Daniel 4- Inhuman

 

            Today we’re continuing in the book of Daniel. And Daniel chapter 4 shares a lot of similarities to Daniel chapter 2. In both the king dreams a dream the needs interpretation. And both times none of the king’s wise men, magicians, enchanters, or diviners could interpret the dream, but Daniel could. As we said before, there are questions about this world that none of our wise men can answer, not scientists, not phds, some answers can only be answered by God and those God speaks through. And then this dream also is similar in that it is trying to teach King Nebuchadnezzar that his kingdom is not as great and glorious as he thinks. The first dream showed that the empire of Babylon would one day fall and be replaced by other kingdoms. But this dream was a little more pointed, it focused in on how Nebuchadnezzar’s own reign was about to be taken from him, at least for a time. And we’re going to be focusing a lot today on the type of punishment that Nebuchadnezzar is receiving here. He is going to be made to live as an animal. To have the mind and the heart of an animal. To live out in nature without shelter. To have his hair grow long like Tarzans. To have his nails grow long like claws.

            But first I want to note that Daniel was in the unenviable position here of having to interpret the dream to Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel is quite distressed when he hears the dream and understands its interpretation. For who wants to speak of coming judgment to another? Especially when that other person is a powerful king whose rage has in the past tossed dissidents into fiery furnaces. Daniel is afraid of speaking the truth here. For a king with as much power and authority as Nebuchadnezzar would be furious to hear that their glory would be lessened in even the smallest of ways, and yet Daniel had to speak of Nebuchadnezzar being brought so low that he would be lower than the lowest human, he wouldn’t even really be human, he’d be almost just an animal. But to Daniel’s credit he spoke the truth, despite his fear and distress. As Christians, we often have to speak words that we are afraid to speak, we have to mention judgment we would often rather not see come to pass, but hiding the truth benefits no one, let us speak true.

            So why did God choose to punish Nebuchadnezzar in this way? To make him have the mind and the heart of an animal. Here’s my contention: this punishment was symbolic of the way in which Nebuchadnezzar was increasingly choosing to act in inhuman ways. We have this interesting vocabulary in our language about how things can be inhuman or inhumane. Of something being barbaric or savage. When we see something particularly cruel or callous we call it inhumane. And when we use that language, we are basically saying that mercy and justice are at the heart of what it means to be human, and when we act in a way that is so far from mercy and justice, we are acting in a way that isn’t human at all.

            In Daniel 4, there was a particular phrase that Nebuchadnezzar said that really sparked the beginning of the judgment, it’s when he looked around at all he ruled over and he said, “Is this not magnificent Babylon which I have built by my mighty power and for my glorious majesty?” Let us explore how this phrase was inhuman. And to do that, we need to look at what it really means to be human. And there’s perhaps no better place to go to discern what it really means to be human than to Genesis 1 and 2 where humans were first created. And what do we learn there? We learn that humans were made in the image of God. And what it means to have the image of God is multifaceted and complex, but at least one thing that having the image of God means is that every time anyone looks at us we are meant to be reflections of the glory of God. Others are to see the glory of God’s image when they look at us. But when our lives become no longer about pointing to God’s glory, about reflecting his majesty, when they instead become about bringing glory and majesty to ourselves, like Nebuchadnezzar’s life became about, we shatter the image of God in us like a cracked mirror, and we become a little less human.

            What else do we see in Genesis 1 and 2? We see that all creation is a gift from God. We see there how God breathed life into us. We see there how God gave us all we have, he gave us food to eat, a world to live in. When we forget that all that we have is a gift received from God, but instead start to think that all we have we’ve made for ourselves, earned for ourselves, like Nebuchadnezzar thought, we become a little less human.

            What else do we see in Genesis 1 and 2? We see, in the words of the theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer that limits were placed at the center of our existence, in the middle of the garden was placed the tree of which we should not eat. When we start to think conversely that we have no limits, no limits to our power, no limits to our lifespan, no limits to our conduct and morality, we become a little less human. One commentator wrote of Nebuchadnezzar that pride is madness. To think of oneself so highly, as almost a god, is to cut oneself off from reality. Because it’s just so clearly false. The limits of our existence are abundant and obvious to see for any who are sane. No wonder Nebuchadnezzar went mad and lived like an animal, for he had already been living in madness, in falsehoods separated from reality. Pride is madness, humility is sanity. And a large part of humility is just having a proper conception of oneself. Of being realistic of one’s limits, that though you have some strengths, you have many weaknesses, that you are mortal, that there is really no reason for them to think of yourself as any better than any other human, that every human is a beloved creation, that every human has unique talents. Humility is sanity because humility looks at oneself as one really is, humility is having one’s perspective match reality.

            And one final thing we learn in Genesis 1 and 2 is that we’re given dominion over creation, over the plants and animals. But notice how Nebuchadnezzar’s dominion is different than the dominion we’re supposed to have. Our dominion is meant to be over plants and animals, not over fellow humans. Fellow humans are meant to have some degree of freedom, they are meant to have some sphere of their own authority and dominion. The dominion we’re given is thus not one of tyranny. And our dominion is meant to be one of stewardship, which basically means that as imagebearers of God we rule as ambassadors of God’s own rule. This means that as much as we are rulers, we are still subjects, still servants of God, our authority is derived from God’s greater authority. And thus our servanthood towards God must take precedence over our authority over creation. And God calls us in our dominion in Genesis 2 to guard and serve the earth, not to exploit it, to protect it, not dominate it. So whenever we rule in such a way that we forget that we are also a servant, whenever we rule in a way that exploits rather than protects, like how Nebuchadnezzar ruled, we become a little less human. Now we’re not all kings like Nebuchadnezzar, but we do have authority in small spheres like in the home or over creation or in the workplace, act in those spheres of authority as a servant first, and a leader second.

            So, after reflecting on what it means to be a human from Genesis 1 and 2, we see that though King Nebuchadnezzar is punished by God with becoming inhuman, that this punishment mostly is only a reflection of what Nebuchadnezzar has already done to himself, as Nebuchadnezzar has already chosen over and over to live in inhuman ways. In our New Testament reading from 2 Timothy 3 we read this list of negative attributes we are to avoid. And among the list was being inhuman. And the rest of the list gave similar answers to what we have already answered of what it looks like to be inhuman: to love ourselves above God, to be arrogant, to love money, to boast. The simple truth is this: God created us for a specific purpose. God had specific plans and callings for what we humans were meant to be. And when we don’t live into those things, we become a little less human.

            So Daniel interpreted the dream for Nebuchadnezzar and told the king of the coming punishment of being made like the inhuman animal he was acting like. But notice that Daniel also added counsel to the end of his interpretation. He said, my counsel, o king, is that you repent of your sins by being merciful to the poor. It was wise counsel because God often relents of prophesied punishment if you truly grow sorrowful and repentant of your misdeeds. And you may wonder why Daniel prescribes kindness to the poor as the path of repentance. For wasn’t Nebuchadnezzar’s sin mainly a sin of pride? Yes, but what better way to show that you’ve truly learned humility than by kindness to the poor. It’s a way of recognizing that but for the grace of God I would be in their shoes, and because I’ve received so much from God, I can give some to others. It is hard for a king to empathize with a peasant and think that they themselves might’ve ended up there if they were but born into a different family. Humility is to see the poor as neighbors to be loved instead of people to be used or ignored. And if Nebuchadnezzar was smart, he would’ve listened to Daniel’s counsel to be kind to the poor. But he did not, and so he faced the punishment, and he would soon be in need of the mercy that he did not show others when he himself would be lowly and poor and mentally ill.

            Notice also with this punishment though that God is not punishing Nebuchadnezzar just to punish him, God is punishing Nebuchadnezzar to teach him something, to teach him humility, to teach him sanity. The punishment was always meant to be limited in scope, and not last forever. It says the punishment lasted seven times. And it’s not fully clear if this means it lasted for seven years, or if seven is being used more symbolically here as meaning the punishment lasted for the fullness and completeness it needed to until Nebuchadnezzar learned his lesson. God often sends trials into our life or allows trials in our life to teach us lessons we need to learn. Suffering is not something we should seek after, but we should seek to make the most of the suffering to learn and grow through it. By being brought so low, Nebuchadnezzar learned quite clearly that his great empire was there not because of his own greatness, but merely by the appointment of God. Think how much more emapthy Nebuchadnezzar would have had for the poor and lowly after this experience. Think if you were to lose your house in a fire, or if your 401k were to disappear due to a stock market crash, or if famine or war crippled your livelihood, think how much more empathy you would have for others who are struggling after experiencing that loss. We must see the truth of the statement that but for the grace of God, there go I, so let us be kind and merciful to those in need. Trials and sufferings have much that they can teach us. But if we are smart we will learn those lessons from the trials and sufferings of those around us, and not have to endure the trials ourselves to learn the needed lesson.

            When Nebuchadnezzar finally learned the needed lesson, his reason returned to him, and his kingdom was returned to him. And he says now I honor the king of heaven. Now I know that humans are accounted as nothing compared to God. And now I know that God is able to bring low those who walk in pride, and he can give kingdoms of mortals to the lowliest of humans. It is very possible that it was this very story of Nebuchadnezzar that inspired Mary’s words in her Magnificat from Luke 1 where she speaks of how God brings powerful down from their thrones and lifts up the lowly. Yes, it is the glory of God to humble the exalted and to exalt the humble. And Jesus models this for us with the life of humility and lowliness that he chose that led him to being exalted by God high above every other name.

            Let us learn from Nebuchadnezzar the lesson of the sanity of humility. Let us stop living in the madness of pride where we think of ourselves in ways that do not reflect reality. We are humble creatures with limits, but we are deeply loved, and that is what we should rest in, not the greatness of ourselves, but in the greatness of the God who loves us and cares for us. And that is when we are really human, that is when we are really Christian, when we live lives of thankfulness for the glory of God that shines down on us and enlightens our souls.