Table of Contents
In the previous chapter, King Nebuchadnezzar witnessed the miracle of the 3 Judean youth unharmed despite being thrown into Babylon’s fiery furnace.
King Nebuchadnezzar now addresses everyone and decides to acknowledge God’s wondrous works:
Daniel 4:1-9
To all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth:
2 I thought it good to declare the signs and wonders that the Most High God has worked for me.
King Nebuchadnezzar acknowledges a difference between his god and Daniel’s “Holy” God.
Verse 2: “I thought it good…” In the NIV, “It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me.”, (emphasis added). Daniel attributes the miraculous signs and wonders to the Most High God – hierarchically using terminology that makes the claim that his God is above all other gods.
King Nebuchadnezzar describes another dream
Daniel 4:10-12
10 “These were the visions of my head while on my bed:
I was looking, and behold,
A tree in the midst of the earth,
And its height was great.
11 The tree grew and became strong;
Its height reached to the heavens,
And it could be seen to the ends of all the earth.
12 Its leaves were lovely,
Its fruit abundant,
And in it was food for all.
The beasts of the field found shade under it,
The birds of the heavens dwelt in its branches,
And all flesh was fed from it.” (Daniel 4:10-12)
Daniel 4:4 describes how Nebuchadnezzar was flourishing. This dream appears to be describing King Nebuchadnezzar’s current situation at the height of his reign – he is like a tall, strong tree that provides for the kingdom in abundance.
Daniel 4:13
A message from above:
13 “I saw in the visions of my head while on my bed, and there was a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven. (Daniel 4:13)
In Deuteronomy, the Bible describes another time when holy ones came down:
Daniel 4:14-15
The tree will be chopped down
14 He cried aloud and said thus: ‘Chop down the tree and cut off its branches,
Strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit.
Let the beasts get out from under it,
And the birds from its branches.
15 Nevertheless leave the stump and roots in the earth,
Bound with a band of iron and bronze,
In the tender grass of the field.
Let it be wet with the dew of heaven,
And let him graze with the beasts
On the grass of the earth.” (Daniel 4:14-15), emphasis added
Verse 15 reveals and confirms that the tree does indeed represent King Nebuchadnezzar with the verse saying, let “him.”
Daniel 4:16-17
Man to Beast
‘This decision is by the decree of the watchers,
And the sentence by the word of the holy ones,
In order that the living may know
That the Most High rules in the kingdom of men,
Gives it to whomever He will,
And sets over it the lowest of men.’” (Daniel 4:16-17)
The watchers from the heavenly court have made a very strong decree so that “the living may know that the Most High rules . . . “: King Nebuchadnezzar’s heart will be transformed from that of a man to an animal.
And 7 times will pass.
Most interpret these 7 to be a literal 7 years. 7, again, symbolizes “completion.” In the completion of time, the fullness of time.
Daniel 4:18
King Nebuchadnezzar now expects Daniel to give the interpretation! He recognizes that the Spirit of the Holy God is in Daniel.
Daniel 4:19-26
Daniel did indeed receive the interpretation of the dream, but he was very startled by it:
The purpose of the coming trial for King Nebuchadnezzar is for him to “come to know that Heaven rules.” King Nebuchadnezzar had a court, but the court of heaven is far superior to that of Babylon.
In Daniel 4:20, the tree is described similarly to the Tower of Babel: having height reaching to the heavens:
King Nebuchadnezzar had the same ambitious spirit.
The tree is to be chopped down, but the stump left in tact and bound up with iron and bronze.
In Daniel 2, iron and bronze represented Rome and Greece, respectively. The Babylonian Empire would remain intertwined – rooted – and even so much as bound up – together with the empires that would follow. Rather than displaying its power and might freely, Babylon would be confined.
Daniel 4:27
Daniel gives King Nebuchadnezzar some valuable advice: seek righteousness and mercy to break the power of sin in his life. Looking ahead to Daniel 4:29, we see that God gave King Nebuchadnezzar a full year to repent!
Daniel 4:28-33
King Nebuchadnezzar was afflicted with what modern psychologists call “boanthropy.” This is a mental disorder that causes its victim to believe he is an ox or a cow. But I think King Nebuchadnezzar had it even worse. I haven’t seen anybody have hair like eagle’s feathers and nails like claws. God allowed him to experience a pit of shame. Sometimes that’s what it takes to get us to not think so highly of ourselves. His pride as Babylon’s leader had to be stripped away.
From 1 Peter 5:5; . . . “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
We must pray for God’s mercy, that we will always remain humble no matter what position we find ourselves in whether it is in ministry or a secular job or any type of leadership.
Daniel 4:34-37
Once the set time had been fulfilled, Nebuchadnezzar looked up to heaven and his understanding and reason was given back to him.
Notice he acknowledged Daniel’s God. Nebuchadnezzar “blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever . . . “ (Daniel 4:34). He continued on, in a prayerful manner, confessing God’s dominion and power.
Daniel 4:36 tells us that for the glory of King Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom, God allowed his honor and splendor to return to him. King Nebuchadnezzar extolled and honored God as the true King.
A lesson for us today
Pride sets itself up so very quickly, and when a person has access to privilege and material possessions, it can be a challenge to remain humble.
Our King Jesus demonstrated humility, as we talked about on Palm Sunday. May the Lord help each of us to always remain humble and give God all the glory in our lives!
