Daniel-the dream he wished would never come true
Introduction: Daniel had already reviewed and interpreted one of King Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams, as related in Daniel 2. Now, perhaps some years later, the king had another dream that troubled his thoughts. He called Daniel and related the dream. When Daniel heard the dream, he knew what it meant but he wasn’t anxious to tell the king about it. Daniel even expressed his wish that the dream would apply to the king’s enemies, not the king himself.
Daniel did eventually explain the dream and what it meant. For a while, the king remembered the prophecy in the dream but one day he forgot. And he lived like an animal for seven long years. Afterward, he was restored to his position—and possibly more.
1 Nebuchadnezzar shared his dream
Text: Daniel 3:1-8, KJV 1 Nebuchadnezzar the king, unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you. 2 I thought it good to shew the signs and wonders that the high God hath wrought toward me. 3 How great are his signs! and how mighty are his wonders! his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation. 4 I Nebuchadnezzar was at rest in mine house, and flourishing in my palace: 5 I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts upon my bed and the visions of my head troubled me. 6 Therefore made I a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known unto me the interpretation of the dream. 7 Then came in the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers: and I told the dream before them; but they did not make known unto me the interpretation thereof. 8 But at the last Daniel came in before me, whose name was Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods: and before him I told the dream, saying, 9 O Belteshazzar, master of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in thee, and no secret troubleth thee, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and the interpretation thereof.
In the first few verses of chapter 4, Nebuchadnezzar gives a glowing tribute to the God of Heaven, calling Him the “High God”. He had already called Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego the “servants of the Most High God” in Daniel 3:26 after these three men had walked out of the fiery furnace. Then he continued his words of praise, desiring also to show the “signs and wonders” which God had revealed to him and produced in him.
Then in verse 5 he related the dream, another one, which “made (him) afraid” and further resulted in the visions troubling him. The dream he had, in chapter 2, also troubled him, but this one seems to have him more puzzled than anything else. He called, “made a decree”, for the wise men of Babylon to give him the interpretation. Before, he had demanded they tell him the dream AND what it meant, but here, he shared the dream with the wise men.
But they still could not interpret the king’s dream, even though he had told them what it was.
Now in verse 8, the king mentions that “at the last, Daniel came in before me” and the king told him the dream. In this situation, Daniel didn’t have to request time in order for God to show him the dream; further, the king was not threatening to have all the wise men executed for failure to explain the king’s dream. Nebuchadnezzar also added a few words of tribute to the “god” he worshipped at the time (most likely Bel, one of Babylon’s chief “gods”) but also recognized that Daniel had the “spirit of the holy gods (sic)”.
Beginning in verse 9, the king spoke directly to Daniel, first asking him to explain the dream and then the king proceeded to review the dream. Surely it made an impression on him, not the least because of the imagery, but some of the words spoken. Even so, it must have been vivid for the king to remember it in so much detail. The king’s words to Daniel stopped at verse 18, when the king again asked Daniel to explain the dream to him.
Daniel’s response, however, was not something the king expected.
II Daniel explained the dream
Text: Daniel 3: 19, KJV: Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was astonied for one hour, and his thoughts troubled him. The king spake, and said, Belteshazzar, let not the dream, or the interpretation thereof, trouble thee. Belteshazzar answered and said, My lord, the dream be to them that hate thee, and the interpretation thereof to thine enemies. 20 The tree that thou sawest, which grew, and was strong, whose height reached unto the heaven, and the sight thereof to all the earth; 21 Whose leaves were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all; under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and upon whose branches the fowls of the heaven had their habitation: 22 It is thou, O king, that art grown and become strong: for thy greatness is grown, and reacheth unto heaven, and thy dominion to the end of the earth. 23 And whereas the king saw a watcher and an holy one coming down from heaven, and saying, Hew the tree down, and destroy it; yet leave the stump of the roots thereof in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven times pass over him;
Verse 19 states that Daniel was “astonied” for one hour, and his thoughts troubled him. Most likely “astonied” means “astonished” or, to put it another way, Daniel might have been “blown away” by the dream’s meaning. Understandably, Daniel’s thoughts troubled him, as he knew exactly what the dream really meant and he didn’t want the king to have to suffer what the dream showed was going to happen.
The king showed a perhaps rare moment of kindness to Daniel, saying, “Don’t let the dream or its meaning bother you”. Daniel knew that the king had been volatile or mercurial in his temperament, or was able to change emotions in an instant. Still, he spoke to the king respectfully, saying, “I wish this dream would never happen to you, but only to those who hate you and those who are your enemies (paraphrased)”.
Daniel proceeded with a summary of the dream, describing Nebuchadnezzar’s vision of the great tree, in verses 20-21, explaining that the tree represented the king. Babylon was truly a great empire at the time and Nebuchadnezzar was one of the greatest of all the kings of Babylon. He and the empire seemed to be at the top of the pyramid, so to speak. God had allowed all of this to take place, even though the king probably didn’t realize much of this, if anything.
But even with all this, Nebuchadnezzar’s future was about to change. Radically.
III Daniel warned the king about the dream’s meaning
Text: Daniel 3:24-27, KJV: 24 This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the most High, which is come upon my lord the king: 25 That they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. 26 And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots; thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee, after that thou shalt have known that the heavens do rule. 27 Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity.
Daniel had already been “astonied” or, perhaps stunned, for an hour (verse 19) when he knew exactly what the king’s dream was declaring. Daniel had explained the meaning to the king (remember, the king had no idea just what the dream actually meant) and had hoped it would happen to the king’s enemies. The events prophesied describe some radical changes in personality: in this case, the king was warned that he would live with, and like, cattle instead of living in his palace; he would eat grass like cattle (one wonders if Daniel may have recalled the time he asked for vegetables or “pulse” in chapter 1??) instead of the daily menu on the king’s table; and instead of bathing, he would be “wet” with “the dew of heaven”. This was going to happen for seven years and apparently the king would realize that there was a Higher King, the Most High God, ruled in the kingdoms of men.
Daniel now almost pleads with the king to change his ways, or take some corrective action, before the dream’s prophecy would come true. He asked the king to do only two things, which would show a definite change in character: first, do righteousness by “breaking off thy sins”. One could wonder just what kind of sins, and how many, Nebuchadnezzar was guilty of!
The second was to “break off” his iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. This part of the verse implies two things; first, the king was not showing mercy to the poor. How many people in Babylon itself, plus the territories ruled by Babylon, were considered poor is unknown. Babylon of course was not under the Law of Moses, allowing for relief, for people to glean in the fields, and so on. At any rate, the poor didn’t seem to have much to look forward to, neither in terms of physical relief or even having anyone care about them.
And the second part of this is that God considered this mistreatment of the poor to be an iniquity. God cares about all people, certainly, and does not condone the abuse of anyone, anywhere, at any time for any reason. Sins are sins, and He will punish those who commit these sins. Nebuchadnezzar was guilty of both sins and iniquities and would face a double punishment, not only by being driven out of his palace, living like an animal, but also in the future when he would face God to give an account of his deeds. Admittedly, this last is something we know today, and how much the king knew about this is unclear, but it is a fact that everyone on this earth will face death and judgment afterwards (Hebrews 9:27, paraphrased).
As mentioned, Daniel didn’t want any of the dream’s predictions to happen to the king. He even gave the king an opportunity to repent and change his ways with a hope that it” may be a lengthening of thy tranquility” or peaceful reign.
IV The fulfillment of the dream upon the king
Text, Daniel 3:28-33, KJV: 28 All this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar. 29 At the end of twelve months he walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon. 30 The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty? 31 While the word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee. 32 And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. 33 The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles' feathers, and his nails like birds' claws.
The conversation between Daniel and King Nebuchadnezzar ended with Daniel’s plea for the king to repent and change his ways. There is no record that anything happened but in verse 28, Daniel writes very simply and briefly, “all this came upon the king”. Whatever the king had considered, whatever changes he made or might have made, he was about to cross the line and encounter the wrath of the True and the Living, the Most High God.
This happened twelve months after Daniel explained this second dream. Verse 29 records how the king was walking in his palace, and there is nothing wrong with this, and in verse 30 the king’s true thoughts are revealed. He basically said, “Look what I made! Who did all this? I did! And for who was it made? ME!!!!!!!!!” He completely ignored the labors of all the people who had built Babylon over the years, the soldiers who had conquered Assyria and other lands so that Babylon could expand its own empire, and the others, including the wise men, who had given good counsel to kings for many years. When he took all the credit for what many others had done, he crossed the line for the last time and the punishments described in this latest dream were all about to hit him, and hit him hard.
Even while the king was boasting, someone else was speaking directly to him. This Someone Else was or had a “voice from heaven (verse 31)” and pronounced judgment on the king. This Someone also declared that the kingdom was taken away from the king (“is departed from thee”, verse 31), that he would be driven from men and he would be forced to eat grass like oxen, and that he would remain in that status for seven years (“times”, verse 32), But there was a promise, that one day the king would “know that the most High (God) ruleth in the kingdoms of men”.
Tersely, verse 33 describes the effects and the events. The king was driven away, he ate grass like cattle, and his whole personal image was changed: his hair grew like eagles’ feathers and his nails grew like birds’ claws. What a contrast: the king, who had once held the power to spare or destroy lives, didn’t have enough power to resist being forced out of his own palace. Scripture does not record where the king lived, or was kept (captured?) during those seven years but clearly someone or a group of people must have known where he was and what he was doing.
The people who had known the king “before” and were observing him over this seven-year period may not have known what had happened to the king: why was he in this condition? And they may not have known if he would ever get better or be restored to his previous condition. Valid concerns, these; but the people also didn’t know that the Most High was about to show them, and the king, something that was truly a miracle!
V The king’s recovery and testimony
Text, Daniel 3:34-37, KJV: 34 And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation: 35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou? 36 At the same time my reason returned unto me; and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honour and brightness returned unto me; and my counsellers and my lords sought unto me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me. 37 Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.
If nothing else, God is a God of His Word and when He promised that the punishment placed on Nebuchadnezzar would last seven years, then that meant seven years, not one day more or less. Now in verse 34, King Nebuchadnezzar realized what had happened and it seems he recalled the words of Daniel spoken eight years before. He first “lifted up his eyes unto heaven”, and discovered his reason or understanding had come back. He then blessed the “most High (God)”, praising and honoring Him “that liveth forever”. It is interesting that Nebuchadnezzar called God the “most High”, which is the same Name for God used by Melchizedek in Genesis.
Nebuchadnezzar seems never to have called the God of Daniel “the LORD” or any other name. But one thing was definite: Nebuchadnezzar displayed signs of change. No longer did he give praise to Bel, Nebo, or any other “god” of Babylon. Instead, he praised the “most High” and called Him the “King of Heaven” and realized (ruefully?) that He—the most High—could and would “abase” those who walk in pride. Was Nebuchadnezzar a convert to the God of Israel? Was he simply paying lip service or using words to be thankful for his healing and nothing more? We may never know on this earth, but one day all of God’s saints will be gathered together.
At the least, Nebuchadnezzar knew that the God of Daniel was stronger than any idol ever worshiped in Babylon and that he could not have survived his seven-year ordeal until the most High God restored him. The God Who revealed this second meaningful dream to this king not only punished the king but restored him to the position he had held before. One would have to be quite ungrateful to not be a believer—but, sadly, some refused and still refuse to believe.
Conclusion: Nebuchadnezzar had two vastly different dreams, one speaking of him and then the distant future; the other for an unspecified time. He didn’t know the meaning of either one, but Daniel did, and the king listened to what Daniel had to say. A year after Daniel interpreted the second dream, the dire penalties mentioned in the dream happened to the king and he lived what seems to be a miserable existence for seven long years. Once that period was over, the king was restored to his intellect, his position, and his prestige. Best of all, he gave credit and a glowing testimony to the “most High God” for allowing this miracle to happen.
You and I may not have anything close to what happened to Nebuchadnezzar, but even so, we can be grateful to our Lord for all that He does for us. Our testimony may be the witness, and our witness may be the testimony, for an unsaved person to take his or her first steps towards faith in Jesus Christ for themselves!
Scripture quotations taken from the King James Version of the Bible (KJV).
