More Dreams



Daniel 4:1-18
1 King Nebuchadnezzar to all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you!
2 It has seemed good to me to show the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for me.
3 How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion endures from generation to generation.
4 I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and prospering in my palace.
5 I saw a dream that made me afraid. As I lay in bed the fancies and the visions of my head alarmed me.
6 So I made a decree that all the wise men of Babylon should be brought before me that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream.
7 Then the magicians, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers came in, and I told them the dream, but they could not make known to me its interpretation.
8 At last Daniel came in before me—he who was named Belteshazzar after the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods—and I told him the dream, saying,
9 “O Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you and that no mystery is too difficult for you, tell me the visions of my dream that I saw and their interpretation.
10 The visions of my head as I lay in bed were these: I saw, and behold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great.
11 The tree grew and became strong, and its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth.
12 Its leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, and the birds of the heavens lived in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it.
13 “I saw in the visions of my head as I lay in bed, and behold, a watcher, a holy one, came down from heaven.
14 He proclaimed aloud and said thus: ‘Chop down the tree and lop off its branches, strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts flee from under it and the birds from its branches.
15 But leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, amid the tender grass of the field. Let him be wet with the dew of heaven. Let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth.
16 Let his mind be changed from a man’s, and let a beast’s mind be given to him; and let seven periods of time pass over him.
17 The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, the decision by the word of the holy ones, to the end that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men.’
18 This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, saw. And you, O Belteshazzar, tell me the interpretation, because all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation, but you are able, for the spirit of the holy gods is in you.”

Again, Nebuchadnezzar is plagued by dreams that are troubling and in need of explanation. Again, he summons his wise men (who appear without Daniel) and they are unable to help him with an interpretation. This time, he is desperate and doesn’t even demand that they tell him the dream. He explains it to them instead. But, the wise men are useless and Nebuchadnezzar is unsatisfied. Daniel appears before Nebuchadnezzar by himself and is then told the dream as well.

Interestingly, Daniel is described by Nebuchadnezzar as a man in whom “a spirit of holy gods dwells” (4:5). There is one other person described this same way in the Old Testament and that is Joseph as he serves in the hose of the Pharaoh. (Genesis 41:38). Joseph’s circumstance is very similar to that of Daniel. He too was the captive of a pagan ruler and also rose to a place of great power because of his faithful walk with God. Joseph was also a man who could interpret dreams and that gift was used to gain influence over the world leader of the day.

“Why would Daniel draw this comparison? He wants to emphasize that the God of Israel—who protected Joseph, enabled him to prosper in Pharaoh’s court, and eventually led his own people out from bondage in Egypt—was still with his people exiled in Babylon, and eventually would deliver them from bondage there. God’s protection of Daniel and Daniel’s prosperity demonstrates that, despite the captivity, God is still powerful and effective on behalf of those whom he has chosen to be his own. Ultimately, this points to the “new exodus” theme throughout the OT, which is fulfilled in the “exodus” redemption accomplished by Jesus Christ through his death and resurrection (Luke 9:31).”
[1]Steinmann, A. E. (2008). Daniel. Concordia Commentary (233). Saint Louis, MO: Concordia Pub. House.

The dream of Nebuchadnezzar will be explained in the next few verses, so we will take that up in detail tomorrow. For today, we will say that Nebuchadnezzar has dreamed of his own future where God deals with both his pride and his belief in multiple gods. Suffice it to say, when God deals with our sin it is usually a fairly painful process.

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