lead to terrifying falls (as I have experienced personally). As tough as this act of God might be to endure, the king finally learns his humble lesson, and goes on to glorify God instead of himself. We have to learn how to put aside our own pride and glorify God (rather than our own accomplishments) in the same way.