Daniel 4:24-27

TEXT: Daniel 4:24-27

24

this is the interpretation, O king, and it is the decree of the Most High, which is come upon my lord the king:

25

that thou shalt be driven from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and thou shalt be made to eat grass as oxen, and shalt be wet with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee; till thou know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.

26

And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the roots of the tree; thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee, after that thou shalt have known that the heavens do rule.

27

Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by showing mercy to the poor; if there may be a lengthening of thy tranquility.

QUERIES

a.

Did the king actually dwell with the beasts of the field?

b.

How do the heavens rule?

c.

What is the meaning of a lengthening of thy tranquility?

PARAPHRASE

Your Majesty, the Most High God has decreedand it will surely happenthat you will be driven from association with sane and normal people and you will live in the fields like an animal, eating grass like an ox, your body wet with dew from staying out in the fields over night. For a definite period of time this will be your condition until you learn that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men and gives power to rule to anyone He chooses. But inasmuch as the stump and the roots of the tree in your dream were to be left in the ground, it is decreed that you will be restored to sanity and your rule over Babylon will be given back to you; this will be done when you have learned that Heaven is sovereign over all men on the earth. This is true, O king, and if you will take heed to what I am saying to you and repent by ceasing to do evil and do what you know is right, showing mercy to the poor and weak, perhaps God will prolong your present state of peace and security and withdraw this impending judgment.

COMMENT

Daniel 4:24-25. TILL THOU KNOW THAT THE MOST HIGH RULETH IN THE KINGDOM OF MEN. Daniel specifies in no uncertain terms that the object of his revelation is the king himself. The world's most powerful and magnificent potentate will be driven from normal associations with other men and will be bereft of human rationality. He will literally live like a wild animaleven to eating grass like an ox and living oft-times out in the open. That this is not unheard of among the insane may be thoroughly documented. We ourselves have observed it in some of our modern-day mental institutions. It is plain from the text that Daniel was revealing this malady would be supernaturally inducedit was not from natural causes.

As we observed before, the term seven times probably means simply a specific and, in the purpose of God, an adequate time for the accomplishing of God's providential goalit does not necessarily mean seven years.
The most important part of Daniel's revelation is the focus or purpose of the king's insanity. The intent of the matter is to give mankind, specifically this heathen king and his subjects, and the captive covenant people, a proof that the fortunes of kings and empires are in the hand of Jehovahthat His providence perpetually interposes in the affairs of men, distributing thrones and empires, always for the good of the faithful, but according to His will. This revelation would be especially relevant for the Jews in pagan bondage and slavery. Their spiritual immaturity would cause them to doubt the faithfulness of God to His promised covenant made with their forefathers (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, etc.). Definite, prophetic, electrifying, empirical evidence was needed that God was able and would, in His own good time, overrule the power of paganism and carry on the fulfillment of His covenant in His faithful people,

Our God is in the heavens; He hath done whatsoever He pleased (Psalms 115:3). The Lord hath prepared His throne in the heavens; and His kingdom ruleth over all (Psalms 103:9). God governs in the affairs of kingdoms and nations, and the Scriptures declare that the care of Providence extends to the most minute and inconsiderable parts of the creation; and, therefore, much more does it extend to the affairs of men and the fates of kingdoms (cf. Matthew 6:26; Jeremiah 27:5 ff). The Bible expressly asserts the setting up and pulling down of rulers and empires are from God (cf. Psalms 75:2-7). There are many instances in the Bible of God's overruling the conduct of men, even of the wicked, to accomplish His own great designs, when the persons themselves had nothing in view but their own interests. Who could have thought that anything good would come from the murderous, selfish and perverted actions of the brothers of Joseph when they threw him into a pit and sold him into slavery in Egypt? Their only purpose was to get rid of one they envied and hated. But God had a very important purposethe deliverance of the covenant family and thousands of others. Therefore, Joseph tells his brothers, It was not you that sent me hither, but God (Genesis 45:8). See our Special Study Nine, pgs. 93-113, entitled Theo-Ramic Philosophy of History, in Minor Prophets, pub. College Press.

Daniel 4:26-27. BREAK OFF THY SINS BY RIGHTEOUSNESS. The part of the dream depicting the stump of the roots of the tree left in the ground predicted the possibility of Nebuchadnezzar's rule being restored to him conditioned upon his acknowledgment that Daniel's God rules omnipotently. This, as we learn later, is exactly what transpired, (cf. Daniel 4:34 ff).

Evidently Nebuchadnezzar was guilty of the common fault of monarchsinequity, tyrannism, violence in dealings with the ruled. He was missing the mark (sinning) according to God's moral standards of government. So the prophet of God demands that the king break with his sins and practice justice, equity and kindness in the administration of government. There can be no mistaking it that God holds all rulers, pagan and godly, responsible for meeting His moral standards in governing (cf. Amos, chap. 1-2). Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy! If the king shows mercy to the poor and weak, he shall receive mercy from God. There will be, perhaps, an extension of his present time of peaceful and prosperous rule. The promise does not include the withdrawal of judgment of insanity, because the fundamental and overriding sin of Nebuchadnezzar is pride and it appears that he did not pay much heed to this warning by Daniel. In fact, he may have been offended and slightly angered with Danielthere is no mention of having rewarded Daniel as he had done on similar occasions earlier.

QUIZ

1.

Is such insanity as predicted of Nebuchadnezzar impossible?

2.

To what extent does God rule in the affairs of kings and empires?

3.

Why would God be concerned about the sins of a pagan ruler?

4.

Why did Daniel not promise the withdrawal of God's judgment of insanity if the king would break with his sins?