Daniel: Living a Life of Integrity; Week 4

Good morning, today we are continuing our series in the book of Daniel. So far, we have covered chapters 1-3, which talked about Daniel’s background, Daniel interpreting the king’s dream, and then the story of Shadrach, Meschack, and Abednego. Today we are going to move forward into the 4th chapter of Daniel. Chapter 4 is unique, as the account or story is a letter written by King Nebuchadnezzar to the people of Babylon. PRAY

Daniel 4 Outline

I. Introduction/Prologue (Dan. 4: 1-3)

II. The Dream Received (Dan 4:4-18)

III. The Dream Revealed (Dan. 4: 19-27)

IV. The Dream Realized (Dan. 4:28-36)

I’ve broken up the 4th Chapter of Daniel into 3 main parts, plus an introduction, which is how we will cover chapter 4 today. Let’s begin with the rather short introduction

I. Daniel Chapter 4 Introduction/Prologue (4:1-3)

The timeline of the book of Daniel can be a tad difficult to follow.

Chapter 1: Daniel and his friends: between 16-17 years old.

Chapter 2: Daniel and his friends between 30-40 years old.

Chapter 3: Unsure of age

Chapter 4: Daniel is between 50-60 years old.

Chapter 5: New King (Belshazzar) Daniel 60-70 years old.

Chapter 6: Babylon falls to Medo-Persian empire. Darius becomes King; Daniel and his friends 80+ years old.

By chapter 4, where we are today, Daniel has been in Babylon for a few decades. He gained affection from the King by interpreting his dream in chapter 2…decades pass in between that dream and where we are today

Daniel 4:1–3 “King Nebuchadnezzar, To those of every people, nation, and language, who live on the whole earth: May your prosperity increase. I am pleased to tell you about the miracles and wonders the Most High God has done for me. How great are his miracles, and how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation.”

One could be forgiven for mistaking the introduction of Daniel chapter 4 with something we read in Psalms or Proverbs. However, it is most assuredly not from King David, King Solomon, or the sons of Korah for that matter. Daniel chapter 4 is a public decree meant for the people of Babylon and written by King Nebuchadnezzar. The same Nebuchadnezzar that has threatened to kill Daniel and his friends more than once. It is the king who loves violence and is full of rage. If you didn’t notice, Nebuchadnezzar has taken a decidedly different tone here in Chapter 4 for some reason. Chapter 4 is often refereed to as King Nebuchadnezzar’s conversion Testimony…or the story of the powerful king forsaking all idols and false god’s and following the God of Israel.

Fun fact about the introduction to chapter 4, it is widely believed that the first 3 verses, or the introduction to chapter 4 actually belongs at the end of chapter 3, where Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego had escaped the fiery furnace. You have to remember that the original Hebrew Bible did not have chapters and verses, nor did the Septuagint, which was the Greek translation of the Hebrew O.T. The reason this is believed is because the first 3 verses of chapter 4 were written in Aramaic, the same language as Chapter 3…but the rest of chapter 4 was written in Hebrew.

This really has no bearing on the overall meaning or message of Chapter 4, but it is interesting. Let’s keep moving on to number

II. The Dream Received (Dan 4:4-18)

Twice in the book of Daniel we read about King Nebuchadnezzar having a dream in need of interpretation. The first dream is in chapter 2, the second is here in chapter 4.

Daniel 4:4–5 “I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and flourishing in my palace. I had a dream, and it frightened me; while in my bed, the images and visions in my mind alarmed me.”

Good ol’ King Neb was just minding his own business, when one day he had a frightening dream. Similar to the dream in Chapter 2, the King calls all of his advisors to interpret the dream for him. This dream was nearer to the end of Nebuchadnezzar’s life, so a long time had passed since his first recorded dream. Thankfully for his advisors, the king may have mellowed a bit with age, as the King did not threaten to kill everyone if his dream could not be interpreted. Still, the dream bothered the king in a big way, and just like in in first dream, the king’s regular advisors could not interpret the dream for him.

Eventually, Daniel appeared before the King, so Nebuchadnezzar decided to share the dream with him, hoping Daniel could interpret it, just like he did before. Let’s go ahead and read the King’s account of the dream. I broke the dream into 4 sections

Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

The Good (vs. 10-12)

In the visions of my mind as I was lying in bed, I saw this: There was a tree in the middle of the earth, and it was very tall. The tree grew large and strong; its top reached to the sky, and it was visible to the ends of the earth. Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit was abundant, and on it was food for all. Wild animals found shelter under it, the birds of the sky lived in its branches, and every creature was fed from it.

I call this the good, because so far the vision seems very idealistic…a nice setting, almost a garden of Eden type of senerio.

The Bad (vs. 13-15a)

“As I was lying in my bed, I also saw in the visions of my mind a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven. He called out loudly: Cut down the tree and chop off its branches; strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the animals flee from under it, and the birds from its branches. But leave the stump with its roots in the ground and with a band of iron and bronze around it in the tender grass of the field.

As the dream continues, things quickly go bad. The holy being had this beautiful tree cut down, leaving all those who rely on it without food or shelter. If you’ve ever seen pictures of a forest that has been felled, where all that remains of the trees are the lifeless stumps.

The Ugly ( vs. 15b-16)

Let him be drenched with dew from the sky and share the plants of the earth with the animals. Let his mind be changed from that of a human, and let him be given the mind of an animal for seven periods of time.

Perhaps you may have noticed, but in the middle of verse 15, the writer goes from using a third-person singular pronoun (it) to a possessive pronoun (he). For example, back in verse 10, the writer says: There was a tree in the middle of the earth, and “it” was very tall. The “It” is referring to the tree…that is a third-person singular pronoun. However, verse 15 the writer says: “Let him” be drenched with dew...” The writer is still talking abut the tree, or more specifically, the trunk of the tree. It is clear now that the tree represents a person. It looks like this person is in for an ugly existence for a while.

The Reason (vs. 17-18)

This word is by decree of the watchers, and the decision is by command from the holy ones. This is so that the living will know that the Most High is ruler over human kingdoms. He gives them to anyone he wants and sets the lowliest of people over them.

The final part of the dream if refereed to as the reason because the writer explains why everything stated above is going to happen…so that this person will acknowledge the power and sovereignty of the “most high.”That this “most high” has the authority and ability to establish both kings and kingdoms.

Quite the dream. I can understand how this might be concerning to a person. I call it a dream, but the text calls it a vision. A vision is actually different than a dream. A dream happens when we sleep, while a vision comes while we are awake, regardless of where we are. Either way, it is clear that God was trying to communicate with the King, possibly trying to humble him and get him to recognise that the God of Israel is truly the supreme God of gods.

IMAGE OF TREE IN NEBUCHADNEZZAR’S DREAM

I searched for some images that could help us visualize Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. As we move forward in the chapter, we now come to number 3 in our handouts.

III. The Dream Revealed (Dan. 4: 19-27)

Once the King reveals his dream to Daniel, we get a fascinating response from Daniel.

If you’ve ever tried reading this passage in the KJ, it is laughingly difficult to understand: (Not in your handouts)

19 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. (KJV)

Now I’ll read the one in your handout, from the CSB:

Daniel 4:19 “Then Daniel, whose name is Belteshazzar, was stunned for a moment, and his thoughts alarmed him. The king said, “Belteshazzar, don’t let the dream or its interpretation alarm you.” Belteshazzar answered, “My lord, may the dream apply to those who hate you, and its interpretation to your enemies!”

Imagine your boss coming to you with an envelope in their hand....inside the envelope is a doctors report. Your boss doesn’t want to look at it, so he wants you to open it and read the report to him. You open the envelope and quickly scan the document. Your eyes catch the phrase: Stage 4 Brain Cancer....6 weeks to live. You boss then proceeds to tell you that he has a good feeling about the report because he had come to you a few weeks ago and told you about the doctor’s concerns, but he knows that you had been praying for him over the last few weeks…so he is sure everything is going to be good....after all, Jesus will fix it…right? Suddenly, you dread having to read him the doctor’s report…he isn’t exactly your best friend, but you care for him, as we are all called to do as followers of Christ.

Verse 19 says that Daniel stood stunned…that his thought alarmed him. That is probably an understatement. Daniel did not envy being in a place to deliver devastating news to the king. There are a couple of different theories that suggest why Daniel was troubled. Obviously, the Lord had revealed the dream’s interpretation right away. Daniel knew he was about to make the kings day really bad…yet, look at the way Daniel responded. Remember, this is the same King that was going to kill him over the 1st dream. This was the King to threw his friends into the furnace to kill them, after demanding they worship a false god. Despite these things, Daniel responds with much grace and compassion. It would have been easy (and even justifiable) for Daniel to be secretly rejoicing that God is going to punish Nebuchadnezzar. How many of us would find ourselves responding in the manner that Daniel responded?

Why was Daniel troubled by Nebuchadnezzar’s dream?

Feared for his life, told the king what he wanted to hear.

Had genuine care and concern for the king, did not wish to see the king suffer.

I believe quite strongly, given the other things we know about Daniel and his friends, Daniel had care and concern for the King, despite the king’s difficult behavior and personality. I do not see any evidence that Daniel feared for his life or that he was a people pleasear. By the way, just to remind you, Daniel was simply following the principles taught by Christ..

Bless those who curse you

Pray for those who despitefully use you

Love your enemies

Back to the kings dream, Daniel tells the king that he hopes the dream’s interpretation is not carried out on the king…but rather his enemies. Of course, Daniel knows better, but he is trying to ease the blow, as it were.

Daniel then repeats the kings dream back to him, then, starting in verse 24, we get the interpretation, as well as some friendly advice from Daniel.

Daniel 4:24–27 “This is the interpretation, Your Majesty, and this is the decree of the Most High that has been issued against my lord the king: You will be driven away from people to live with the wild animals. You will feed on grass like cattle and be drenched with dew from the sky for seven periods of time, until you acknowledge that the Most High is ruler over human kingdoms, and he gives them to anyone he wants. As for the command to leave the tree’s stump with its roots, your kingdom will be restored to you as soon as you acknowledge that Heaven rules. Therefore, may my advice seem good to you my king. Separate yourself from your sins by doing what is right, and from your injustices by showing mercy to the needy. Perhaps there will be an extension of your prosperity.”

It’s clear that, in short order, God is about to bring about some swift judgment upon King Nebuchadnezzar. It now becomes certain that the tree and stump do, in fact, represent the king. In essence, Daniel tells the king that he is about to have an extended psychotic break, where he will be driven from the castle and live with the livestock, and be given the “mind of an animal.”

Boanthropy: When a person believes they are a cow or ox.

The exact causes of boanthropy are not yet fully understood, but psychological insights provide valuable perspectives. Boanthropy is often associated with other mental health disorders such as schizophrenia, psychotic depression, and bipolar disorder. Psychologists believe that factors such as hallucinations, hypnosis, and dreams may contribute to the development of boanthropic delusions.

Believe it when I say that I wanted to totally nerd out and dive into this mental disease, but I stopped myself.

Our section ends with verse 27, where Daniel attempts to get the King to (in essence) repent of his evil ways. Notice what Daniel says to the King:

Daniel 4:27 “... Separate yourself from your sins by doing what is right, and from your injustices by showing mercy to the needy. Perhaps there will be an extension of your prosperity.”

Daniel is thinking…perhaps if the King were to repent and make right choices, God might spare him this indignity. Human nature being what it is though…that wasn’t going to happen. Like most of us, King Nebuchadnezzar had to learn the hard way. Also, don’t loose sight of Daniel’s specific instructions:

Daniel’s advice to King Nebuchadnezzar:

Separate from sin.

Do what is right

Stop being unjust

Show mercy to the needy

One of the hallmarks of a corrupt system is injustice and true oppression. I understand these terms are often overused and used wrongly, but that does not take away God’s absolute disdain for those who operate in an unjust and oppressive manner. This is a central theme throughout both the O.T. and N.T. It is interesting to note how the definition for injustice has changed over the years. In Scripture, injustice is defined as

Injustice according to scripture: The unnecessary and unjustified ill treatment of others, through false accusation or through the inflicting of pain or punishment.

I’ll again stop myself from soap boxing, but this is not how society today defines injustice. Every definition I looked up had to do with being treated unfair or when a person’s rights are taken away. True injustice has nothing to do with being fair or our rights. It might not be fair that the cop pulled us over instead of the guy next to us, but it’s not unjust. It may not be fair that a person be born into poverty, but it’s not unjust. God is not a God of fairness, but a God of justice. The whole idea of “rights” are good, but it has nothing to do with true justice…those living under the reign of Nebuchadnezzar did not have any “rights.” Those today, living in North Korea or China do not have “rights.” That is very much a Western concept that is very new to the world…again, it’s a good thing, but let’s not confuse the Bill of Rights with the Bible....anyway...

Let’s finish up the chapter now by looking at the last section

IV. The Dream Realized (Dan. 4:28-36)

To be honest, this last part could probably be broken up into 2 sections…the first would be Daniel’s interpretation coming true, then the second would be Neb’s reaction after it was over. But, too late for that I suppose.

A year goes by after Daniel interprets the king’s dream....just about enough time to think that the forecasted doom is not going to happen. One day, Nebuchadnezzar was on the roof of his palace, admiring all that he had accomplished when the Lord decided to show up…it was reckoning time.

Daniel 4:31–33 (CSB) While the words were still in the king’s mouth, a voice came from heaven: “King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared that the kingdom has departed from you. You will be driven away from people to live with the wild animals, and you will feed on grass like cattle for seven periods of time, until you acknowledge that the Most High is ruler over human kingdoms, and he gives them to anyone he wants.” At that moment the message against Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. He was driven away from people. He ate grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with dew from the sky, until his hair grew like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws.

PICTURE OF NEBUCHADNEZZAR IN HIS DISEASE

To put it mildly, Nebuchadnezzar was in a bad way. The king went from believing he was superhuman to being subhuman. His mind and control of his body were taken from him and he was put into a psychotic break for a long period of time. Earlier on in the chapter, when Daniel is interpreting the dream, God says that Nebuchadnezzar will suffer like this for “seven times” or Seven Periods. If we look at the evidence, it is not out of the realm of possibility to say this went on for 7 years. It takes a long time for a person’s hair and nails to get long like is described.

I think we look at Nebuchadnezzar’s situation and think…why didn’t he just repent and make things right with the Lord? It is easy to think that…but we are not so different. Think about how many times we will return to the same sin, knowing how it displeases the Lord.

I suppose the only saving grace for a person in such a condition is that they do not realize how messed up they are.

Eventually, the Lord allowed Nebuchadnezzar to gain back his sanity and resume his place on the throne. Imagine being the guy guarding the palace that day! You are just standing there, minding your own business when some creepy looking dude walks up to you claiming to the the king. Remember, Neb. had been incommunicado for years....now all of a sudden his sanity is restored. Imagine how bad he smelled!

Well, God had grace on Neb., let’s finish up by reading the last few verses.

Daniel 4:36–37 (CSB)At that time my sanity returned to me, and my majesty and splendor returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and my nobles sought me out, I was reestablished over my kingdom, and even more greatness came to me. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt, and glorify the King of the heavens, because all his works are true and his ways are just. He is able to humble those who walk in pride.

As you read the story it is easy to forget that the king is the one telling it. He is giving a first hand account of his situation. The king had been brought down a few pegs, that is for sure. King Nebuchadnezzar was a man full of self-exaltation and arrogance…he was, really, a despicable human being if I can put it so bluntly. That said, no one is beyond the grace of our Lord. From what it looks like, Nebuchadnezzar had a conversion experience with the Lord. As with all things, not everyone agrees that Nebuchadnezzar had a true conversion experience…but I don’t think that is for us to judge. It is clear that Nebuchadnezzar repents of his pride, which is the source of his downfall. Did Nebuchadnezzar all of a sudden become like Daniel or his friends? Probably not…but that is not what the Lord required of him. He required Nebuchadnezzar to repent of his pride and to recognise that the God of Israel is over and above all other deities. Did Nebuchadnezzar all of a sudden become a strict mono-theist…no, more than likely Nebuchadnezzar was a Monologist.

Monolatry: the worship of one god without denial of the existence of other gods.

The most important thing to remember is that God finally got a hold of Nebuchadnezzar. As we read this story, it is easy to forget that it’s being told by the King himself.

To finish up this morning I want to quickly answer the question: and in answering these, I will apply the story to you and I.

Why would the king want to record such an ugly time in his history?

You would think he would want it forgotten.

There are 3 reasons for this:

1. The formal explaining of his absence.

The entire chapter is a formal decree, spoken by Nebuchadnezzar, and probably transcribed by a scribe, or even Daniel. Imagine if England’s queen suddenly went missing for 7 years. When she finally returned. Actually, now they have a king…same thing. Once they returned, he would have to explain his absence and the reason for the absence.

2. Why he now follows the God of Israel.

Another reason might be to explain why the king now recognizes and worships the God of Israel, or “The Most High God.” This was an enormous change for not only the king, but also his subjects. Prior to this, the king would have worshiped many gods, some of them being more important or more powerful than others. Worshiping just one God would have been unheard of before Daniel and his friends arrived into town. Notice though the difference between the kings reaction as compared to chapter 3, with Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego. After his interaction with the 3 Hebrew men, Nebu. did acknowledge the God of Israel, but he also threatened to torture and murder anyone who spoke against him…not exactly what God was looking for I suggest. Here in chapter 4 though, we do not see any of that…there are no murderous threats, there is only praise and exaltation of the God of gods and the king of kings.

Daniel 4:34–35 “But at the end of those days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven, and my sanity returned to me. Then I praised the Most High and honored and glorified him who lives forever: For his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are counted as nothing, and he does what he wants with the army of heaven and the inhabitants of the earth. There is no one who can block his hand or say to him, “What have you done?””

What the king was doing was publicly giving his testimony…he was no ashamed of how low he had been brought. His pride and rage had been replaced with humility and peace of mind.

3. Personal reminder.

Aside from giving a reason for his absence and giving a public testimony, I believe the king wanted it written down so he would never forget where he was and how far he had come. The mighty king had been stuck in sin…despite repeated warnings, sin had hardened his heart. He stood in defiance of God, until he didn’t, that is.

Aside from Job, I can’t think of anyone who was brought as low by God. Of course, Job’s situation was for a different reason altogether, but they still suffered. The Bible talks about the power of our testimony. It serves as a constant reminder of God’s goodness and grace.

Psalm 71:15–16 “My mouth will tell about your righteousness and your salvation all day long, though I cannot sum them up. I come because of the mighty acts of the Lord God; I will proclaim your righteousness, yours alone.”

Thankfully, none of us have been afflicted with a psychotic break because of the harness of our hearts, but the fact that we are all sitting here today in our right minds…for the most part, is a testament to God’s grace and forgiveness. For King Nebuchadnezzar and for us today, it is often our pride that gets us off tract and hardens our hearts before the Lord. And, just like the King, we often need reminders of the Lord’s power to effect change in our lives. The same God that broke Nebuchadnezzar then put him back together again is the same God that we serve. The story of King Nebuchadnezzar very much reminds me of the words of Jesus

John 3:3 “Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.””

In a very real way, Nebuchadnezzar was born again…he went from being a fully functioning adult, to having the mind of an infant..where everything is just instinct and there is no self-consciousnesses…an inability to recognize oneself in a mirror…he went from that, to being fully restored again. that is probably the closest real life senerio we can find to becoming born again. In a lesser way, Paul the Apostle had a similar experience when he was blinded by God…although it was not as extreme.

The story of Nebuchadnezzar stands as a warning against pride, but it also reminds us that we are never out of reach. It teaches that God does not abandon those he has plans for, even when He must bring a person low and humble them. Daniel’s actions and attitude should instruct us how we should treat those who do not treat us well…our hearts should never wish suffering on a person…and that is hard to do, especially when we’ve been hurt.

Story of CP in prison...

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