The Biblical Path of Life

Tag: Nebuchadnezzar

  • The Handwriting on the Wall

    “And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this;”

    Daniel 5:22

    Daniel was now an older man. King Nebuchadnezzar no longer ruled. A new king reigned in Babylon. His name was Belshazzar, and he was King Nebuchadnezzar’s grandson. We know little about him, except for the time he drank wine before his thousands. “1. Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand. 2. Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein” (Daniel 5:1-2). Father in this verse means “grandfather.” King Belshazzar called for the vessels from the house of the Lord to be brought to him. Remember King Nebuchadnezzar had stolen the vessels from the Temple in Jerusalem (see Daniel 1:1-2). These vessels belonged in the house of the Lord and were consecrated to God (set apart for a special purpose). Recognize that Belshazzar misused these vessels. “They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone” (Daniel 5:4). Belshazzar was using them to praise false gods (of gold, silver, brass, iron, wood, and stone).

    Read what God did. “In the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote” (Daniel 5:5). When King Belshazzar saw a hand writing on the palace wall, he was so scared that his knees began to shake together! He sent for his wise men to tell him what the message meant – with a promise of great reward (see Daniel 5:6-7). However, none of them could tell the king what the writing meant. This frightened King Belshazzar even more.

    Nevertheless, when the queen heard what was happening, she told the king that she knew of someone. “11. There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers; 12. Forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and shewing of hard sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be called, and he will shew the interpretation” (Daniel 5:11-12). Notice the reputation that preceded Daniel! Also, recognize the confidence the queen had in Daniel – for we read the king then requested Daniel’s presence. If Daniel would give King Belshazzar the meaning, Daniel would receive great reward (see Daniel 5:13-16). However, Daniel did not want rewards for delivering a message from God to the king (see Daniel 5:17).

    The first thing Daniel did was remind King Belshazzar of his grandfather, King Nebuchadnezzar, and the response he had made when God spoke to and dealt with him (see Daniel 5:18-21; also see Daniel chapter four). Next, Daniel brought the responsibility of the writing upon the wall to the king. “22. And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this; 23. But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified” (Daniel 5:22-23). Daniel rebuked King Belshazzar for praising the gods of silver, gold, brass, iron, wood and stone, and not acknowledging God who had given him life.

    Nebuchadnezzar had humbled himself before God, but Belshazzar had refused.

    King Belshazzar had not believed in God like his grandfather, King Nebuchadnezzar.

    Read the message God had for King Belshazzar. “25. And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. 26. This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. 27. TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. 28. PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians” (Daniel 5:25-28). King Belshazzar had been “weighed in the balances” by God, and Belshazzar had been found wanting (means “deficient; lacking; to fail”). Although Belshazzar had a great kingdom, he had rejected God. The God in whom Nebuchadnezzar, his grandfather, had believed and trusted. For that, God was going to take the kingdom from Belshazzar and divide it among his enemies.

    Belshazzar fulfilled his promise to Daniel, giving him honor and gifts (see Daniel 5:29). Recognize that it did not really matter that the king declared Daniel to be the third ruler in the kingdom. Why not? “In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain” (Daniel 5:30). The handwriting declared King Belshazzar would lose his kingdom that night – and he did. He also lost his life. With that came the demise of the Babylonian reign. Belshazzar no longer lived, nor did he rule over Babylon any more.

    Nebuchadnezzar had a choice. He chose to believe in the one true God.

    Belshazzar had a choice. He chose to disregard the one true God.

    What choice have you made?

    How to choose wisely: Choose the one true God

  • Nebuchadnezzar

    “I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.”

    Job 42:5

    When Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that troubled him, he called his wise men to tell him what his dream was and what it meant. When Daniel was called, he told the king that no man could tell the king his dream and the meaning, but the answer to his dream came from God in heaven (see Daniel 2:28). After Daniel revealed the dream and its meaning, we read King Nebuchadnezzar’s first acknowledgment that the God of Daniel is the one true God. “The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret” (Daniel 2:47).

    After the dream of a great image (where his kingdom was the head of gold), Nebuchadnezzar, the king, made a huge image of gold (see Daniel 3). The people were commanded to fall down and worship that golden image when they heard the sound of the music (see Daniel 3:5). Anyone who did not worship it would be cast into a fiery furnace (Daniel 3:6). When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did not fall down and worship the image, someone told the king (see Daniel 3:12). Though they were captives in a foreign land, and they were rulers there, they had chosen to serve the one true God with their lives.

    King Nebuchadnezzar was angry (see Daniel 3:13), but he gave them a second chance to bow to the golden image – with the warning, “but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?” (Daniel 3:15b). Read their answer, “17. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. 18. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up” (Daniel 3:17-18).

    Not only did God spare their lives, miraculously, but Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged God as the most high God. This is the second time recorded that Nebuchadnezzar recognized God, and His dealings in the lives of the young men from Judah. Nebuchadnezzer said, “Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort” (Daniel 3:29).

    Daniel chapter four is different. It is written by King Nebuchadnezzar. It begins with a declaration from King Nebuchadnezzar that this is his personal testimony of how he came to know the one true God.

    It began with a dream of which none of his wise men could declare the meaning. “But at the last Daniel came in before me, whose name was Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods: and before him I told the dream …” (Daniel 4:8). Notice that Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged that he had named Daniel after his god, but he recognized that the spirit of the one true God was within Daniel. He told Daniel his dream (see Daniel 4:10-18).

    After hearing the dream, Daniel was troubled. He understood that it was bad news for Nebuchadnezzar, yet good news for his enemies (see Daniel 4:19-26 for the interpretation of that dream). Read a key part: “That they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will” (Daniel 4:25). Moreover, read the invitation Daniel gave to King Nebuchadnezzar. “Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity” (Daniel 4:27). Daniel counseled him to turn from his sins.

    Just as God warned in a dream, “All this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar” (Daniel 4:28). One year later, Nebuchadnezzar said, “… Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?” (Daniel 4:30). While the words were in his mouth, God spoke telling Nebuchadnezzar that, “The kingdom is departed from thee” (Daniel 431b). God proceeded to tell him that he would be driven from men to live with the beasts of the field and eat grass for seven years. It happened that same hour (see Daniel 4:33). But at the end of that seven years, recognize what happened. “And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation” (Daniel 4:34). Understand what took place. Once Nebuchadnezzar recognized the God, his understanding returned and he was reestablished in his kingdom (see Daniel 4:36). Read the declaration made by King Nebuchadnezzar. “Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase” (Daniel 4:37). When Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged God and what God had done in his life, Nebuchadnezzar was changed – for now he knew God.

    Nebuchadnezzar had to come to the same place Job had reached: “5. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. 6. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:5-6). He had heard of God, but now he knew Him.

    Have you come to the place where you have not only heard of God, but know you know Him?

    The only way to know God is through His Son, Jesus. Click here to learn how to know God.

  • Lesson 3: Daniel 1-4 Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon

    Key Verse

    Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.    

    —Matthew 10:16

    Key Verse Thought: Read the Key Verse. What do you think would happen to a sheep that was sent into the midst of a bunch of wolves (i.e.:  chased, surrounded, killed, eaten, etc.). In this lesson, we will learn of four young men who were taken from their own people to live among an enemy nation who did not know God. We will learn how they were wise (as serpents – serpents means “the emblem of wisdom or cunning”) and harmless (harmless means “without any mixture of deceit or any defiling material”) as doves.

    Emphasis: In this lesson, we will learn to understand that we are a witness to this lost generation – just as Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were a life changing witness to Nebuchadnezzar – for he was saved because of their lives.

    Lesson Summary: The book of Daniel contains some of the more familiar events in the Bible. Most people have probably heard these “stories” often. We will recognize that these are not just “stories” and, we will begin to understand them even better. First, we will consider their place in history. Daniel lived during the lives of the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Daniel and his three friends were most likely taken during the first siege of Nebuchadnezzar when many nobles and princes were taken captive (Daniel was of the kingly lineage of Judah). Remember that God allowed Babylon to come up against Jerusalem because of the condition of the Israelites – especially during the reign of their last four kings (for they had predominately forsaken God for idol worship).       

    In this lesson, we learn of four particular young men who were carried captive into the enemy king’s household: Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. We find that they chose to obey God rather than the king, and God blessed them for that choice. They became rulers in the enemy land. The familiar events we will learn about today:

    1. Daniel and his three friends refuse to eat the king’s meat, but they are found wiser than all of the wise men in Babylon.
    2. Nebuchadnezzar had a troubling dream that he could not remember. Although none of the wise men of Babylon could tell him the dream or the meaning, Daniel prayed with his friends and God revealed to Daniel the dream and the meaning of that dream.
    3. When King Nebuchadnezzar erected a ninety-foot statue, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow and were cast into the fiery furnace. When Jesus was in the fire with these three, Nebuchadnezzar again acknowledged God was real.
    4. Nebuchadnezzar had another dream, and Daniel warned him to repent of his sins. Instead, Nebuchadnezzar lived as a wild animal for seven years. Nevertheless, when he acknowledged God as the most High God, he was finally saved – all because of the witness of these four men.

    Y2Q4 – Lesson 3 Questions

    Y2Q4 – Lesson 3 Children’s Worksheets

    If you are teaching this to younger children, the following is a craft idea to help them remember this lesson:

    We used stickers to help us remember that God took care of them in the fiery furnace.