Studies in Daniel

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Jan 16, 1912

Studies in Daniel

God the Ruler; the Lesson Learned

It is not God's desire that any shall perish; for "As I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live." Eze. 33:11. It was God's desire that Egypt's ruler, the Pharaoh of the oppression, should turn from his way and live. God desired to save Pharaoh. Hence all the judgments that came upon Egypt, to teach him and the Egyptians God's way, came against the gods of Egypt, but touched no human life; and it was not until Pharaoh had utterly rejected God and everything which would touch his heart that the Lord withdrew His Spirit from him, and got glory to Himself by the overthrow of Pharaoh and his host. When we reach Nebuchadnezzar we come to another mighty ruler in earth, one whose heart is indissolubly linked to idolatry. He believed in the worship of Baal, of Marduk, and of other noted gods of Babylon. He built to them temples, he honored them for his victories, he named even his own servants, taken from other nations, after his tutelary divinities. God's own children had so far departed from Him that they were sent into captivity; but His truth must not perish from the world. And therefore He puts forth an effort to win one who could spread abroad to the earth a knowledge of the true God, despite the apostasy of His people.

His first lesson to Nebuchadnezzar was regarding education. God showed that His simple education, which comprehended the whole man, was superior to all the education which Babylon could give. And Nebuchadnezzar seems to have acknowledged it. His second lesson showed clearly — and Nebuchadnezzar acknowledges it — that no other god could reveal the future as could the God of Daniel, the Creator of the heavens and the earth. However, Nebuchadnezzar's heart still remains proud and stubborn. He would change the future which God had revealed. He would make the kingdom of Babylon eternal, instead of being one of a succession; and when men protest against that by refusing to bow down to his apotheosis of patriotism, he condemns them to death, and boasts, "What god can deliver you out of my hands?" And again God reveals to him, and he learns the lesson, that no other god can deliver as could the God of the Hebrews. But he has not learned it all yet. He is still lifted up in his own self-sufficiency, still proud of the mighty empire which he rules, still unwilling to acknowledge God; and one more lesson is given him in God's mercy, — a lesson that he, too, learned, and he himself tells us how he learned it. For the fourth chapter is not written by the prophet; it is permitting Nebuchadnezzar to tell his own story.

Questioning the Text

Daniel 4, A.R.V.

1. How does Nebuchadnezzar begin his proclamation?

Nebuchadnezzar the king, unto all the peoples, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied unto you. It hath seemed good unto me to show the signs and wonders that the Most High God hath wrought toward me. How great are His signs! and how mighty are His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His dominion is from generation to generation. Verses 1-3. Note 1.

2. By what means did God again bring before him the truth?

I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in my house, and flourishing in my palace. I saw a dream which made me afraid; and the thoughts upon my bed and the visions of my head troubled me. Therefore made I a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known unto me the interpretation of the dream. Then came in the magicians, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers; and I told the dream before them; but they did not make known unto me the interpretation thereof. But at the last Daniel came in before me, whose name was Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and I told the dream before him, saying, O Belteshazzar, master of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in thee, and no secret troubleth thee, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and the interpretation thereof. Verses 4-9. Note 2.

3. What vision was given him?

Thus were the visions of my head upon my bed: I saw, and, behold, a tree in the midst of the earth; and the height thereof was great. The tree grew, and was strong, and the height thereof reached unto heaven, and the sight thereof to the end of all the earth. The leaves thereof were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was food for all: the beasts of the field had shadow under it, and the birds of the heavens dwelt in the branches thereof, and all flesh was fed from it. I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, behold, a watcher and a holy one came down from heaven. He cried aloud, and said 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 from its branches. Nevertheless leave the stump of its roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven: and let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth: let his heart be changed from man's, and let a beast's heart be given unto him; and let seven times pass over him. The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones; to the intent that the living may know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He will, and setteth up over it the lowest of men. Verses 10-17. Note 3.

4. Whom did he call to interpret it?

This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen; and thou, O Belteshazzar, declare the interpretation, forasmuch as all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known unto me the interpretation; but thou art able; for the spirit of the holy gods is in thee. Verse 18. Note 4.

5. How was Daniel affected?

Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was stricken dumb for a while, and his thoughts troubled him. The king answered and said, Belteshazzar, let not the dream, or the interpretation, trouble thee. Verse 19. Note 5.

6. What did he tell him was the meaning of the tree which he saw?

Belteshazzar answered and said, My lord, the dream be to them that hate thee, and the interpretation thereof to thine adversaries. The tree that thou sawest, which grew, and was strong, whose height reached unto heaven, and the sight thereof to all the earth; whose leaves were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was food for all; under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and upon whose branches the birds of the heavens had their habitation: it is thou, O king, that art grown and become strong; for thy greatness is grown, and reacheth unto heaven, and thy dominion to the end of the earth. Verses 19-22. Note 6.

7. What was the lesson of the dream?

And whereas the king saw a watcher and a holy one coming down from heaven, and saying, Hew down the tree, and destroy it; nevertheless leave the stump of the roots thereof in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field, and let it be wet with the dew of heaven; and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven times pass over him; this is the interpretation, O king, and it is the decree of the Most High, which is come upon my lord the king: that

thou shalt be driven from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and thou shalt be made to eat grass as oxen, and shalt be wet with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee; till thou know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He will. And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the roots of the tree; thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee, after that thou shalt have known that the heavens do rule. Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by showing mercy to the poor; if there may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity. Verses 23-27. Note 7.

8. Under what circumstances did the fulfilment come?

All this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of twelve months he was walking in the royal palace of Babylon. The king spake and said, Is not this great Babylon, which I have built for the royal dwelling-place, by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty? While the word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O King Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken: The kingdom is departed from thee: and thou shalt be driven from men; and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field; thou shalt be made to eat grass as oxen; and seven times shall pass over thee; until thou know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He will. The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen; and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hair was grown like eagles' feathers, and his nails like birds' claws. Verses 28-33. Note 8.

9. At the end of the days of his chastisement what experience did Nebuchadnezzar have?

And at the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the Most High, and I praised and honored Him that liveth forever; for His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom from generation to generation; and all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; and He doeth according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay His hand, or say unto Him, What doest Thou? At the same time mine understanding returned unto me; and for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and brightness returned unto me; and my counselors and my lords sought unto me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent greatness was added unto me. Verses 34-36. Note 9.

10. To what condition of mind and heart did it bring him?

Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of Heaven; for all His works are truth, and His ways justice; and those that walk in pride He is able to abase. Verse 37. Note 10.

Note and Comment

1. NEBUCHADNEZZAR THE KING, UNTO ALL THE PEOPLES. God designed that His own children should bear His message to all the nations of the earth. They failed. Now the king of Babylon is bearing that message. It goes to all the peoples and nations and languages that dwell in all the earth. It is a Gospel message: "Peace be multiplied." It is a revealing message, a witnessing message; for he tells of the great things that God has shown to him, that He is the One over all that is worthy to be worshiped, and who has an everlasting kingdom.

2. DREAM . . . VISIONS. God had before spoken to the king in a dream (see chapter 2). He speaks to him in a dream again. Nebuchadnezzar had tested out his wise men by demanding at the first that they should not only tell the interpretation but the dream itself. This they could not do. They had learned to fear the king. They were chary of his decrees. He tells them the dream now; but none of the magicians, or enchanters, or Chaldeans, or soothsayers, could tell him, and after they had been tried and tested, Daniel (or Belteshazzar, as Nebuchadnezzar had named him) is brought before him. Nebuchadnezzar remembers Daniel's wisdom. He calls him "master of the magicians," and declares that the spirit of the holy gods is in him, and that no secret troubles him. His confidence was revived, seemingly, as he called him.

3. THUS WERE THE VISIONS. The vision is very clear and simple. He dreams of a great tree with branches extending to the end of the earth, leaves fair, fruit abundant, containing food for all, and shadow for beasts and birds. And he sees and hears a watcher, a holy one, crying, "Hew down the tree, and cut off its branches;" and the sentence, he learns, is given by a decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones, and he is told in that very dream, "to the intent that the living may know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He will, and setteth up over it the lowest of men." He wants Nebuchadnezzar to learn this lesson, — that it is not by his power, or greatness, that he is occupying the position that he is, but that he is there an instrument in God's providence upon the throne because God desired to use him. This the king had not learned. He was not yet willing to be an agent for God.

4. O BELTESHAZZAR, DECLARE THE INTERPRETATION. As before remarked, all the other wise men had been tested out, and were not able to make known, "but thou art able." As he has told the prophet his dream, his faith in the prophet's God seems to increase.

5. DANIEL WAS STRUCK DUMB, not because God had not given him the interpretation, but because of the great things that were coming upon the king. It overwhelmed his minister, and the king tells him not to let the interpretation, or dream, trouble him, but to let him know what it was.

6. MY LORD, THE DREAM BE TO THEM THAT HATE THEE. Evidently Daniel had come to love the king. He could not wish him ill. He had seen something of his greatness and power and magnificence and generosity, but he also saw in it God's lesson, and so he tells him plainly that the tree represents him, and the empire over which he ruled. "IT IS THOU, O KING, that art grown and become strong."

7. A WATCHER AND A HOLY ONE. Nebuchadnezzar had forgotten that there was a God who saw, that that God had invisible servants who took account of all that he did. This dream brought it to him again. By the decree of His heavenly angels God declared that the tree should be hewn down, but the stump left. The seven times Josephus tells us was seven years (some have thought that it may have been but seven months), seven years' interregnum in the kingdom during which the nobles rule. The very circumstances surrounding Nebuchadnezzar's malady, it would seem would hold men in obedience and in harmony with the law, and prevent usurpers from rising up. And then we are told that God was keeping the kingdom until the end of that time. Nebuchadnezzar should go insane, should go out and try to eat grass as did the oxen — literally a wild man, for that period of time. And yet his kingdom was to be preserved. Then Daniel pleads with him to save himself from that doom by breaking off his sins by righteousness, and his iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. There is no other way to break off sinning but by righteousness. There is no negative goodness before God. The heart that is not active in righteous acts will yield itself to the unrighteous. The soul that does not show mercy to the poor will harden itself against all things that are good. Would that every soul could remember that there are high and holy watchers over them. God's angels are keeping account of the deeds, and the thoughts, and the work that we do. If the tree of our life can be made useful and beneficial to others, and we can acknowledge Him as the giver of all, it will grow and stand; but if it is to be used for our own purpose, or our own glory, the decree will come from the holy watchers, Cut it down. Why cumbereth it the ground?

8. ALL THIS CAME UPON THE KING. We are still with the story. One year passes, and there has been no fulfilment of the dream. And the king's heart seems to have been hardened by the delay. "Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil." The execution had not come against Nebuchadnezzar, and his heart had been lifted up against the revelation. He had been beautifying Babylon as it had never been beautified before. He had built immense palaces for his government, glorious temples for the gods, and hanging gardens for his queen, that greatly embellished and beautified the royal city; and as he was walking in his royal palace, probably upon some of its spacious porches or elevated verandas where he could view more or less of the entire city, he forgot God, and said, "Is not this great Babylon, which I have built for the royal dwelling-place, by the might of MY power and for the glory of MY majesty?" He had reached the climax of his sin of self-glorification. It was the spirit of Babylon from the very beginning. And while the word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven declaring to him that his kingdom had departed from him, and the dream was to be executed until the king could learn that lesson, "that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He will." In that very hour it came upon him. In his insanity he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew from heaven.

9. AT THE END OF THE DAYS. God is faithful to His promise. As He had spoken the judgment and limited the time, He remembered the limit even as He had fixed its beginning. God does not forget. He is allowing the great Babylon of this old world to go on in its pride, in its self-worship, in its sin and iniquity. But just as surely as the punishment came to Nebuchadnezzar, just so surely the judgments which God has pronounced in His Word will fall upon a world that is emphasizing the sins that were in Nebuchadnezzar of old. His understanding returned to him, and with that understanding he remembered all that through which he had passed during the seven years, and he "blessed the Most High, and praised and honored Him that liveth forever." He had learned the fourth lesson, — "that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men." He had learned that all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing in God's sight. He had learned that God "doeth according to His will in the army of heaven," and that of the inhabitants of earth "none can stay His hand, or say unto Him, What doest Thou?" Great and mighty was the lesson that he learned; and God could establish him, therefore, in his kingdom.

10. NOW I, NEBUCHADNEZZAR, PRAISE AND EXTOL AND HONOR. The lesson was complete. His heart was humble, and he bowed before his Creator. He had accepted God as the One over all, the King of Heaven. He had learned that all His works are truth, that all His ways are just; he had also learned that those that walk in pride He is able to abase. It seems certainly clear that Nebuchadnezzar had become a converted child of God, henceforth to serve Him while life should last. If those who followed after him had only learned these lessons as well, God would have used Babylon mightily, even as He has used the Anglo-Saxon race in later days, for the giving of His truth to the earth. "We would have healed Babylon," said the Lord through Jeremiah, "but she is not healed." Babylon in later years refused, and God had to set her aside, as He had her great king, for a little while. But this king learned his lesson, and God would have all rulers of the earth learn the same lesson. Now they are only little parts of the kingdom of men. They are seeking by federation to make it one great kingdom ruled by men, in which man's greatness and power will be extolled and honored. Let them learn the lesson from this scripture, "that THE MOST HIGH RULETH IN THE KINGDOM OF MEN, AND GIVETH IT TO WHOMSOEVER HE WILL."