“I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and flourishing in my palace. I saw a dream, and it made me fearful; and these fantasies as I lay on my bed and the visions in my head kept alarming me.”
- Daniel 4:4-5 -
This world is changing at a rapid pace and men and women of excellence need to know how to navigate our increasingly pagan culture. Gross sin that was once shunned has become the norm. Good is bad and bad is good. Men wish to be women and women to be men. Therefore how should we act? What stand should we take? The book of Daniel tells us. After centuries of rejecting God’s good rule, the southern remnant of Israel was exiled to pagan Babylon. Daniel was a captive far from home, but the prophet thrived in this strange land because he lived by Godly principles.
The spirit of Babylon was on the earth long before the city ever was built, and it’s still with us today. In Eden, the devil showed up and asked Eve: “Did God really say?” (Gen. 3:1). His first words questioned God and deceived man. This is the spirit of Babylon that wants us to think life is all about me, myself, and I. The same thing happened at Babel when the people said: “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we can make a name for ourselves” (11:4). God would not allow their pride, so He confused their languages and scattered mankind. The word Babel is where Babylon comes from. It literally means sown in confusion. And if you buy into the lie that the world revolves around you, confusion will be your judgment.
Pride didn’t benefit the devil or Babel, and we learn in Daniel 4 that it didn’t help King Nebuchadnezzar either. After seeing the miraculous deliverance of three Hebrews from the fiery furnace, the king declared God’s greatness, saying: “How great are His signs, and how mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His dominion is from generation to generation” (Dan. 4:3). Nebuchadnezzar was a great king, but here he recognized that God’s eternal kingdom was far greater. He was impressed with God’s all-powerful majesty. This royal proclamation was a personal, unashamed witness to the saving power of the Most High God.
This was all well and good as God deserves honor, but Nebuchadnezzar remained proud so trouble found him “at rest in my house and flourishing in my palace” (Dan. 4:4). He was enjoying the false peace of the ungodly that dominates all cultures up until today. Prosperity is dangerous. It generates pride, and we know ‘pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall’ (Prov. 16:18). This was a deceitful rest that offered false security. Nebuchadnezzar was basking in self-satisfaction. He went to bed expecting dreams of wealth but God had other plans. He had a dream that “made me afraid, and the thoughts on my bed and the visions of my head troubled me” (Dan. 4:5).
Nebuchadnezzar was a mighty king unaccustomed to fear. Yet this dream was given to him for that very purpose. God knew he needed to be troubled. Even worse, his wisest counselors couldn’t interpret it. Given its obvious meaning, we may assume they lacked courage more than insight. So what did the king do? Call Daniel, of course! Ungodly men always petition God as a last resort. But the king did a despicably pagan thing by saying: “His name is Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god” (Dan. 4:8). Despite seeing the true God’s miracle power, the king still saw the Babylonian deity Bel as his god. He admired Yahweh, just not enough to convert.
Nebuchadnezzar began by saying in the dream there was a lush and magnificent “tree in the midst of the earth and its height was great. The tree grew and became strong; its height reached the heavens, and it could be seen to the ends of all the earth. Its leaves were lovely and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it and the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches” (Dan. 4:10-12). So far, so good, but something strange happened next. “I was looking in the visions in my mind as I lay on my bed, and behold, an angelic watcher, a holy one, descended from heaven” (4:13). This watcher was an angel from heaven, as holy one describes one set apart for a special purpose. Here his purpose was to warn the king.
Angels are always ready to execute God’s will. Psalm 103:20 says: ‘Bless the Lord, you His angels, mighty in strength, who perform His word, obeying the voice of His word.’ Angels are wise (2 Sam. 14:20), strong (Ps. 103:20), swift (Dan. 9:21), and myriad in number (Heb. 12:22). They were made to be ministering spirits to the heirs of salvation (Heb. 1:14). They perform their duty to instruct (Acts 10:3-6), deliver (Ps. 34:7), comfort (Matt. 1:20), and help at death (Luke 16:22). The angel in the king’s dream announced that the great tree that seemed indestructible would be felled and mulched. He said: “Chop down the tree and cut off its branches, strip off its leaves, and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts flee from under it, and the birds from its branches” (Dan. 4:14).
The destruction would have been complete but the angel said: “Leave the stump with its roots in the ground, bound with a band of iron and bronze” (Dan. 4:15). Although the tree was felled, it wasn’t annihilated. There was potential for revival if God would be gracious. The Lord of heaven and earth cuts men down for pride but He loves to offer repentance and restoration. The tree’s life-giving root was spared and bound to protect the wood from splitting. The angel went on: “And let him (the king) be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let him graze with the beasts on the grass of the earth. Let his mind be changed from that of a man, let him be given the mind of a beast, and let seven years pass over him” (4:15-16).
No wonder the king’s wise men had feared for their lives. If they’d said he was about to go insane and live as a wild beast, they would have almost certainly been killed. Daniel had no such fear, but this was a heavy task and he had to do it right. Men of excellence ‘speak the truth in love’ (Eph. 4:15). If the hearer knows they’re loved by the truth-teller, the message carries more weight. It’s not just what you say, but how you say it. So don’t go around pointing and shouting: “Thus says the Lord!” When you speak for God, do it with grace. It’s a privilege to speak the oracles of God (1 Pet. 4:11) and see them received as authoritative.
God’s judgment was about to come down on King Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel knew what an angry, unpredictable man he was, so tone was key. Daniel would uphold God’s word while hoping the message would pave the way to the king’s repentance. If you speak God’s judgment, balance it out with mercy. God is a loving Lord who delights in forgiving and transforming those who ask.
Daniel felt troubled as he weighed the words of his interpretation. The king noticed and told God’s prophet not to let the dream trouble him (Dan. 4:19). Words can do damage. Bitter words are like fire in the bones, making hard situations even harder. But men and women with excellent spirits work to master their tongues. They know that “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). They know that the overflow of what is stored in their hearts is heard in their words.
Speaking with care, Daniel said: “My lord, may the dream concern those who hate you, and its interpretation concern your enemies!” (Dan. 4:19). He wished the dream wasn’t about the king even though he knew it was. He then explained the dream to the king, saying: “It is you O king, who have grown and become strong” (4:22). By God’s decree, the angels would drive the king “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 years shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men and gives it to whomever He chooses. 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” (4:25-26).
There’s no easy way to break bad news. You have to be honest, but not insensitive. Care what the recipient is going through. ‘Weep with those who weep’ (Rom. 12:15). Sow hope into the situation. Offer consolation, just as Daniel did by telling the king that after this seven-year ordeal his empire would be waiting for him: “Your kingdom will endure for you after you know that it is heaven that rules with power” (Dan. 4:26). Daniel also knew this was a good time to be evangelistic and bring a good word about the true God. He said: “Therefore, O king, let my counsel 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” (4:27).
We will find out what happened next time…