Daniel - Chapter 4

Mark Dunagan
02/15/15 - Sunday Morning

Series: Daniel

Daniel

Chapter 4

Or, ever written down the account of your conversion or any of the other wonderful things God has done during your life? We have just that in Daniel 4. It is a letter written by the great king Nebuchadnezzar telling everyone about how the true God humbled him (4:1-2). Much like Psalm 73, the chapter begins with the conclusion, or the point of faith that this man reached (4:3): that God rules and it is only His kingdom that is everlasting. This is where the king “came out”, and verses 4:4-37 are a flashback telling he how came to reach the conclusion expressed in 4:3. It has been wisely noted that Daniel 2 teaches us that God reveals, in chapter 3 that God rescues and in chapter 4, that God rules. Although Biblical critics deny the historicity of this chapter, there is actual secular historical confirmation for the events of in this chapter. Berosus and priest in the temple of Belus during the days of Alexander the Great noted that Nebuchadnezzar, after he had built various projects, fell sick. Abydenus (268 B.C.), a pupil of Berosus, notes that after Nebuchadnezzar’s conquests that he ascended his palace and he was seized by some god (Bible Study Textbook, Butler, pp. 142-143).

“I... Was At Ease”: 4:4

Life was good and things were going smoothly, all the wars were over, the empire was firmly in his grip and he had all the wealth he wanted when the dream arrived. How easily peace, even the peace of the most powerful, can be shattered. As in chapter 2 all the wise men in Babylon are summoned and yet fail to discover the meaning (4:7). Finally, it's Daniel to the rescue (4:8), for by this time the king now sees the vast difference between Daniel and all the other “wise men” (4:9).  “Here is God’s gift to the pagan king, the conduit of light in the midst of his darkness and fears. Daniel is the kindness of God to Nebuchadnezzar in giving him truth and clarity in his dilemma” (Daniel, Dale Ralph Davis, p. 61).

“Daniel... Was Appalled”:  4:19

Daniel does not fear for his own life, rather he fears because he knows the awful judgment that will be coming upon the king. Daniel wished that the dream applied the king’s enemies instead (4:19). Daniel really cares about what happens to the king and takes no pleasure in seeing him punished, yet Daniel still faithfully reveals the meaning of the dream. Anyone who has ever had to point out to a non-Christian a verse that would require much of them, and fears they might turn around and walk away as the rich young ruler did, understands Daniel’s concern here. “There are times when what we have to say is unpleasant (compare Samuel’s word of Eli), but if it is God’s message, it must be told” (Daniel, Jim McGuiggan, p. 74).

The Interpretation: 4:20-26

The large tree that was cut down – is Nebuchadnezzar himself! The king would lose his mind for a period of time, actually live with and like the animals until the lesson was learned that it is God who rules in the kingdoms of men and gives them to whomever He wishes. The ray of mercy is that such will not be permanent, his senses will return and the Empire will still be his (4:26).

Repent!  4:27

Daniel believes that if the king humbles himself, repents, making a clean break from his sins, that such a judgment may be averted. What an important lesson that doing righteousness involves both a cessation of selfish behavior. It involves truly caring for the less fortunate. “It is a huge gift when the God of heaven clearly makes known His word – even His severe word – to you” (Davis, p. 63). For when we alter our lives because of truth, we begin to reap the benefits. The truth, will indeed set us free.

Twelve Months Later...  4:29-30

After a year, the king had forgotten, but, of course, God had not forgotten. “Time destroys memory and the feeling of urgency! Time strips away the veneer and reveals the character” (McGuiggan, p. 76). The twelve months may be a period of grace where God endured the pride of the king and waited for him to repent. The king continues in his pride and egotism, for He considered the city of Babylon as his personal possession and as a reflection of his power and glory. Nebuchadnezzar built more than twenty temples and directed construction work on the docks and defenses of the city. Most of the bricks taken out of Babylon in the archaeological excavations bear the name and inscription of Nebuchadnezzar.

“Sovereignty has been removed from you”: 4:31

And God can remove it immediately (4:33). Like the rich man in Luke 12:21, everything can change in a moment. Observe how effortless God was able to take the most powerful man on the planet in that morning and have him out on the back forty eating grass by afternoon – something to recall the next time we are tempted to think that certain elite people on this planet are so well protected that nothing that touch them.

“The Most High is Ruler”: 4:32

We learn this with regard to God’s ruling:

• It is a “down here" rule. God actually does rule in the kingdoms of men. It is tempting to think that some countries are so filled with ungodly and unbelieving elites that God does not rule there. Yet, Babylon was just like that!
• It is a present rule.
• God’s rule is particular and free. He gives the kingdoms of men to whomever He wishes. He not only rules over the general destiny of nations, but even selects specific and individual rulers, and no one is able to manipulate or coerce His choices.
• It is a fascinating rule. He sets up as kings, people from nowhere – the lowliest of men (4:17). “How often we wonder how a certain man or woman came to national leadership. Who would have ever guessed? All of which shows how interesting God is” (Davis, p. 66).
• It is an exclusive rule. He does not share with rule with any other “gods”.

“He was driven away”: 4:33

“Perhaps, because of his royal position, Nebuchadnezzar was hidden in a secluded park so his true condition could be concealed from the populace. Also in the king’s absence, Daniel may have played a major role in preserving the kingdom and possibly in preventing anyone from killing the king” (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 1343). His hair was left to grow naturally, untrimmed, and is aptly described as growing long like eagles’ feathers. His fingernails and toenails, uncared for, would also grow to great lengths.

“I... Raised my eyes toward heaven, and my reason returned to me”: 4:34

It appears that one moment the king had been walking and boasting and the next moment some seven years later he lifted up his eyes as he had been eating in the field. The text seems to tell us a little about what it is like to be an animal, that is, animals simply live to eat and sleep, with no sense of time.

“And I Blessed the Most High”: 4:34

Could there be a more noble use of human intelligence? The king is not angry with God for punishing and humiliating him, rather he used the experience for what it was intended: to learn a lesson. Compared to the advantages Pharaoh enjoyed and the utter rejection he made of God’s will, Nebuchadnezzar appears to embrace God as much as he can. His appreciation is comparable to the king of Nineveh in the book of Jonah, who repented at the preaching of Jonah. “His dominion is an everlasting dominion”:  Earthly kings and empires come and go, but God is always in charge. The king has been removed from the national stage for seven years and God had continued to rule without him. 

Nebuchadnezzar the Evangelist: 4:37

 The verbs “praise, exalt, and honor” indicate continued action suggesting that the king did these things habitually. The king now seems to acknowledge that God is the true God, the “king” of heaven. Nebuchadnezzar declares that his punishment was just and that God did have the right to chastise him. He also admits that God is able to humble those who walk in pride and inferring that Nebuchadnezzar repented of his arrogance. The value of humility is again emphasized for the rest of us in the New Testament (James 4:6; Luke 18:14). 

Mark Dunagan | mdunagan@frontier.net
Beaverton Church of Christ | 503-644-9017
www.beavertonchurchofchrist.net