Daniel 4:1-27

The Epistle of St. Nebuchadnezzar to the Babylonians: Part One

A sermon by Pastor Joe Haynes

Preached on February 5, 2017 at Beacon Church

The King's story: (vv 1-3)

Reading through the Book of Daniel chapter by chapter, if you pay attention to what you’re reading, chapter 4 seems to come out of nowhere! When did King Nebuchadnezzar change his tune? After God enabled Daniel to miraculously interpret the King’s first dream, in chapter 2, the King seemed pretty impressed by Daniel’s God, but he himself didn’t change. After God rescued the Jewish men, named by the King, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, from the fiery furnace when they wouldn’t worship the King’s statue, he was really impressed by the god he called, “the god of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego” and gave orders that anyone who slandered their god would be put to a violent death. In other words, he was impressed, but not changed. But when you read the first 3 verses of chapter 4, there is no denying that something had happened to King Nebuchadnezzar: “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,” (Dan. 4:1-2 ESV). Until now, the God of Israel had been someone else’s god; now he is excited to tell his people about what “God has done for me” (v2)! How did their god, become his God? That’s what chapter 4 tells us. Daniel 4 is not written by Daniel, but by Nebuchadnezzar himself. This is his story of how he came to believe in Daniel’s God. It’s the king’s own testimony in a letter. And so, with the formal address—who wrote the letter, who are the recipients, the classic salutation so familiar in the New Testament (“Peace be multiplied to you!”, c.f. 1 Pe 1:2; 2 Pe 1:2)—and a story to tell of what God had done for him, I call this letter in chapter 4, “The Epistle of St. Nebuchadnezzar to the Babylonians”. Because that’s what it is. And also standard in New Testament letters, he then dives into a doxology: boldly praising God as an example for the whole empire. “How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion endures from generation to generation,” (Dan. 4:3 ESV). He is going to tell his readers what happened to him, and his story centres around the “signs and wonders” God had done for him. It might be hard for us to relate, but for cultures like Babylon who attach great importance to mystical dreams and visions, it was not surprising that God would communicate by “signs” like in both of his dreams—it was just surprising that God would give those signs to him! The word “wonders” on the other hand is about something God does—something astonishing, that leaves people shaken—like sending an angel or a Saviour to rescue three men from a fiery furnace. Nebuchadnezzar however didn’t listen even when God gave him a final warning…

I had another dream (vv4-18)

In verse 4, King Nebuchadnezzar says he thought everything was going just fine, and then out of the blue God sent him a sign that made him “afraid”, that “alarmed” him (v5). It’s truly wonderful that what at first scared him and seemed negative, later on he realized were “signs” that God did “for him” (v2)—gifts of grace to shake him out of his comfort and pride. So he gave orders for all the kingdom’s dream experts to come and explain his dream—and being Babylon, there were lots of dream experts: “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,” (Dan. 4:7 ESV). Notice that when Daniel enters the story, he calls him his Hebrew name “Daniel” (God is my Judge), but admits that he was still at that time calling him “Belteshazzar” because the King still didn’t understand who the true God is: “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…” (Dan. 4:8 ESV). He thinks Daniel has a lot of spiritual insight, so he butters Daniel up a bit and then tells him about his dream:

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."  (Dan. 4:9-18 ESV)

The king’s point that none of the other “wise men” could interpret this dream strikes me as surprising: A) a big part of the dream is pretty specific and plain--verses 16-17, talking about the mind of a man being changed to that of a beast, and the purpose of the Watcher's decree, aren't hard to figure out. B) the idea of a “cosmic tree” was well-known in ancient pagan mythology, where whole nations found safety in its branches—which is why God took those familiar motifs and used them in communicating prophecies of judgement on pagan kingdoms through Ezekiel, regarding the kingdom of Tyre, and the Kingdom of Egypt.

In June, 587BC, Ezekiel gave a prophecy against the King of Egypt in which he described that just as God used King Nebuchadnezzar like an axe to chop down the great tree of the Assyrian Kingdom, God would judge Egypt too (Eze 31:1f).[i] It’s astonishing that God used that same image of a tree to warn Nebuchadnezzar of his own fall. If this took place after Ezekiel’s prophecy (31:1), (25 years before the end of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign) it’s quite likely Daniel knew about that prophecy, and so hearing the king describe his own dream involving a great tree being chopped down, it was surely easy for him to see where that was going. Maybe that’s why unlike the last dream where Daniel and his friends prayed for understanding, Daniel seems to understand this dream right away (which does not mean he did it on his own strength; ch.1:17 gives God credit for Daniel’s ability to interpret dreams).

Daniel told me what it meant (vv19-26)

It’s a testimony of the kind of man Nebuchadnezzar was, that even though he was known for his cruelty to his enemies, and his ignorance of the true God, Daniel seemed to really care about the king. “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!” (Dan. 4:19 ESV). The details of the tree in the dream stand out: like in Daniel 2, when Daniel explains the meaning of the head of gold by describing the king’s power and majesty and glory and the authority God had given him over all people and even animals throughout his empire, Daniel describes the God-given glory and greatness of this tree. It’s almost identical to the way Ezekiel uses the tree image to describe the Kingdom of Assyria that Babylon overthrew 23 years earlier. The thing that’s different in this tree compared to both of those earlier visions is that in addition to greatness and power, this tree provides food for those in its care. This fits the historical details that Daniel had been made Prime Minister, and his 3 friends governors, and that God had commanded the Jews to work for the good of Babylon during their exile (Jer 29:7). In any case, reminiscent to Daniel’s earlier words, “You are the head of gold!”, Daniel’s interpretation again affirms the king’s greatness and glory, now adding generosity or at least widespread provision for Babylon’s citizens to the list.

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. (Dan. 4:20-22 ESV)

That was the good news, but the bad news that dismayed Daniel and frightened the king was this: The King would be chopped down to size, not honoured but disgraced: and the implication is clear—the God who had made lifted him high, had decreed He was about to bring him low.

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,' (Dan. 4:23 ESV)

Daniel had already told him this was about him—that he was the great tree. So now, what did it mean that God had decided to chop him down? Daniel gave him 3 frightening predictions:

·         Insanity would drive him away form people (v25a)

·         He would live outside among and like the animals (v25b)

·         It would last for seven periods of time (v25c)

The shame and disgrace of this punishment is devastating. And we’ll look at how this came true in the sermon next week, Lord willing. For now, think about how these details were designed to make an impact on Nebuchadnezzar, to get his attention. The particular kind of insanity pictured in his dream is only implied by Daniel’s interpretation: verse 16 is pretty specific in the dream that his human reason and intellect would be replaced by the mind of an animal—a wild beast. “Let his mind be changed from a man's, and let a beast's mind be given to him…” (Dan. 4:16 ESV). Daniel however only says that in time, his sanity would return in such a way that, “you will know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom He will” (25d). Then, look how the tree is bound with iron and bronze (v23)—Daniel again only implies what that means, suggesting in verse 26 that after the time of punishment, he would realize that “Heaven rules”. Meaning that the tree being bound in iron and bronze had to do with ignorance of God’s sovereign rule over the nations and empires of Earth. Back in chapter 2, Daniel told the king that he was the “head of gold” and after him would come an “inferior kingdom” of silver, followed by two more stronger but even more inferior kingdoms represented by bronze and iron. King Nebuchadnezzar was pretty happy to find out he was the head of gold—he went ahead and made a whole statue of solid gold to boast about it. Now he finds out that when God takes away his mind, he would act as disgracefully as the kingdoms of iron and bronze, in their ignorance of God’s rule and their arrogant dismissal of God’s Word.

Finally, the duration of his disgrace would be for “seven times.”

…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. (Dan. 4:25 ESV).

This couldn’t tell him exactly how long it would last—only that God would count it out according to His plan. Hindsight was the only way anyone would know for sure how long “seven times” would be for. I’ll say more about that next week.  A seven-something time period was coming during which he would act like an animal, eat grass like an ox, and sleep under the sky with no shelter: A fitting judgement for a culture who deified animals. An ironic punishment for the king who had thought of himself as the greatest representative of human power and achievement (the head of gold of the image of humanity's glory). But while this dream predicted a severe punishment, it also displayed God’s merciful restraint, that neither King Nebuchadnezzar, nor his rule over Babylon would be totally destroyed. Daniel’s explanation in verse 26 told him that the time would come when he would again be restored to the throne, but only when he also finally learned that God ruled over him. “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,” (Dan. 4:26 ESV)

Daniel begged me to repent (v27)

Daniel’s last words in this passage, before we stop and leave the rest for next week, are a plea for King Nebuchadnezzar repent now, before all of this comes true. And remember, these words are Nebuchadnezzar’s himself; this is him telling his story: “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," (Dan. 4:27 ESV). It takes a humble man to describe how a true prophet of God begged him to repent, stop sinning, and show mercy to victims of oppression. Those aren’t the words of a man for whom humility comes easy; those are the words of a man who has been broken and then healed by the mercy of the Most High God.

The King's silence

The fact that this was a letter written to all the people of the Babylonian Empire means that he hoped for a particular response from his people. That Daniel included this letter in his book, means that Daniel hoped for a particular response from the Jewish people he wrote for, during their time in exile. But the way verse 27 ends with no personal response from the King himself--a year of silence--means that when the King wrote this, and Daniel passed it on, they didn't want their readers to do what Nebuchadnezzar did--i.e., to do nothing. Think for a moment about the picture Daniel is painting one chapter after another: chapter 1 introduced the God of the Jews who gave the Babylonians victory over Judah in order to discipline them and lead them to repentance; chapter 2 introduced a future coming King whose Kingdom will last forever; chapter 3 revealed God’s presence preserving and protecting those faithful to Him, even when they were persecuted, standing with them through flood and fire, and able to save; chapter 4 tells Nebuchadnezzar's and Daniel's readers two more things we need to know about this God and King who leads Jews and Gentiles to repent from their sins, who sends word of His salvation even to Kings and all the leaders of the province of Babylon. After the gospels told us about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we now know that He is that King of the Kingdom of Heaven, He is that Presence of God With Us, a true Saviour. But for the readers of this book, 600 years before Christ, He was still a blurry, out of focus figure from the future, whose coming was predicted in visions of prophecy. You and I don't have that excuse. We know who He is. We don’t just have the prophecies; we have the gospel records that interpret all the predictions of Christ’s coming to save sinners. So we have much more to give account for than stubborn old King Nebuchadnezzar!

Verse 29 tells us that nothing happened for a year after this! 12 months of silence from the king before the axe fell. I wonder if some of us have been resisting God, refusing to repent, even though He has been giving us time to reconsider, time to turn from our pride and sin, time to humble ourselves and throw ourselves on the mercy of the Saviour who died for our sins? At the beginning of this letter, in ch. 4:2, the converted St. Nebuchadnezzar said he wrote to tell everyone about what God had done “for him”—he’s talking about grace—God’s gifts of warning, of second chances, of time to repent, and even of difficult discipline in order to spare us the eternal punishment we really deserve: “It has seemed good to me to show the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for me,” (Dan. 4:2 ESV). But will we listen?

Then in verse 17, the sentence of the angelic “watchers”, and the command of the “holy ones” together bring about the will of God, the goal and purpose of this whole dream (i.e., “to the end”) that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon would be made to learn this: “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,” (Dan. 4:17 ESV). And this sinner-king-turned-faithful-witness, in his letter to the people of Babylon, reaches out across more than 2500 years with this plea: don’t wait to repent! Today is the day of your salvation! Today is the day for mercy! What do you need to confess to God—do it now! Don’t wait any longer: take shelter from the wrath that is coming, find refuge in the Saviour God sent to show His love for sinners, to reveal His good salvation, to cover us with saving grace according to the Gospel of Jesus Christ!