Message from Heaven

Daniel 4

Welcome! Today we continue in our study of the Book of Daniel, focusing in on Chapter 4. To get started, let me remind you of the highlights of Chapters 1 through 3.

Recall that God had used prophets in Israel to warn them that unless they changed from their wicked ways, unless they stopped rejecting and forsaking Him, He would allow foreigners to come in and overtake the land, effectively putting an end to the nation of Israel. Some of her people would be killed in the process, and others would become captured and taken away to other lands to serve as servants and slaves under foreign kings who worshiped foreign gods. And this is exactly what happened.


God raised up Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon for this very purpose. In addition to overthrowing Israel, the Babylonian armies conquered Syria, Phoenicia, Tyre, and even Egypt, and they also conquered lesser peoples in every direction. The resulting Babylonian empire was the greatest in reach and might that the world had yet seen, and Nebuchadnezzar son of Nabopolassar was king of it all.

Nebuchadnezzar at one point came to Israel and stood before King Jehoiakim of Judah, who had forsaken God and trusted only in worldly might. Jehoiakim was undoubtedly terrified, and agreed to pay tributes to Babylon and acknowledge them as Judah’s master. But after a time, Jehoiakim instead decided to ally himself with Egypt, in part, no doubt, because it was less brutal than Babylon. (This was before Egypt itself completely fell to Babylon.) Bad choice! Nebuchadnezzar’s armies marched against Judah and laid siege to Jerusalem, which soon fell. Babylon removed Jehoiakim from power and replaced him with his uncle Zedekiah. Zedekiah also rebelled, perhaps because the terms of surrender were just too horrible, or perhaps because he believed God would protect despite how they continued on in their wickedness. That was it for Nebuchadnezzar. His armies marched back against Judah, laid siege to Jerusalem for about a year and a half, and then, once again, conquered it. This time, however, he destroyed the Temple and most of the city, killing all who resisted and many more, and exiled those who remained, including any surviving leaders, to Babylon. And as Scripture says, the people wept.

In Daniel Chapter 1 we learn that Daniel and three of his friends were taken by the Babylonians, probably while teenagers, and chosen for special training, in part to serve the king as one of a huge number of advisors, and in part to use them as examples to show the remaining Israelites that they should imitate them and adopt Babylonian beliefs and customs. Daniel and his friends, however, chose to stay true to the Hebrew laws about clean vs. unclean food and refused the kings food. Taking such a stand easily could have been viewed as disobedience and resulted in their deaths, but God was in control, and no harm came to them; indeed, God blessed them with health, and despite their youth, the king even raised them up as “wise men”who were to serve as counselors directly to him.

In Daniel Chapter 2, Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that greatly troubled him, and distrusting his many advisors, he asked them not only to interpret the dream (which anybody could fake), but to tell him first what his dream even was. His advisors told him that what he asked was impossible, and he responded in great anger by declaring that every one of his advisors should die. Daniel, however, asked for time to ask God to tell him the dream and interpret it, and the king agreed. Daniel and his friends sought the Lord in prayer, and God answered and told Daniel the dream and its meaning. Daniel then told the king. The dream, of a giant statue with parts made of various differing materials, basically was a prophecy speaking of the sequence of four great empires that would succeed one another on earth. The first, represented by the head of gold, was Nebuchadnezzar’s own kingdom. Nebuchadnezzar was greatly impressed by Daniel and by his God, to whom Daniel gave all the credit for miraculously knowing the dream, and further elevated Daniel and his friends. The dream also used symbols such as a great rock and a strong wind, symbols of the false gods Nebuchadnezzar worshiped, to show that Nebuchadnezzar’s gods were false and that the true God, the God of Daniel, is the only one to worship. Nebuchadnezzar told Daniel that his God was indeed great, but he himself did not change or repent.

In Daniel Chapter 3, Nebuchadnezzar, undoubtedly thinking still of that dream in which his kingdom, represented by the gold head, would be replaced, decided to make a giant statue all of gold and require all of his officials to worship. For unstated reasons, Daniel is not mentioned in this chapter – perhaps he was far away on the king’s business – but his three friends were there and they refused to worship the statue. In response, Nebuchadnezzar, again displaying that great and merciless anger of his, had the three thrown into a blazing furnace made 7 times hotter than normal.

The three trusted themselves to God, whether they lived or died, and told Nebuchadnezzar this before they were thrown in, and instead of being burned up, as even their escorts to the furnace were, they were completely unharmed, them or their clothing. In addition, a mysterious fourth man “looking like a son of the gods” appeared in the furnace with them. Astounded, Nebuchadnezzar had the three come out of the furnace, and again he told them that they indeed worshiped a very powerful god. He even made a pronouncement that nobody else was allowed to say anything negative about their god, on pain of death. But once again, Nebuchadnezzar did not himself forsake his gods, change his detestable practices, or turn to the one true God.

And Nebuchadnezzar really did do some detestable things. Yes, God raised him up as an instrument of His choosing to punish the Israelites, but that does not make Nebuchadnezzar somehow exempt from the consequences of his own uncontrolled anger, mercilessness, or cruelty. Life was cheap to Nebuchadnezzar. He thought nothing of killing entire towns or groups of people simply on a whim or to make some kind of point. And as Daniel and his friends had spent time with him, not just through the adventures of Daniel 1-3 but, almost certainly, through other, calmer times of discussion, Nebuchadnezzar learned more and more of the true God, of what was right and what was wrong before Him, and as he learned, he became accountable to God for what he had learned. As Nebuchadnezzar continued his harsh practices and refused to change or personally bow before the one true God, he continued to heap up condemnation upon himself.

Keeping this in mind, let’s continue on into Chapter 4.

King Nebuchadnezzar, to the peoples, nations and men of every language, who live in all the world: May you prosper greatly! It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me. How great are His signs, how mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom; His dominion endures from generation to generation. – Daniel 4:1-3

The first thing to notice is that this is in the first person. It appears to be a letter from Nebuchadnezzar himself! And look at what he says! What a change! No longer is he saying “your God is done great things for you”; he says, “the Most High God has done wonders for me.” No longer does he tell others not to say bad things about God; now he himself praises Him, speaking of His greatness, His power, His dominion. This is coming from a king of kings whose dominion was greater than any before him; Nebuchadnezzar doesn’t even mention his own kingdom; instead he speaks of God’s dominion which endures from generation to generation. Again, what a change!

So what happened? Well, Nebuchadnezzar is about to tell us. In short, to use a modern term, what Nebuchadnezzar is about to do is to give us his “testimony.”

I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at home in my palace, contented and prosperous. I had a dream that made me afraid. As I was lying in my bed, the images and visions that passed through my mind terrified me. So I commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be brought before me to interpret the dream for me. When the magicians, enchanters, astrologers and diviners came, I told them the dream, but they could not interpret it for me. – Daniel 4:4-7

So Nebuchadnezzar was experiencing a time of peace and stability. Based on what we know from outside sources about the history of the Babylonian conquest and empire, it is probably at least 25 years since the experience of the furnace. Daniel now is probably in his 40s or 50s. So a lot of time has passed since the first dream Nebuchadnezzar experienced. Does he think his wise men after all this time have gotten wiser? I don’t know. Maybe after nearly dying after the first experience, they have become more humble and trustworthy. Maybe. Regardless, he summons them much like he did the first time, except this time he actually tells them the dream. But despite this, they were not able to give him an interpretation. I do wonder what they were thinking. After all, they did remember the event the first time, and they remembered that Daniel miraculously told the dream and its interpretation. Now, knowing that, and knowing that Daniel is still around, if you were one of these wise men, would you make something up, something that sounded good? I wouldn’t, because if Daniel contradicted me it would be off with my head! Perhaps the wise men were thinking along these lines as well.

Finally, Daniel came into my presence and I told him the dream. (He is called Belteshazzar, after the name of my god, and the spirit of the holy gods is in him.) I said, “Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you, and no mystery is too difficult for you. Here is my dream; interpret it for me. – Daniel 4:8-9

I don’t know why Daniel was the last to come in. Perhaps he was busy; after all, he was pretty much the head honcho under Nebuchadnezzar, and I am sure he had many responsibilities. Regardless, I think it was appropriately orchestrated by God that this happened. If he had spoken first, perhaps some of the wise men would have said, “That’s exactly what I would have said,” trying to make themselves look good by riding on Daniel’s coattails. But they never had the opportunity. Perhaps Daniel himself was shrewd enough to purposely wait until they had all had their chance. We just don’t know.

Now this verse makes me ask two questions – where was Nebuchadnezzar spiritually at the time he spoke to Daniel in this verse, and where was Nebuchadnezzar spiritually at the time he wrote this? He says “the spirit of the holy gods is in him” and “the spirit of the holy gods is in you,” one describing his conversation at that earlier time, and the other a parenthetical comment at the time of writing. Gods?Plural? I would not make too big a deal of this, because the word he uses is Elohin, transliterated from the Hebrew Elohim, which although plural, is the name of the singular God and is used many, many times in the Old Testament. I think the correct way to understand this is that at both times in question, Nebuchadnezzar knew that Daniel worshiped a god called Elohin. What is more telling, and interesting, to me, is the fact that at the time he wrote this, Nebuchadnezzar was calling Daniel by his given Hebrew name. That is surprising, since the whole point of the new names given to Daniel and his friends was to integrate them into the Babylonian culture. It seems that at the time Nebuchadnezzar wrote this, he was no longer willing to call them by their Babylonian names out of respect to them and their God. This is a big change. In this passage, it seems he is almost apologizing for the other names, because he says that they are named after his god, but they worship the holy Elohin.

These are the visions I saw while lying in my bed: I looked, and there before me stood a tree in the middle of the land. Its height was enormous. The tree grew large and strong and its top touched the sky; it was visible to the ends of the earth. Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit abundant, and on it was food for all. Under it the beasts of the field found shelter, and the birds of the air lived in its branches; from it every creature was fed. – Daniel 4:10-12

That doesn’t sound very fear-inducing does it? Let’s go on.

“In the visions I saw while lying in my bed, I looked, and there before me was a messenger, a holy one, coming down from heaven. He called in a loud voice: ‘Cut down the tree and trim off its branches; strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the animals flee from under it and the birds from its branches. But let the stump and its roots, bound with iron and bronze, remain in the ground, in the grass of the field. – Daniel 4:13-15

The “messenger, a holy one” in Aramaic is “ihrkadish,” literally a holy watcher, or holy guard – a holy watcher coming down from heaven.I think that is a pretty perfect description of an angel. The “bound with iron and bronze” is strange – who binds a tree? Where is a tree going to go? It’s pretty clear that the tree is not really a tree, but a symbol for something that can move.

“‘Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let him live with the animals among the plants of the earth. Let his mind be changed from that of a man and let him be given the mind of an animal, till seven times pass by for him. The decision is announced by messengers, the holy ones declare the verdict, so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest of men.’ – Daniel 4:16-17

Now it doesn’t sound like a tree at all. Him? Let his mind be changed from that of a man? We have completely given up the pretense of a tree. This is a person, a person, who seems to lose his mind and act like an animal for seven “times,” an idiom for years. And there is a purpose – so that people will know that it is not a man’s machinations that make him king, but in fact, every man is subject to the sovereign will and power of God. So it would seem like this tree that is a man, is also a king.

Now, I know I have the benefit of having already read the story, multiple times, but does it really take a rocket scientist to guess at the meaning of the dream? Can you really tell me that none of the advisors could guess at this? I think they could, but they weren’t willing. There’s a reason we have the saying, “Don’t shoot the messenger!” This was a real risk, especially since Nebuchadnezzar had such a temper and such a low opinion of the value of life. He had already previously decreed death to all his advisors. How would he act given such a negative interpretation? I can’t say that I blame his advisors if they had figured it out.

“This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, had. Now, Belteshazzar, tell me what it means, for none of the wise men in my kingdom can interpret it for me. But you can, because the spirit of the holy gods is in you.” – Daniel 4:18

So I should point out that, despite the long history between Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar, there was risk in Daniel explaining this dream as well. Often tyrants are quick to kill those nearest to themselves in command, in part because they fear that they will be overthrown, in part because of jealousy, and in part just to make everyone else fear them.

Then Daniel (also called Belteshazzar) was greatly perplexed for a time, and his thoughts terrified him. So the king said, “Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its meaning alarm you.” Belteshazzar answered, “My lord, if only the dream applied to your enemies and its meaning to your adversaries! – Daniel 4:19

Perplexed may not be the best word here. Looking at the meaning of the word, I think a better description is a combination of astonished and dismayed. It wasn’t that Daniel didn’t know what the dream meant, it was that he did, and it was horrible news for his king. The same word is used two times in this verse, once translated as “terrified” and the other as “alarm.” I don’t think the issue was that Daniel was afraid to tell the king; instead, it was that he felt awful for him. When Daniel said, “My lord, if only the dream applied to your enemies,” I don’t believe he was saying this because he feared the king’s anger when he told him what it meant; that is, I don’t think he was trying to butter up the king. Instead, he was deeply grieved because the king really was his friend. I think that over the years Daniel had developed a sincere love for Nebuchadnezzar, much as we can develop love for a friend for whom we also grieve because they refuse to turn to the Lord for salvation. I believe this was Daniel’s heart for his king. And so, with a heavy heart, he goes on to explain the meaning of the dream to his friend.

The tree you saw, which grew large and strong, with its top touching the sky, visible to the whole earth, with beautiful leaves and abundant fruit, providing food for all, giving shelter to the beasts of the field, and having nesting places in its branches for the birds of the air—you, O king, are that tree! You have become great and strong; your greatness has grown until it reaches the sky, and your dominion extends to distant parts of the earth. – Daniel 4:20-22

Not much to say here – this is the obvious meaning of the dream. The image of a tree as a leader occurs elsewhere in Scripture, by the way. For example, Pharaoh is described as a tree in Ezekiel 31:3.

“You, O king, saw a messenger, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Cut down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump, bound with iron and bronze, in the grass of the field, while its roots remain in the ground. Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven; let him live like the wild animals, until seven times pass by for him.’ – Daniel 4:23

“This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree the Most High has issued against my lord the king: You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like cattle and be drenched with the dew of heaven. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes.– Daniel 4:24-25

This last sentence is the one part of the interpretation that is not at all obvious; clearly God showed this to Daniel. Yes, it is for all to see God’s sovereignty, but that “all” includes Nebuchadnezzar himself, and not until he himself acknowledges God will this horrible experience come to an end.

The command to leave the stump of the tree with its roots means that your kingdom will be restored to you when you acknowledge that Heaven rules. Therefore, O king, be pleased to accept my advice: Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue.” – Daniel 4:26-27

Here there is good news amongst the bad, and a plea. The good news is that once the king does acknowledge God in full, his kingdom will be restored to him. He will be king of kings again. The plea, though, is to repent and turn to God now, so that perhaps he won’t have to go through any of it.

And God could have done that, if Nebuchadnezzar had repented. I think of Jonah and Nineveh as a great example where a terrible prophecy did not come to pass because the people repented. So did Nebuchadnezzar repent?

All this happened to King Nebuchadnezzar. Twelve months later, as the king was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, he said, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?” – Daniel 4:28-30

Babylon was indeed an incredible city, and palace was an incredible palace. And there were the hanging gardens and other palaces and wonders in the city, all of which had been built or rebuilt under Nebuchadnezzar’s reign. But Nebuchadnezzar forgot the warning – it was an entire year later, and nothing had happened. It reminds me of some of the other gaps between God’s pronouncements and the results. Wasn’t it 120 years between the warning of the flood and the flood itself? How many years between God’s promise of a son to Abraham and the reality? And so on. In this case, Nebuchadnezzar was thinking only about his own greatness – he was consumed by pride. And then…

The words were still on his lips when a voice came from heaven, “This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you. You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like cattle. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes.”– Daniel 4:31-32

Just like in the dream, he actually heard a pronouncement from heaven.
Immediately what had been said about Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. He was driven away from people and ate grass like cattle. His body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird. – Daniel 4:33

This is actually a medical condition, and it goes by the name lycanthropy. You can look it up on the internet and read about it. By the way, lycosmeans wolf, and anthroposmeans man. Literally, wolf-man. The werewolf legends and stories undoubtedly have their root from this. There are names for the particular animal the person imitates; for example, boanthropymeans to imitate a bovine, or cow. Here is a description of someone who actually observed a case of boanthropy:

"A great many doctors spend an entire busy professional career without once encountering an instance of the kind of monomania described in the book of Daniel. The present writer, therefore, considers himself particularly fortunate to have actually observed a clinical case of boanthropy. [This writer] observed a clinical case of boanthropy in a British mental institution in 1946. The patient was in his early 20s. He reportedly had been hospitalized for about five years. His symptoms were well developed on admission and diagnosis was immediate and conclusive. He was of average height and weight with a good physique and excellent bodily health. His mental symptoms included pronounced antisocial tendencies. And because of this, he spent the entire day from dawn to dusk outdoors on the grounds of the institution. His daily routine consisted of wandering around the magnificent lawns in which the otherwise dingy hospital situation was graced. And it was his custom to pluck up and eat handfuls of the grass as he went along. On observation, he was seen to discriminate between grass and weeds. And on inquiry from the attendant, the writer was told the diet of this patient consisted exclusively of grass from hospital lawns. He never ate institutional food with other inmates and his only drink was water. The writer was able to examine him cursorily and the only physical abnormality noted consisted of a lengthening of the hair and a coarse, thickened condition of the fingernails. Without institutional care, the patient would have manifested precisely the identical physical conditions as those mentioned in Daniel 4." – Raymond Harrison

If you doubt people can survive on grass, again, searching the internet, it seems you can, although it’s really bad for you. And there are a variety of food deficiencies that result in abnormality in hair and nails, so I am not surprised to see such changes brought about by eating grass.

At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever. – Daniel 4:34

Finally! Nebuchadnezzar humbles himself by looking up to God. And God gives him back his sanity. Finally, Nebuchadnezzar is speaking to God Himself, praising Him directly, entering into a personal relationship with Him. He goes on to praise him as follows:

His dominion is an eternal dominion; His kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as He pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back His hand or say to Him: “What have You done?” – Daniel 4:34b-35

What a lesson for Nebuchadnezzar to learn! He has been humbled, and he has learned humility. He has learned that there is really only one King of kings, and he has learned of His power and His goodness.

At the same time that my sanity was restored, my honor and splendor were returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne and became even greater than before. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything He does is right and all His ways are just. And those who walk in pride He is able to humble. – Daniel 4:36-37

Now you may wonder how it is that Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom held together for seven years despite his being “around.” I have two answers to this. First, it has happened since – for example, King George III of Great Britain experienced multiple prolonged psychotic episodes and yet held onto his kingdom. Second, who was basically Nebuchadnezzar’s second in command? Daniel! Daniel and his friends I am sure had a huge impact in holding the kingdom together. Actually, it is ironic that Daniel would be protecting the very nation that had caused the downfall of Israel. But Daniel had motive in that he knew that at the end of the seven years, Nebuchadnezzar would at last come to know and worship God.

I have thought of a number of applications of this passage, but I want to focus on one. And that is that, even we who are believers can fall into Nebuchadnezzar’s former ways of thinking. We can fall into becoming focused on defining and achieving “success,” even spiritual success. Being a Christian is not ultimately about our spiritual achievements such as how well we know the Bible, how spiritually disciplined we are, how well we raise our children, how many people we lead to Christ, and so on. These are all very good things, but they flow out of something else. They are good things, but they are not the good news. The good news is that God loves us despite our imperfections and brokenness – in His eyes, apart from Him, we don’t look much different than Nebuchadnezzar down on all fours going wild and eating grass. Yet He loves us and desires us to look up to Him and keep on looking up to Him, again and again. He desires us to commune with Him and spend time praising Him, again and again. And the good news is that all this is possible because, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Jesus has taken on Himself the penalty that we deserve; He did this willingly, eagerly, because of how much He loves us. And our restoration will go far beyond that of Nebuchadnezzar, who in his life only got back his kingdom. In contrast, the kingdom we will inherit is beyond imagining; we get glimpses of it here and there in the Bible, but the things we know for sure is that it is eternal and that a full, deep, complete knowledge and love for Jesus, and His full, deep, complete knowledge and love for us, will be at the very center of it.

Now we, Clemson Community Church, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything He does is right and all His ways are just.