Hubris: Daniel 4:28-33
Hubris – our human pride – is frequently our biggest downfall. When we do something, we want credit. It feels good to be recognized. It is satisfying to have people remember what we’ve done. We all want to feel important in life. These feelings are all natural, but these feelings lead to pride if left unchecked.
Twelve months after Daniel gives his interpretation, Nebuchadnezzar is afflicted by God. He is driven mad, driven from his ability to rule, and exiled to a life apart from human civilization. All this happens because Nebuchadnezzar is full of human sinfulness. Aren’t we all.
It is correct to say this happens because of Nebuchadnezzar’s pride. Nebuchadnezzar is taking a stroll and looks over his kingdom and realizes it is a beautiful thing. Inherently, that’s not a bad thing. Babylon was a beautiful place filled with wonderful marvels of engineering. The problem comes not from the beauty but with his assessment of credit. Nebuchadnezzar believes he is responsible for the development of the kingdom. He believes his governance deserves the credit. Nebuchadnezzar gives no credit to a higher power; he gives no acknowledgement to anything outside of himself. This is the epitome of self-centeredness. In fact, this is the definition of hubris. While hubris now means excessive pride, it originally meant excessive pride leading to defiance of the gods (or God).
Interestingly, Nebuchadnezzar’s problem truly runs deeper than this. His hubris is the visible fruit indicating a deeper problem within. Nebuchadnezzar arrives at this moment because he refused to take Daniel’s advice. When Daniel, his chief counselor, came to Nebuchadnezzar to give his counsel, Nebuchadnezzar didn’t listen.
Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar to repent. Daniel wanted Nebuchadnezzar to change, to become humble, to acknowledge God’s ways, and to stop taking advantage of the oppressed. Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar that doing these things would lengthen his reign. Daniel’s advice seemed simple, but it was something Nebuchadnezzar was unwilling to do.
This is common with sin. God sends us signs, warnings, and even people to help us see where we need to repent. Sometimes, we do hear and do change. Other times, we are unwilling to listen. Sometimes, our sinfulness is so attractive we don’t want to give it up. Just like Nebuchadnezzar – who wanted to think he deserved all the credit for the greatness of the Babylonian Empire – we struggle to turn to God and give Him and His ways a place in our life. Hubris – our human pride – is frequently our biggest downfall.
Historical Aside: This is a good place to talk about the historical record versus the Biblical record. While there are many events in the Babylonian record that corroborate events in the book of Daniel, this time with Nebuchadnezzar is not one of them. Some people use this as evidence of Daniel being fantastical or made-up.
On the other hand, the last king of the Babylonian Empire was named Nabonidus. During Nabonidus’ reign, he was deposed for a short time and placed in a self-imposed exile. This historical evidence is unclear as to why he gave himself a self-imposed exile, but there are some indications that it may have been a religious dispute that caused the exile. Nabonidus returned from his exile to rule over the Babylonian kingdom until Cyrus the Great conquered Babylon for the Persians.
Given this context, it is possible that over time the much lesser known Nabonidus was forgotten and the name in the Biblical account became Nebuchadnezzar because the name was far more popular. This could explain the difference in the historical record and the Biblical account. Of course, it is also possible that the event happened as recorded in the Bible and the Babylonian record omits this story to preserve Nebuchadnezzar’s reputation. Lastly, it is possible that the story is fantastical in nature, but this conclusion conflicts my personal beliefs about God’s Word.
