Dan 4:19-27 · Read 4 min · think and write 15 min
Chapter 4 of Daniel is King Nebuchadnezzar’s own account. It begins: “Nebuchadnezzar the king, to all the peoples, nations, and languages, who dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you” (Dan 4:1).
He says: “I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in my house, and flourishing in my palace” (Dan 4:4); “I saw a dream which made me afraid” (Dan 4:5). None of the wise men of Babylon could interpret it; “But at last, Daniel came in before me, whose name was Belteshazzar according to the name of my god” (Dan 4:8). In his dream the king saw “a tree in the middle of the earth; and its height was great” (Dan 4:10), and a holy one from heaven who “cried aloud and said this: ‘Cut down the tree’” (Dan 4:14).
19Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was stricken mute for a while, and his thoughts troubled him. The king answered, “Belteshazzar, don’t let the dream or the interpretation trouble you.” Belteshazzar answered, “My lord, may the dream be for those who hate you, and its interpretation to your adversaries.
20The tree that you saw, which grew and was strong, whose height reached to the sky and its sight to all the earth;
21whose leaves were beautiful and its fruit plentiful, and in it was food for all; under which the animals of the field lived, and on whose branches the birds of the sky had their habitation—
22it is you, O king, that have grown and become strong; for your greatness has grown, and reaches to the sky, and your dominion to the end of the earth.
23“Whereas the king saw a holy watcher coming down from the sky and saying, ‘Cut down the tree, and destroy it; nevertheless leave the stump of its roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field, and let it be wet with the dew of the sky. Let his portion be with the animals of the field, until seven times pass over him.’
24“This is the interpretation, O king, and it is the decree of the Most High, which has come on my lord the king:
25You will be driven from men and your dwelling shall be with the animals of the field. You will be made to eat grass as oxen, and will be wet with the dew of the sky, and seven times shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever he will.
26Whereas it was commanded to leave the stump of the roots of the tree, your kingdom will be restored to you after you learn that Heaven rules.
27Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you, and break off your sins by righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. Perhaps there may be a lengthening of your tranquility.”
Stricken mute for a while. “Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was stricken mute for a while, and his thoughts troubled him” (v. 19). It was the king who said to him, “Belteshazzar, don’t let the dream or the interpretation trouble you” (v. 19). The first thing Daniel said was: “My lord, may the dream be for those who hate you, and its interpretation to your adversaries” (v. 19).
It is you. “it is you, O king, that have grown and become strong; for your greatness has grown, and reaches to the sky, and your dominion to the end of the earth” (v. 22).
The decree of the Most High. “This is the interpretation, O king, and it is the decree of the Most High, which has come on my lord the king” (v. 24). “You will be driven from men and your dwelling shall be with the animals of the field. You will be made to eat grass as oxen, and will be wet with the dew of the sky, and seven times shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever he will” (v. 25).
The stump of the roots. “Whereas it was commanded to leave the stump of the roots of the tree, your kingdom will be restored to you after you learn that Heaven rules” (v. 26).
Counsel. When he had finished with the dream, he said: “Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you, and break off your sins by righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. Perhaps there may be a lengthening of your tranquility” (v. 27).
Afterwards. “All this came on the King Nebuchadnezzar” (Dan 4:28). Twelve months later, in the royal palace, the king said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built for the royal dwelling place by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?” (Dan 4:30). “This was fulfilled the same hour on Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from men and ate grass like oxen” (Dan 4:33). Later the king wrote: “At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High” (Dan 4:34); “those who walk in pride he is able to abase” (Dan 4:37). The next lesson reads what happened after “Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords” (Dan 5:1).
The prophet Ezekiel brought the LORD’s word about a land that sins against him: “though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver only their own souls by their righteousness” (Ezek 14:14).
Readers can see this: in this chapter Daniel urges the king to “break off your sins by righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor” (v. 27).
Perhaps you need to tell someone over you a truth they will not want to hear: someone at work, an older relative, someone who leads you at church. If you say it, you are afraid of offending them; if you do not, you cannot settle it with yourself. Or perhaps you are the one in charge, and few people around you tell you the truth.
This lesson does not say that if you tell the truth to those in power it will surely be accepted; nor does it say that telling the truth means you need not care about the other person. What it shows you is this: he “was stricken mute for a while, and his thoughts troubled him” (v. 19); he said, “may the dream be for those who hate you” (v. 19); he told it as it was: “it is you, O king” (v. 22); and he said, “O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you” (v. 27).
This week: Think of someone over you, and pray for them once each day this week. If there is a truth you would like to tell them, pray about those words first.
Scripture: World English Bible.