“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
As we come to Daniel 4, there is a twist to the story. Let me give a little background to refresh our memories about the book of Daniel. Sometimes this wonderful little book is a real “head scratcher” for us, as it comes to us in two different languages. Now it should be no secret to us that Daniel, by this time, is fluent in two languages. After all, we remember that he was brought to Babylon as a teenager, and was groomed in languages, among other things. This book is bilingual. We know that the book is divided as follows:
Hebrew—1:1 - 2:4a
Aramaic—2:4b - 7:28
Hebrew—8:1 – 12:13
And now, of course, we have it in our own language. We can only imagine why it was divided thus, since we believe that Daniel is the author. To me, it seems that Daniel, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, may have been targeting more than one audience. The first part in Hebrew should encourage those Hebrews in captivity, giving them reason to search for courage in this difficult situation, by realizing through these remarkable teenagers that their God, our God, the great I AM is still on the throne.
Perhaps in the second part written in Aramaic, a larger audience is targeted. These teenagers are introducing and indeed, showing to their captors that this great God is the only One worth serving. He has proven Himself time and again through the narratives we have already studied.
Now we come to Chapter 4, in which Nebuchadnezzar himself is speaking, apparently giving, as it were in our language, a testimony. Since the start, we have been aware that Nebuchadnezzar is at least giving lip service to this God of the Hebrews. We have seen that God has gotten the king’s attention through a couple of really bizarre dreams, and although Nebuchadnezzar acknowledges his greatness and power, he has yet to fall at God’s feet and worship. Remembering how letters were written in those days, we begin with King Nebuchadnezzar’s salutation. Let’s drop in on this scene:
“King Nebuchadnezzar to all peoples, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you! It has seemed good to me to show the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for me.
How great are his signs,
how mighty his wonders!
His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
And his dominion endures from generation to generation.”
The king has had another dream, and just like before, his “dream team” is unable to interpret it for him, and so Daniel is called in once again. In this scene, we get some insight into Daniel’s relationship with this king. He is alarmed for a time by this dream, and Nebuchadnezzar is aware of this. He says to him, using his Babylonian name, Belteshazzar, let not the dream or the interpretation alarm you, to which Daniel (Belteshazzar) answers, My lord, may the dream be for those who hate you, and its interpretation for your enemies!
The king’s dream was of a tree, strong and tall, visible to the whole earth, with beautiful leaves and abundant fruit, with food for all, and shade for the beasts of burden. As he is watching, an announcement comes, saying to chop down the tree, strip off its leaves, and scatter its fruit. (Read Daniel 4 for the whole picture.)
Daniel tells the king that the dream is about the king himself, and that it is decreed by the Most High God. For an extended period of time, the king will be driven from among men, and will become like an animal. There is hope, though, if the king breaks off his sins by practicing righteousness, and by showing mercy to the oppressed, he may be restored.
Twelve months pass without us hearing of any change. Nebuchadnezzar is walking on the roof of the royal palace, boasting about all he has accomplished, giving glory to himself – giving himself credit for the whole of it. As he is still speaking, there comes a voice from heaven;
“O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.”
And so it is that Nebuchadnezzar, stricken with mental illness, becomes like an animal. The description is graphic in Daniel 4. As he begins to recover, he at last blesses the Most High, and praises and honors him who lives forever. His kingdom is restored to him, and he ends this remarkable letter with these words:
“Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble. ”
Is Nebuchadnezzar redeemed? We don’t know, even as we don’t know the hearts of any that we count as either saved or unsaved. It is so easy for us to make that judgment when it is never ours to make. I like to think that Nebuchadnezzar was a changed man—a redeemed one. This is the last we hear of him. I would like to think that when I join that great throng of people from every tribe and language that I will see King Nebuchadnezzar among them. That is not my call to make, however, and so I take this lesson from the account. Yahweh works in our hearts in so many ways. He closes doors and opens doors. He lets us become broken vessels that only He can restore. When we at last are brought to our knees to acknowledge that we can do nothing to save ourselves, then He is there to give us the hand we need, and to turn our hearts of stone into hearts of flesh. To God be the Glory!
Blessings!
Judy!