The King and the Beast - The Book of Daniel

In this Bible Story, we witness the madness of King Nebuchadnezzar. He flees like a beast to the wilderness and lives on the land for seven years. It was a humbling experience he needed to truly see God with a clear and sober mind. Nebuchadnezzar then rules with righteousness till the end of his days, leaning on Daniel for guidance. This story is inspired by Daniel 4. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.

Today's Bible verse is Daniel 4:34 from the King James Version.

Episode 165: King Nebuchadnezzar who had seen God at work in the lives of Daniel and his friends, had not yet encountered the change of heart that comes from God. However, that would soon change as the King had a dream showing him God’s plan to humble him. It came to pass a year later that as the King was musing about his own majesty, he was driven to madness and went to live with the wild animals for seven years. At the end of which he worshiped God with a heart and mind of true humility.

Hear the Bible come to life as Pastor Jack Graham leads you through the official BibleinaYear.com podcast. This Biblical Audio Experience will help you master wisdom from the world’s greatest book. In each episode, you will learn to apply Biblical principles to everyday life. Now understanding the Bible is easier than ever before; enjoy a cinematic audio experience full of inspirational storytelling, orchestral music, and profound commentary from world-renowned Pastor Jack Graham.

Also, you can download the Pray.com app for more Christian content, including, Daily Prayers, Inspirational Testimonies, and Bedtime Bible Stories.

Visit JackGraham.org for more resources on how to tap into God's power for successful Christian living.

Pray.com is the digital destination of faith. With over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible, the Pray.com app has everything you need to keep your focus on the Lord. Make Prayer a priority and download the #1 App for Prayer and Sleep today in the Apple app store or Google Play store.

Executive Producers: Steve Gatena & Max Bard

Producer: Ben Gammon

Hosted by: Pastor Jack Graham

Music by: Andrew Morgan Smith

Bible Story narration by: Todd Haberkorn

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let us pray, and at the end of the days,
I Nebudgnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine
understanding returned unto me Daniel four. Three. Lord, as you
elevate my life, increase also the humility in which I

(00:21):
live by help me to continually understand that everything I
have is a result of your goodness and not of
me being in control. Continue to put check points in
my life that will alert me when my heart is
becoming prideful and conceited. Protect me from the madness that

(00:43):
can occur when I think that my splendor and open
doors around me came from my strength and by my
wisdom alone. May my life serve as a billboard that
publicly displays and proclaims your goodness to every one who
sees me. I acknowledge today that it is you and

(01:05):
you alone that brings fulfillment and success into my life.
When I lose focus, I will thank you in advance
for realigning me, like Nebudknezzar in Daniel four, so that
I can see you with a clear and sober mind.

(01:25):
Today I thank you that the beast of pride and
arrogance has been overcome by the precious power of your
Holy Spirit in Jesus name. Amen. Thank you for making
prayer a priority in your day. To learn more about
the Bible, stay tuned for today's story, brought to you

(01:48):
by Bible in a Year dot com.

Speaker 2 (01:59):
The King and the Beast. In our last story, Shadraq,
Meshak and Abed Nigou refused to worship the statue Neberkanezza
set up and were thrown into the fire as punishment.
The flames raged, but they were unharmed. The Lord had
protected them, and Neberkanezer are to the power of their God.

(02:20):
In this story, neber Caanezer will come in contact with
his inner beast and come to realize the true nature
of his relationship with God. Inspired by the Book of Daniel.

Speaker 3 (02:32):
Hello, this is Pastor Jack Graham with another episode of
the Bible in a Year podcast. I'm really glad that
you've joined us today. In our last reading, we heard
about how God protected Shadraq, Meshach and Abednigo from the
fiery furnace. They refused to bend or to bow to
the King's idol, and God use their faithfulness to make

(02:52):
his glory known once again to Babylonian's king. In today's reading,
we'll learn how Nebukanzer is humbled by the Almighty God,
with whom he continues to wrestle. His descent into madness
like an animal, will finally bring him to a point
of confession and acceptance that there is no other God
but Yahweh the Lord. Let's listen now to the reading

(03:14):
of God's word.

Speaker 2 (03:16):
Neberkonezer, ruler of the ancient world, conqueror of kingdoms, and
slayer of kings, came in contact with the Living God.
He learned from the wisdom and favor of Daniel. He
witnessed God protect Shadrak, Mishak and abed Nago from the
fiery furnace. So the mighty king praised the Lord of
heaven and Earth. He sent it a cree forth to

(03:39):
the people of Babylon, saying he is the most High God.
His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. Yet the mind of
King Neberconezza was still fogged by years of pride and warmongering.
He knew of God's mighty works, but had not yet
come in contact with the personal reformation of his spirit.
The king would soon learn the world weight of God's power.

(04:02):
It was late, the night was heavy upon the horizon.
Clouds covered the stars above, and the east wind blew
violently through the valley. Thunder rolled in from the distance,
and the city was stirring beneath. King Nebucannezzar tossed and
turned in his bed, tormented by yet another dream. He
saw a tree sprouting forth from the earth. Its height

(04:25):
was tremendous, and its trunk was strong. Its branches reached
beyond the clouds for all the world to see. Its
leaves were deep and beautiful green. Its fruit was abundant
and provided food for all the lands below it. Animals
found refuge in its shade, and the birds of the
air made its nest in it. The king watched as

(04:45):
the heavens opened up around it, and a voice boomed
from the skies, saying, chop the tree to the ground,
strip its leaves and scatter its fruit, but leave the
stump and bind it with iron. Let it dwell with
the beasts and become like them. So King Nebuconezzer watched
as the mighty tree was sliced by the mighty hand

(05:07):
of God, and its body fell to the earth, shaking
it for miles. The king woke up in a terror.
He was sweating and could not get the image of
the tree's lifeless stump out of his mind. The king
sent for his wisest counselor Daniel. He described the dream
in great length, leaving no detail out. Daniel listened intently

(05:29):
to the king, growing more and more concerned with each detail.
The king was frantic as he described the dream. Something
in his mind had snapped, and it was clear what
was about to happen. The king could sense the look
of alarm on Daniel's face. Do not be frightened, the
king said, tell me what it means. I pray that

(05:50):
this dream is for your enemies and not for you.
Daniel said softly, However, that may not be the case.
Daniel sat the king down and began to enter, but
its meaning for him. The mighty tree is you, my king.
Your greatness has spread across the land. Your kingdom is
the source of food and shelter for all on the earth. However,

(06:12):
the stump is also you. You will be humbled, my King.
You shall be driven to the wilderness because you have
yet to learn of true humility. You have yet to
understand that it is God who raises a king. Yes,
you know of God now, but you still oppress and murder.
You seek your own gain, and you destroy all you desire.

(06:33):
Turn from this and there may be hope for you.
King neber Canezzer smiled at Daniel and sent him away.
He feigned repentance, he feigned benevolence. However, the king continued
to do all that seemed good in his eyes. He
was consumed with self worship. A year had passed, and
the king was walking on the rooftops of his palace.

(06:55):
The sun was peeking over the horizon, and his entire
country was painted with beauty colors of gold and white.
He breathed in the fresh air and said, look at
all I have built with my majesty. While the words
were dancing out of the king's mouth, a voice fell
upon him from heaven. Neber Canzzar, your kingdom shall be

(07:16):
stripped from you. You shall dwell with the beasts until
you truly know that it is the most High who
rules all kingdoms. And in that instant a madness came
upon the king. He writhed and panted like a dog,
and his mind wandered into a place of true insanity.
He ran like an animal into the wilderness and lived

(07:36):
among the beasts. Over time, his hair grew long and
his nails grew like claws. He ate grass like an ox,
and was greasy and wet with the filth of the earth.
For seven years, neber Canezzar was mad like an animal.
His beastly demeanor revealed the sickness that had been in
his heart all along. He was a beast of a king.
He followed every debased desire that came into his heart.

(08:00):
He murdered and stole, He raped, and he pillaged. He
was a beast long before the madness. Many years had passed,
and neber Canezza was wandering the forest in the coolness
of the morning. He was ravaging on plants and berries.
When the sun peered in through the tree tops. The
beast lifted his eyes towards the sun, and the warmth

(08:20):
of God's mercy saturated him. His mind began to clear.
He saw God for who he truly was generous and marvelous.
Neber Canzza emerged from the wilderness, and his throne was
restored to him. He now ruled with a clearer mind.
His reason had returned to him, and he used his
new found wisdom to rule with humility.

Speaker 3 (08:45):
Today scripture begins with the reminder of all God had
already done to make himself known to King nebchin Nazar,
the strength and wisdom of the young men like Daniel
who served God. How God had protected the men in
the furnace, even the king's on decree that the people
would worship only the Lord. And yet even with all
of this, Nebuicanazari's heart was not where it should be.

(09:08):
God ultimately does not look to our words or outward
appearance of belief. He looks to the heart, straight to
the heart. And Nebukanazarikh's heart was still focused on his
own interest and his personal glory. He was full of pride.
So once more we find the king disturbed with a dream.
He saw a great tree that gave shade and food

(09:29):
to all the animals. It stretched out far and wide,
a majestic sight. But then God's voice came down from heaven,
commanding the tree to be cut down, its stump and
roots bound to the ground, where it would remain to
live with animals and plants. But then God's voice came
down from heaven, commanding that the tree be cut down
but its stump and roots bound to the ground, where

(09:51):
it would remain to live with the animals and plants.
The dream clearly symbolized someone, and the king was greatly troubled.
He first called his wise men and astrologers, but they
had no answers, so he summoned Daniel, who received the
interpretation from God. He told nebucan AZERI that the tree
was the king himself. His vast empire was indeed majestic,

(10:14):
providing for people the world over, but the king needed pruning.
His lust for power and praise were clouding his vision,
and though he had seen God work and even had
some appearance of belief, Nebganazar had yet to acknowledge the
supremacy of God and submit truly to him. Because of this,
he would be driven away from society, forced to live

(10:37):
like a wild animal. His mind would go mad, and
his outward state would mimic his inward baseness. But God
and his mercy would restore the kingdom to Nebcanazar when
he recognized God for who he was and humbled himself
before him. The king heard the interpretation but did not
change his heart. One year later, as he was walking

(10:59):
on the roof of his palace, filled with pride for
his accomplishments. God's word came to pass. Just as Daniel said,
the king was overtaken by madness, and for seven years
he lived like a beast of the field, until finally
he looked to the heavens and his sanity returned. God
had broken this man, but this was not an act

(11:22):
of cruelty. It was a work of grace, the reaching
out of a loving God to bring this man to himself.
Though he was not an Israelite. Nebgan As there was
created for the purposes of God, and it had always
been God's heart for every person, including this man, to
turn to him. Here we see our great God going

(11:44):
to great links to reach one man. This man had
such great power and influence that his life would have
tremendous repercussions and echoes throughout all of history. Nebgan Azer
testified to God greatness, and in Daniel four thirty four
we read some of his words about the Lord. His

(12:07):
dominion is an eternal dominion. His kingdom endures from generation
to generation. At last, the king had humbled himself before
the Lord, and just as God had promised, the kingdom
was restored to him. The ripple effects of his transformation
would be felt in the Babylonian kingdom and even beyond
in the centuries to follow. Dear God, we are reminded

(12:30):
in this story that you will go to great links
to bring us to yourself. Lord. May we humble ourselves
before you, and we pray that our lives would always
reflect your love and grace. May we repent of our
sin and submit to your will and live in the
abundance of life in Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.

(12:52):
Once again, thank you for listening to today's Bible in
a Year podcast. I'm pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas.
Let me encourage you to download the pray dot Com
app and make Bible study and prayer a real priority
in your life. And if you are enjoying this podcast,
share it with someone you know, someone you care about,

(13:14):
because sharing God's word has a powerful impact upon people's lives.
And if you want more resources as to how you
can find faith, grow in your faith, develop as a
disciple and follower of Jesus, be sure to visit me
at Jack Graham dot org. We have plenty of resources
that will encourage you and equip you for life. God

(13:36):
bless you.