Who Is Nebuchadnezzar?

Have you ever known a really big, strong, tough guy with an incredibly soft and tender heart? Maybe you’ve seen the old movies, Kindergarten Cop or The Pacifier. In both movies the plot is basically the same. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Vin Diesel play law enforcement officers who go undercover to protect children from bad guys, and we fall in love with these HUMONGOUS tough guys because of their soft hearts. 

But sometimes we like to see tough guys brought to their knees. Does anyone cry when the Wicked Witch of the West gets smashed by a house? I’m pretty happy when Robin Hood repeatedly steals from the Sheriff of Nottingham.  

Let’s look at Scripture’s quintessential tough guy—Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon—and see if his over-the-top “badness” can be balanced by a softer side. 

Nebuchadnezzar’s Rise to the Throne 

History tells us Babylon invaded Judah three times: 605 BC, 597 BC, and 586 BC (when the final destruction occurred). The Book of Daniel first introduces us to Nebuchadnezzar in 605BC. At the time Neb (forgive the abbreviation, but I really don’t want to spell out that name for the rest of this post!) was crown prince and his father, King Nabopolassar, reigned in Babylon. 

“In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.” Daniel 1:1 

Daniel records him as “King Neb” because King Nabopolassar died during this invasion. Neb was summoned immediately back to Babylon to assume the throne before any of his rivals could stage a coup. 

Neb’s Worldview 

Neb was an empire builder, who sought to create a singular, educated, and multi-cultured world of progressive thinkers under his dominion. Totally unlike the Assyrians he’d defeated who sought to imprison and enslave other nations under a succession of destructive kings. Neb was no pushover, however. He demanded excellence and had zero tolerance for mistakes or deception. 

Ashpenaz didn’t dare let Daniel and his three friends eat only vegetables and water (until they proved they could look as healthy as other boys) for fear Neb “would have [his] head.” And when Neb had a terrible nightmare…  

“The king replied to the astrologers, ‘This is what I have firmly decided: If you do not tell me what my dream was and interpret it, I will have you cut into pieces and your houses turned into piles of rubble. But if you tell me the dream and explain it, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. So tell me the dream and interpret it for me.’” Daniel 2:5-6 

Why do we know Neb desired a multi-cultured empire? Besides the fact that he captured and trained young royals/nobles from Judah to become his nobles in far-flung provinces all over his empire, we also see Neb combining military might from various nations to fight for him. 

“The Lord sent Babylonian, Aramean, Moabite and Ammonite raiders against him to destroy Judah, in accordance with the word of the Lord proclaimed by his servants the prophets.” 2 Kings 24:2 

Granted, many kings used mercenary armies for battle, but Neb seemed disposed to maintaining their services for the long haul. 

Neb’s Personal Faith 

Neb was an incredibly prideful man, but who wouldn’t be—as king of the world and all, right? After Daniel interpreted his nightmare, he proceeded to set up the image he saw in the dream and commanded everyone to bow down and worship it. When Daniel’s three friends—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—refused to do so, Neb nearly popped a blood vessel! You know the story, don’t you? When he throws them into the fiery furnace and sees the fourth figure that “looked like a son of the gods” (Daniel 3). After he talks with the men God rescued, what does his proclamation reveal about his personal faith in Yahweh? 

“Then Nebuchadnezzar said, ‘Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.’” Daniel 3:28-29 

To me, it indicates Neb’s belief without commitment. Neb believed Yahweh existed but didn’t want the burden of changing his life to reflect that belief—maybe not so different than folks in our world today.  

Neb’s Reflection

Now, fast-forward a number of years (35 yrs in my novel), when Neb reflects on the experience God used to humble him. 

“To the nations and peoples of every language, who live in all the earth: May you prosper greatly! It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me. How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom; his dominion endures from generation to generation…” Daniel 4:1-3 

Has a different ring to it, huh? Much more personal. Daniel recounts for his readers—in Neb’s own words—the story of the king’s “boanthropy.” (Yes, it’s a real thing in the medical world—or at least psychiatrists have named a condition after what they believe Neb experienced. https://www.pharmaceutical-journal.com/opinion/blogs/nebuchadnezzar-and-boanthropy/11123165.blog?firstPass=false)  

“Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.” Daniel 4:37 

Tweet-A-Licious! 

• A look at tough-guy Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, with the balance of his softer side. 
• Did you know that King Nebuchadnezzar turned into a beast for seven years? Modern medicine has a name for his condition. Wanna hear it?

• Nebuchadnezzar’s reaction to the three men saved from the fiery furnace matches many modern thinkers today. Find out more on the blog today. 

Today’s Question: 

• Anything new or interesting to you in today’s post about King Nebuchadnezzar?