Nebuchadnezzar's Great Tree Is Cut DownBible World
4:13Daniel 4:13
I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, behold, a watcher and an holy one came down from heaven;
A watcher and holy one comes down from heaven and commands the great tree to be cut down while its stump is preserved, and the tree is Nebuchadnezzar himself. The sentence is decreed by the heavenly watchers so the living will know the Most High rules over human kingdoms and holds even heathen kings subject to His will, and it was fulfilled when Nebuchadnezzar lost reason and royal standing to live like a beast for seven years until he was humbled, converted and restored. The Watcher is heaven's messenger and representative of divine authority, and is God Himself as the true heavenly Watcher who sees all and pronounces the final decision on every person. That holy Watcher notes every word, action, transaction, thought and motive, and nothing escapes notice but every secret thing will come into judgment and is registered in heaven's books. He is present as unseen witness in assemblies, councils, schools and places of business and worship, and stands by all filling positions of trust to reprove wrongdoing, answer prayer, and require humility and faithful use of light and opportunity.
Dream Context and Fulfillment
This verse belongs to the second dream God gave to Nebuchadnezzar after the king failed to continue walking in the light he had acknowledged when he saw the form of the Fourth with the three Hebrews in the fiery furnace, and so lost the holy impression made on his mind. The dream was given to the greatest ruler and most powerful king of that time, whose prosperity had been given him by God for the glory of God and whose kingdom God had designated as the head of gold. It was a very striking and very explicit warning against pride, which Nebuchadnezzar turned against himself by following the imaginations of his proud heart and thinking his kingdom should become more extensive and powerful, instead of tracing out the end of all earthly things and the setting up of God's everlasting kingdom. The magicians, astrologers, soothsayers and Chaldeans could not make known the dream or tell its interpretation, because those who do not love and fear God cannot understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven and cannot approach the throne of Him who dwells in light unapproachable, to whom the things of God remain mysteries of mysteries. Only the servants of God understand the things of God, as the king himself testified, and Daniel told the dream and its interpretation before the king because he was esteemed for unswerving integrity, for faithfulness in honoring God at all times and in all places, for unexcelled wisdom, and for refusing with his fellows to compromise to secure court position or even to preserve life when the honor of God was involved.
In the dream a watcher and a holy one comes down from heaven and approaches the great tree to announce that it shall be cut down while its stump is preserved. The tree represents Nebuchadnezzar himself, and its cutting down foretells his loss of reason and royal standing. Daniel was much troubled when he saw the significance of what had been related to him for interpretation. The dream foretold what would befall the king, that he would be driven from men and dwell with the beasts of the field and eat grass as oxen and be wet with the dew of heaven, and seven times would pass over him till he knew that the Most High rules in the kingdoms of men and gives it to whomever He will. Daniel then 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 judgment to cut down the tree and subject the king to a beastlike state for seven times was decreed by the heavenly watchers and the Holy One so that the living would know that the Most High rules over human kingdoms and gives them to whom He wills. It demonstrates that God holds even heathen kings subject to His will and deals with idolaters according to their evil ways and deeds. Its fulfillment humbled Nebuchadnezzar for seven years because he failed to honor God, removing him from human society in loss of reason and royal standing. Afterward he was converted and miraculously restored. The announcement of Nebuchadnezzar's seven times is one of the prophecies with a specified, definite time whose limited event was fulfilled in accordance with the prediction.
Watcher and Holy One
The watcher and holy one is a heavenly messenger, a holy being who comes down from heaven and approaches the great tree to announce the decree that it be cut down while its stump is preserved. That descent shows that heavenly beings visit the earth and that unseen witnesses observe human words and deeds in places of business, pleasure, and worship. The holy Watcher’s presence is therefore to be expected in schools, where it brings spiritual light and draws hearts to God.
The Watcher is the representative of God, the divine authority whose purposes test the nations and whose authority and name cannot be defied without consequence. Every nation is allowed its place on earth to show whether it will fulfill those purposes, and Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome each underwent a period of testing and ultimately failed, losing glory and power. The watcher represents that unseen heavenly presence standing beside every soul.
The Watcher is God Himself as the true heavenly Watcher, who sees all unbelief, opposition, ridiculing and scoffing words, contempt for the outpouring of the Spirit, and misunderstanding and perverting of calls to conversion. He weighs with different scales than deluded human judgment uses. He pronounces the decision and the last decision on every person, whether time has been employed rightly or wrongly, causing every word, scornful word, unbelief, and deceiving influence to appear again for judgment to determine whether the Well done is spoken. His almighty hand is at work to purge selfishness and base material from His people.
The dream was a merciful warning of the king’s peril, that he would be humbled so the living would know that the Most High rules over human kingdoms and gives them to whom He wills. It was a heaven-sent warning whose light and instruction called for obedience, and disregard of that light brought judgment and forfeited benefits that obedience would have received. God decreed Nebuchadnezzar’s removal from human society, then converted and miraculously restored him, and Belshazzar knew these events but ignored the lessons they gave about God and obedience. Until at last the unseen Watcher’s presence awakened his conscience and terror, making him realize he must answer to God for stewardship, wasted opportunities, and defiance, with no excuse to offer.
Present Witness and Warning
The holy Watcher notes every word and action and weighs the motives behind them, with every transaction and motive in human life under His eye and nothing escaping His notice. Every individual stands before Him, there is not a thought of the heart unnoted, every plan and imagination is seen, nothing can be hid, and His ear hears secret whispering. He is present in all secret councils as well as open councils, His eye reading and measuring men, and every secret thing is to be brought into judgment. Words spoken where men are unaware of His invisible presence are registered in the books of heaven as a witness that will have condemning power against Christless talk, criticism, ridicule, envy, jealousy, evil surmising and false accusing.
Unseen witnesses observe human words and deeds in places of business, pleasure and worship, for heavenly beings visit the earth. The Watcher is present in all assemblies, councils and committees, and the heavenly universe is acquainted with all the works of the children of men. He is in the midst of His people at this time, so their work is done under the eyes of the heavenly host with all that is planned and carried on inspected, and He observes all things including decisions made in counsel. When His people walk according to the light given them He responds with love and blessing, and angels are present to help those who seek to do His will.
His presence as the Holy Watcher is to be expected in schools, where it brings spiritual light and draws hearts to God. That same divine presence is with those who preach, so a speaker must never lose the sense of it but remember he speaks not only before men but before One who must ever be recognized. He must therefore speak as if the whole heavenly universe were before him.
The Watcher stands by the side of all filling positions of trust and by those who walk in the light, taking knowledge of their words. He is ready to reprove and convict of wrongdoing and ready to answer prayers for help. He watches to see whether those privileged to bear responsibilities will look to God for wisdom and use every opportunity to perfect character after the divine likeness and similitude. He takes special cognizance of responsible men entrusted with God's work who have great light and great opportunities, and will not long bear their perversity, for the spirit of selfishness, self-exaltation and pomposity is abominated by God who sits in the heavens, and if continued in, the character thus developed will shut them out from among the redeemed.
Because all speech is observed, bitter, harsh and wicked words must not be spoken, and wrong feelings and harsh words against a brother are seen and heard and made known so the wrong can be reproved. Even under temptation and provocation from the perversity and obstinacy of others impulse must not bear sway but self-control must be exercised, as by those who walk like Enoch with a constant sense of this nearness. Those who live aware of this presence give evidence of divine power combined with human effort and make manifest that they are led and taught of God. For leaders with many weighty responsibilities this nearness kept under God's control is safety, calling them to speak words in season that guide and mold minds, to stand for God daily, to rest on His promises as the source of strength, to overcome weakness of character, and to keep a winning, courteous, kind spirit so angels work with their efforts. Men must be careful not to disparage ministers whom the Lord has honored, since the Watcher could point to the critics' own mistakes.
Greater position of trust brings greater responsibility, requiring humility, sincerity, self-distrust, carefulness to give all praise and thanksgiving to God, and steadfast straightforward rectitude. Those who bear responsibilities must humble their hearts before the Watcher or they will make grievous mistakes. If those responsible deviate from straightforward rectitude and do not earnestly strive to understand and seek God's will concerning them, God turns from them and cannot bless or prosper or sustain them.
The life record to which the verse belongs warns not to trust in self or one's own wisdom or to make human strength one's support. It stands as a distinct warning against bringing human principles and human wisdom into God's vineyard, for principles for carrying on His work that are not as God requires will not be sustained or favored. The heaven-sent light and instruction called for obedience, and disregard of that light brought judgment and forfeited benefits that obedience would have received, teaching that neglecting God's lessons instead of practicing them leads to judgment.
A watcher and holy one comes down from heaven and commands the great tree to be cut down while its stump is preserved, and the tree is Nebuchadnezzar himself. The sentence is decreed by the heavenly watchers so the living will know the Most High rules over human kingdoms and holds even heathen kings subject to His will, and it was fulfilled when Nebuchadnezzar lost reason and royal standing to live like a beast for seven years until he was humbled, converted and restored. The Watcher is heaven's messenger and representative of divine authority, and is God Himself as the true heavenly Watcher who sees all and pronounces the final decision on every person. That holy Watcher notes every word, action, transaction, thought and motive, and nothing escapes notice but every secret thing will come into judgment and is registered in heaven's books. He is present as unseen witness in assemblies, councils, schools and places of business and worship, and stands by all filling positions of trust to reprove wrongdoing, answer prayer, and require humility and faithful use of light and opportunity.
Dream Context and Fulfillment
This verse belongs to the second dream God gave to Nebuchadnezzar after the king failed to continue walking in the light he had acknowledged when he saw the form of the Fourth with the three Hebrews in the fiery furnace, and so lost the holy impression made on his mind. The dream was given to the greatest ruler and most powerful king of that time, whose prosperity had been given him by God for the glory of God and whose kingdom God had designated as the head of gold. It was a very striking and very explicit warning against pride, which Nebuchadnezzar turned against himself by following the imaginations of his proud heart and thinking his kingdom should become more extensive and powerful, instead of tracing out the end of all earthly things and the setting up of God's everlasting kingdom. The magicians, astrologers, soothsayers and Chaldeans could not make known the dream or tell its interpretation, because those who do not love and fear God cannot understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven and cannot approach the throne of Him who dwells in light unapproachable, to whom the things of God remain mysteries of mysteries. Only the servants of God understand the things of God, as the king himself testified, and Daniel told the dream and its interpretation before the king because he was esteemed for unswerving integrity, for faithfulness in honoring God at all times and in all places, for unexcelled wisdom, and for refusing with his fellows to compromise to secure court position or even to preserve life when the honor of God was involved.
In the dream a watcher and a holy one comes down from heaven and approaches the great tree to announce that it shall be cut down while its stump is preserved. The tree represents Nebuchadnezzar himself, and its cutting down foretells his loss of reason and royal standing. Daniel was much troubled when he saw the significance of what had been related to him for interpretation. The dream foretold what would befall the king, that he would be driven from men and dwell with the beasts of the field and eat grass as oxen and be wet with the dew of heaven, and seven times would pass over him till he knew that the Most High rules in the kingdoms of men and gives it to whomever He will. Daniel then 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 judgment to cut down the tree and subject the king to a beastlike state for seven times was decreed by the heavenly watchers and the Holy One so that the living would know that the Most High rules over human kingdoms and gives them to whom He wills. It demonstrates that God holds even heathen kings subject to His will and deals with idolaters according to their evil ways and deeds. Its fulfillment humbled Nebuchadnezzar for seven years because he failed to honor God, removing him from human society in loss of reason and royal standing. Afterward he was converted and miraculously restored. The announcement of Nebuchadnezzar's seven times is one of the prophecies with a specified, definite time whose limited event was fulfilled in accordance with the prediction.
Watcher and Holy One
The watcher and holy one is a heavenly messenger, a holy being who comes down from heaven and approaches the great tree to announce the decree that it be cut down while its stump is preserved. That descent shows that heavenly beings visit the earth and that unseen witnesses observe human words and deeds in places of business, pleasure, and worship. The holy Watcher’s presence is therefore to be expected in schools, where it brings spiritual light and draws hearts to God.
The Watcher is the representative of God, the divine authority whose purposes test the nations and whose authority and name cannot be defied without consequence. Every nation is allowed its place on earth to show whether it will fulfill those purposes, and Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome each underwent a period of testing and ultimately failed, losing glory and power. The watcher represents that unseen heavenly presence standing beside every soul.
The Watcher is God Himself as the true heavenly Watcher, who sees all unbelief, opposition, ridiculing and scoffing words, contempt for the outpouring of the Spirit, and misunderstanding and perverting of calls to conversion. He weighs with different scales than deluded human judgment uses. He pronounces the decision and the last decision on every person, whether time has been employed rightly or wrongly, causing every word, scornful word, unbelief, and deceiving influence to appear again for judgment to determine whether the Well done is spoken. His almighty hand is at work to purge selfishness and base material from His people.
The dream was a merciful warning of the king’s peril, that he would be humbled so the living would know that the Most High rules over human kingdoms and gives them to whom He wills. It was a heaven-sent warning whose light and instruction called for obedience, and disregard of that light brought judgment and forfeited benefits that obedience would have received. God decreed Nebuchadnezzar’s removal from human society, then converted and miraculously restored him, and Belshazzar knew these events but ignored the lessons they gave about God and obedience. Until at last the unseen Watcher’s presence awakened his conscience and terror, making him realize he must answer to God for stewardship, wasted opportunities, and defiance, with no excuse to offer.
Present Witness and Warning
The holy Watcher notes every word and action and weighs the motives behind them, with every transaction and motive in human life under His eye and nothing escaping His notice. Every individual stands before Him, there is not a thought of the heart unnoted, every plan and imagination is seen, nothing can be hid, and His ear hears secret whispering. He is present in all secret councils as well as open councils, His eye reading and measuring men, and every secret thing is to be brought into judgment. Words spoken where men are unaware of His invisible presence are registered in the books of heaven as a witness that will have condemning power against Christless talk, criticism, ridicule, envy, jealousy, evil surmising and false accusing.
Unseen witnesses observe human words and deeds in places of business, pleasure and worship, for heavenly beings visit the earth. The Watcher is present in all assemblies, councils and committees, and the heavenly universe is acquainted with all the works of the children of men. He is in the midst of His people at this time, so their work is done under the eyes of the heavenly host with all that is planned and carried on inspected, and He observes all things including decisions made in counsel. When His people walk according to the light given them He responds with love and blessing, and angels are present to help those who seek to do His will.
His presence as the Holy Watcher is to be expected in schools, where it brings spiritual light and draws hearts to God. That same divine presence is with those who preach, so a speaker must never lose the sense of it but remember he speaks not only before men but before One who must ever be recognized. He must therefore speak as if the whole heavenly universe were before him.
The Watcher stands by the side of all filling positions of trust and by those who walk in the light, taking knowledge of their words. He is ready to reprove and convict of wrongdoing and ready to answer prayers for help. He watches to see whether those privileged to bear responsibilities will look to God for wisdom and use every opportunity to perfect character after the divine likeness and similitude. He takes special cognizance of responsible men entrusted with God's work who have great light and great opportunities, and will not long bear their perversity, for the spirit of selfishness, self-exaltation and pomposity is abominated by God who sits in the heavens, and if continued in, the character thus developed will shut them out from among the redeemed.
Because all speech is observed, bitter, harsh and wicked words must not be spoken, and wrong feelings and harsh words against a brother are seen and heard and made known so the wrong can be reproved. Even under temptation and provocation from the perversity and obstinacy of others impulse must not bear sway but self-control must be exercised, as by those who walk like Enoch with a constant sense of this nearness. Those who live aware of this presence give evidence of divine power combined with human effort and make manifest that they are led and taught of God. For leaders with many weighty responsibilities this nearness kept under God's control is safety, calling them to speak words in season that guide and mold minds, to stand for God daily, to rest on His promises as the source of strength, to overcome weakness of character, and to keep a winning, courteous, kind spirit so angels work with their efforts. Men must be careful not to disparage ministers whom the Lord has honored, since the Watcher could point to the critics' own mistakes.
Greater position of trust brings greater responsibility, requiring humility, sincerity, self-distrust, carefulness to give all praise and thanksgiving to God, and steadfast straightforward rectitude. Those who bear responsibilities must humble their hearts before the Watcher or they will make grievous mistakes. If those responsible deviate from straightforward rectitude and do not earnestly strive to understand and seek God's will concerning them, God turns from them and cannot bless or prosper or sustain them.
The life record to which the verse belongs warns not to trust in self or one's own wisdom or to make human strength one's support. It stands as a distinct warning against bringing human principles and human wisdom into God's vineyard, for principles for carrying on His work that are not as God requires will not be sustained or favored. The heaven-sent light and instruction called for obedience, and disregard of that light brought judgment and forfeited benefits that obedience would have received, teaching that neglecting God's lessons instead of practicing them leads to judgment.