Daniel 4:12
The leaves thereof were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all: the beasts of the field had shadow under it, and the fowls of the heaven dwelt in the boughs thereof, and all flesh was fed of it. The leaves thereof were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all: the beasts of the field had shadow under it, and the fowls of the heaven dwelt in the boughs thereof, and all flesh was fed of it.
The verse pictures a flourishing tree with beautiful foliage and abundant fruit that fed everyone, sheltering animals beneath it and giving birds a home in its branches. The tree stands for Nebuchadnezzar himself and the greatness, prosperity, reach and provision of his kingdom and all who depended on it. Its cutting down foretells his humbling, teaching that the Most High rules in human kingdoms and gives them to whomever He will, driving the proud king to live with beasts until he acknowledged this. The life-giving tree also shows the purpose of all government, to provide for, shelter and protect those under its care and to build up the nation. Only such a government is acceptable to God, one that protects the weak, relieves the needy, restores and frees people rather than oppressing them or exalting one person to dominate the minds and actions of another.
Tree in King's Dream
The tree stood prosperous and fruitful, its leaves fair and its fruit abundant, with food in it for all flesh, shade beneath it for the beasts of the field, and dwelling places in its boughs for the fowls of heaven. That flourishing tree was Nebuchadnezzar himself, portraying his greatness and prosperity and the wide reach and provision of his kingdom, including all the people who depended on it for sustenance and shelter. Nations had gathered under his sovereignty, and his kingdom was firmly established in the hearts of loyal subjects.
The verse belongs to the visions of the dream that Nebuchadnezzar related to Belteshazzar when asking for its interpretation, a dream whose significance troubled Daniel when he saw it. It was given to Nebuchadnezzar when he was the greatest ruler and most powerful king of his time, whose prosperity had been given him by God for the glory of God and whose kingdom had been designated as the head of gold. The magicians, astrologers, soothsayers, and Chaldeans could not make known the dream or its interpretation, because those who do not love and fear God cannot understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.
God's servants understand the things of God, and Daniel declared the dream and its interpretation before the king because he was esteemed for unswerving integrity, faithfulness in honoring God at all times and in all places, and unexcelled wisdom. He had refused any compromise to secure court position or even to preserve life when God's honor was involved, so the king who had found him the only one able to give relief in perplexity remembered him when another perplexing vision came. The great tree was the symbol through which God presented His power and glory to the king.
Downfall and Divine Sovereignty
The flourishing abundance of the tree is followed by its cutting down, which foretells Nebuchadnezzar's humbling and the downfall of his rule and prosperity. Its plentiful fruit providing food, its shade sheltering the animals, and its branches giving the birds a place to dwell portray the reach of his kingdom and the dependence of all flesh upon its provision.
The sentence pronounced upon the tree teaches that the Most High rules in the kingdoms of men and gives the kingdom to whomsoever He will. Daniel declared its meaning to be that the king would be driven from men to dwell with the beasts of the field, eat grass like oxen, be wet with the dew of heaven, and that seven times would pass over him until he knew this sovereignty of God. The dream belongs to the account in which God showed that Babylon's rule would fall and other kingdoms would follow until God established an everlasting kingdom.
It was another dream God gave to Nebuchadnezzar after he did not continue to walk in the light of the deliverance of the three Hebrews and lost the holy impression made by seeing the form of the Fourth in the furnace. The dream was sent as a warning to one who cherished proud, self-trusting thoughts and set God aside, showing that those who entertain and cherish such thoughts and feelings are in danger of passing through a trying experience. Instead of tracing out the end of all earthly things and the setting up of God's everlasting kingdom, Nebuchadnezzar turned the warnings against himself to follow the imaginations of his proud heart, thinking his kingdom should become more extensive and powerful than it was.
Upon hearing the interpretation Daniel exhorted the king to break off his sins by righteousness and his iniquities by showing mercy to the poor, but the light from heaven was not accepted and did not exert a saving influence upon his character. The record of Nebuchadnezzar's life so stands as a warning not to trust in oneself or one's own wisdom, or to rely on human strength. The tree's abundance and shelter belonged to the lesson and light given to Nebuchadnezzar, which Belshazzar disregarded and thereby lost the benefits obedience could have brought, for neglecting God's instruction brings judgment.
Model for Just Government
The flourishing tree with fair leaves and abundant fruit is the picture of a government fulfilling God's purpose, a life-giving shelter that gives protection and a home while its fruit provides for all, showing that good government protects and builds up the nation. The end and purpose of all government is to provide for, shelter, and protect those under its care. That lofty tree giving shade to beasts and dwelling places to birds pictured Nebuchadnezzar's rule when he was a superior ruler, a man more compassionate toward his subjects than the ruler of any other heathen nation.
It represents the only kind of government acceptable to God, one that protects, restores, and relieves rather than oppresses. Such rule treats the poor kindly, aids the oppressed, and grants the greatest possible kindness and freedom to every person. A ruler guided by God's Spirit protects the weak, relieves and helps the needy, and looks after the widow and the fatherless.
Government must therefore not exalt one man to control the minds and practices of another, to put a yoke upon fellow men, to command with You shall and You shall not, to claim authority to dominate others, or to lord it over God's purchased possession. God does not exalt one man to control another, and every man is accountable to God for his actions. To place anyone under another person's domination is outside a ruler's proper place.