God’s Word for You

Daniel 5:18-21 Remember the old boss

by Pastor Timothy Smith on Tuesday, October 21, 2025

18 “As for you, O King, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar the kingdom, along with greatness, splendor, and glory. 19 Because of the greatness God gave him, all the peoples and nations and men of every language trembled and feared him. He slew those he wanted to slay. He spared those he wanted to spare. He promoted those he wanted to promote. He humbled those he wanted to humble. 20 But when his heart became arrogant and his spirit was hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and his glory was taken from him. 21 He was driven away from people and given the mind of an animal. He lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like an ox. His body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he knew that the Most High God rules over the kingdoms of men and sets over them anyone he wishes.

As a comparison with this king, Daniel retells the account of Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel has included the elements of this incident with an eye toward instructing us about God’s plan for us and his sovereignty over all creation. This is one way of outlining the chapter following the appearance of the hand:

[5:7-8] The wise men fail to read or interpret the writing.
[5:9-12] The queen tells about the prophet Daniel.
[5:13-16] The king tells about the failure of his wise men
[5:17] Daniel refuses any gift from the king
[5:18-21] Daniel tells about the repentance of Nebuchadnezzar
[5:22-24] Daniel tells about Belshazzar’s failure to repent
[5:25-28] Daniel the prophet interprets the writing
[5:29] Daniel is given gifts anyway

So, just as the king told Daniel what he knew about the old prophet, now Daniel tells Belshazzar what he remembers about the old king, and this will be followed by the failings of Belshazzar (5:22-24).

Daniel recounts the blessings that God gave to Nebuchadnezzar. His kingdom, his greatness, his splendor, and his glory. All of these were gifts from the hand of God. Were they given because that king was great? No—his greatness itself was a gift. He was given those things because it pleased God to give his people (who were being punished for unbelief) into the hands of a very strong nation that would preserve them. The Egyptians at this time were divided and uncertain (Isaiah 36:6). The Medes in the far east were under Babylon’s thumb but were ready to rise up and fight a losing war for the sake of pride (Jeremiah 51:11). There was a nation to the north called Urartu (Ararat) that was in decline at this time. They, too, were too weak to do much against Babylon (Jeremiah 51:27). To the west? West beyond the coast of Canaan were the Greek city-states, mostly uneasy with or at war with one another. The Roman monarchy was about to fall on account of the sin of the son of Tarquin, its last king (when “The Romans plausibly did give consent / To Tarquin’s everlasting banishment”).

Daniel’s words are plain and clear about the absolute power of Nebuchadnezzar: “He slew those he wanted to slay. He spared those he wanted to spare. He promoted those he wanted to promote. He humbled those he wanted to humble.” To his subjects, his power was complete and practically almighty. But because of this, the very gift that set him apart as the custodian of Israel for most of its exile, he was tempted to become arrogant, for the inclination of man’s heart is always evil (Genesis 6:5).

Daniel describes Nebuchadnezzar’s madness with many of the words we heard in chapter 4, which was by now many years in the past. But one new item is revealed. We already knew that he ate grass like an ox, but now we find that “he lived with the wild donkeys.” Maybe Belshazzar knew about this, maybe he had been sheltered from such knowledge. But the old king had come to know that God the Most High is the one who is truly supreme. It is never the human being who only thinks he is supreme, but God who allowed him to rule, who set him there, and who will judge him in some way for what he did with that power, but for the most part who will judge him for the contents of his heart. Was he faithful to the Lord, or did he pretend God couldn’t see what he was doing? Did he mock God Almighty, or bow down before him?

We each have our place in life, in the world, and in God’s kingdom. So we ask ourselves: What is in my heart? Who do I trust; who do I believe in? No matter who it is, he, she, or it will be your shelter and shield in the Last Judgment. Those who have trusted in Baal will have a useless nothing to help them when Christ comes to judge. Those who have trusted in Christ will already be known by the judge, they will already be loved by him and be forgiven by him. Those who have trusted in themselves will have only themselves—themselves for help, which is no help at all, and themselves to blame. Who will you trust?

In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith

 

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