“I thought it good to shew the signs and wonders that the high God hath wrought toward me.”
My Notes
What Does Daniel 4:2 Mean?
King Nebuchadnezzar — the most powerful man on earth — makes a public declaration: he wants to share the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for him. The pagan king has become a witness. The man who destroyed God's temple is now testifying about God's power.
The phrase "I thought it good" (literally, "it seemed right before me") reveals Nebuchadnezzar's personal conviction. No one forced him to make this announcement. He chose to share what happened. The testimony is voluntary — the king who once erected a golden idol (chapter 3) is now proclaiming the God who humbled him (chapter 4).
This comes after Nebuchadnezzar's seven years of madness — the period when God reduced him to animal behavior to teach him that "the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men" (4:25). The signs and wonders he wants to share are the ones that brought him to his knees.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Does Nebuchadnezzar's transformation — from temple-destroyer to God-proclaimer — encourage your hope for anyone?
- 2.What 'signs and wonders' has God wrought toward you that you need to share?
- 3.How does God's method with Nebuchadnezzar (humbling to the point of madness) challenge comfortable versions of evangelism?
- 4.Who in your life seems furthest from God but might be closest to a testimony?
Devotional
Nebuchadnezzar wants to tell you something. The king who burned Jerusalem. The man who enslaved Israel. The ruler who built a golden idol and threatened anyone who wouldn't worship it. He has a testimony.
"I thought it good to shew the signs and wonders that the high God hath wrought toward me." The most powerful man on earth decided, voluntarily, to go public about what God did to him.
What God did was humble him completely. Seven years of madness — eating grass like an ox, living outdoors, losing his mind until he recognized that God, not Nebuchadnezzar, rules the world. It wasn't gentle. It wasn't subtle. God dismantled the most powerful man on earth piece by piece until there was nothing left but acknowledgment.
And then Nebuchadnezzar got up and testified. Not because he had to. Because he wanted to. "I thought it good" — it seemed right. After everything God did to him and for him, the natural response was witness.
If God can turn Nebuchadnezzar into a witness — the man who destroyed the temple, exiled the people, and embodied pagan arrogance — He can turn anyone into a witness. Anyone. The person you think is furthest from God might be closest to a testimony.
Nebuchadnezzar's signs and wonders weren't comfortable. They were devastating. But they were wrought toward him — aimed at him — by a God who wanted even the king of Babylon to know who's really in charge.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
I thought it good,.... Or, "fair" (y) and beautiful, highly becoming me, what was my duty, and what might be profitable…
I thought it good - Margin, “it was seemly before me.” The marginal reading is more in accordance with the original…
I thought it good to show - A part of the decree was a recital of the wonders wrought by the hand of the true God in his…
Here is, I. Something of form, which was usual in writs, proclamations, or circular letters, issued by the king, Dan…
I thought it good better (R.V.) It hath seemed good unto me.
to shew to declare (Dan 2:4). -Shew" suggests here, at…
Cross References
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