i started reading daniel 2 today, which I know is an important one for end-times gurus and prophecy buffs, but while i was reading it, i got concerned about a quirk i noticed in nebuchadnezzar's behavior. namely, in one minute he goes from executing his closest advisers because they aren't doing a good job of interpreting his dreams (which i can understand, because, really what dictator doesn't go through worry like that?) to all of a sudden deciding to hear out one last wise man (daniel) and subsequently praising daniel's god and promoting daniel and his friends. when i read this, i suspected that this type of behavior swing might be a little extreme. the king doesn't seem to take moderate action.
so, i read a bit more. i don't know how long it was after nebuchadnezzar had praised god in 2:47, and promoted shadrach, meshach, and abednego, but starting chapter 3, he decides to build an image and throw in a fiery furnace those who would not bow to it. again, to me it sounds like this guy is on the edge of insanity - no, not on the edge, but completely ensconced. why such extreme measures? so he ends up throwing shadrach, meshach, and abednego into the furnace. of course, they don't die and in 3:28, nebuchadnezzar is once again praising their god (the same one he was praising in chapter 2). he then decrees that anyone who says anything against their god will face death. i also read in some jewish literature that nebuchadnezzar then executed the 600,000 jews who were not pious like shadrach, meshach, and abednego and actually did bow down to the statue. what makes people behave this way? he then promotes the three friends again.
in chapter 4, daniel clarifies yet another dream for the king. this one is not good news, and, in fact, it indicates that nebuchadnezzar will indeed go insane if he doesn't change his ways and "be kind to the oppressed." one year later, nebuchadnezzar is out walking on his palace roof when the lord tells him he will be exiled from his kingdom out to the wilderness where he will eat grass cattle and his hair and nails will grow long. for seven years, he lives like this (lycanthropy) before his sanity is restored and he comes back glorifying the god of daniel.
while it is amusing to plot the behavioral antics of a crazed killer, it also seems like nebuchadnezzar forgot things a lot. i was reading "the screwtape letters" recently and among the amazing dialogue in that book is a portion in the very beginning where screwtape tells his nephew to always keep his subjects focused on the "stream of immediate sense experiences," and all the distractions of "real life" such as a passing bus or the shouting paper boy on the corner in order to keep the subject from thinking on further things like reality and truth and answers. something like this must be what keeps nebuchadnezzar so forgetful of the way he praises the lord after a miracle occurs. i imagine that people in power are some of the most susceptible to this "screwtape letters" way of thinking because they have so much going on, but i wonder about the times in my life when i forget how much i was just in love with the lord. when am i too preoccupied with the ordinariness of things to remember my commitment to christ? i don't have power over much, but i'm sure i still exhibit some of the habitual forgetfulness of nebuchadnezzar. i reckon i should probably quit this blog right now and pray.
later.
2 comments:
From some of the things you were saying, I thought you were going to pick Daniel apart and say, look this pice doesn't fit, so it all it broken.
However, i was pleasantly surprised to find out that i was mistaken, and i think that you hit the nail on the head when it comes to the king and forgetting things is just like we do today. I have come to the realization that in many practical ways we have all the pleasure offered to a king like King Solomon right at our finger tips with technology and commerce today.
I think i need to go pray now too, partly because tonight at my church we are having a prophecy meeting on Daniel 2 that starts a whole series. Blessings to you. I like the picture.
From some of the things you were saying, I thought you were going to pick it apart and say, look this pice doesn't fit, so it all it broken.
However, i was pleasantly surprised to find out that i was mistaken, and i think that you hit the nail on the head when it come to the king and forgetting things is just like we do today. I have come to the realization that in many practical ways we have all the pleasure offered to a king like King Solomon right at our finger tips with technology and commerce today.
I think i need to go pray now too, partly because tonight at my church we are having a prophecy meeting on Daniel 2 that starts a whole series. Blessings to you. I like the picture.
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