JULY 10, 2025 – ANIMAL

READ: Dan. 4:28–37: … he was driven from man and ate grass …

The message of the dream came true a year later. It was a divine warning intended to bring Nebuchadnezzar to repentance. But what effect did it have on the king?

If he truly valued God as highly as he claimed earlier to Daniel and his friends, he would have taken the warning seriously. He also clearly understood the dream’s message, as he later recorded everything in detail.

Yet, Nebuchadnezzar did not repent. Verse 30 shows he remained the arrogant king, proud of himself and not reliant on God. His heart was still full of pride.

One day, standing on the rooftop of his palace, he looked out over rebuilt Babylon, admiring it as his own achievement and glory. He gave no credit to God. As he spoke these proud words, God’s foretold judgment came immediately. Before he even finished speaking, he heard the verdict from heaven.

In that moment, he began to behave like an animal. He ate grass like oxen and was drenched with the dew of the field. His hair and nails grew long and untrimmed, making him unrecognizable as a human.

The once-proud king was utterly humiliated—considered less than human. He was cast out and isolated. That is the deepest form of humiliation: to be excluded from human society and abandoned to oneself.

Yet even this severe punishment had the purpose of bringing him to repentance. From verse 34 onward, God’s grace shines brightly. Nebuchadnezzar finally acknowledges God. He praises the eternal God, the Most High, who reigns above all people. Then, God restores his sanity and reinstates his royal authority.

Was his repentance genuine? His praise is certainly sincere and great!

Are there such proud rulers today as well?

Sing: Ps. 1:3