Today's lesson states ".how do we dare to be proud, boastful, or arrogant when, in reality, humility should dominate all that we do?" The only thing that we do know from secular history is that he ruled for 43 years and in the latter part he would not listen to anyone, not even his sons (sounds a bit like some national leaders today doesn't it>) When Nebuchadnezzar died there was a period of instability ultimately ending with Belshazzar's capture by Cyrus. This week we study Nebuchadnezzar's period of insanity and one would think that this would show up in secular history. The name has gone through several translations to reach our anglicised version, but it an interesting bit of trivia that I found as I studied this week. I don't think we should make too much of it. It can be taken to mean "O god Nabu, preserve/defend my jackass" which could be regarded as somewhat derogatory. These is a suggestion that "Nebuchadnezzar" is a Hebrew transliteration and may be an intentional pun. It means "O god Nabu, preserve/defend my firstborn son". There is some evidence to suggest that the latter name is closer to the original Akkadian. Nebuchadnezzar is also known as Nebuchadrezzar and in fact is called that in the books of Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, February 1. Only after God takes away his kingdom and sends him to live with the beasts of the field does the king recognize his true status. Even the appearance of the fourth man in the fiery furnace (see last week) does not change the course of his life. It takes a long time for Nebuchadnezzar to understand the importance of humility. Hence, how do we dare to be proud, boastful, or arrogant when, in reality, humility should dominate all that we do? Any gifts we have, any things that we accomplish with those gifts, come only from God. We are all fallen human beings, dependent upon God for our very existence. Pride leads to Lucifer’s fall, so now he instills pride in men, thus leading them to be against God and, so, to go down a path toward destruction. Thus God says through Ezekiel, “Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee” ( Ezek. It is first made manifest in Lucifer, an angel in the courts of heaven. Memory Text: “How great are His signs, and how mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His dominion is from generation to generation” ( Daniel 4:3, NKJV). Image © Pacific Press Read for This Week’s Study: Dan.
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