I Knew Nebuchadnezzar, and You, Mr. Hussein, Are No Nebuchadnezzar
12/17/2003 15:17 Filed in: Faith & Reason
Why Saddam Hussein will never live up to the historical figure he wanted to emulate, Nebuchadnezzar of Ancient Babylon
Like much of the rest of the civilized world, I felt like I had received an early Christmas present this past Sunday morning. I turned on the news as I got dressed as I do every morning, and I admit to doing a double-take when I heard the military spokesperson who was giving the the now historic press conference comment on the "appearance" of Saddam Hussein. Appearance? How could he know anything about Saddam Hussein's appearance? The guy was in hiding or perhaps dead. But within seconds I realized the truth that we all know now--Hussein had finally been captured. And not only that, but captured without a struggle, despite proclaiming months earlier that he would never surrender without a fight to the death.
Once I realized what had happened, I immediately did that downward fist to the side motion that you make when your favorite team scores a goal. And then I began calling people who I thought might not have seen the news yet. I woke family up who were in Central Time Zone, but no one seemed to care--this was major news.
I doubt we will ever forget those first images of Saddam Hussein with disheveled hair and a beard quite a few months in the making. He was being checked out by medical personnel and may as well have been an animal instead of a human being.
Now, what you may or may not know is that in past years Hussein carried an obsession with an ancient ruler from the same locale--Nebuchadnezzar II of Ancient Babyolon. He saw himself as a type of Nebuchadnezzar, an inheritor to the ancient king's mantle.
However, in reality, Saddam Hussein pales in comparison to the Nebuchadnezzar of history. If historical calculations are correct, Nebuchadnezzar held reign over the Babylonian Empire (neo-Babylonian, if you want to be picky) from 605-662 BCE--an impressive number of years by any standard. Not only did he rule nearly twice the number of years that Hussein held his dictatorship, but he also ruled over a much larger empire, including at various times most of the Middle East (including North Africa) and a great deal of Asia Minor.
Did Nebuchadnezzar hold anything in common with Saddam Hussein? Well, yes, but not much. What the world knows of Nebuchadnezzar comes primarily from the Bible and thousands of ancient cuneiform tablets (many of which are still to be translated). Nebuchadnezzar and Hussein ruled from the same basic area in Mesopotamia, now modern-day Iraq, with Nebuchadnezzar's main headquarters situated in Babylon, located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Like Hussein, Nebuchadnezzar was a tyrant, but what leader of any ancient empire wasn't a tyrant? In comparison, Hussein oppressing his own people in a small Middle-Eastern country comes across much more as a bully than a political leader of any real historical worth.
That's not to say that Nebuchadnezzar couldn't be just as cruel. 2 Kings 25:7 describes the fate of Zedekiah, the last King of Judah under Nebuchadnezzar. Zedekiah's own sons were executed in front of him, and then his eyes were gouged out so that his sons' deaths would be the last thing he ever saw.
Armchair historians can debate whether or not such cruelty was necessary in the ancient world as opposed to the modern. Regardless, however, there is something seemingly redeemable in Nebuchadnezzar that just cannot be found as easily in Saddam Hussein.
First, it is interesting to note how God referred to Nebuchadnezzar. Over and over again in the book of Jeremiah, he is referred to as God's servant in spite of the fact that Nebuchadnezzar was as pagan as any idol-worshipping individual of the day. "Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, My servant..." (Jer 27:6, NASB, emphasis added). Israel was guilty of violating her covenant with the one, true, creator God by turning to idols and neglecting to take care of the poor such as the widow, orphan, and foreigner in the land. God demonstrated his sovereignty in choosing this pagan Babylonian ruler to be the instrument of his justice and discipline on his chosen people, the Israelites. The amazing thing is that Nebuchadnezzar was being used by a God whom he neither recognized nor knew.
Further, in spite of the fact that the book of Daniel most often describes Nebuchadnezzar in ways that would only characterize a megalomaniac, he never fails to acknowledge the superiority of the Hebrew God over his own gods once he is "put into his place" (see Daniel 2:47; 3:28-29; 4:1 ff.). However, most of the time when Nebuchadnezzar acknowledges the superiority of Daniel's God, he still doesn't seem to reject his polytheistic ways. Instead, Yahweh is merely added to his pantheon of Gods.
Then in Daniel 4, a remarkable thing happens in a chapter that is told in first person by Nebuchadnezzar himself. In response to his growing pride for his perceived self-gained accomplishments, God afflicts Nebuchadnezzar with a type of insanity that reduces him to an animal-like state (Dan 4:33) for a period perhaps as long as seven years. Then at the end of that time, a remarkable thing happens. Nebuchadnezzar tells us that "at the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever" (Dan 4:34, NASB, emphasis added).
That little euphemism "raised my eyes toward heaven" is quite loaded. It means that Nebuchadnezzar looked away from himself and looked toward God as the source for all he had accomplished and gained during his lifetime. He finally seems to acknowledge his rightful place in the universe in comparison to God. Tremper Longman states in his commentary that a man who thought he was a god had to be reduced to a beast to realize that he was only a man.
When I saw the pictures of Saddam Hussein on Sunday morning, I thought he looked like little more than a beast. And then I thought of Nebuchadnezzar. You see, although I can't prove it biblically beyond a shadow of a doubt, there is part of me that wants to believe that one day when I get to Heaven, Nebuchadnezzar may just be there. I hope so. As a student of history, I have lots of questions to ask him.
But if Nebuchadnezzar wasn't beyond the reach of God's salvation, then neither is Saddam Hussein. Although the reports of his interrogation over the last few days have characterized him as flippant and defiant, maybe there is still a chance for him to make one final good and right decision in his life. He is not beyond the scope of God's salvation. And as much as some of us hate to admit it, he is not beyond the worth of our prayers.
Like much of the rest of the civilized world, I felt like I had received an early Christmas present this past Sunday morning. I turned on the news as I got dressed as I do every morning, and I admit to doing a double-take when I heard the military spokesperson who was giving the the now historic press conference comment on the "appearance" of Saddam Hussein. Appearance? How could he know anything about Saddam Hussein's appearance? The guy was in hiding or perhaps dead. But within seconds I realized the truth that we all know now--Hussein had finally been captured. And not only that, but captured without a struggle, despite proclaiming months earlier that he would never surrender without a fight to the death.
Once I realized what had happened, I immediately did that downward fist to the side motion that you make when your favorite team scores a goal. And then I began calling people who I thought might not have seen the news yet. I woke family up who were in Central Time Zone, but no one seemed to care--this was major news.
I doubt we will ever forget those first images of Saddam Hussein with disheveled hair and a beard quite a few months in the making. He was being checked out by medical personnel and may as well have been an animal instead of a human being.
Now, what you may or may not know is that in past years Hussein carried an obsession with an ancient ruler from the same locale--Nebuchadnezzar II of Ancient Babyolon. He saw himself as a type of Nebuchadnezzar, an inheritor to the ancient king's mantle.
However, in reality, Saddam Hussein pales in comparison to the Nebuchadnezzar of history. If historical calculations are correct, Nebuchadnezzar held reign over the Babylonian Empire (neo-Babylonian, if you want to be picky) from 605-662 BCE--an impressive number of years by any standard. Not only did he rule nearly twice the number of years that Hussein held his dictatorship, but he also ruled over a much larger empire, including at various times most of the Middle East (including North Africa) and a great deal of Asia Minor.
Did Nebuchadnezzar hold anything in common with Saddam Hussein? Well, yes, but not much. What the world knows of Nebuchadnezzar comes primarily from the Bible and thousands of ancient cuneiform tablets (many of which are still to be translated). Nebuchadnezzar and Hussein ruled from the same basic area in Mesopotamia, now modern-day Iraq, with Nebuchadnezzar's main headquarters situated in Babylon, located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Like Hussein, Nebuchadnezzar was a tyrant, but what leader of any ancient empire wasn't a tyrant? In comparison, Hussein oppressing his own people in a small Middle-Eastern country comes across much more as a bully than a political leader of any real historical worth.
That's not to say that Nebuchadnezzar couldn't be just as cruel. 2 Kings 25:7 describes the fate of Zedekiah, the last King of Judah under Nebuchadnezzar. Zedekiah's own sons were executed in front of him, and then his eyes were gouged out so that his sons' deaths would be the last thing he ever saw.
Armchair historians can debate whether or not such cruelty was necessary in the ancient world as opposed to the modern. Regardless, however, there is something seemingly redeemable in Nebuchadnezzar that just cannot be found as easily in Saddam Hussein.
First, it is interesting to note how God referred to Nebuchadnezzar. Over and over again in the book of Jeremiah, he is referred to as God's servant in spite of the fact that Nebuchadnezzar was as pagan as any idol-worshipping individual of the day. "Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, My servant..." (Jer 27:6, NASB, emphasis added). Israel was guilty of violating her covenant with the one, true, creator God by turning to idols and neglecting to take care of the poor such as the widow, orphan, and foreigner in the land. God demonstrated his sovereignty in choosing this pagan Babylonian ruler to be the instrument of his justice and discipline on his chosen people, the Israelites. The amazing thing is that Nebuchadnezzar was being used by a God whom he neither recognized nor knew.
Further, in spite of the fact that the book of Daniel most often describes Nebuchadnezzar in ways that would only characterize a megalomaniac, he never fails to acknowledge the superiority of the Hebrew God over his own gods once he is "put into his place" (see Daniel 2:47; 3:28-29; 4:1 ff.). However, most of the time when Nebuchadnezzar acknowledges the superiority of Daniel's God, he still doesn't seem to reject his polytheistic ways. Instead, Yahweh is merely added to his pantheon of Gods.
Then in Daniel 4, a remarkable thing happens in a chapter that is told in first person by Nebuchadnezzar himself. In response to his growing pride for his perceived self-gained accomplishments, God afflicts Nebuchadnezzar with a type of insanity that reduces him to an animal-like state (Dan 4:33) for a period perhaps as long as seven years. Then at the end of that time, a remarkable thing happens. Nebuchadnezzar tells us that "at the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever" (Dan 4:34, NASB, emphasis added).
That little euphemism "raised my eyes toward heaven" is quite loaded. It means that Nebuchadnezzar looked away from himself and looked toward God as the source for all he had accomplished and gained during his lifetime. He finally seems to acknowledge his rightful place in the universe in comparison to God. Tremper Longman states in his commentary that a man who thought he was a god had to be reduced to a beast to realize that he was only a man.
When I saw the pictures of Saddam Hussein on Sunday morning, I thought he looked like little more than a beast. And then I thought of Nebuchadnezzar. You see, although I can't prove it biblically beyond a shadow of a doubt, there is part of me that wants to believe that one day when I get to Heaven, Nebuchadnezzar may just be there. I hope so. As a student of history, I have lots of questions to ask him.
But if Nebuchadnezzar wasn't beyond the reach of God's salvation, then neither is Saddam Hussein. Although the reports of his interrogation over the last few days have characterized him as flippant and defiant, maybe there is still a chance for him to make one final good and right decision in his life. He is not beyond the scope of God's salvation. And as much as some of us hate to admit it, he is not beyond the worth of our prayers.