5. x

7. God and Nebuchadnezzar’s Pride
Daniel 4
God and Nebuchadnezzar’s Pride

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15. Babylon occupied only about 2 square miles!

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18. Pergamon Museum, Berlin

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Pergamon Museum, Berlin

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22. Pergamon Museum, Berlin

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25. Nebuchadnezzar defeated Egypt

26. Lycanthropy (wolf-man syndrome) or boanthropy (ox-man syndrome)

27. The Chiastic Structure of Daniel
Comes from the Greek letter, ‘Chi’ (X)
This structure is common throughout the OT, especially in the Psalms

28. The Chiastic Structure of Daniel
Chapters 2 – 7 of Daniel were written in Aramaic and are of a historical nature

29. The Chiastic Structure of Daniel
A. Daniel 2 – prophecy about the rise and fall of kingdoms
B. Daniel 3 – narrative about the persecution of Daniel’s friends
C. Daniel 4 – prophecy about the fall and rise of King Nebuchadnezzar
C. Daniel 5 – prophecy about the fall of King Belshazzar
B. Daniel 6 – narrative about the persecution of Daniel
A. Daniel 7 – prophecy about the rise and fall of kingdoms

30. The Chiastic Structure of Daniel
1. It served as a memory device
2. It helps one see explanatory links between the paired narratives. (Daniel 2 & 7)
3. Aesthetics – It is easy to recognize the literary beauty of the Psalms, but why not the prose? Daniel was a literary artist!
4. Emphasizes the unity of this section of Daniel and the whole book. Some who try to move Daniel to a different time period miss this connection and break the consistency of the book.

31. The Chiastic Structure of Daniel

32. The Chiastic Structure of Daniel
Neb Bel.
Local setting – Neb. in his palace and Bel. in the same palace
Both kings had become cases of vaunted ego
Both were judged by the true God
Both judgments came in the form of prophecies which were subsequently fulfilled
Daniel was present to interpret both of these prophecies
Difference – Neb. fell into insanity, but then returned to his throne; Bel. had no subsequent redemption.

33. 1. God and our pride
What is pride?

34. 1. God and our pride
Nebuchadnezzar’s pride was “inordinate self-esteem”
Proverbs 16:18
Proverbs 8:13
Micah 6:8

35. 1. God and our pride
Pride always leads us to lose our dependence on God.

36. 2. God’s respect for leadership
Daniel 4:17 – 2 lessons to learn

37. 2. God’s respect for leadership
God treated Nebuchadnezzar in this way in order to help him. God loved even this boastful, impulsive, cruel person.

38. 2. God’s respect for leadership
1 Tim 2:1,2
We can thank God for the good things in all governments, even bad ones!

39. 2. God’s respect for leadership
Consider how Jesus dealt with the Pharisees who brought Him the woman caught in adultery.
Luke 19:10

40. 2. God’s respect for leadership
“We ought to obey God rather than men.” – Acts 5:29

41. 2. God’s respect for leadership
Daniel attended the state college, but wouldn’t eat the food. S, M & A attended the dedication, but would not bow to the image.

42. Romans 13:1-4

43. 3. God is generous in appointing prophets
We have an example from the time of Daniel. When Daniel served in Babylon as God’s ambassador to the royal palace, …

44. 3. God is generous in appointing prophets
God had two other prophets in service as well. Jeremiah, who was older than Daniel, worked in Palestine and later in Egypt. …

45. 3. God is generous in appointing prophets
Ezekiel worked in Babylon. Ezekiel was apparently about the same age as Daniel; and he lived in a Jewish settlement …

46. 3. God is generous in appointing prophets
Near Nippur on the important irrigation canal, Nar Kabari, known in the Bible as the River Chebar.

47. 3. God is generous in appointing prophets
Near Nippur on the important irrigation canal, Nar Kabari, known in the Bible as the River Chebar.

48. 3. God is generous in appointing prophets
Therefore, as we near the end, we can expect that God will likely call up multiple genuine prophets at the same time. (Joel 2:28)

49. 4. We should praise God in all things
Even though Nebuchadnezzar went through a trying seven years, he was able to praise God in the end.

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