John Calvin Commentary Daniel 4:37

"Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven; for all his works are truth, and his ways justice; and those that walk in pride he is able to abase." — Daniel 4:37 (ASV)

At the close of the edict, Nebuchadnezzar joins the sincere confession of his faults with the praises of God! What he says of the proud, he no doubt applies properly to himself, as if he had said, God wished to make me a remarkable monument of His method of humbling the proud for the instruction of all humankind.

For I was inflated with pride, and God corrected this by so remarkable a punishment that my example ought to benefit the world at large. Thus, I said, King Nebuchadnezzar does not simply return thanks to God, but at the same time confesses his fault; for although he was subdued with deserved harshness, his haughtiness could not be stopped by any milder remedy. First of all he says, I praise, extol, and glorify the King of heaven! This accumulation of words no doubt proceeded from strong emotion. At the same time, a contrast must be understood, based on the principle previously mentioned: God is never rightly praised unless the disgrace of men is exposed; He is not properly extolled unless their arrogance is cast down; He is never glorified unless men are buried in shame and lie prostrate in the dust. Therefore, while Nebuchadnezzar here praises, extols, and glorifies God, he also confesses himself and all mortals to be nothing—as he did before—deserving no praise but rather the utmost disgrace.

He adds, since all his works are truth. Here קשוט, kesot, is taken for “rectitude or integrity.” For דיני-אמת, dini-ameth, mean true judgments, but refer here to equity. God’s works are therefore all truth; that is, all integrity, as if he had said, none of God’s works deserve blame. Then the explanation follows: All his ways are judgments. We see here the praise of God’s perfect justice; this should be referred to Nebuchadnezzar personally, as if he had said, God does not deal with me too strictly; I have no reason for remonstrating with him, or for murmuring as if he were too severe with me.

I confess, therefore, that I deserve whatever punishment I sustain. And why? All his ways are justice; meaning the highest rectitude. Then, All his works are truth; that is, nothing contrary to equity is found there, nothing crooked, but everywhere the highest justice will shine forth. We see then how Nebuchadnezzar by this language condemns himself out of his own mouth by declaring God’s justice to be in all his works.

This general form of expression does not prevent Nebuchadnezzar from openly and freely confessing himself a criminal before God’s tribunal; but it acquires greater force by his example, which admonishes us through the general confession of God’s justice, rectitude, and truthfulness in whatever he does. And this is worthy of notice, since many find no difficulty in celebrating God’s justice and rectitude when they are treated just as they like; but if God begins to treat them with severity, they then vomit forth their poison, and begin to quarrel with God, and to accuse him of injustice and cruelty.

Since, therefore, Nebuchadnezzar here confesses God to be just and true in all his works, without any exception, notwithstanding his own severe chastisements, this confession is not feigned; for he necessarily utters what he says from the very depths of his heart, because he had experienced the rigor of the divine judgment.

He now adds at last, He can humble those who walk in pride. Here Nebuchadnezzar more openly displays his own disgrace, for he is not ashamed to confess his fault before the whole world, because his punishment was known to everyone. As God then wished his folly to be universally detested by making such a horrible example of him through his punishment, Nebuchadnezzar now brings his own case forward and testifies to the justice of the penalty, due to his extreme pride.

Here, then, we see God’s power joined with his justice, as we have previously mentioned. He does not attribute to God a tyranny free from all law; for as soon as Nebuchadnezzar had confessed all God’s ways to be just, he condemns himself for pride directly afterwards. Thus, he does not hesitate to expose his disgrace before humankind, that God may be glorified.

And this is the true method of praising God, not only by confessing ourselves to be nothing, but also by reflecting on our failings. We should not only acknowledge ourselves inwardly guilty before him, but also openly testify to the same before all humankind whenever it is necessary.

And when he uses the word “humility,” this may be referred to outward dejection, for Nebuchadnezzar was humbled when God cast him out into the woods to live his life in the company of wild beasts. But he was also humbled in another way, as if he were a son of God. Since this humbling is twofold, Nebuchadnezzar wishes here to express the former kind, because God prostrates and throws down the proud. This is one kind of humiliation, but it is of no benefit unless God afterwards governs us with a spirit of submission.

Therefore, Nebuchadnezzar does not here embrace the grace of God, which was worthy of great praise and exaltation; and in this edict, he does not describe what is required of a pious man long trained in God’s school. Yet he shows how he had profited under God’s rod, by attributing to him the height of power. Besides this, he adds the praise of justice and rectitude, while he confesses himself guilty and testifies to the justice of the punishment that had been divinely inflicted on him.

Prayer:

Grant, Almighty God—since the disease of pride remains fixed in us all through our original corruption in our father Adam—grant, I say, that we may learn to mortify our spirits and to be displeased with our conduct, as we ought. May we feel ourselves to be deprived of all wisdom and rectitude apart from You alone. May we fly to Your pity and confess ourselves utterly subject to eternal death. May we rely on Your goodness, which You have deigned to offer us through Your Gospel. May we trust in that Mediator whom You have given us. May we never hesitate to fly to You, to call upon You as our Father, and, having been renewed by Your Spirit, may we walk in true humility and modesty, until at last You will raise us to that heavenly kingdom which has been obtained for us by the blood of Your only-begotten Son.—Amen.

[Exposition continues from previous day's lecture]