Daniel 4.28-The Vision Is Fulfilled
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Wednesday October 10, 2012
Daniel: Daniel 4:28-The Vision Is Fulfilled
Lesson # 131
Please turn in your Bibles to Daniel 4:27.
This evening we will study Daniel 4:28, which records that the vision Nebuchadnezzar received from God was fulfilled.
Daniel 4:28 “All this happened to Nebuchadnezzar the king.” (NASB95)
“All” is the singular construct form of the noun kōl (כֹּל) (kole), which denotes totality and is used in a distributive sense for Daniel’s interpretation of the vision Nebuchadnezzar received from God, which is recorded in Daniel 4:20-26.
The word denotes that “each and every detail” of Daniel’s interpretation took place for the benefit of Nebuchadnezzar.
“Happened” is the third person feminine singular peʿal (Hebrew: qal) active perfect form of the verb meṭā(ʾ) (מְטָא) (met-aw´), which means “to take place, to happen, to occur” and denotes that each and every detail in Daniel’s interpretation of the vision “took place” for the benefit of the king.
“To Nebuchadnezzar, the king” is composed of the preposition ʿǎl (עַל) (al), “to” and its object is the masculine singular form of the proper name neḇû∙ḵǎḏ∙ně(ʾ)ṣ∙ṣǎr (נְבוּכַדְנֶאצַּר) (neb-oo-kad-nets-tsar), “Nebuchadnezzar” which is modified by the masculine singular form of the noun mě∙lěḵ (מֶלֶךְ) (meh´-lek), “the king.”
The proper name neḇû∙ḵǎḏ∙ně(ʾ)ṣ∙ṣǎr, “Nebuchadnezzar” refers to the second ruler of the Chaldean dynasty of Babylon and is the object of the preposition ʿǎl, which is marker of advantage meaning that the fulfillment of Daniel’s interpretation took place “for the benefit of” Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon.
Daniel 4:28 “Each and every detail took place for the benefit of Nebuchadnezzar the king.” (My translation)
Daniel 4:28 is a summary statement of the fulfillment of Daniel’s interpretation of the vision Nebuchadnezzar received from God that the king would be deposed from power for seven years while suffering the mental disorder of boanthropy until he acknowledged that God was sovereign over him.
Daniel 4:29-36 presents the details of the fulfillment of Daniel’s interpretation which was a prophecy.
The Old Testament suggests that God may occasionally inflict a state of insanity upon individuals as a punishment as was the case with Nebuchadnezzar (See also Jeremiah 25:15-16; Deuteronomy 28:28,32-34; Jeremiah 50:35-38; 51:7; Zechariah 12:4).
Daniel 4:28 makes clear along with Daniel 4:29-36 that the king did not repent of his sinful behavior but instead continued to rule like a pagan king even though he had trusted in Yahweh.
That Nebuchadnezzar was a believer when he received this vision recorded in Daniel chapter four is indicated by Daniel 3:28 and 4:27.
If Nebuchadnezzar was an unbeliever when he received this vision in chapter four, the first thing Daniel would have said to the king would be to have faith in the Lord and then he would tell the king how the Lord wants him to live.
However, we have Daniel talking to the king about his conduct, which indicates that the king has already expressed faith in the Lord.
Thus, Daniel 3:28 and 4:27 make clear that the king being deposed from power for seven years was divine discipline of a believer rather than the judgment of an unbeliever.
Daniel 4:28 tells the reader that Nebuchadnezzar never repented by obeying Daniel’s advice in Daniel 4:27.
Repentance involves not only a change of attitude but of conduct.
Daniel told the king in Daniel 4:27 that his attitude and conduct towards God’s sovereign authority over him must do a 180 degree turn before his kingdom will be restored to him.
Daniel 4:29 reveals that the sentence against Nebuchadnezzar was not executed until a year after Daniel gave the king this interpretation of the vision.
So for an entire year, God in His grace gave Nebuchadnezzar the opportunity to repent or change his attitude and conduct towards His sovereign authority over the king.
Therefore, we can see that this prophecy that was given to Nebuchadnezzar was “conditional” meaning that if at any time during the one year prior to the execution of the punishment, Nebuchadnezzar had confessed his sin and then obeyed God, God would have never punished him.
Undoubtedly the king took the delay as evidence that Daniel’s interpretation would not come to pass but he eventually learned a spiritual principle that is taught by Solomon in the book of Ecclesiastes.
Ecclesiastes 8:11 Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly, therefore the hearts of the sons of men among them are given fully to do evil. (NASB95)
Because God did not execute immediately the sentence against Nebuchadnezzar because of his arrogance and sinful conduct, the king foolishly gave himself fully to commit evil.
Daniel 4:28-36 teaches a principle that appears in the book of Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 1:12 Then the LORD said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over My word to perform it.” (NASB95)
Nebuchadnezzar found out painfully through his own personal experience with God that the Lord is watching over His word to perform it.
The fact that God can bring to pass that which He has predicted would happen to Nebuchadnezzar reveals that He is omnipotent and sovereign and omniscient.
All these attributes the Lord has revealed to the king in Daniel chapters two, three and now four.
Speaking in the context of judging Assyria the prophet Isaiah speaking for the Lord under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit said the following:
Isaiah 14:24 The LORD of hosts has sworn saying, “Surely, just as I have intended so it has happened, and just as I have planned so it will stand.” (NASB95)
Nebuchadnezzar and Assyria both learned this statement is true.
Nebuchadnezzar learned through personal experience what Balak was taught by Balaam.
Numbers 23:19 “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” (NASB95)
Nebuchadnezzar learned the hard way that when God says He will do something, He does it unlike sinful mankind who make promises that he can’t keep or say they are going to do something but do not keep their word.
The king’s stubborn refusal to repent reveals his great pride and arrogance.
In the Scriptures, pride is a great evil because it involves pretending to a greatness and glory that belongs rightly to God alone and is condemned as evil (1 Samuel 15:23; Proverbs 21:4; James 4:16; cf. Mark 7:22-23; Romans 1:29-30; 2 Corinthians 12:20; 2 Timothy 3:1-2; 1 John 2:16).
There are warnings about pride in the book of Proverbs (Proverbs 16:5, 18; cf. Proverbs 3:7, 34; 6:16-17; 11:2; 25:6-7, 27; 26:12; 27:1; 29:23) as well as elsewhere in Scripture (Psalm 119:21; cf. Leviticus 26:19).
God is said to be opposed to the proud (1 Peter 5:5; James 4:6; Proverbs 3:34).
The purpose of disciplining Nebuchadnezzar by deposing him from power for seven years was to produce humility in the king so that he would acknowledge for his own good that God was sovereign over him.
“Humility” is viewing ourselves from God’s perspective meaning we are sinners saved by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ.
It expresses itself in obedience to the Father’s will, which manifests itself in loving and serving others and expresses itself in putting others ahead of yourself.
Nebuchadnezzar has a distorted view of himself and is not viewing himself from God’s perspective which is that he is a creature of God and subordinate to God.
God commands humility (Micah 6:8; James 4:10; 1 Peter 3:8; cf. Exodus 10:3; Proverbs 16:19; Isaiah 57:15; 58:5; Zephaniah 2:3; Luke 14:9-11; Romans 12:3; 1 Corinthians 1:28; Ephesian 4:2; Colossians 3:12; Titus 3:2; James 3:13; 1 Peter 5:5).
He promotes the humble (Luke 1:52; cf. 2 Samuel 7:8; 1 Kings 14:7).
Humility is linked with repentance (1 Kings 21:29; 2 Kings 22:19; 2 Chronicles 12:6-7, 12; 30:11; 33:12,19; 34:27) and is also linked with God’s favor (Psalm 18:27; 25:9; 138:6; 147:6; 149:4; Proverbs 3:34; 18:12; James 4:6; Isaiah 29:19; 38:15; 57:15; Proverbs 15:33; 22:4; Psalm 35:13; Jeremiah 44:10).
God humbles His people to renew and restore them (Psalm 44:9; cf. Leviticus 26:41; Deuteronomy 8:2, 16; 1 Kings 11:39; 2 Chronicles 28:19; Psalm 107:39; Isaiah 9:1; 2 Corinthians 12:21).
Interestingly, Daniel 4:28-33 is written in the third person whereas Daniel 4:1-27 and 34-37 are written in the first person.
Daniel 4:28-33 records Nebuchadnezzar suffering the mental disorder of boanthropy for seven years and Daniel 4:34-37 records Nebuchadnezzar coming to his senses at the end of the seven years and in a humble state of mind acknowledging that God is sovereign over him.
Therefore, it appears the third person is used in Daniel 4:28-33 to express the fact that Nebuchadnezzar was not in his right mind because of suffering this mental disorder.
The third person in this section indicates that he perceived nothing of what happened to him during this period.
Therefore, he could not report on what transpired during this seven year period of discipline.