DANIEL 4-THE MAD KING! 2
18,19 This dream I king Nebuchadnezzar have seen. Now thou, O Belteshazzar, declare the interpretation thereof, forasmuch as all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known unto me the interpretation: but thou art able; for the spirit of the holy gods is in thee. Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was astonied for one hour, and his thoughts troubled him. The king spake, and said, Belteshazzar, let not the dream, or the interpretation thereof, trouble thee. Belteshazzar answered and said, My lord, the dream be to them that hate thee, and the interpretation thereof to thine enemies. Nebuchadnezzar was at one time a superior ruler, a man more compassionate toward his subjects than was the ruler of any other heathen nation, and his rule was symbolised by a lofty tree. But the man who thinks it is his prerogative to command his fellow men and says, "You shall," and "You shall not," is entirely out of his place. He takes upon himself that which was never given him and lords it over God's purchased possession. Every man is accountable to God for his actions. The man in a position of trust who is guided by the spirit of God will always protect the weak, relieve the needy, and look after the widow and the fatherless.
20-27 The tree that thou sawest, which grew, and was strong, whose height reached unto the heaven, and the sight thereof to all the earth; Whose leaves were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all; under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and upon whose branches the fowls of the heaven had their habitation:
It is thou, O king, that art grown and become strong: for thy greatness is grown, and reacheth unto heaven, and thy dominion to the end of the earth. And whereas the king saw a watcher and an holy one coming down from heaven, and saying, Hew the tree down, and destroy it; yet leave the stump of the roots thereof in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven times pass over him; This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the most High, which is come upon my lord the king: That they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots; thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee, after that thou shalt have known that the heavens do rule. Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity.
Daniel continued to tell about the Watcher, the Holy One who commanded the tree to be cut down and only leave the stump. But the stump was to be bound with brass and iron. Solemnly he told the king that he would be driven from men and eat grass like an ox and live with beasts out in the dew and rain for seven ‘times’. SEVEN PROPHETIC "TIMES' =SEVEN YEARS OF REAL TIME When Daniel said this to the king it seemed impossible that it could ever happen. The king had powerful body guards— who could EVER drive him away?
Now Daniel knew that God is very gracious and forgiving so he advised the King to be humble, kind and gracious and consider the poor. He hoped by this that the terrible judgment would not happen to the King.
The king did this
for a while but he gradually forgot the fear he had felt when he saw the Watcher
in the dream. A year later, he was walking in his palace and looking at the
beauty and might of what he had built and he started again to boast: Verse 28- 32
“ All this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar. While the word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee. And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.
Instantly the King
went mad. He began to act like a wild animal. He didn’t know he was even
human, much less a king. He didn’t know his own name and he tore his clothes
and began to live like a beast. They had no choice
but to drive him out to the fields, where for seven years he ate plants and
grass like a grazing animal. He even stayed out in the rain. He hair grew
shaggy and matted and his nails like bird’s claws. What a change from the rich
robes and well-groomed king to this thing, growling in the field!
33 The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles' feathers, and his nails like birds' claws. Now just imagine this picture; seven years later, here is the King-beast out in the field munching grass and all of a sudden his mind comes back to normal. He remembers everything that happened before and he looks at his body, his shaggy, matted hair and bird-claw hands. He is all dirty and scratched up from bushes. Now the truth comes home to him very clear; God is the one who is in charge of kingdoms and kings.
34-37 And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation: And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?
At the same time my reason returned unto me; and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honour and brightness returned unto me; and my counsellors and my lords sought unto me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me. Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase. Here is the greatest miracle about this whole happening. When Nebuchadnezzar comes in from the field, gets cleaned up and dressed again. He goes back to his throne and nobody has any problem with that. They accept him back as king again and he reigns for the rest of his life and his son after him.
This is amazing, because in those days a king had lots of enemies and people would plot to overthrow him and take his throne. But God said in the dream that the stump would be bound with brass and iron and his kingdom would be returned to him once he knew Who was God and Who really rules in the affairs of men. And so it was, just as God had said it would be.
At the end of this time his reason was restored to him, and looking up in humility to the God of heaven, he recognised the divine hand in his chastisement. The transformation had come. The mighty monarch had become the humble child of God, obedient to His will. The despot had been changed into the wise, compassionate ruler. Because these words honouring God and showing he had learned his lesson, are the last recorded from Nebuchadnezzar, we will meet him in heaven if we are faithful. BACK TO PICTURE STORIES
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