Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
This automated analysis scores the text on the likely presence of emotional, language, and social tones. There are no right or wrong scores; this is just an indication of tones readers or listeners may pick up from the text.
A score of 0.5 or higher indicates the tone is likely present.
Emotion Tone
Anger
0.11UNLIKELY
Disgust
0.07UNLIKELY
Fear
0.07UNLIKELY
Joy
0.66LIKELY
Sadness
0.45UNLIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.71LIKELY
Confident
0UNLIKELY
Tentative
0.53LIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.9LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.75LIKELY
Extraversion
0.04UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.41UNLIKELY
Emotional Range
0.72LIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
Welcome
Pray
Understand the Context
Today’s passage is in part about the second dream of King Nebuchadnezzar which Daniel interprets for him.
The first was in Chapter 2 and involved a statue representing the kingdoms of the earth.
The dream in the first part of Chapter 4 is about only one kingdom and its king.
God shows the ruler of Babylon in both instances future events, the first would take centuries to fulfill but today’s would happen much sooner.
Both dreams frightened the king but this time he told his counselors what the dream was but once again only Daniel, by God’s wisdom and special enlightening was able to correctly interpret the dream.
The dream however is not as inspiring or encouraging as the first and as Daniel learns what it means his countenance changes and the king notices.
Daniel 4:19–20 (ESV)
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!
Daniel warns the king that dream speaks of a time in the near future when he shall lose all that he has for a time.
At the end of the interpretation the exiled Israelite makes his plea to the king to repent (Dan 4:27).
The prophet’s message is heeded for a year, but then the dream’s proclamation of judgement comes true.
Explore the Text
Significant accomplishments or achievements in our lives may tempt us to become proud.
Nevertheless, we must remember God has given us our gifts and talents (1 Cor.
4:7).
We should be grateful rather than proud.
[LifeWay Adults (2021).
Explore the Bible: Adult Leader Guide - ESV - Winter 2022.
LifeWay Press.]
Multiple times in our lessons in Daniel we have seen the king’s pride revealed as he demands worship and obedience from his subjects.
Today’s passage highlights the apex of his self-indulgent thoughts.
God however is longsuffering (Psa 103:8) and waits 12 months before making the dream come to fruition.
Different spans of time are mentioned throughout the book of Daniel with some being literal and others more figurative.
The word translated here as “months” is specific to a period of time which has a name attached to it (i.e., Nisan, October).
It is different that the word used later in Daniel 9 talking about seventy “weeks”.
That word is specific to a period of seven intervals being days or years.
All of these are different than the “periods of time” later in verse 32.
The king is taking in the sites of the city from atop one of the royal residences when he swells with pride.
Interestingly the word for palace is more often translated as “temple” which would increase the king’s hubris, walking around in a place which he built for the worship of himself.
Nebuchadnezzar II was historically a great builder and is accredited with the construction of the Ishtar gate and the Hanging Garden both considered wonders of the ancient world.
Wikipedia states that “In addition to his military campaigns, Nebuchadnezzar is remembered as a great builder-king.
The prosperity ensured by his wars allowed Nebuchadnezzar to conduct great building projects in Babylon, and elsewhere in Mesopotamia.”
But all this recognition created an unhealthy view of himself.
In Chapter 4 most of the narrative is from the king’s perspective, in Chapter 5 we hear of the same account being retold to his ancestor through Daniel’s commentary.
We studied in Ezekiel how the King of Tyre had a similar view of himself, and his realm and it did not end well for him.
Thankfully this king did eventually heed the warnings and is restored.
We too as believers in Christ serve this same restorative God who do not want “any to perish, but all should come to repentance” (1Peter 3:9).
Both the Old Testament and the New Testament remind us that our boasting should be in God, not in ourselves (Jer.
9:23-24; 1 Cor.
1:31).
We dare not take the credit for what God does.
Go to repeated slide
Notice the reason the king claimed he was able to build such a wonderful city.
This “mighty power” was his ultimate claim to godhood.
In chapter 2 Daniel and told him that the “power, might, & glory” had come from God (Dan 2:37).
Claiming God’s glory for his own is what led to Satan’s fall and all those after him with who he leads down a similar path.
We are warned through the prophet Isaiah that God will not “share” His glory (Isa 42:8).
The judgement for such pride comes quickly.
Nebuchadnezzar’s wealth and power were not evil in and of themselves; yet, the king’s wealth and power led him to pride, and pride was the problem.
God’s judgment came while the words were still in the king’s mouth.
The suddenness of the judgment stresses God’s displeasure at Nebuchadnezzar’s pride.
It was as if the sound of Nebuchadnezzar’s words still lingered in the air, scarcely having departed his lips.
The words there fell a voice from heaven emphasize the source of the message Babylon’s ruler received.
The messenger knew him by name—King Nebuchadnezzar.
[LifeWay Adults (2021).
Explore the Bible: Adult Leader Guide - ESV - Winter 2022.
LifeWay Press.]
That is encouraging to me to know that even though I may not be acting and thinking the way God wants me to, He still knows my name.
However, in this case hearing his name was not a good thing.
You know, like when your mom or dad said your “full name” emphasizing - each - one.
Sometimes is not good hearing your name like this.
But our parents still loved us even though they were disappointed and had to meet out some form of punishment because of our actions.
God too was following through on His promise of judgement from a year earlier.
What this king hears if very similar to another rich builder that was proud of himself.
Here the voice of God comes down from heaven, in Luke 12:20 it is Jesus speaking through parable to all the proud.
Part of the judgement was that the kingdom he was so proud of would be removed from his control.
In the ESV we have the word “departed”.
An Aramaic verb meaning to pass away, to pass on.
It means to change, to disappear.
It is used of times, seasons, and epochs of history coming and going, passing away (Dan.
2:21); of kingship passing from someone (Dan.
4:31[28]; 5:20; 7:26).
It is used of changing a document (Dan.
6:8[9], 12[13]); or something/time being extended in other situations (Dan.
7:12).
It has the sense of passing on a smell or odor (in context) to something (Dan.
3:27).
[The complete word study dictionary: Old Testament]
Another king acted rashly and pridefully and his kingdoms was taken away by God.
(1Sam 15:23) Saul however did not truly repent and continued to sin and his kingdom would never be returned to him or his ancestors.
Thankfully our king today shows us the pattern that God desires and blesses him for his final heart response even after many failures to get his attention through other miracles.
But this king’s heart was not ready just yet and so Jesus’ condemnation in John 4:48 proves true for Nebuchadnezzar as well.
Having portrayed himself as superhuman (3:1–6; 4:30), he became subhuman; having set up his own statue to be worshipped as the image of a god, he forfeited life as the image of God (Gn.
1:26–27) and the last remnants of true glory (cf.
Rom 3:23).
Having behaved in bestial fashion he now reaped the harvest of which he had sown the seeds (Gal.
6:7–8)
Another commentator noted that in Dan 7, this king is symbolized as a Beast with a man’s mind and in today’s passage he becomes a man with a beast’s mind.
Without having the sanity to use tools or be able to hunt, the man is reduced to only eating that which can be pulled from the ground or bushes with hands or teeth.
Some translations have him “being feed” instead of “eating” but the idea is still the same as he will only be satiating his hunger on a primal instinctive level and not having the cognitive skills to do more than graze.
Daniel 5:21 a commentary to the king’s ancestor elaborates a little more on the king’s condition but they both emphasize the man’s mental depravity.
Psalm 49:20 seems to have been written with this with this episode as context, “Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish.”
Just as Adam and Eve are expelled from the garden for wanting to lift themselves up to God’s level (Gen.
3:5), Nebuchadnezzar is exiled from his throne for his pride.
[Understanding the Bible Commentary Series.]
Unlike with Saul, the kingdom’s removal would not be permanent with Nebuchadnezzar.
Here the bestial mind will only last for seven “periods of time”.
This phase is an Aramaic masculine noun indicating a period of time, a moment of time.
It indicates a prolongation of time or some time (Dan.
2:8); a period or length of time (Dan.
7:12).
It has the sense of a time, a period when things change, changing circumstances (Dan.
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9