Boker Tov! Welcome back to Mishkan Katan. Last week, we studied the amazing story of the three Hebrew Heroes, Shadrach (Chananyah) Mishach (Mishael) and Abedneggo (Azariah), and that is the last we hear of them in the Holy Scriptures. The Talmud puts forth some theories as to what happened to them because, after all, they were still young men at the time of the fiery furnace incident. But, we do not know for certain.
Today, as we move forward in our study of Daniel we will be studying one of the strangest stories in the entire Bible, and that is saying a lot. Because there are some odd ones in the Bible, for sure. We will be exploring chapter four. Some Bible scholars believe that around 30 years had passed since the episode in the fiery furnace, which would have placed Daniel at around 50 years old and the king even older. See if you think that kind of timeline makes sense, as we go along. Please grab your copy of the Scriptures, and we’ll shortly get started.
First, though, one of my faithful listeners has asked that I issue a correction, and rightly so. In last week’s video, I was ad-libbing from my teaching notes and referred to the recent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, noting that it occurred on a Friday. That was incorrect. It occurred the following day, on a Saturday. So, please forgive my misstatement in that regard. I’m so thankful for faithful listeners!
I never cease to be fascinated at how Father Yahweh chooses humans to suit his own purposes and to carry out His divine plans. For example, when I was a teen, I had a plan for my life. Shocker! It did not include some of my life’s experiences! Amazingly, my plan was not the same as His plan for me!
As I have studied Daniel chapter four, I am continuing to be amazed by how God showed favor to King Nebuchadnezzar. Consider the Egyptian Pharaoh of the Exodus story, for example. The way Father Yahweh dealt with him was completely different. That pharaoh’s end came in a watery grave, at the bottom of the Sea of Reeds (often referred to as the Red Sea). Most theologians believe he died in rebellion against the Lord God, that is as an enemy of God. That is not how Nebuchadnezzar’s reign ended however.
Chapter 4 tells us of King Nebuchadnezzar’s final years on the throne; when we reach the end of this chapter, we will hear about him no more in the book of Daniel. Rather than read a few verses at a time, I think I’d prefer to read the entire chapter, and then in my teaching, go back and refer to various verses. Some of this chapter is somewhat repetitive. Let’s read the chapter together. Today, I am going to be reading from the George Lamsa Aramaic Eastern Peshitta translation of the Scriptures.
1THEN Nebuchadnezzar the king wrote to all peoples, nations and languages that dwelt in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you. 2I thought it good to publish the signs and wonders that the High God has wrought toward me. 3How great are his signs! and how mighty are his wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation. 4I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in my house and at ease in my palace; 5I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the visions of my head troubled me. 6Therefore I made 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. 7Then came in before me the magicians, the astrologers, the soothsayers, and the Chaldeans; and I told the dream before them; but they did not make known to me the interpretation thereof; 8Until Daniel came before me, whose name is Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and before him I told the dream, saying, 9O Belteshazzar, master of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you and no mystery is hidden from you, this is the vision of my dream that I have seen; tell me the interpretation thereof. 10These were the visions which I saw in my bed: I saw, and behold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great. 11The tree grew high, and was strong, and its height reached to heaven and the view thereof to the end of all the earth. 12Its leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant; and in it was food for all; the beasts of the field dwelt under it, and the fowls of the air rested in its boughs, and all flesh was fed from it. 13I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and behold, a holy angel came down from heaven, 14And cried aloud and spoke thus: Hew down the tree and cut off its branches, shake off its leaves and scatter its fruit; let the beasts get away from under it and the fowls of the air from its branches; 15Nevertheless leave the stump of its roots in the earth; but it shall be bound with a band of iron and brass in the green grass of the field; and let him be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his dwelling be with the beasts of the field in the grass of the earth; 16Let his heart be changed from man's, and let a beast's heart be given to him; and let seven seasons change over him. 17This decree is by the command of the angel at the request of the Holy One to the intent that the living may know that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men and gives it to whomsoever he will, and appoints over it the lowest of men. 18This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now you, O Belteshazzar, tell me the interpretation thereof, because all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation; but you, Daniel, are able; for the spirit of the holy gods is in you. 19Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was confused for an hour and his thoughts troubled him. The king spoke and said, Belteshazzar, let not the dream or the interpretation thereof trouble you. Daniel answered and said, My lord, may the dream be to those who hate you and the interpretation thereof to your enemies. 20The tree which you saw, which grew and was strong, whose height reached to the heaven and the view thereof, to all the earth; 21Whose leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all flesh; under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and upon whose branches the fowls of the air rested, and from it fed all flesh; 22It is you, O king; for you have grown and become strong; you have grown high and reach to the heavens, and your dominion is to the end of the earth. 23And whereas the king saw a holy angel coming down from heaven, crying aloud and saying, Hew clown the tree and destroy it; but leave the stump and the roots thereof in the earth and let it be bound with a band of iron and brass in the green grass of the field; and let him be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his dwelling be with the beasts of the field in the grass of the earth; and let his heart be changed from man's, and let a beast's heart be given to him till seven seasons change over him. 24This is the interpretation, O king: The decree of the Most High has come against my lord the king; 25They shall drive you away from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make you to eat grass like an ox, and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven, and seven seasons shall change over you, till you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men and gives it to whomsoever he will. 26And whereas he commanded to spare the stump and the tree roots, your kingdom shall be sure to you after you have learned that authority is from heaven. 27Wherefore, let my counsel be acceptable to you, and get rid of your sins by means of almsgiving, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the weak, till your transgressions are removed from you. 28All of these things came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. 29At the end of twelve months King Nebuchadnezzar was walking on the roof of his royal palace which is in Babylon. 30And he spoke and said, Is not this great Babylon that I have built for the seat of my kingdom and for my great dominion and my majesty? 31While the word was in the king's mouth, there came a voice from heaven, saying, O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken; for your kingdom is departed from you. 32And they shall drive you from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field; they shall make you to eat grass like an ox, and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven; and seven seasons shall change over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men and gives it to whomsoever he will, and he appoints the lowest of men over it. 33The same hour the word was fulfilled upon King Nebuchadnezzar; and he was driven from among men, and did eat grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hair grew like eagles' feathers and his nails like bird's claws. 34And when the days were fulfilled, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up my eyes to heaven, and my sense was restored to me, and I blessed the Most High and I praised and glorified him who lives for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion and whose kingdom is from generation to generation; 35And all the inhabitants of the earth are reckoned as nothing in his presence; and he does as he pleases with the hosts of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can resist his hand or say to him, What doest thou? 36At the same time my sense returned to me, and my princes and my generals sought me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added to me. 37Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are true and his ways just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.
The dreaming king dreams again, doesn’t he? But, that’s not surprising, as the book of Daniel is one chock-full of dreams and visions.
Allright, let’s begin to determine the overarching themes of this chapter. If I had to ask you to think of one word that typifies the sin this chapter targets in the human condition, what do you think that would be? The clue is in the last verse. Did you catch it? It’s the sin of pride versus the fruit of the spirit called humility. Babylon was the most magnificent city of the world at that time, and Nebuchadnezzar was very prosperous. As often happens when one attains financial “independence” and even great wealth, we lose an accurate view of poverty. We begin to look down upon the poor. We lose our compassion. And, even worse, we become increasingly blind to our own poverty of spirit. As one of my favorite morehs John J. Parsons says, “the way up is down”. When we are exalting ourselves, we are heading in the wrong direction.
The themes of rebellion and idolatry are also present in the chapter, as these are closely related to pride. Can you think of a time or occasion in your life where you were warned repeatedly, either by godly friends or loved ones or by Father Yahweh Himself...and yet you chose the wrong-headed path, the path of “not-Yahweh”? I surely can. No person can say, truthfully, that he or she is the master of his or her destiny. “I did it my way!” - - That song is a lie. Even if a person believes he or she made all the life choices, the entire life was molded and shaped by God. The sages proclaim that, as in vs. 32, “the Most High rules in the kingdom of men” is the most key theme of this entire book.
And, a final theme in this chapter is that of personal testimony, of “story.” The first three chapters of Daniel are written in the third person. Chapter 4 is written in first person, Nebuchadnezzar himself relating his story of suffering and humility. {Some commentators say that verses 19-33 are told by the book’s author, Daniel.} It is the only time in Scripture that a gentile king tells his own story. As the book of Daniel showcases Nebuchadnezzar’s reign in the home stretch, Nebuchadnezzar chose to write his testimony and to send it to all peoples of the known world. We have the benefit of reading it and learning from his story even today. When you came to know the Lord God, didn’t you have a burning desire to tell others of what God had done for you? That’s the way it was with Nebuchadnezzar.
In verse 1, his proclaimed letter appears to be sort of a sequel to the story of the fiery furnace. In fact, if you go back and read verses 28-30 of chapter 3, some theologians have suggested that they too are part of the letter Nebuchadnezzar wrote. You might do that later and decide for yourself what you think about that. Keep in mind that chapter divisions of the Holy Scriptures were added much later. Notice also the first thing the proclamation says to all the people: ‘Peace be multiplied to you.” That must have been a relief to the hearers! It was not every day the king, dwelling hundreds to thousands of miles away, sent a news bulletin. What must the subjects have thought? Likely, they were afraid of the news to come in the proclamation. This is why the king began with “peace”.
In verses 2 and 3, Nebuchadnezzar testifies of both signs and wonders. Do you “wonder”, pardon the pun, at the difference between those two? The sages say that a sign can be either a natural phenomenon or a supernatural phenomenon, either of which show divine intervention in the affairs of men. A wonder, on the other hand, is entirely supernatural, a miracle. The level of awe is greater with a wonder. Nebuchadnezzar’s dream about the statue was a sign, as was his dream here in chapter 4. But, the events surrounding the fiery furnace were wonders. What do you think is the “wonder” in this chapter? Well, I can think of two. We’ll get to that in a bit.
In verse 2, Nebuchadnezzar credits the Supreme God with doing these miracles and doing them “toward” him (Lamsa) or “with” him (Hebrew Bible). In either case, there is a sense of marvel or wonder Neb is expressing toward this one, true God, our Father Yahweh.
Verse 3 is a powerful testimony of the power of God. He not only created the world and then went on His merry way. He still intervenes in the affairs of people. The most recent wonder we have seen on the world stage occurred a few days ago. Referring to it in his convention speech, former President Trump said, “I am not supposed to be here.” On one level, he meant that the fact the bullets, especially one bullet, missed his skull ... is a wonder, a miracle. He then went on to state that it was because of God’s intervention that he is still alive. Indeed, yes, God our Father DOES intervene, working miracles today. Neb then testifies to the eternality of Father Yah’s kingdom.
Verses 4-5. While Neb was essentially living life, that is, resting comfortably at home and experiencing ease in his work as ruler of the known world, he had another puzzling, disturbing dream. He had not eaten pizza with anchovies - - there was nothing in his every day world that would have brought on this dream. He was in good health, physical and mental health. All was well. Still he walked in arrogance, in pride. God is about to address that.
Again, as with the dream of the statue, his spirit was troubled upon waking. Usually, after a nightmare, one’s spirit recognizes “it was only a dream”, and soon the dreamer’s spirit is back on an even keel. But, no, after this dream, Neb was continuing to be bothered by it.
We see in verse six that he again turned to the soothsayers , the magicians, the astrologers and the Chaldeans to gain the interpretation of the dream. Do you find this disappointing? I sort of do. I mean, he had just confessed the supremacy of the one, true God, the God of the Hebrews. Why, then, when he needed a supernatural explanation, did he once again turn to the false prophets?
Some theologians explain it like this: While Nebuchadnezzar at this time believed that the Hebrew God was supreme, above all the other gods, he still believed that those “lesser gods” had limited powers given to them by The One. Now, hang with me, because this is weird to us who have been steeped in montheism, right? But, see, in the ANE, this was a common belief - - that there was a “chief God”, but that he left the running of the world to his subordinates, and that each country had its own patron god who basically “handled” things for that country. I know. It’s weird. When Daniel told Neb that “the Supreme One rules in the kingdom of man” (vs. 14), this made no sense to him, because it violated the understanding common in the ANE at that time! We have to keep remembering that except for the Hebrew nation, the entire world was pagan and polytheistic. Neb appears to have believed this so fully that God practically had to turn him into an ox before the truth got through to him!
Let’s take a look at this dream, then. This was a harbinger, a warning, from God Almighty. It was also a blessing to Nebuchadnezzar. How could it have been a blessing? It was a blessing because God was giving him a chance to humble himself and rid himself of his tremendous pride. In verse 27, Daniel counseled the king to humble himself, to get rid of his sins, to show mercy to the weak, to give alms to the poor. Did King Nebuchadnezzar take Daniel’s advice? If he did, then he must have merely “gone through the motions”, because ultimately his prideful, self-actualized ways remained. I truly believe if Neb had done that, he could have avoided the consequence of eating grass for seven years, while he lived like a madman. But, like many of us, he did not submit. He rolled on in his arrogance, despite the interpretation of the dream. The Jewish sages postulate that the judgement was delayed 12 months BECAUSE the king did the alms Daniel recommended. Another interpretation says if he had kept up his alms-giving, the punishment would have been delayed indefinitely. However, I will note that even so alms-giving does not always choke out completely the weed of pride; in fact, it sometimes increases it!
There appears to be prophesied a progressive madness that will overtake Neb. It was so dark a dream that Daniel did not want (vs. 19) to share the interpretation. No wonder he was “confused for an hour”. Who could have expected, or who would believe, the Lord was going to turn the king into a grass-eating beast? Daniel did not gloat over the interpretation of the dream. He was genuinely troubled, because he recognized that however things went with the king, they would likewise go with the Jews who lived in Babylon.
Interestingly, no extra-biblical records mention this deviation in Nebuchadnezzar’s rule. There’s no trace of this supernatural madness. On the other hand, what monarch would allow into the official court records such a humiliating illness? Not many. Psychologists today describe a disorder called “boantrophy”, a mental illness in which the person believes him or herself to be an ox or a cow, so much so that the person tries to behave like one. Another reasonable explanation would be something called Lycanis, which is a mental condition where the patient has wolf-man or werewolf type delusions. Since oxen are mentioned in these verses, though, I tend to lean toward something more like the former...boanthrophy.
Verses 29-31 describe the king after 12 months have gone by. The disturbing dream is “so yesterday” in the king’s mind. We see him on the roof of his palace, exulting in his own accomplishments. Perhaps he thought that if God were truly going to transform him into a beast of the field, He would have gone ahead and done it already. Since this had not happened in the intervening months, the king had reverted to his old, arrogant, prideful ways.
But, if we read carefully about the progression of this mental deterioration, we see the following things:
1. it appears to have come upon the king suddenly. (vs. 31). Scripture says “while the word was in the king’s mouth” a voice from heaven spoke, reminding the king of the proclamation in the dream. This reminds me of how the Lord God knows our needs even before we ask Him for them. When we get to Daniel chapter 9, vs. 21, we will see that AS Daniel was praying, a messenger from the Lord arrived. Sometimes, our Father answers prayers that speedily; other times, his answer is “wait”. Same goes for His judgment. His timing is always perfect.
2. As Neb began to deteriorate, he was secluded, apparently even from men.
3. Next, we learn he went to dwell with the beasts of the field. So, does this mean he went to live in the barns? It’s hard to say. But, eventually, as the deterioration continues....
4. Nebuchadnezzar began to eat grass like an ox.
5. He began to dwell out in the field, out in the “elements”, because the dew wet his body as it would an animal of the field.
6. His personal hygiene suffered to the point his nails over that seven-year period grew like the claws of a bird and his body hair became extremely proliferant. In other words, he came to resemble a wooly-booger. Because verse 34 says that at the end of the period of divinely-acquired madness the king “lifted his eyes to heaven,” the sages say prior to this he had “walked on all fours”.
There is a passage in the book of Job which seems to describe pretty aptly what happened to King Nebuchadnezzar. Let’s hold our finger in Daniel 4 and then turn over to Job 33:15-18. One of Job’s supposed friends, a young fellow named Elihu, was reminding and reprimanding Job.
15in a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls upon men, while slumbering on a bed,
16then He opens the ears of men, and seals their instruction,
17to turn man from his deed, and conceal pride from man.
18He keeps back his being from the Pit, and his life from passing away by the sword.
{The Scriptures, ISR 1998}
I don’t think there is a more extreme case of humbling, in all of Scripture. It is stunning to realize just how prideful and arrogant King Nebuchadnezzar was, and how much Father Yahweh loved him! I’ve touched on this already, but it bears repeating. Our Father is equally merciful and just. He would not have put the king through this unless every bit of it was necessary to “break” Nebuchadnezzar’s exteme pride. He also would not have done so unless He loved him and wanted him to become a member of God’s family. Don’t you imagine that Daniel was praying for Him to truly come to know the one, true God and to acknowledge Him as supreme, all those years? This is apparently what it took. It is notable that, in verse 34, the king returns to narrating the story in the first person. Nebuchadnezzar had throughout the entire first four chapters to this point referred to himself as King Nebuchadnezzar, but here, after his seven-year ordeal, he calls himself simply Nebuchadnezzar. He had learned from God the perils of arrogance.
The Talmud comments that a Jew when praying bows four times, but that it is required for Jewish kings to bow throughout the entire time they are praying, which illustrates that the higher the position the greater the need to guard against the evils of arrogance.
Is pride a problem in your own life? What will it take or has it taken in the past to humble you? Pride can look different in different people. As Beth Moore says, “Satan sets the bait according to the bite.” It has been my observation that people fall prey to one of two positions: fear or pride. The first category of people are fearful and accordingly don’t trust God’s hand or plan. They worry incessantly and are afraid to follow the leading of their Heavenly Father. They shun taking risks, fear calamity, failure, ridicule, etc. Because of this, they rarely accomplish all for the kingdom they were created to do.
The other position is, of course, pridefully trusting in one’s own abilities to succeed, or claiming credit for accomplishments when that credit belongs to God. The worldly culture promotes this heavily with terms such as “self-actualization”, “self-improvement”, etc. When one does not believe in God, what other “engine” is left, to drive a person’s performance, right? This, of course, only feeds the beast of pride. Yet, believers are not immune, not by a long shot! We must be watchful and wary of this tool Satan loves to use. The cure for the believer, the follower of Yeshua is a daily, intentional clothing of oneself in humility. I personally find Psalm 19:14 helpful here as a daily mantra.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
The apostle Peter who (SHOCKER!) tended toward this pitfall encourages his fellow believers with 1 Peter 5:5-6 - -
Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you...
Parents, there is a fine line in teaching self-concept appropriately to your children. You must do this, because the world won’t. Teach a God-centered “self-improvement program”, which starts with recognizing one’s need for divine salvation, the initial salvation decision to follow God through Messiah Yeshua, and then the Holy Spirit’s power being the engine that drives one’s good works to glorify the Divine Majestic Mystery, God.
Note that the king’s condition lasted for seven years. Seven is a number in the Bible that signifies “completion” or “fulness”. Although Lamsa translates the Aramaic word as “seasons”, in other translations it is translated as “times”. Context from the book of Daniel indicates that this same word used elsewhere in the book refers to years. Revelation 12:14 features the same phrase, and again, it is translated to be years. So, it is likely that this condition went on for seven years.
Nebuchadnezzar’s return to sanity seemed to happen in an instant, much as his onset of madness did. Apparently, the king’s first official act was to bless the Most High. I’ll come back to that momentarily.
First, I want to go back to verses 22, 23 and 26. (I realize this is not my usual pattern of teaching, but this passage seems to require this approach. I’m sorry if any of you find it discombobulating.)
Continuing with the tree imagery, the mighty, vigorous, fruitful tree, representing King Nebuchadnezzar in his heyday, held an inner sickness - - the sickness of pride, which is why it was cut down to a stump, at the command of the Most High God. In addition to being cut down to a stump, the stump was then bound with a band of iron and brass. Why was that? Some theologians have interpreted this action as done to prevent the tree from re-sprouting and growing during the seven years of humbling. Arborists also will band stumps for a period to protect them from insect damage. Make no mistake: God was in total control of how much and for how long Nebuchadnezzar descended into madness. Otherwise, he was protected from harm. His health otherwise did not suffer, for example.
Who could have imagined that a king, seven years off the throne, could come back and have a reign that was characterized by “excellent majesty”??!!
I’m not endorsing this program or prophecy, but I will mention that while I was riding the recumbent bike a couple of days ago, I ran across a video by Perry Stone, in which he compared this episode in Nebuchadnezzar’s life with the political career of Donald Trump. It was interesting, and you might want to check it out.
Ok, let’s wind this chapter up. I want you to think about how the Jews who had gathered with the Babylonians to hear the king’s proclamation felt when they heard the king’s miraculous words of praise for their God, Yahweh. No, the ineffable name, the Tetragrammaton, was not mentioned specifically. But, the Jews knew immediately that their all-powerful God had gotten hold of the esteemed monarch. How their spirits must have been lifted! How they must have rejoiced! And, how they must have been intrigued by the fact that a Gentile king had come to worship the God of the Hebrews. That must have given them pause, right?
Here then, detailed in the final verses of the chapter, are the blessings of God that were poured out on King Nebuchadnezzar, after his amazing experience.
The first one was...he got his reasoning powers restored to him. What a relief that must have been!
Secondly, he was re-installed upon the throne of Babylon.
Thirdly, his nobles and generals returned to acknowledge his monarchy. Respect and order were restored under his authority.
Fourthly, his final years as king were characterized by, as previously mentioned, excellent majesty.
I said I’d return to Nebuchadnezzar blessing the Most High God, in verse 34. This name for God is, in the Hebrew El Elyon. We encounter this specific name a total of six times in Daniel chapter 4. You might want to jot down these verses where El Elyon occurs. Verses 2, 17, 24, 25, 32 and 34. The name is first seen in Genesis 14:18, where we see another highly exalted king using the same name. That king is the King of Salem (what we today call Jerusalem), and his name was Melchizedek.
Did Nebuchadnezzar experience a true conversion. It certainly appears so, but we will not know until we get to Glory. I pray that we will get to meet him there.
No comments:
Post a Comment