Daniel 4:20
The tree that thou sawest, which grew, and was strong, whose height reached unto the heaven, and the sight thereof to all the earth; The tree that thou sawest, which grew, and was strong, whose height reached unto the heaven, and the sight thereof to all the earth;
The towering tree reaching to heaven and visible to all the earth is Nebuchadnezzar himself, grown great and strong in prosperity, power and prominence, with dominion and influence extending to the ends of the earth. Its fair leaves and abundant fruit supplied food for all, while its branches sheltered the nations gathered under his rule, including the beasts and birds, and its strength stood for a kingdom firmly established in the hearts of loyal subjects. Its coming cutting down foretold the judgment, humiliation and downfall about to fall upon the proud king for his pride and arrogance, yet with opportunity to turn by breaking off sins through righteousness and showing mercy to the poor. Faithful Daniel declared this truth to the self-exalted king plainly and without flattery or seeking favor, under solemn duty to speak, and this plain speaking is the pattern for warning those who stand in high places. The dream carries lessons of vital importance to all connected with the work of God, that a Watcher takes cognizance of all men and especially of those entrusted to represent Him, that workers with the king's course before them are far more accountable, and that trusting in self and human wisdom instead of learning humility brings judgment.
Tree's Meaning and Setting
The great, strong tree whose height reached to heaven and whose sight extended to all the earth is Nebuchadnezzar himself, grown and become strong in greatness, prosperity, power and prominence. As the tree grew high enough to be seen throughout the earth, the king's greatness grew until it reached unto heaven, and his dominion and far-reaching influence extended unto the ends of the earth. The lofty tree is a picture of his greatness and prosperity, and its height and wide visibility represent that worldwide dominion.
Its fair leaves and much fruit provided meat and food for all, while its sheltering branches represented the nations gathered under his sovereignty. Beneath it the beasts of the field found shelter and in its branches the fowls of heaven dwelt, showing how peoples found protection under his rule. Its strength represented his kingdom firmly established in the hearts of his loyal subjects.
The tree belongs to another, last dream from God recorded in the fourth chapter of Daniel, a prediction of adversity. It troubled the king when none of his wise men would interpret it, and through it God revealed His power and glory to him. God gave this dream after He had already revealed Himself by the dream of the great image whose head of gold represented Babylon and by the deliverance of the three Hebrew captives from the burning fiery furnace where Jesus was with them. Though Nebuchadnezzar was then convinced that their God was the living God, he did not continue to walk in the light and lost the holy impression made upon his mind.
Warning and Fulfillment
The towering, far-reaching tree is the king himself, its height and strength picturing his growing greatness, power and prominence and a dominion reaching throughout the earth to its ends. Its threatened cutting down was the interpretation of the dream for the proud king, a warning that judgment, humiliation and downfall were about to fall upon him because of his pride and arrogance. The warning was given to him as an opportunity to turn from sin rather than suffer its fulfillment. With it came plain counsel to break off sins by righteousness and iniquities by showing mercy to the poor.
The message was fulfilled when he failed to heed the warning and was humbled, God thus revealing His power and glory through the symbol. That experience became part of the heaven-sent light given to Nebuchadnezzar which Belshazzar afterward disregarded. Neglecting heaven-sent lessons instead of receiving and practicing them brings judgment.
Lessons for God's People
Daniel, summoned as God's servant, declared to the self-exalted king of Babylon that the great, strong tree whose height reached to heaven and whose sight extended to all the earth was the king himself. He spoke plainly under solemn duty to speak, without flattery or misinterpretation and without seeking favor. This plain speaking of truth is the pattern for warning those who stand in the high places of the earth.
The dream and the king's experience carry lessons of vital importance to all connected with the work of God. They show the working of the great I AM to change even the heart of a heathen king. They show that a Watcher takes cognizance of all the works of men, and in a special sense of those entrusted to represent God. Workers who have the king's course laid out before them are far more accountable than was Babylon and must learn humility before God.
The record of Nebuchadnezzar's life warns against trusting in oneself and one's own wisdom. His case, pictured in the tree that grew and was strong with height reaching to heaven and sight to all the earth as his exalted greatness and far-reaching influence, stands as a reproof to bringing into God's vineyard principles of human wisdom that the Lord will not sustain or favor. That reproof applies in a special way to bringing such principles into sanitarium and medical missionary work.