CHARACTER STUDY ~ KING NEBUCHADNEZZAR

Nebuchadnezzar comes from the Akkadian words Nabû-kudurri-uṣur, meaning "Nabu, protect my heir". He was the king of Babylon. Although not of the descendants of Abraham, God used him as an instrument of His judgment over the Israelites. 

Some Characteristics of Nebuchadnezzar:

✔ Nebuchadnezzar besieged Judah and led them to captivity in Babylon in the third year of his reign. He made away with some treasures in the House of God and set them in the treasure house of his god.  

✔ King Nebuchadnezzar instructed Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, to bring some of the children of Israel, some of the king’s descendants and some of the nobles, young men in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand, who could serve in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the language and literature of the Chaldeans. This teaches us to seek the best to improve on what we have. 

✔ Nebuchadnezzar made provisions to nourish the captives he intended to train. The king made a daily provision of the king’s delicacies, wine, and three years of training. After three years, king Nebuchadnezzar interviewed the trainees to assess their level of understanding. We must strive to evaluate our processes to be sure of their effectiveness.

✔ Nebuchadnezzar received visions from the Lord in the form of dreams. To ensure the interpretations of his dreams were not misleading, he required his magicians, the astrologers, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans to narrate the dreams. Daniel was the only one who could narrate and explain the dream, so he acknowledged his God is Great: “Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets since you could reveal this secret.”  The king promoted Daniel as ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon, and gave him many great gifts.

✔ King Nebuchadnezzar made a golden image of himself for his subjects to worship and whoever failed to worship it should be thrown in the burning fiery furnace. He was humbled by the fourth man who delivered the three Hebrew boys and worshipped the Lord Almighty. 

✔ King Nebuchadnezzar was driven from men and ate grass like oxen; his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws. His failure to acknowledge God led to his humiliation. Fear God and be humble.   

✔ Belshazzar was mentioned as a son of Nebuchadnezzar in the fifth chapter of the book of Daniel. 

✔ There is no record in the Bible concerning the death of Nebuchadnezzar although other literatures might have it. 

Supporting Scriptures: 2 Kings 24 & 25; 2 Chronicles 6:15; 36:5-21; Ezra 1:7; Daniel 1-5:2; Jeremiah 21-49; and Ezekiel 26:7-12