A. Chapter 4 Outline
I. The Dream (4:1-18)
a. The King’s Introduction (4:1-5)
b. The Councillors Ignorance (4:6-7)
c. The Prophet’s Insight (4:8-9)
d. The Dream Illustrated (4:10-18)
II. The Interpretation (4:19-27)
a. Daniel’s Thoughts (4:19)
b. Nebuchadnezzar’s Tree (4:20-26)
c. Possible Tranquillity (4:27)
III. The Fulfilment (4:28-36)
a. The Pride (4:28-30)
b. The Proclamation (4:31-32)
c. The Punishment (4:33)
d. The Praise (4:34-37)
Message
II. The Interpretation (4:19-27)
a. Daniel’s Thoughts (4:19)
Daniel recognises the seriousness of the king’s vision and his concern is evident. He was “Astonied”, this means stunned, awestruck, appalled. The reason for this reaction was that Daniel saw what lay ahead of the successful monarch
Maybe Daniel was afraid of the king’s temper and his possible reaction to the interpretation of the dream. It could be that Daniel even felt sorry for Nebuchadnezzar, he had been a chief advisor to the king for some forty years and had formed a good relationship with him and had tried witnessing to him, it could be that Daniel was hesitating because of the sad news he was about to tell.
I wonder if Daniel had to be alone to collect his thoughts for that hour or if he stayed in the king’s presence? What would have gone through the king’s mind? Maybe his thoughts went back to the last dream he had and how Daniel had stood before him with the interpretation,
The king knows that Daniel is a man of God and that he will not mince his words, so, he tells him to just tell him what the dream means. Nebuchadnezzar knows that it must be significant and that it has something to do with him
b. Nebuchadnezzar’s Tree (4:20-26)
Verses 20-22
So far so good! Nebuchadnezzar had built an empire that spanned the world of his day. Other empires would be grander than his, having more territory and lasting longer, but in some ways his empire was greater than those others, after all Daniel had told him in Chapter 2 that his kingdom was the head of Gold.
Trees are often used in Scripture as a symbol of political authority, such as kings, nations and empires (Ezekial 17; Hosea 14; Zecheriah 11)
God had given Nebuchadnezzar the potential of actually ruling over the whole world, with his reign the “Time of the Gentiles” had began, in his previous dream his empire had headed the others. Now at the zenith of his influence and power, he was the great tree that overshadowed the earth.
Verses 23-24
Here Daniel reminds the king that he is dealing with God. The “watchers” were merely God’s ministers. The decree that Daniel was about to give to the king, did not come from Daniel, nor from these angelic beings, but from God Himself.
Verse 25
The king would be struck down with madness. He would leave his throne and he would be driven away from men. He would imagine himself to be an ox and his insanity would last for 7 years – until he comes to his senses and he realises that all of his empire was not his, it was not a result of his military might nor his skill, but it was all God’s doing.
Verse 26
The cutting down of the tree symbolised Nebuchadnezzar’s disgrace and removal from the throne, but the fact that the stump remains was a promise that he would one day reign again. The banding of the stump (Verse 23) may suggest that he was marked by God and protected by Him until His purpose for him was fulfilled. For 7 times (years) the king would live like a beast, eating grass and feeling the forces of nature upon his body.
The lesson that God wanted the king to learn, and one that we have to learn today, is that God alone is sovereign and He will not allow us to take credit for His work.
We are creatures and God is our Creator.
We are subjects and God is our King of kings
We are servants and God is our Master
When men and women refuse to submit themselves to God as creatures made in His image , then they are in danger of descending to the level of animals. If evolution were true, it is possible that we are going the other way. What I mean is that we did not evolve from monkeys, but we see society acting like monkeys. The world has turned its back on God and as a result we see people acting like animals.
Where will it all end? Well that last great world dictator is called “The beast” Revelation 13:1-2 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. [2] And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
People are made in the image of God, but when they leave Him out of their lives and resist His will they can descend to the level of animals. Psalm 32:9 Be ye not as the horse, Or as the mule, which have no understanding: Whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, Lest they come near unto thee.
“Don’t be like the horse or like the mule” warns king David, who had been guilty of acting like both. Like the impulsive horse, he rushed into sin when he committed adultery with Bathsheba, then like the stubborn mule, he delayed confessing his sins and repenting (2 Samuel 11-12)
When the Lord appeared to Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus he compared him to an ox when He said, “It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks” (Acts 9:5)
c. Possible Tranquillity (4:27)
Daniel began to preach; he bypasses the king’s intellect and goes straight for Nebuchadnezzar’s conscience. Daniel uses two words to describe the kings failings.
First of all Daniel says break off thy SINS by righteousness. Sins here means “an offence” but it is from a root word which means “to miss the mark, to go wrong, to miss the goal, to incur guilt/penalty” It has to do with coming short – Romans 3:23
Righteousness means rightness (abstractly), subjectively (rectitude), objectively (justice), morally (virtue) or figuratively (prosperity): - To be justified.
Nebuchadnezzar had many opportunities to “believe” the Lord. That is exactly what Abraham did Genesis 15:6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
All the king had to do was see his sins for what they were and put his faith in the Lord Galatians 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Secondly he says thine INIQUITIES by showing mercy to the poor. Iniquities means perversity and is from the root word which means “to be bent or crooked” Mercy means “to bend or stoop in kindness” “to show favour”
We are changed when we are save, we now have a duty to those who are poor.
To the lost (poor spiritually)
To those who are hurting (poor physically)
To those who are in need (poor materially)
In ancient times, an Eastern monarch exercised supreme authority and was master of life and death. Daniel knew all about the kings temper, yet he was faithful in proclaiming God’s Word and confronting Nebuchadnezzar with his sins and leaving the consequences up to God.
This is what Moses did in the court of Pharaoh and so did Nathan in David’s court when he said to him thou art the man (2 Samuel 12:7). Elijah boldly confronted wicked King Ahab and Queen Jezebel (1 Kings 18:17) Isaiah rebuked Hezekiah (Isaiah 39) and John the Baptist told King Herod that his relationship with Herodias was wrong (Mark 6).
People who change God’s Word to please others will never enjoy the blessings of God.
Unlike the Jewish rulers who were supposed to be accessible to their people and serve them as shepherds, Eastern kings lived in splendid isolation and wanted to hear only good news. Daniel knew that the king had not looked after his people, he had not been concerned about the poor and he had certainly not shown mercy to those who were in need.
Daniel knew from God’s Word that the Lord spoke of Himself as the protector and defender of the poor and the oppressed. I’m sure that Nebuchadnezzar had exploited people in his conquests and his building of Babylon. His money should have helped the poor and yet it had been used to satisfy the king’s pride. Proverbs 29:14 The king that faithfully judgeth the poor, his throne shall be established for ever. However, Nebuchadnezzar was about to lose his throne.
Daniel was calling for repentance. He wanted the king to change his mind, admit his sin and then turn from them and put his faith in the true and Living God, the Most High God.
