Daniel 4:19-23

d. RULER'S REVERIE REVEALED, PART I

TEXT: Daniel 4:19-23

19

Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was stricken dumb for a while, and his thoughts troubled him. The king answered and said, Belteshazzar, let not the dream, or the interpretation trouble thee. Belteshazzar answered and said, My lord the dream be to them that hate thee, and the interpretation thereof to thine adversaries.

20

The tree that thou sawest, which grew, and was strong, whose height reached unto heaven, and the sight thereof to all the earth;

21

Whose leaves were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was food for all; under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and upon whose branches the birds of the heavens had their habitation:

22

it is thou, O king, that are grown and become strong; for thy greatness is grown, and reacheth unto heaven, and thy dominion to the end of the earth.

23

And whereas the king saw a watcher and a holy one coming down from heaven, and saying, Hew down the tree, and destroy it; nevertheless leave the stump of the roots thereof in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field, and let it be wet with the dew of heaven; and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven times pass over him;

QUERIES

a.

Was Daniel's dumbness natural or miraculous?

b.

Why did Daniel want the dream to be applied to the king's enemies?

c.

Why was Daniel unafraid to tell the king the true interpretation?

PARAPHRASE

Then Daniel, whose Babylonian name was Belteshazzar, stood there stunned and silent for a time, aghast at the meaning of the dream. Finally the king said to him: Belteshazzar, do not fear to tell me plainly the interpretation of this dream. Daniel replied: O king, this is a dream that would please your enemies, for what it portends they would surely like to see fulfilled upon you. For this tree you saw growing and becoming strong and its height was reaching into the heavens and which was seen by everyone in the worldwhose leaves were fresh and green and branches weighted down with fruitunder which wild animals rested and upon whose branches birds from all over the sky restedthis tree, Your Majesty, is you. For you have grown mighty and great; your greatness and sovereignty extends over all the earth and sea and sky. Then you saw a holy guardian coming down from heaven, saying, Cut down the tree and destroy it; but leave the stump and the roots in the earth surrounded by tender grass, bound with a chain of iron and brass. Let it be wet with the dew of heaven and for a certain period of time let him eat grass with the animals of the field.

COMMENT

Daniel 4:19 THEN DANIEL. WAS STRICKEN DUMB FOR A WHILE AND HIS THOUGHTS TROUBLED HIM. The Holy Spirit gave Daniel the meaning of the dream almost at once and he was overwhelmed immediately by the awesomeness and terrifying nature of the judgment about to come upon the king. In interpreting the dream he had to pronounce a judgment upon this man who had treated him justly and had even promoted him to a position of great influence. There can be little doubt that Daniel was attached to Nebuchadnezzar, and that this attachment was the cause of his agitation of mind. Daniel's hesitancy is, therefore, highly honorable. Daniel was a man who would not violate his conscience at the king's command; but neither would he be unloyal to the king when it was not a matter of conscience. Men who are loyal to God will always be found to be most loyal to kings. Men like Daniel, though they may refuse to comply with the sinful commands of rulers, will be the first to weep for them and pray for them! This was no miraculously induced dumbness nor does it seem to be motivated by paralyzing fear for his own safetynot if Daniel's previous actions are any indication of his courage and faith.

We are not to suppose either that Daniel had any specific, malevolent hatred for the enemies of Nebuchadnezzar. A more correct translation of this phrase would render it, this is a dream that would please your enemies, for what it portends they would surely like to see fulfilled upon you. Literally it is translated, The dream is for thy enemies.
The king, aware that something serious and perhaps evil was portended by the dream, yet not possibly aware that it would be so drastic, was gripped with anxiety to know and therefore urged Daniel to speak plainly and freely, without fear, what he knew about this dream. So Daniel begins to relate to the king what God has revealed to His prophet concerning this dream.

Daniel 4:20-23. IT IS THOU, O KING. For explanation of Daniel 4:20-21; Daniel 4:23 see notes on Daniel 4:9-15. Daniel's recapitulation of the description of the tree and what is to happen to it is almost word for word in the very terms used by the king. Having repeated the description of the dream for the sake of emphasis and impression, Daniel comes to the point with his, It is you, O king! Like the prophet Nathan before him (Thou are the man!) Daniel dares to confront the world's mightiest potentate with the judgment of God.

QUIZ

1.

Why was Daniel stricken dumb?

2.

Was Daniel attached to the king in a sympathetic way? Why?

3.

What did Daniel mean by, ... the dream be to them that hate thee. ?

e. RULER'S REVERIE REVEALED, PART II