See God at work in the Babylonian King’s Life
When I consider Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, I think of an evil man who killed countless people and plundered the nations he conquered. Yet, despite his many shortfalls, I wonder if God views him differently.
Jeremiah quotes the Lord as calling Nebuchadnezzar “my servant.” God plans to use Nebuchadnezzar to exact judgment on the nation of Judah for their ongoing disregard for him and his commands.
This is exactly what happens. Therefore, it shouldn’t surprise us to see God at work in Nebuchadnezzar’s life.
Here are three stories, all from the book of Daniel:
First, Nebuchadnezzar has a dream. He believes the dream has meaning, but it confounds him. He calls all the wise people in his realm to explain it to him.
Yet he refuses to tell them the dream. To verify their interpretation is correct, he requires them to first tell him the dream and then clarify what it means. If they don’t have the discernment to know the dream, how can he trust their explanation?
But no one can tell Nebuchadnezzar his dream.
Then Daniel comes forward, confirming that he can’t either but acknowledging that God will reveal it to him. He tells the king his dream and interprets it.
Relieved, Nebuchadnezzar honors Daniel and gives him rule over the entire province of Babylon. The king affirms God as the God of gods and King of kings, one who reveals mysteries. This is quite a proclamation for a pagan ruler to make.
Our second story about Nebuchadnezzar is the one we covered in the chapter about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
The king makes a giant statue for the people to worship and decrees that anyone who fails to do so will be burned to death. The trio refuses, but God delivers them from the deadly blaze unscathed.
Amazed, Nebuchadnezzar praises God and decrees that anyone who talks against God will face a gruesome death and have their house destroyed. This is quite amazing for a king who doesn’t know God.
Our last story is about another dream Nebuchadnezzar has. Daniel’s interpretation reveals that, because of the king’s pride, he will go insane as punishment. After seven years his sanity will return, and he’ll resume his rule.
Everything happens as Daniel declared.
Upon being returned to his rule, Nebuchadnezzar praises “the Most Holy God,” giving him honor and glory. He pens not one, but two passages that praise God for his infinite rule and unsurpassed power. Each reads much like a psalm.
Imagine that. Nebuchadnezzar—the nemesis of God’s people—praising the Lord most high through two psalms.
In these three stories, the evil King Nebuchadnezzar emerges as an enigma. Seeing how God interacts with him—and the king’s response—fills me with awe and wonder.
How open are we to see God at work in people we view as wicked?
If an evil king can affirm God’s power, what can we do?
[Read about Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 1:1–2 and Daniel 2–3. Discover more in 2 Kings 24–25 and Jeremiah 25:8–9.]
Learn about 100 more biblical characters in More Old Testament Sinners and Saints, available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover. Get your copy today.
More Old Testament Sinners and Saints is part of the Bible Character Sketches series.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront a status quo faith and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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