The repeated displays of power and grace experienced, then forgotten, by Nebuchadnezzar are part of what makes this subtext so intriguing. In Chapter 2, Daniel steps up to satisfy his audacious demand by revealing and interpreting his dream. Nebuchadnezzar is overwhelmed with God’s omniscience and bows to give Daniel his props – but only for a moment.

If you read the first post, you know that our church is starting a series from Daniel and I’m reacquainting myself with the Babylonian King, Nebuchadnezzar. I won’t be providing a phonetic spelling for his name so just make due with however it rolls off the tongue. More importantly, be thankful that ‘Nebuchadnezzar’ is not the name you type each time personal information is required. In the world of carpal tunnel surgery, the name ‘Nebuchadnezzar’ is the mother-lode.

Yes, I digress. But you might commend me if you knew all I wasn’t saying.

Anyway, we are looking at how Nebuchadnezzar is portrayed in the book of Daniel and examining how leaders can become huge in their own minds. Let’s look together at another symptom of a leader growing large.

Forgotten Rescues

The repeated displays of power and grace experienced, then forgotten, by Nebuchadnezzar are part of what makes this subtext so intriguing. In Chapter 2, Daniel steps up to satisfy his audacious demand by revealing and interpreting his dream. Nebuchadnezzar is overwhelmed with God’s omniscience and bows to give Daniel his props – but only for a moment.

Within a few verses, we read, “King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold,… Then the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces gathered for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.” (Daniel 3:1,3). This was the law the King then instituted. “You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace.” (Dan. 3:4-6)

In only a short span of time, Nebuchadnezzar swings from bowing before God to becoming a god; from being a leader who worships God to insisting his people worship a leader. What happened to the heartfelt gratitude towards God for having Daniel interpret his dream?

It was forgotten. Big leaders have bad memories. Particularly when it comes to God.

It happens again. Nebuchadnezzar discovers that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego will not bow to his image, so he sentences them to a fiery death. You know the story. They emerge from the fire unsinged. Nebuchadnezzar is astonished and exclaims, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God.” (Dan. 3: 28). Nebuchadnezzar then decrees that anyone ‘who speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins” (Dan. 3: 29). One will look hard to find a more vivid illustration of the routine absurdity we are talking about in this series.

But wait, there’s one more.

Once again, the memory of God’s rescue fades quickly. Nebuchadnezzar is soon found strolling across the roof of his royal palace saying, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?”(Dan. 4:30) Before the self-celebration was complete, God spoke saying, “you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field.” (Dan. 4:32).

Nebuchadnezzar, the same leader who had built an empire, was about to go crazy.

It’s a funny thing about leadership. The larger we grow, the less we recall. God’s rescues are displaced by our exploits. We become big and God becomes small.

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