Daniel Chapter 4

Daniel chapter 4 is the capstone on the life of Nebuchadnezzar king ofBabylon. We first meet Nebuchadnezzar as the conqueror of Egypt, at the battle of Carchemesh, in 605 B.C., he is commander of the Babylonian armies. In the same year, he defeats the Egyptians, his father Nabopolasar dies, making him the King of Babylon. On his route back to Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar Babylon new king defeats Egypt’s ally, Judah, taking Daniel and his friends hostage back to Babylon. Thus begins the king of Babylon’s confrontation with the God of Jerusalem.

Chapter four is the utter humbling of Babylon’s greatest king before the God of Israel. In the first three chapters we see Nebuchadnezzar, meet God through the four boys from Jerusalem. These four slave/hostages become the means of humbling the mighty king of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar finally gets God’s message, he in fact is the author of Daniel Chapter four. This chapter is Nebuchadnezzar witnessing to the whole world and generations to come about the God of Israel.

Nebuchadnezzar is a picture of humanity, he is the picture of worldly success and sin that can follow, pride. He is also the picture of a future king of Babylon, the coming ruler in the end of days, also called the king of Babylon. This future kingdom Babylon is described in Revelation 17 and 18.

DA 4:1 Nebuchadnezzar the king, To all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you.

DA 4:2 I thought it good to declare the signs and wonders that the Most High God has worked for me.

DA 4:3 How great are His signs, And how mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And His dominion is from generation to generation.

Nebuchadnezzar…Chapter 4 is Nebuchadnezzar’s personal testimony on how he came to know the God of heaven. Earlier, he had met God through Daniel and then through Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego in chapter 3. In chapters 2 and 3, the king sees the contrast between the God of Israel and the gods of Babylon. Here we see his surrender to the true God.

This is his personal testimony written to the whole earth, sharing his experience on his newfound faith. This letter is for his whole kingdom, and the whole earth.

I thought it good…In sending out this proclamation regarding, Nebuchadnezzar is trying to help the world benefit by his experience. This is his personal experience, he is relating about the Most High God, the Aramaic word used for God and gods used here is, hhla'elahh. The king separates the God of Israel from the Babylonians by calling him the “Most High”, yll[ `illay

How great…. Nebuchadnezzar has already experienced two very significant signs. The first was the dream in chapter two, when the king was young, in the second year of his reign. The second occurred years later in chapter 3, when he witnessed the faith of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed Nego, who were rescued from the burning fire by one who looked like a “Son of the gods” (Daniel 3:25).He is writing this letter to the world, after his third experience near the conclusion of his reign.

His kingdom… This verse has Messianic overtones. The characteristics of the Most High’s kingdom is an “Everlasting Kingdom”, this phrase is repeated in Daniel 4:34,7:18, 27. This is the meaning of the stone in Chapter 2. The stone from the mountain, which destroys the statue at the feet; the stone is a picture of God’s kingdom succeeding the earthly kingdoms of man, and the confrontation between humanity, pictured as a statue, and God’s messiah.

"And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And Your dominion endures throughout all generations.

DA 4:4 I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in my house, and flourishing in my palace.

DA 4:5 I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts on my bed and the visions of my head troubled me.

DA 4:6 Therefore I issued a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream.

DA 4:7 Then the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers came in, and I told them the dream; but they did not make known to me its interpretation.

I Nebuchadnezzar….This is the kings own personal story, how he met the God of Israel. He is at the pinnacle of his life. After Nebuchadnezzar had conquered and subdued all of Babylon’s enemies, he set about magnifying the city of Babylon. Herodotus ( 484-430 B.C) describes the city of Babylon in his day and its splendor.

The city stands on a broad plain, and is an exact square 120 furlongs[1] (13.63 miles) in length each way, so that the entire circuits is four hundred and eighty furlongs (54.52 miles)….It is surrounded, in the first place, by a broard and deep moat, full of water, behind which rises a wall fifty royal cubits in width, (87 feet ) and two hundred in height (350 feet).

On the top, along the edges of the wall, they constructed buildings on a single chamber facing one another, leaving between them room for a four horse chariot to turn. In the circuit of the wall are a hundred gates, all of brass, with brazen lintels and side-posts.

The city is divided into two portions by the river which runs through the midst of it. The river is the Eurphrates, broad, deep, swift stream, which rises in Armenia….The city wall is brought down on both sides to the edge of the stream.

The houses are mostly three and four stories high; the streets all run in straight lines, not only those parallel to the river, but also the cross streets which lead down to the waterside.[2]

At rest…Flourishing…. This event takes place in the 34^th or 35^th year of his reign. The reign of Nebuchadnezzar was from 605 to 562 B.C, lasting a total of about 43 years. At this point, most of Babylon’s enemies have been subdued and Babylon is at the height of its glory. At this point in his life, Nebuchadnezzar’s life was one of great accomplishments.

I saw a dream… This is Nebuchadnezzar second recorded dream. His first took place in the second year of his reign in 602 B.C., Daniel chapter 2. This dream takes is about 32 years later in 570 B.C.

Afraid… With all the security of the known world at his command, a dream brought fear to the worlds most powerful. Like his first dream, he searched for an answer.

All the wise men… Again, the wise man were called to interpret the dream. Daniel, however, was not among the first group.

They did not make known…. Nebuchadnezzar tells them the dream, None of the wise men attempted to interpret the dream as they have in the past. Before the arrival of Daniel and his three companions, the wise men ofBabylon had a system of deception, here we see a change in the system.

They were either too fearful of Nebuchadnezzar or prevented by God from attempting to make known an interpretation. Either way, their lack of caused Daniel to be brought forward.

DA 4:8 But at last Daniel came before me (his name is Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god; in him is the Spirit of the Holy God), and I told the dream before him, saying:

DA 4:9 "Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the Spirit of the Holy God is in you, and no secret troubles you, explain to me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and its interpretation.

DA 4:10 "These were the visions of my head while on my bed: "I was looking, and behold, A tree in the midst of the earth, And its height was great.

DA 4:11 The tree grew and became strong; Its height reached to the heavens, And it could be seen to the ends of all the earth.

DA 4:12 Its leaves were lovely, Its fruit abundant, And in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, The birds of the heavens dwelt in its branches, And all flesh was fed from it.

DA 4:13 "I saw in the visions of my head while on my bed, and there was a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven.

DA 4:14 He cried aloud and said thus: 'Chop down the tree and cut off its branches, Strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts get out from under it, And the birds from its branches.

DA 4:15 Nevertheless leave the stump and roots in the earth, Bound with a band of iron and bronze, In the tender grass of the field. Let it be wet with the dew of heaven, And let him graze with the beasts On the grass of the earth.

DA 4:16 Let his heart be changed from that of a man, Let him be given the heart of a beast, And let seven times pass over him.

DA 4:17 'This decision is by the decree of the watchers, And the sentence by the word of the holy ones, In order that the living may know That the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, Gives it to whomever He will, And sets over it the lowest of men.'

DA 4:18 "This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now you, Belteshazzar, declare its interpretation, since 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 God is in you."

But at last… The failure of the system of Nebuchadnezzar’s world and his gods allowed Daniel and his God to come to center stage again.

My god… What was the state of Nebuchadnezzar after the 2^nd and 3^rd chapter? In both chapters, he acknowledged the God of Daniel in contrast to his gods. However, Daniel’s God never became his god. Here the king relates his story and his view of events.

The king answered Daniel, and said, "Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret."

"Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made an ash heap; because there is no other God who can deliver like this."

Spirit of the Holy God… The word in Aramaic for god and God used in Daniel is the same, hhla'elahh. Here the king contrasts his god by calling Daniel’s God, “The holy”XyddqQaddiysh, meaning separate. Daniel’s God is separate from his god. He also understands Daniel is the “Holy God” representative.

Belteshazzar… Nebuchadnezzar identifies Daniel in both his names because this letter is being sent to everybody. He wants all people to understand who he is talking about, some might only know Daniel as Belteshazzar, others as only Daniel. Called chief of the magicians; this is the king’s way of elevating Daniel.

Tree… In scripture represent life. In the Garden of Eden we see two trees, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 3:17) and the tree of life (Genesis 3;24). Here the tree is a picture of Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom and accomplishments.

Seven times…. Seven times most likely refers to seven years. The word times, is used in the book of Daniel as year.

The number seven plays a very important role in scripture and in particular the book of Daniel. Daniel chapter nine refers to a period as seventy-periods of seven (The Seventy weeks of Daniel) After 69 periods of seven, the Messiah is cut off and killed, there remains one seven-year period of time.

Here in this vision he sees the tree chopped to the earth and a proclamation made about a man’s heart changing to the heart of a beast. Prior to verse 16, there is no reference to a man, only to a tree.

DA 4:19 Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was astonished for a time, and his thoughts troubled him. So the king spoke, and said, "Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its interpretation trouble you." Belteshazzar answered and said, "My lord, may the dream concern those who hate you, and its interpretation concern your enemies!

DA 4:20 The tree that you saw, which grew and became strong, whose height reached to the heavens and which could be seen by all the earth,

DA 4:21 whose leaves were lovely and its fruit abundant, in which was food for all, under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and in whose branches the birds of the heaven had their home

DA 4:22 it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong; for your greatness has grown and reaches to the heavens, and your dominion to the end of the earth.

DA 4:23 And inasmuch as the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, 'Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave its stump and roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze in the tender grass of the field; let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let him graze with the beasts of the field, till seven times pass over him';

DA 4:24 this is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king:

DA 4:25 They shall drive you from men, your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make you eat grass like oxen. They shall wet you with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses.

DA 4:26 And inasmuch as they gave the command to leave the stump and roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be assured to you, after you come to know that Heaven rules.

DA 4:27 Therefore, O king, let my advice be acceptable to you; break off your sins by being righteous, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. Perhaps there may be a lengthening of your prosperity."

There are several ways to view this event taking place in Daniel four; one is from a historical event, the humbling and conversion of the king of Babylon, second is from application to our lives, God in heaven rules over humanity and a third as a prophetic, with the king of Babylon as type of a future king of Babylon.

It is you… Daniel explains the tree represents the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar. The king of Babylon plays a prominent role in scripture. Nebuchadnezzar becomes the type for the future king ofBabylon, the individual referred to as the Beast or antichrist. The Antichrist is the last ruler of earthly kingdoms, who the Messiah defeats at his return.

Satan, pictured as the king of Babylon in Isaiah 14, is defeated by God and judged. Verse one, proclaims Israel’s victory over Babylon. Babylon defeated Jerusalem three times, destroyed the Temple and scattered the Jewish nation. Daniel demonstrates God’s power over the nations despite the defeat of Judah by the power of Babylon.

1 For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will still choose Israel, and settle them in their own land. The strangers will be joined with them, and they will cling to the house of Jacob.

2 Then people will take them and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them for servants and maids in the land of the Lord; they will take them captive whose captives they were, and rule over their oppressors.

3 It shall come to pass in the day the Lord gives you rest from your sorrow, and from your fear and the hard bondage in which you were made to serve,

4 that you will take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say: "How the oppressor has ceased, The golden city ceased!

6 He who struck the people in wrath with a continual stroke, He who ruled the nations in anger, Is persecuted and no one hinders.

8 Indeed the cypress trees rejoice over you, And the cedars of Lebanon, Saying, 'Since you were cut down, No woodsman has come up against us.'

9 "Hell from beneath is excited about you, To meet you at your coming; It stirs up the dead for you, All the chief ones of the earth; It has raised up from their thrones All the kings of the nations.

10 They all shall speak and say to you: 'Have you also become as weak as we? Have you become like us?

11 Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, And the sound of your stringed instruments; The maggot is spread under you, And worms cover you.'

12 "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations!

13 For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north;

14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.'

16 "Those who see you will gaze at you, And consider you, saying: 'Is this the man who made the earth tremble, Who shook kingdoms,

17 Who made the world as a wilderness And destroyed its cities, Who did not open the house of his prisoners?'

Satan in the end will incarnate the last king of the earth, when he is cast from Heaven at the mid point of the tribulation period. He then begins his final struggle against God and looses at the battle of Armageddon. Following his loss, he is cast into hell. Isaiah 14 records the reception of Satan, who literally becomes the king of Babylon in the end of days.

Nebuchadnezzar and his green tree represents mankind in all his glory, man’s attempt to be god.

my advice… Daniel understood the king’s predicament. He was the product of his own ego. His pride blinded him to his dependence on God. The way we live our life is a choice. We can choose to live according to God’s way or our own way.

Daniel has a plan of attack for the king’s sin, he can choose to be righteous. Many might view Daniel’s answer as simplistic but God operates in simplicity. Nebuchadnezzar can simply choose to stop sinning and be righteous.

iniquities by showing mercy to the poor… The way we treat our fellow man demonstrates the nature of our heart. Daniel’s plan of action for the king was for him to treat the poor differently, to show respect and mercy for the poor. Daniel’s advise to the king is mirrored by Isaiah in chapter 58.

5 Is it a fast that I have chosen, A day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush, And to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Would you call this a fast, And an acceptable day to the Lord?

6 "Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke?

7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh?

10 If you extend your soul to the hungry And satisfy the afflicted soul, Then your light shall dawn in the darkness, And your darkness shall be as the noonday.

11 The Lord will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.

12 Those from among you Shall build the old waste places; You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.

DA 4:29 At the end of the twelve months he was walking about the royal palace of Babylon.

DA 4:30 The king spoke, saying, "Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?"

DA 4:31 While the word was still in the king's mouth, a voice fell from heaven: "King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you!

DA 4:32 And they shall drive you from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. They shall make you eat grass like oxen; 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 chooses."

DA 4:33 That very hour the word was fulfilled concerning Nebuchadnezzar; he was driven from men and ate grass like oxen; his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair had grown like eagles' feathers and his nails like birds' claws.

At the end…The king failed to head Daniel’s advise. Pride captured him and brought down God’s judgment.

Great Babylon… From an earthly perspective Nebuchadnezzar had every reason to be proud. He had conquered the world, built a great city, and lived in an unequaled palace.

The city of Babylon spanned the Euphrates river, and was 13 miles long on each side built in the shape of a square it was 52 miles around.

The walls were over 350 feet tall and eighty seven feet thick with 100 bronze gates.

He built the Hanging Gardens one of the Seven Wonders of the World, built both to beautify cool Babylon.

From Nebuchadnezzar’s palace, he could view his marvelous city. Twelve month later, his creation got the best of him, and he was judged.

Drive you from men…. The disease Nebuchadnezzar had is not a mystery. There are records of people coming down with just such an illness. Howard Hughes though he didn’t think of himself as an animal but lived like one for the remaining years of his life in one his hotels rooms though he was worth billions.

This illness of Nebuchadnezzar has been diagnosed as insania zoanthropica . Raymond Harrison recites a personal experience in a British Mental institution in 1946,

The patient was in his early 20’s who 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 good physique, and was in excellent bodily health. His mental symptoms included pronounced anti-social tendencies, and because of this he spent the entire day from dawn to dusk outdoors, in the grounds of the institution…..

His daily routine consisted of wandering around the magnificent laws…and it was his custom to pluck up and eat handfuls fo the grass as he went along. On observation he was seen to discriminate carefully between grass and weeds, and on inquiry from the attendant the writer was told the diet of this patient consisted exclusively of grass from the hospital lawns. He never ate institutional food with the 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 same physical conditions as those mentioned in Daniel 4:33[3]

King Nebuchadnezzar was more then likely confined to one his many palace grounds during this 7-year period.

He also presents the picture of man becoming beast. During the tribulation, the period described as one of the most horror-filled time on earth, man becomes beastlike.

DA 4:34 And at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever: For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom is from generation to generation.

DA 4:35 All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven And among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand Or say to Him, "What have You done?"

DA 4:36 At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my honor and splendor returned to me. My counselors and nobles resorted to me, I was restored to my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added to me.

DA 4:37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down.

End of the time… Following this seven-year period of humbling, the king of Babylon is restored to his position. This time however he is humbled and acknowledges the power of heaven and the Most High. At the conclusion of his life, Nebuchadnezzar becomes a follower of the God of Daniel.

Those who walk in pride… Nebuchadnezzar epitomizes humanity. He had all that world could offer, a powerful kingdom, admiration, fame, glory, and money. All he had added to his deception of whom he was and who God is. His greatness compared to his fellow man blinded him to reality. Nebuchadnezzar in reality was only a creation, blessed by the creator, who granted him his success.

Satan had the same problem Nebuchadnezzar had, pride. He too forgot that he was only a created being. Satan tried to assume the role of God, for this reason he was dismissed from his heavenly role and became an outcast. He was the victim of pride.

2 "Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre, 'Thus says the Lord God: "Because your heart is lifted up, And you say, 'I am a god, I sit in the seat of gods, In the midst of the seas,' Yet you are a man, and not a god, Though you set your heart as the heart of a god

3 (Behold, you are wiser than Daniel! There is no secret that can be hidden from you!

4 With your wisdom and your understanding You have gained riches for yourself, And gathered gold and silver into your treasuries; 5 By your great wisdom in trade you have increased your riches, And your heart is lifted up because of your riches),"

6 'Therefore thus says the Lord God: "Because you have set your heart as the heart of a god,

7 Behold, therefore, I will bring strangers against you, The most terrible of the nations; And they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom, And defile your splendor.

8 They shall throw you down into the Pit, And you shall die the death of the slain In the midst of the seas.

9 "Will you still say before him who slays you, 'I am a god'? But you shall be a man, and not a god, In the hand of him who slays you. 10 You shall die the death of the uncircumcised By the hand of aliens; For I have spoken," says the Lord God.' "

12 "Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, 'Thus says the Lord God: "You were the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.

13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, Beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes Was prepared for you on the day you were created. 14 "You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. 15 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you. 16 "By the abundance of your trading You became filled with violence within, And you sinned; Therefore I cast you as a profane thing Out of the mountain of God; And I destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the fiery stones. 17 "Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, That they might gaze at you.

[1] Furlong is equal to 600 feet in length, a Stadion

[2] The Histories, Herodotus, Translation by George Rawlinson, Everyman Library, 1992, The First Book entitled Clio, (178-180)

[3] Daniel The Key to Prophetic Revelation, Walvoord, Moody Press, 1971 Pg 109