I. DANIEL THE INTERPRETER--Chapters 1-6
D. The Tree Vision--4:1-37
1. The second dream of
Nebuchadnezzar--vv. 1-18
a. The prologue--vv.
1-3
(I)
The background
(A) The Biblical context
(1) The excellence of Daniel and his three
friends in chapter 1
(2) The interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's
dream in chapter 2
(3) The miraculous deliverance of Shadrach,
Meshech, and Abednego in chapter 3.
(B) The spiritual context
(1) Daniel's concern--"In the background of
this account is the obvious concern of Daniel the prophet
for the man whom he had served
for so many years. Daniel, a man of prayer, undoubtedly prayed
for Nebuchadnezzar and eagerly
sought some evidence of God's working in his heart. While the
experience of
Nebuchadnezzar in chapter 4 was not what Daniel had anticipated, the
outcome
must have approximated Daniel's
fondest hope." (Walvoord, 95)
(2) Spiritual lesson--"If the preceding
history teaches how the Almighty God wonderfully protects His
true worshippers against
the enmity of the world-power, this narrative may be regarded as an
actual confirmation of the
truth that this same God can so humble the rulers of the world, if
in
presumptuous pride they boast
of their might, as to constrain them to recognise Him as the Lord
over the kings of the
earth." (Keil, 134)
(3) Prophetic significance--"In: the light of
Daniel's revelation of the broad scope of Gentile power
beginning in chapter 2,
Nebuchadnezzar's experience seems to take on the larger meaning of
the
humbling of Gentile
power by God and the bringing of the world into submission to Himself.
In the
light of other passages
in the Bible speaking prophetically of Babylon and its ultimate overthrow,
of
which Isaiah 13 and 14 may
be taken as an example, it becomes clear that the contest between
God and Nebuchadnezzar is
a broad illustration of God's dealings with the entire human race and
especially the Gentile world
in its creaturely pride and failure to recognize the sovereignty of
God."
(Walvoord, 95)
(C) The thematic context
(l) Daniel 4:25
(2) "Not only is the sovereignty of God
demonstrated, but the bankruptcy of Babylonian wisdom
forms another motif. It
is obvious by design that this chapter precedes the downfall of
Babylon
itself which follows in chapter
5.” (Walvoord, 95-6)
(D) The critical context
(1) The text
(a) Massoretic text presents
the entire narrative in the form of an edict.
(b) LXX seems to eliminate
verses 1-3, starting the chapter with verse 4.
(c) There is no justification
to reject the Massoretic text in favor of the LXX.
(2) The historicity of the chapter
(a) "Those who reject chapter
4 of Daniel without exception assume that the account is not inspired
of the
Holy Spirit, that an experience like Nebuchadnezzar's is essentially incredible,
and that it
is a myth
rather than an authentic historical record. Such objections obviously
assume that
higher criticism
is right in declaring Daniel a forgery of the second century B. C.
This conclusion
is now subject
to question not only because of the fallacious reasoning which supports
it, but
because it
is now challenged by the documentary evidence in the Quran text of Daniel,
which on
the basis
of the critics own criteria would require Daniel to be much older than
the second
century B.
C. (. . .). Conservative scholarship has united in declaring this chapter
a genuine
portion of
the Word of God, equally inspired with other sections of
Daniel." (Walvoord, 96)
(b) Another commentator spends
eight pages on the historicity of this chapter--"The efforts of
a
hostile criticism
will never succeed on scientific grounds in changing the historical matters
of fact
recorded in this chapter into a fiction constructed with a tendency." (Keil,
142)
(II)
The greeting--v. 1
(A) The natural form of a decree
(1) The name of the sender
(2) Those to whom sent
(3) A general greeting
(B) The sender--Nebuchadnezzar
(C) Those to whom sent
(1) "That it should be sent 'to all people, nations,
and languages, that dwell in all the earth' is not out of
keeping with the extensive
character of Nebuchadnezzar's empire, although he was well aware of
the fact that all of the
earth's geography was not under his power. It is similar to the
extensive
decree of Daniel 3:29
which is addressed to 'every people, nation, and language.'" (Walvoord, 97)
(2) "Regarding the designation of his subjects,
cf. ch. iii.4, . . ., not 'in all lands' (. . .), but on the whole
earth, for Nebuchadnezzar
regarded himself as the lord of the whole earth." (Keil,142)
(D) The benediction in this greeting
(1) Similar to some of Paul's greetings
(2) A common form of greeting in that era.
(3) "Although the benediction, 'Peace be multiplied
unto you,' is strikingly similar to some of Paul's
greetings in his epistles,
it was a common form of expression in the ancient world .” (Walvoord,
98)
(4) It is a wonder that the critics do not accuse
Paul of taking his benediction from Daniel.
(III)
The explanation--v. 2
(A) Odd isn't it that Nebuchadnezzar should do this; it certainly
shows a great change of heart.
(B) "The expression signs and wonders is a familiar idiom
of Scripture occurring, . . . in many passages
(. . .). Because it is so Biblical, it
has led to questions by higher critics; but actually there is a great deal
of similarity between Babylonian psalms
and biblical psalms, and there is nothing technical about this
phrase." (Ibid., italics are his.)
(IV)
The doxology--v. 3
(A) "Nebuchadnezzar's explanation of the greatness of
God and His signs and wonders is quite accurate
and in keeping with his experience. The
signs wrought in his life were indeed great, and God's wonders
were indeed mighty. His conclusion that
the kingdom is an everlasting kingdom extending from
generation to generation is a logical one based
on his experience and reveals God in a true light (. . .)."
(Ibid.)
(B) Doxology repeated
(1) 4:34
(2) 7:14, 18
(3) Also occurs in Psalm 145:13
b. The
dream--vv.4-18
(I)
Wise men unable to interpret the dream--vv. 4-7
(A) His security--v. 4
(1) At rest in his home--word means quiet,
or undisturbed, a secure prosperity
(2) "In describing himself as 'flourishing in
my palace' he used a word meaning 'to be green' such as the
growth of green leaves
on a tree, an evident anticipation of the dream which followed.
(Walvoord,
99)
(3) Obviously, this statement is about events
that followed, spoken in retrospect.
(B) His dream--v. 5
(1) His security is shattered by a dream.
(2) The terms used here
(a) Dream--came first
(b) Thoughts
((I)) From
the verb, to think, to meditate
((II)) Followed
the dream
(c) Visions--images of the
imagination
(3) Fear--"The expression made me afraid
is actually much stronger in the original and indicates
extreme terror or fright."
(Ibid., italics are his.)
(C) His decree--v. 6
(1) This was standard procedure.
(2) Cf. Daniel 2:2
(D) His counsellors--v. 7
(1) They came
(a) Magicians
(b) Astrologers
(c) Chaldeans (See 2:2, 3
for explanation)
(d) Soothsayers
(2) They were not able to interpret the dream.
(a) "They could not do so,
although on this occasion he only asked them to give the interpretation
and not, as
in ch. ii.2,at the same time the dream itself." (Keil, 143)
(b) "Upon being told the
dream, the wise men, described here in their various categories, as also
in
Daniel 2:2,
did not make known to the king the interpretation. It seems that they
not only did
not make known
the interpretation but were unable to do so, as Leupold translates this
expression,
'but they could not make known to me the interpretation.' Even though
the dream
was adverse
and might present a problem in telling Nebuchadnezzar, they probably would
have
made some
attempt to explain it to him, if they had understood it." (Walvoord,
99)
(II)
Daniel able to interpret the dream--vv. 8-18
(A) Nebuchadnezzar tells the situation--vv. 8-10
(1) Daniel comes in
(a) Was not present with
the other wise men
(b) Some different reasons
are given why he was not present from the first.
((I)) "It
was the natural course that first they should be called who by virtue of
their wisdom
should interpret the dream, and that then, after their wisdom had failed,
Daniel should be
called, who had gained for himself a name by revelations not preceding
from the class of the
Magi." (Keil, 144)
((II))
Nebuchadnezzar may not have called Daniel out of fear.
((III)) Chief
president is not called for every matter.
((IV))
Nebuchadnezzar may have forgotten what happened several years ago in chapter
2.
((V)) Daniel
may have been away on state business.
(2) Daniel called Belteshazzar.
(a) Certainly not to appease
Daniel
(b) "The answer, however,
is quite simple. This decree was going throughout the Kingdom where
most people
would know Daniel by his Babylonian name, Belteshazzar. The king, in
recognition
of the
fact that Daniel's God is the interpreter of his dream, calls Daniel
by his Hebrew name,
the last syllable
of which refers to Elohim, the God of Israel. Nebuchadnezzar
explains that his
name Belteshazzar
was given 'according to the name of my god,' that is, the god Bel.
The
double name
is not unnatural in view of the context and the explanation." (Walvoord,
100)
(3) Spirit of the holy gods in him
(a) Shows that Nebuchadnezzar
had not come to a true faith in the Lord
(b) The word gods
could be rendered God, thus translated Spirit of the holy
God.
(c) There is considerable
discussion over this matter--"The ultimate judgment of the expression
depends on
how well Nebuchadnezzar comprehended the nature of Daniel's God.
He
obviously
had high respect for the God of Daniel and may have had a true faith
in the God
of Israel.
Nebuchadnezzar, having justified his singling out Daniel of all the
wise men, now
records in
his decree his conversation with Daniel which includes a restatement of
his dream."
(Walvoord,
101)
(d) Some argue, that though
the KJV reads Spirit of the holy God, that Nebuchadnezzar had
not
arrived at
that point of faith.
(e) It is further argued
that this is particularly true in the light of how Daniel is
addressed.
(f) On the other hand, the
KJV may well be correct, because these statements may well be in
retrospect
of what happened to Nebuchadnezzar later on, namely, becoming
mentally
unbalanced
and eating grass as an ox.
(3) No secret troubles Daniel.
(a) Nebuchadnezzar realized
that if he told Daniel the dream, that Daniel could interpret it.
(b) Daniel was the master
of magicians--"In the address, ver. 6, he calls Belteshazzar . . .,
master
of the
magicians, probably from the special branch Chaldean wisdom with which
Daniel was
particularly
conversant, at the same time that he was chief president over all the
magicians."
(Keil, 147)
(B) Nebuchadnezzar relates his dream.--vv. 11-17
(1) The great tree--vv. 11, 12
(a) A common symbol for the
rise and fall of human power even in extrabiblical literature.
(b) "As Nebuchadnezzar described
his dream, the tree was pictured as growing, becoming very
strong and
very high until it was visible all over the earth, obviously exceeding the
possibilities of
any ordinary
tree. Abundant, foliage characterized the tree, and it bore much fruit
so that it
provided for
both beast, and fowl and 'all flesh fed of it.' This obviously
included all beasts and
fowls.
Whether or not it was intended to apply literally to men is open to
question, but
symbolically
it included mankind as under the rule of Nebuchadnezzar." (Walvoord,
102)
(c) The beasts and birds
found shade, safety, and sustenance from the tree.
(2) The watchers--vv.13-17
(a) Their description
((I)) Holy
ones
((II)) "This
expression has generated a great deal of comment, especially by liberal
critics who
consider this a vestige of polytheism. Even Keil says,
'The conception . . . is not biblical, but
Babylonian heathen.' [Keil, 150] In the religion of the
Babylonians, it was
customary to recognize 'council deities' who were charged with the
special task of watching
over the world. The question raised on this passage is whether
Nebuchadnezzar uses this
heathen concept." (Ibid.)
((III)) An
angel--"In the light of the revelation of the Word of God,
the most natural conclusion
is that this person described as 'a watcher and an holy one' is angel
sent from God even
though the word angel is not used. That angels are watchers,
or better translated 'vigilant,
making a sleepless watch,' is not foreign to the concept of angels
in Scripture. The
expressions 'watchers' and 'the holy ones' are mentioned in verse 17
by the messenger
himself. Nebuchadnezzar seems to use the term in its heathen
connotation as he understood
it." (Ibid.; italics are his.)
(b) Their decree
((I)) The
tree cut down
((A)) "The messenger of God cried with might (cf iii..4), 'as
a sign of the strong, firm
utterance of a purpose' (. . .). The command,
Hew it down, is not given to the angels
(. . .). The plural here is to be regarded as
impersonal: the tree shall be cut down. . . .
In consequence of the destruction of the
tree, the beasts which found shelter under it
and among its branches flee away." (Keil, 151;
italics are his.)
((B)) "The heavenly messenger cries aloud, literally cries 'with might.'
To the unnamed
listeners, he calls for the tree to be cut down, its
branches cut off, its leaves to be shaken
off, and its fruit to be scattered. The beasts
under it and the fowls in its branches were
instructed to get away. The record does not say
that the command is carried out, but this
is implied." (Walvoord, 103)
((II)) The
stump left
((A)) "Special instructions, however, are given regarding the stump;
and these indicate that
the tree will be revived later. The stump is to
be bound with a band of iron and brass.
The purpose of this is not clear unless in some
way it helps preserve it. However, in real
life, such a band would not prevent the stump from rotting;
and it is probably here that it is
symbolic of the madness which would afflict
Nebuchadnezzar and hold him symbolically,
if not in reality, in chains. The stump
is to be surrounded by the tender grass of the field,
to be wet with the dew of heaven, and to have
its portion with the beasts of the earth. It
seems evident that the description goes beyond the symbol
of a stump to the actual
fulfillment in Nebuchadnezzar's experience."
(Ibid.)
((B)) "The words refer certainly to Nebuchadnezzar, but the fastening
in brass and iron is not
with Jerome and others, to be understood of the
binding of the madman with chains, but
figuratively or spiritually of the withdrawal
of free self-determination through the fetter of
madness; . . . . With this fettering also agrees
the going forth under the open heaven
among the grass of the field, and being wet with
the dew of heaven, without our needing
thereby to think of the maniac as wandering about
without any oversight over him." (Keil,
152)
((C)) It seems to this writer that some sort of symbolism is here
presented; nevertheless, the
experience that Nebuchadnezzar had was like being fastened
in brass and iron.
((III)) "The
major problem of verse 17 is the reference to the watchers and the
holy ones who
seem to originate the decree. If these are understood as
agencies of God [Why not?], who
actually is the source, the problem is alleviated. The verse
itself calls our attention to the fact
that God as 'the most High' is the ultimate sovereign and certainly
does not imply that the
messengers are in any sense independent of God. The problems
created by this text,
therefore, are greatly overdrawn by those who see this in conflict
with the scriptural doctrine
of God." (Walvoord, 103-104)
((IV)) This
writer has noted before that many of these so-called conflicts
and/or errors are due
to unbelief and/or due to any unwillingness to adhere to the
literal method of interpretation.
(C) Nebuchadnezzar's concluding statement--v. 18
(1) "In concluding his statement of the
dream, Nebuchadnezzar appeals to Daniel to provide the
interpretation. He
explains to Daniel that the wise men of Babylon were not able to do
this, but he
expresses confidence in Daniel,
'for the spirit of the holy gods is in thee' (cf. 4:8). The stage is
now
set for Daniel's interpretation."
(Walvoord, 104)
(2) "Nebuchadnezzar adds to his communication
of his dream a command to Daniel to interpret it."
(Keil, 154)
2. The interpretation by Daniel--vv. 19-Z7
a. The astonishment
of Daniel--v. 19
(I)
His troubled thoughts
(A) "As Daniel at once understood the interpretation of the
dream, he was for a moment so astonished
that he could not speak for terror at the thoughts
which moved his soul. This amazement seized him
because he wished well to the king, and yet he
must announce to him a weighty judgment from
God." (Ibid.)
(B) "No doubt Daniel was not only troubled by the content of
the dream but by the need to tell
Nebuchadnezzar the interpretation in an appropriate
way." (Walvoord, 104)
(C) Daniel was "astonished for one hour."
(1) Some suggest that the phrase for one
hour should not be taken literally.
(2) There is no good reason why it can't be literally
to mean 60 minutes.
(II)
His dual name--"Verse 19 introduces both names of Daniel again, the
Hebrew name in recognition that
he is acting as servant of the God of Israel and
his Babylonian by which he was known officially."
(Walvoord, 104-105)
(III)
His assurance--"Nebuchadnezzar comes to his rescue in this situation and
urges him not to let the dream
trouble him. The comment reflects his regard for Daniel
as a person as well as an interpreter of the
dream, and indirectly this is an assurance that Daniel himself
need not fear the king regardless of what he
reveals." (Walvoord, 105)
(IV)
His reply
(A) "Daniel then communicates it in words of affectionate
interest for the welfare of the king. The words,
let the dream be to thine enemies, etc.,
do not mean, it is a dream, a prophecy, such as the
enemies of the king might ungracious wish
(. . .), but may the dream with its interpretation be to
thine enemies, may it fulfilled to them,
or refer to them." (Keil, 154; italics are his.)
(B) Daniel held Nebuchadnezzar in high regard and certainly
was not using flattery.
b. The interpretation
of the tree--vv. 20-22
(I)
Daniel reiterates the first portion of the dream--vv. 20, 21
(A) Done to have clearly in mind the dream
(B) To state the portion on which he was going to comment
(II)
The tree represents Nebuchadnezzar.
(A) Verse 22
(B) "Daniel immediately identifies the tree as representing
Nebuchadnezzar. Just like the tree in the dream,
the king had grown and become strong, had grown
great and reached unto heaven with his dominion to
the end of the earth." (Walvoord, 105)
c. The interpretation
of the watchers' decree--vv. 23-26
(I)
Again the portion of the dream on which Daniel is to comment is repeated.
(II)
Nothing is said about the watcher and holy ones except it is the decree of
the Most High.
(III)
"The meaning of the tree being cut down and the attendant circumstances
is then defined.
Nebuchadnezzar is to be driven from ordinary association with
men and will dwell with the beasts of the
field. In this condition he will eat grass as the ox and
suffer the dew of heaven until he understands that
God gives to men the power to rule as He wills." (Walvoord,
105-106)
(IV)
The stump--"The interpretation of the stump with its bands of iron
and brass is that Nebuchadnezzar
will retain control of his kingdom and that it will be
restored to him after he comes back to his senses. To
have his mind restored without the kingdom would have been a
hollow victory. In spite of his pride,
Nebuchadnezzar was to know the graciousness of God to
him." (Walvoord, 106)
(V)
The phrase the heavens do rule
(A) Used in place of God
(B) "This usage of became prominent in later literature
as in 1 Maccabees and in the New Testament in
Matthew where the term kingdom of
heaven is similar to kingdom of God. Daniel,
in using the
expression the heavens do rule, is not
accepting the Babylonian deification of heavenly bodies, as he
made clear in 4:25 that 'the most High'
is a person. He is probably only contrasting divine or heavenly
rule to earthly rule such as Nebuchadnezzar
exercised, with the implication that Nebuchadnezzar's
sovereignty was much less than that of 'the
heaven.'" (Ibid.; italics are his.)
d. The plea by Daniel
(I)
He pleas with Nebuchadnezzar to change his ways.
(II)
"With interpretation of the dream now clearly presented to Nebuchadnezzar,
Daniel, as a prophet of
God, gives a word of solemn exhortation to the king.
With utmost courtesy, he urges the king to replace
his sins with righteousness and his iniquities with showing
mercy to the poor, if perchance God would
lengthen the period of tranquility. Nebuchadnezzar
undoubtedly had been morally wicked and cruel to
those whom he ruled. His concern had been to build a
magnificent city as a monument to his name rather
than to alleviating the suffering of the poor. All
of this was quite clear to Daniel as it was to God, and the
exhortation is faithfully reproduced in this decree going to
Nebuchadnezzar's entire realm." (Ibid.)
3. The fulfillment of the dream--vv.
28-33
a. The cause of the
fulfillment--vv. 28-30
(I)
Nebuchadnezzar tells the fulfillment in third person.
(A) Critics use this to say that someone else framed the decree.
(B) Actually this is an objective presentation of the
dream and its fulfillment.
(C) "But this conclusion is opposed by the fact that Nebuchadnezzar
from ver. 31 speaks of his recovery
again in the first person. Thus it is beyond
doubt that the change of person has its reason in the matter
itself. Certainly it could not be in this
that Nebuchadnezzar thought it unbecoming to speak in his own
person of his madness; for if he
had had so tender a regard for his own person, he would not have
published the occurrence in a manifesto addressed
to his subjects." (Keil, 157)
(II)
The pride of Nebuchadnezzar
(A) "Although the fulfillment of the dream was not immediate,
the decree sums it up concisely, 'All this
came upon King Nebuchadnezzar.' Twelve
months later, as he walked in the palace in Babylon, one
of his crowning architectural triumphs,
and looked out upon the great city of Babylon, his pride
reached a new peak as he asked the question,
'Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house
of the kingdom by the might of my
power, and for the honour of my majesty?' From the flat roof
of
the palace, he undoubtedly had a great perspective.
This statement contradicts any notion of critics
that he was not actually in Babylon at that time.
Everything points to the contrary. What he surveyed
was indeed impressive. There are frequent
mentions of the great buildings of Babylon in ancient
literature." (Walvoord, 107)
(B) "The city of Babylon itself, . . . , was regarded
as the symbol of his power and majesty; and he
spared no expense or effort to make it the most
beautiful city of the world. If the construction of
a
great city, magnificent in size, architecture,
parks, and armaments, was a proper basis for pride,
Nebuchadnezzar was justified. What he had
forgotten was that none of this would be possible apart
from God's sovereign will." (Walvoord, 108)
(C) The words, by the strength of my might, and for
the splendor of my majesty, shows the
arrogance and pride of Nebuchadnezzar.
(D) Proverbs 16:18
b. The judgment upon
Nebuchadnezzar--vv. 3l-33
(I)
The voice from heaven
(A) "This proud utterance is immediately followed by his humiliation
by the omnipotent God. A voice fell
from heaven. . . . . At the moment when
Nebuchadnezzar heard in his soul the voice from heaven, the
prophecy begins to be fulfilled, the king becomes
deranged, and is deprived of his royalty." (Keil, 159)
(B) "No sooner were the words expressing his pride out of his
mouth than he heard a voice from heaven,
'0 king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken;
the kingdom is departed from thee.' The voice goes on
to state how Nebuchadnezzar will be driven from
men and fulfill the prophecy of living the life of a
beast until the proper time had been fulfilled
and he was willing to recognize the most high God. His
transition from sanity to insanity was
immediate, and so was the reaction as he was driven from the
palace to begin his period of trial."
(Walvoord, 108)
(II)
The madness of the king
(A) "The fulfilling is related in the words of the prophecy.
Nebuchadnezzar is driven from among men,
viz. by his madness, in which he fled from
intercourse with men and lived under the open air of heaven
as a beast among the beasts, eating grass like
the cattle; and his person was so neglected, that his hair
became like the eagles' feathers and his nails
like birds' claws." (Keil, 159)
(B) "Scripture draws a veil over most of the details of
Nebuchadnezzar's period of trial. It is probable
that Nebuchadnezzar was kept in the palace gardens
from abuse by common people. Although given
no care, he was protected; and in his absence
his counselors, possibly led by Daniel himself, continued
to operate the kingdom efficiently. Although
scripture does not tell us, it is reasonable to assume that
Daniel himself had much to do with the
kind treatment and protection of Nebuchadnezzar. He, no
doubt, informed the counsellors of what
the outcome of the dream would be and that
Nebuchadnezzar would return to sanity. In
this, God must have inclined the hearts of
Nebuchadnezzar's counsellors to cooperate, quite
in contrast to what is often the case in ancient
governments when at the slightest sign of
weakness rulers were cruelly murdered. Nebuchadnezzar
seems to have been highly respected as a brilliant
king by those who worked with him, and this helped
set the stage for his recovery." (Walvoord, 108)
(C) "Young in his treatment of this designates the disease
as Boanthropy, i. e., he thought himself to be an
ox, and cites Pusey as having collected considerable
data on the subject. A person in this stage of
insanity in his inner consciousness remains somewhat
unchanged, but his outer behavior is irrational.
Young states 'Pusey adduces the remarkable case
of Pere Surin, who believed himself to be
possessed, yet maintained communion with
God. It is true to fact, that Neb[uchadnezzar], although
under the influence of this strange
malady, could lift up his eyes unto heaven.' In any case the malady
supernaturally imposed by God was
supernaturally relieved at the proper time." (Edward J. Young,
The Prophecy of Daniel.
Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1949, 112; quoted in Walvoord, 109)
4. The restoration of
Nebuchadnezzar--vv. 34-37
a. His mind is
restored.
(I)
The time element
(A) Verse 16
(B) Verse 34--end of the days
(C) "The prophecy concludes with the expression,.'let seven
times pass over him.' This may refer to
seven years or merely to a long period of
time. Probably the most common interpretation is to
consider it seven years as in the Septuagint.
It is certain that the period is specific and not more than
seven years" (Walvoord, 103)
(D) Why times equals seven years----"Following
the example of the LXX, and of Josephus, many
ancient and recent interpreters, . . ., understood
by the word [addanin--they use the Hebrew letters]
years, because the times in ch. vii.25, xii.7,
are also years, and because in ver. 26 [verse 29?] mention
is made of twelve months, and thereby the
time is defined as one year." (Keil, 152; italics are his.)
(E) To this writer this seems conclusive that Nebuchadnezzar
was in his madness for seven years.
(F) If this is the case this may be also prophetic of
the great tribulation when the insane actions of the
antichrist are evident.
(II)
"Although the previous narrative had been couched in the third person,
Nebuchadnezzar now returns to
first person narrative. He records how he lifted up his
eyes to heaven and his understanding returned.
Whether this was simultaneous or causal is not stated, but looking
to the heavens possibly was the first
step in his recognition of the God of heaven and
gaining sane perspective on the total situation."
(Walvoord, 111)
(III)
The second half of the verse shows his being restored by his
counsellors.
b. His praise to God
(I)
"The first thought he entertained was to thank God, to praise Him as the
'ever-living One,' because He had
again given to him his life, which had been lost in his madness."
(Keil, 160)
(II)
"In praising and honoring God, he attributes to Him the quality of living
forever, of having an everlasting
dominion, and of directing a kingdom which is from generation
to generation. These qualities of eternity
and sovereignty are far greater than those attributed to Babylonian
deities. Because of His sovereignty,
God can consider all the inhabitants of the earth as nothing.
He is able to do as He wills whether in
heaven or in earth, and no one can stay his hand or ask, 'What
doest thou?' Even as these words of
praise were uttered to God, his reason returned to him." (Walvoord,
111)
c. The question of
his salvation
(I)
Was Nebuchadnezzar saved at this time?
(II)
Some believe that the evidence is insufficient.
(A) Men such as
(1) Calvin
(2) Pusey
(3) Keil
(B) "The manifesto closes with praise to God, the King of
heaven, whose works are truth and
righteousness, which shows themselves in humbling
the proud. . . . . Nebuchadnezzar thus recognised
the humiliation which he had experienced as a
righteous punishment for his pride. Without, however,
being mindful of the divine grace which
had been shown in mercy toward him; whence Calvin has
drawn the conclusion that he was not brought
to true heart repentance." (Keil, 162)
(III)
"As Young and others point out, however, there is considerable evidence of
Nebuchadnezzar's spiritual
progress of which chapter 4 is the climax (. . .).
There can be little question that he acknowledges
Daniel's God as the omnipotent eternal sovereign of the
universe (. . .). His recognition of the power of
God whom he identifies as 'King of heaven' (4:37) would
give us some basis for believing that
Nebuchadnezzar had a true conversion. Inasmuch as in all
ages some men are saved without gaining
completely the perspective of faith or being entirely
correct in the content of their beliefs, it is entirely
possible that Nebuchadnezzar will be numbered among the saints."
(Walvoord, 112)
(IV)
This writer concurs, for it may well be that we might just meet him in heaven.
d. "One other detail
demands our attention, and that is the three-fold declaration by this holy
watcher in Daniel
4:27
regarding the purpose of the decree and the demand made concerning
Nebuchadnezzar:
(1)
'that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of
men.' Obviously, therefore, the rise
and
fall of earthly monarchs and their kingdoms are intended by God as
a means of remaining 'the living' (as
distinguished from angelic beings) that God Himself is supreme and omnipotent
in the universe. Alas, how this
fact
is forgotten and ignored among the present generation of 'the
living'!
(2)
'And giveth it to whomsoever he will' for 'the powers that be are ordained
of God' (Rom. 13:1), for the
effectual
carrying out of His own sovereign designs respecting the accomplishment
of His ultimate purpose as
stated
in Ephesians 1:10 and Philippians 2:9, 10.
(3)
'And setteth up over it the basest of men.' How utterly contrary
to man's imagined government of
himself!
Yet the base rulers of history bear emphatic testimony to the
truth of this: Alexander the Great,
who
quickly drank and corrupted himself into a disgraceful death; Antiochus
Epiphanes, the madman of the
Maccabean
era; Nero, Napoleon, Hitler . . . . what 'baser' material than these can
possibly be imagined?
Truly,
O Lord, Thy ways are not ours, nor our thoughts Thy thoughts! We are
constrained to exclaim with
Nebuchadnezzar: 'How great are his signs! and how mighty are His wonders!
His kingdom is an everlasting
kingdom
and his dominion is from generation to generation . . . . And none
can stay his hand, or say unto him,
What
doest thou?'" (Newell, 57-8)
e. A lessons for us
(I)
If we build up something even if it is God's work, we should
not boast about it.
(II)
Cf.
(A) Proverbs 16:18
(B) 2 Corinthians 1:31