Daniel 4 Lagny

Right now we have eight couples going through pre-marital counseling at Eglise Connexion; seven of them are getting married between now and October. So I’ve been going through marriage material a lot lately.

One of the most common exercises you do in pre-marital counseling is to try to imagine what you want your life to be like in five, ten, twenty years. Of course having a goal in mind is good when you are starting a life together. I know some couples actually keep their plan in a notebook or a frame and take it out several times a year to see how they’re doing.

I’ll be honest: I don’t like this exercise.

If things don’t go according to plan, you’re left with this constant state of mild dissatisfaction—you measure everything by your idea of what your life should look like, and of course life rarely ends up like what you had in mind.

If things do go according to plan, well then you can sit back and think, I’ve done it. I made it work. I got what I set out to get. I’ve built my kingdom just as I had planned it, and I can be proud.

It seems counterintuitive to imagine that thinking this way could be a bad thing: everything in our culture today points to self-affirmation as one of the key virtues we can have.

But our text today says very much the opposite.

I’ll be honest—I’m very happy to be preaching from this text this morning. The book of Daniel is one of my favorite books of the Bible (because as a rule I love weird things, and Daniel is profoundly weird), and this chapter is probably my favorite chapter in the whole book.

Let’s walk through what happens together, and then we’ll take a step back and see what we can make of it. (We’re not going to read the whole text, because it’s very long, and repeats itself several times. We’ll read parts of it and then summarize as we go.)

Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream (v. 1-27)

is written in the form of what’s basically an open letter from Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon, to his people. (By the way, from now on I’m just going to call him “the King,” because good grief, "Nebuchadnezzar” is a mouthful.) If you remember, the people of Judah were defeated by Babylon, and taken into exile there. Among those exiled was Daniel, a faithful man of God, to whom God had given wisdom and skill (1.17).

The narrative of chapter 4 begins at the end of the story, with the King explaining why he’s telling this story. He says (v. 1):

1 King Nebuchadnezzar to all peoples, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you! 2 It has seemed good to me to show the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for me.

King Nebuchadnezzar to all peoples, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you! 2

Anon, 2016. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version, Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.It has seemed good to me to show the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for me.

3  How great are his signs,

how mighty his wonders!

His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

and his dominion endures from generation to generation.

In other words, his goal in telling the story he’s about to tell is to help us see God like that.

And as he begins his story, something happens that’s already happened in this book, in chapter 2. The King has a dream, and none of his wise men can interpret its meaning. So he sends for Daniel, who interpreted his dream the first time, hoping he can do so again.

He describes his dream in great detail. V. 10:

10 The visions of my head as I lay in bed were these: I saw, and behold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great. 11 The tree grew and became strong, and its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth. 12 Its leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, and the birds of the heavens lived in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it.

Okay, so in his dream, the King sees a huge tree, visible from all around the world. It is healthy and strong, big enough to give shelter to all the animals, and with enough good fruit to feed the whole earth.

He sees a huge tree, visible from all around the world. It is healthy and strong, big enough to give shelter to all the animals, and with enough good fruit to feed the whole earth.

Then in v. 13 a character shows up whom the King refers to as a “watcher” (probably an angel).

13 “I saw in the visions of my head as I lay in bed, and behold, a watcher, a holy one, came down from heaven. 14 He proclaimed aloud and said thus: ‘Chop down the tree and lop off its branches, strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts flee from under it and the birds from its branches. 15 But leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, amid the tender grass of the field. Let him be wet with the dew of heaven. Let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth.

Anon, 2016. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version, Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

he describes a “watcher,” probably an angel, who comes down from heaven and commands that the tree be cut down and stripped. But he commands that the stump of the tree be left in the field.

Now in v. 16 the image changes somewhat, and it becomes clear that the tree is actually a picture of a man.

16 Let his mind be changed from a man’s, and let a beast’s mind be given to him; and let seven periods of time pass over him.

As far as we know, trees don’t have minds; so clearly here the watcher is speaking about a man, to whom this must happen. And the watcher commands that this man remain this way, in this beast-like state, for “seven periods of time.” (The text never explains just how long this is—most scholars guess it’s seven years—but the number seven signifies completion. In other words, “let him stay that way for the right amount of time.”)

because the watcher proclaims a curse on him, that his mind be changed from a man’s, and the mind of a beast be given to him. (As far as we know, trees don’t have minds.)

The watcher commands that this man remain this way, in this beast-like state, for “seven periods of time.” (The text never explains just how long this is—most scholars guess it’s seven years—but the number seven signifies completion. In other words, “let him stay that way for the right amount of time.”)

Now the question is, why should this happen? V. 17:

17 The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, the decision by the word of the holy ones, to the end that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men.’

Anon, 2016. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version, Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

The goal of this, the watcher says in v. 17, is that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men.

is that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men.

So the King concludes recounting his dream, and turns to Daniel for the interpretation.

Daniel’s Interpretation (v. 19-27)

As soon as the King stops speaking, it’s clear that Daniel knows exactly what the dream means, because he’s afraid to speak until the King insists. Daniel uses tact, but he tells the truth—the tree, he says in v. 22, is you.

22 ...it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong. Your greatness has grown and reaches to heaven, and your dominion to the ends of the earth.

the tree, he says, is you.

Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom was incredibly powerful—the city of Babylon was the largest city in the world at the time. It’s no mistake that in the dream we see this giant tree whose top reached to heaven—this is language used elsewhere in the Bible, at the Tower of Babel. In their hubris men had desired to build a tower whose top reached to heaven, a testament to their own might. The Babylonian empire was no different.

So Daniel explains (v. 24):

24 this is the interpretation, O king: It is a decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king, 25 that you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, till you know [once again, we see the same thing repeated here] that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.

Anon, 2016. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version, Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

So your kingdom, your power, did not come from you, did not come from your might, from God, and you have to realize this.

Daniel explains that the watcher’s decree that the tree be chopped down and stripped was God’s decree about the King. The King will essentially lose his mind; he will be given the mind of a beast, and go out to live with the animals, eating grass and exposed to the elements.

So the King would remain in that beast-like state until the right amount of time passes—enough time for the King to understand through his downfall that his kingdom did not come to him by his own power, but rather that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.

till you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will. 26

Daniel ends with a plea to the King to repent of his sins, so that this wouldn’t happen to him. V. 27:

27 Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you: break off your sins by practicing righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, that there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity.”

Anon, 2016. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version, Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

Nebuchadnezzar’s Downfall (v. 28-33)

At this point, the story then makes a leap forward: twelve months pass. We don’t know what happened during this time, but it is fairly incredible that the King does not take this dream and its interpretation to heart, after what happened last time.

V. 29:

29 At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, 30 and the king answered and said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?”

He explains that he was walking on the roof of the royal palace, and he was looking out at the city. Contemplating it, he said (v. 30): “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?”

His pride is so immense that he has forgotten the refrain that’s already been twice repeated—YOU didn’t do this; the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will. You have received this. But pride is much easier to grasp than humility.

And instantly—while the words were still in the king’s mouth, it says, v. 31—a voice from heaven calls out and reminds him of his dream.

V. 32:

...you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until [so once again—and at this point the repetition is too obvious to miss] you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.”

Anon, 2016. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version, Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

The king will lose his mind until... (Once again—and at this point the repetition is too obvious to miss, v. 32) ...until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.

And it happens. V. 33:

33 Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers, and his nails were like birds’ claws.

Anon, 2016. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version, Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

Nebuchadnezzar Restored (v. 34-37)

Now we don’t know exactly how long he was like this, but that it was the full period of judgment allotted to him. The King lifts his eyes to heaven, and BOOM—his mind returns.

V. 34:

34 At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me...

So we have those two images, like bookends: the King is on the roof of his palace, looking down on the people—and he becomes like a beast. Then on the ground, in the position of a beast, he looks up to God, and is restored.

And for perhaps the first time in this whole story, the King speaks rightly. He was reasoning like a beast even before his madness; now, for the first time, he is reasoning like a man created in the image of God.

He proclaims, with perfect clarity and truth, the sovereign greatness of God, making this wonderful declaration in v. 34-35 (starting from the second half of v. 34):

and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever,

for HIS dominion is an everlasting dominion,

and HIS kingdom endures from generation to generation;

35  all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,

and he does according to his will among the host of heaven

and among the inhabitants of the earth;

and none can stay his hand

or say to him, “What have you done?”

Anon, 2016. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version, Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

The King is reestablished in his kingdom, and he says that still more greatness was added to me.

v. 19-27: Daniel interprets the dream.

v. 1-3: The narrative begins at the end. This chapter is an open letter to the people, praising the Most High.

4  King Nebuchadnezzar to all peoples, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you! 2 It has seemed good to me to show the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for me.

v. 4-18: For the second time, Neb. has a dream his wise men cannot interpret.

A great tree, fruitful and huge, visible from all the earth.

beasts find shade under it, birds live in its branches (v. 12, cf. ).

A “watcher” from heaven commands that the tree be cut down and stripped, but that the stump of its roots be left in the field. (v. 14-15).

It’s clear that the tree is a man, because the watcher speaks of his “mind” being “changed from a man’s”, and the mind of a beast given to him (v. 16).

Why? So that the tree/man may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men (v. 17).

3  How great are his signs,

And he concludes his story by saying (v. 37):

v. 19-27: Daniel interprets the dream.

The predicted downfall of Neb. because of his pride

how mighty his wonders!

37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.

Daniel’s afraid to tell the king what he thinks it means, uses tact but tells the truth (v. 19).

The tree = YOU. Strong king, strong kingdom (v. 20-22)

Command of the watcher = You’ll go nuts (v. 23-25).

His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

Neb. will understand through his downfall that his kingdom did not come to him by his own power, but rather that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will (v. 25).

God leaves Neb. the opportunity to turn from his sin and repent (v. 27), showing his desire to show grace despite Neb.’s sin.

and his dominion endures from generation to generation.

the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will

v. 28-33: Neb. goes nuts.

He gets a year to repent (v. 29), but looks out over his kingdom and attributes to his own power (v. 30).

A voice from heaven reminds him of his dream: you will go mad and you will stay mad until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will (v. 32).

“Seven periods of time” (v. 25) : a full period of judgment.

until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.”

Anon, 2016. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version, Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

v. 34-37: Neb. is restored

When the time has passed, Neb. “lifts his eyes to heaven” (v. 34) and BOOM—his reason is restored. The symbolism here is evident: as long as he looks down on the people, he is a beast; but when he looks up to God, he is restored.

People often relate looking down with humility. But here, the gesture of humility is looking up at the One greater than him.

v. 34-35: Neb. proclaims with perfect clarity and truth the sovereign greatness of God.

v. 36-37: He is re-established in his kingdom, and still more greatness was added to me.

God exalts the proud, and lifts up the humble.

The end result: praise to God who is just, and able to humble the proud (v. 37).

His pride is so immense that he has forgotten the refrain that’s already been twice repeated—YOU didn’t do this; the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will. You have received this. But pride is much easier to grasp than humility.

So we have those two images, like bookends: the King is on the roof of his palace, looking down on the people—and he becomes like a beast. Then on the ground, in the position of a beast, he looks up to God, and is restored.

The symbolism here is evident: as long as he looks down on the people, he is a beast; but when he looks up to God, he is restored.

People often relate looking down with humility. But here, the gesture of humility is looking up at the One greater than him.

Gospel application:

Taken on its own, it would be easy to see manipulation in God’s discipline of Neb. It wasn’t enough to just punish the guy; he had to make him miserable enough to SAY ALOUD that God was better.

But the story of Neb.’s humiliation is not just a moral tale of humility. It reminds us that for all the might of Neb.’s kingdom, a better kingdom is needed.

The image of the giant tree (v. 12) is taken up again by Jesus to speak of the kingdom of God ()—a kingdom which will fill the whole earth not through military might or power alone, but through the humility and service of a different kind of king. A great kingdom like Neb.’s was capable of doing great good—but ultimately would always fail, because such kingdoms are led by sinful men.

Only the kingdom Jesus came to establish could have both the power and the goodness to give shade and nourishment to the whole earth. (cf. )

Immediate application:

Whose kingdom are we living in, and whose kingdom are we building?

Daniel: an exile in this country.

We are exiles too, watching the kingdom we’re living in go mad, waiting for a better kingdom.

We can rest easy, knowing his kingdom will be established.

But somehow, we always forget this. We try to build our own kingdoms under our own power, seek our own pleasures, work for our own glory.

But all that power and pleasure and glory are illusions. We are not in control of our lives; God is.

The good life you are able to live does not come from your own abilities.

Suffering serves to remind us of this fact, to bring things back to their proper perspective.

Neb.’s sin could easily have been avoided—he had a crazy dream, and a miraculous interpretation of the dream, and a clear revelation of the point of the dream. Why didn’t he see it?

Because he was a human being born in sin, just like us.

How many times have we sinned (or even spent significant time in sin) and suffered the consequences? The consequences bring us out of our madness, and we ask ourselves, Why didn’t you see it? It was so OBVIOUS!

And that realization drives us to humility, knowing that for all of our knowledge and ability, we can’t do something so simple as read the obvious signs—we need God’s help to lift our eyes where they should be.

Gospel application:

Taken on its own, it would be easy to see manipulation in God’s discipline of Neb. It wasn’t enough to just punish the guy; he had to make him miserable enough to SAY ALOUD that God was better.

But the story of Neb.’s humiliation is not just a moral tale of humility. It reminds us that for all the might of Neb.’s kingdom, a better kingdom is needed.

The image of the giant tree (v. 12) is taken up again by Jesus to speak of the kingdom of God ()—a kingdom which will fill the whole earth not through military might or power alone, but through the humility and service of a different kind of king. A great kingdom like Neb.’s was capable of doing great good—but ultimately would always fail, because such kingdoms are led by sinful men.

Only the kingdom Jesus came to establish could have both the power and the goodness to give shade and nourishment to the whole earth.

Nebuchadnezzar’s Second Dream

Anon, 2016. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version, Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles

4  I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and prospering in my palace. 5 I saw a dream that made me afraid. As I lay in bed the fancies and the visions of my head alarmed me. 6 So I made a decree that all the wise men of Babylon should be brought before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. 7 Then the magicians, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers came in, and I told them the dream, but they could not make known to me its interpretation. 8 At last Daniel came in before me—he who was named Belteshazzar after the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods—and I told him the dream, saying, 9 “O Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you and that no mystery is too difficult for you, tell me the visions of my dream that I saw and their interpretation. 10 The visions of my head as I lay in bed were these: I saw, and behold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great. 11 The tree grew and became strong, and its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth. 12 Its leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, and the birds of the heavens lived in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it.

13 “I saw in the visions of my head as I lay in bed, and behold, a watcher, a holy one, came down from heaven. 14 He proclaimed aloud and said thus: ‘Chop down the tree and lop off its branches, strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts flee from under it and the birds from its branches. 15 But leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, amid the tender grass of the field. Let him be wet with the dew of heaven. Let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth. 16 Let his mind be changed from a man’s, and let a beast’s mind be given to him; and let seven periods of time pass over him. 17 The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, the decision by the word of the holy ones, to the end that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men.’ 18 This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, saw. And you, O Belteshazzar, tell me the interpretation, because all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation, but you are able, for the spirit of the holy gods is in you.”

Daniel Interprets the Second Dream

19 Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was dismayed for a while, and his thoughts alarmed him. The king answered and said, “Belteshazzar, let not the dream or the interpretation alarm you.” Belteshazzar answered and said, “My lord, may the dream be for those who hate you and its interpretation for your enemies! 20 The tree you saw, which grew and became strong, so that its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth, 21 whose leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in which was food for all, under which beasts of the field found shade, and in whose branches the birds of the heavens lived— 22 it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong. Your greatness has grown and reaches to heaven, and your dominion to the ends of the earth. 23 And because the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field, and let him be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven periods of time pass over him,’ 24 this is the interpretation, O king: It is a decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king, 25 that you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will. 26 And as it was commanded to leave the stump of the roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be confirmed for you from the time that you know that Heaven rules. 27 Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you: break off your sins by practicing righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, that there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity.”

Nebuchadnezzar’s Humiliation

28 All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. 29 At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, 30 and the king answered and said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” 31 While the words were still in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you, 32 and you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” 33 Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers, and his nails were like birds’ claws.

Nebuchadnezzar Restored

34 At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever,

for his dominion is an everlasting dominion,

and his kingdom endures from generation to generation;

35  all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,

and he does according to his will among the host of heaven

and among the inhabitants of the earth;

and none can stay his hand

or say to him, “What have you done?”

36 At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and splendor returned to me. My counselors and my lords sought me, and I was established in my kingdom, and still more greatness was added to me. 37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.

Anon, 2016. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version, Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.