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Daniel 4 (ESV)

¹⁹ 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! 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. ²³ 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,’ ²⁴ this is the interpretation, O king: It is a decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king, ²⁵ that you shall be driven from among men, and 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. ²⁶ 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. ²⁷ 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.”

 

²⁸ All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. ²⁹ At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, ³⁰ and the king answered and said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” ³¹ While the words were still in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you, ³² and you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” ³³ Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers, and his nails were like birds’ claws.

 

REFLECTION:

1. The Bible says that King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that made him afraid (5). And not only was he afraid, but King Nebuchadnezzar tried his best to understand the meaning of this strange dream. Daniel solved the mystery of the dream for the king, however, the king failed to be vigilant; on the contrary, he also said very arrogant words (30), it is that he did not see the power of God (17)! It’s the same with our faith, we don’t just identify with a phenomenon, it’s important to understand it, because there is God’s revelation in it.
2. King Nebuchadnezzar finally could not escape from doom. According to the prophecy, he lost his humanity and was driven from among men (33), eating grass like an ox, until the fullness of time, his wisdom returned to him (34) ; And this matter has become an important enlightenment in his life, let him understand what is the most important thing in life.
3. Although it is generally believed that Nebuchadnezzar was an extraordinary, even a holy king, God revealed that he was just an ordinary person. He will go mad, and for a long time (seven periods of time) he will become like a livestock. God humiliated Nebuchadnezzar to prove that the Almighty God is the King of all nations, not Nebuchadnezzar. No matter how powerful a man is, his self-centered arrogance will keep God away from his life. Pride may be one of the most dangerous temptations you will face. Don’t forget God because of your accomplishments.

 

PRAYER:

Ask God to help you not to be a superficial Christian, only confessing God verbally but failing to understand and do God’s will. Pray for God to give you the heart of true obedience to God, so that you can be a Christian with a deep and consistent spiritual life, and behave in a way that is commensurate with the gospel you believe.