The King experiences another prophetic dream and needs Daniel’s interpretive skills once again.
Once again, there is no reference here to the passing of time. How long has it been since the episode on the plain of Dura and the fiery furnace? Verse 4 says that Nebuchadnezzar was “at home in [his] palace, contented and prosperous.” Things seem peaceful, and the King’s immature and impetuous nature seems abated. I would have to think a significant period has passed for this kind of change to have taken hold. (We will see later that putting together Daniel’s interpretation of the dream, the timing of its fulfillment, and the historical records of ancient Babylon make it likely that this episode is occurring around 581-82 BC – 25 to 30 years after Chapter 2).
The King has another disturbing dream. His first reaction is just like chapter 1 – he summoned “all the wise men of Babylon.” (v. 6). The same group who first answered his call back in chapter 2 have returned; the magicians, enchanters, astrologers, and diviners. This time, the King appears less edgy and freely shares his dream with these advisors. When they are unable to interpret the dream, he does not fly into a rage or sentence them all to death. Rather, he turns to Daniel (who apparently waited to see the King until after the astrologers got the first crack at the dream – the rivalry seems to still be in full flower).
It appears that Daniel and the King have developed an intimate working relationship. In verse 8, the King notes that Daniel’s Babylonian name is “after the name of my god,” which indicates a close connection. In verse 9, the King uses the title “chief of the magicians” for Daniel, recognizes that the power of “the holy gods” is in him, and that “no mystery is too difficult for” Daniel. The King appears to trust Daniel, and their conversation seems friendly. Then, very matter of fact, the King commands Daniel to interpret his dream.
While the King’s maturity level has improved, and he offers Daniel a modicum of respect, Daniel is still treated as a slave. The fondness the King seems to express here is akin to how middle-class Americans speak of beloved pets. Daniel himself seems to take it all in stride and never acts out of line. Indeed, his exasperated initial response to the details of the King’s dream indicates that Daniel seems to have come to respect, and even like the King. There is a genuine devotion. He is truly dismayed that the true meaning behind the dream will result in the King’s humiliation and suffering.
That Daniel was able to be honest about the negative connotations of the dream also reflects the solid relationship he had with the King. The last time he gave the King a dream interpretation, the result was positive. In Chapter 2, Daniel identified the King with the gold in the statute in his dream, along with the pure political might the King could wield. This time, the dream was a warning from God for the King to change his ways or suffer consequences.
The astrologers once again said they could not interpret the King’s dream. But the meaning of the dream had to have been obvious to them all. They “could not interpret the dream” for the King (v. 7), not because they could not figure it out, but because they feared the King’s reaction.
Daniel’s track record with the King allowed him to be honest without fear.
But while Nebuchadnezzar has matured and “mellowed out,” his nature seems much the same.
He is still basically “full of himself.” We have already noted that Daniel does not see the King until AFTER the astrologers have been and gone. I initially suggested that Daniel might have waited on purpose to avoid the astrologers, with whom he was embroiled in a rivalry. But what if it was at the King’s command? Verse 8 says, “Finally, Daniel came into my presence, and I told him the dream.” If the King’s relationship with Daniel was positive, and the King trusted Daniel as an advisor, why didn’t the King summon Daniel first? The King preferred to consult his astrologers first and then ask Daniel only after his astrologer’s advice failed. The King only turned to God’s representative as a last resort, after everything else had failed. Then, the King refers to Daniel’s Babylonian name and identifies Daniel’s talents as coming from his personal god. What Nebuchadnezzar had seen in Daniel and his friends was enough to impress him, but not enough to change him.
The tree in the King’s dream was massive and strong, providing fruit and shelter for everyone.
Then a holy messenger descends from heaven – literally a “watcher,” -- who declares the tree is to be cut down, its leaves stripped, its fruit scattered. In the midst of the watcher’s pronouncements regarding the tree, we come to learn that the tree represented a man who would be changed so that he had the mind of on animal.
Daniel interprets the dream. First, he expresses regret, wishing the King would not suffer this judgment. Obviously, the tree represents the King himself, and Daniel emphatically says as much. But the prophet adds more details than the King gave him, saying not only will the King have a beast's mind, but he will “eat grass like the Ox,” and “be drenched with the dew of heaven” (v. 25). But because the dream revealed that the stump of the tree and its roots remained, Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom would be restored to him “when [he] acknowledge[d] that heaven rules” (v. 26). Daniel warns the King to “renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue.”
[SIDE BAR — Daniel suggests that the King needs to “be kind to the oppressed” to avoid God’s judgment. When we looked at the meaning of the King’s prior dream in Chapter 2, Daniel identified the King’s personal absolute authority with the purity of gold, and, seeing as the golden portion of the statute in the dream was the head, of primary importance. Daniel also provided details of the King’s authority — Daniel 2:37-38 says, “Your Majesty, you are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory; 38 in your hands he has placed all mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds in the sky. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold.” Daniel goes on to describe the sections of the statue below the head, representing kingdoms that will “rule over the whole earth” as being “inferior” to Nebuchadnezzar’s empire. Recall that when we looked at all this back in chapter 2, I suggested that “inferior’ here did not necessarily mean “less important” or “less worthy,” but simply “different” or perhaps being used in a technical sense (when a medical specialist speaks of the body’s organs, the heart and stomach are “inferior” to the brain simply because they lie lower in position in the body).
Instead, Daniel is emphasizing the density of the metals involved — in 2:40, he speaks of the fourth kingdom, in the statute’s feet, as being “strong as iron” (which was the Roman Empire), capable of crushing and breaking all other nations. Recall that the qualitative difference between Babylon’s governing structure and each succeeding empire was the increasing involvement of democratic principles in those later nations. It was not so much the military might of these succeeding empires that made them powerful, but perhaps the formative character of their people. While no governmental theory/philosophy is perfect, and only the Holy Spirit can truly transform the hearts of a society, if a nation adopts concepts that reflect God’s eternal principles and internalizes them so they become part of the ethical fabric of that society, the blessings of heaven must certainly begin to follow.
Throughout the Old Testament, and particularly in the teachings of Jesus, we see the need to make helping “the oppressed” as the primacy of God’s heart — for example, in Isaiah 49, God declares that his people are to be a light for the Gentiles, so that “my salvation may reach the ends of the earth,” and the Lord commands his people to rejoice in the comfort and compassion he gives to the afflicted; in Isaiah 56, God declares that the offerings and sacrifices of the foreigners and society’s undesirables will be accepted, and they will be welcomed into the kingdom; in Jeremiah 7, God warns his people that to be in right standing with Him, they must deal with each other in justice, and not oppress foreigners, orphans, or widows, and not condemn the innocent; in Matthew 25, in the parable of the Sheep and the Goats, Jesus commends and offers eternal reward to those who feed the hungry, provide drink for the thirsty, clothe the naked, treat the sick, and visit the imprisoned, saying “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me,” while condemning those who did NOT.
Daniel certainly understood this, and encouraged the King to do what was right, because he had the authority to make it so, it was his responsibility to do it, and God would hold him accountable for not acting with justice and mercy. I think the message is clear. In whatever way we might define it today, social justice is of tantamount importance, and the essence of the heart of God, and this same standard applies to us today, both as individuals and as a nation — END OF SIDE BAR]
Verse 28 explains that the dream was fulfilled a year later, when “all this happened to King Nebuchadnezzar.” While admiring the greatness of the City he had built, a voice came from heaven, and declared the terms of the dream would now be true -- “immediately.” (v. 33). He was “driven away from people, and ate grass like an ox.” (v.33).
There is a clinical form of insanity in which men think of themselves as animals and imitate the behavior of an animal. Generally, it is called insania zoanthropica. More specifically in Nebuchadnezzar’s case, boanthropy, the delusion that one is an ox. This latter condition has actual documented cases in Great Britain.
Is there historical evidence for this episode besides Daniel 4? Yes, there certainly is. First, there is evidence that Nebuchadnezzar was responsible for the incredible building projects of ancient Babylon. Archeologists have recently discovered a vast amount of writing found in the area around ancient Babylon describing both the huge building projects of Nebuchadnezzar and his commitment to enlarge and beautify the city. Bricks found while excavating the site of the ancient capital bear the inscription “Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, supporter of Esagila and Ezida, exalted first-born son of Nabopolassar, king of Babylon.” The King was a great builder and lover of architecture.
And what of the period the King was not in his right mind? The voice from heaven declared “Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign . . . (v. 32). The word “times” is generally accepted to mean “years.” But it can also refer to indefinite periods. But most biblical critics claim there is no historical evidence of a seven-year gap in Nebuchadnezzar's long, 43-year reign. But to keep such an event a secret would fit in with the customs of the Babylonian rulers of that time, who would egotistically trumpet their achievements and hide their embarrassments. Archeological evidence shows that a close examination of the Babylonian records from Nebuchadnezzar’s reign reveals no mention of the King’s governmental activity from 582-575 BC. While he was still recognized as the King during that time, and his activity appears both before and after that, the silence during those 7 years is deafening.
And in the end, the King is restored when he recognizes the authority of God and finally humbles himself.
The message of this chapter is that all earthly power, including that of kings, is subordinate to the power of God. These events form a stark contrast with chapter 5 — here, Nebuchadnezzar learns that God alone controls the world, and his kingdom is restored to him, while his successors fail to learn from Nebuchadnezzar's example and find the kingdom taken from them at what seems like a single stroke and given to the Persians.
And while not as heatedly “competitive” as chapters 2 and 3, in that the astrologers technically “forfeited” the match by backing away from interpreting the Kings dream, Daniel and his friends have been victorious again (or, we can honestly say that God was victorious):
The score is now -- Daniel and his friends: 3, King’s advisors/astrologers: 0.
