Daniel 4:19-27
Daniel 4:19-27
New King James Version (NKJV)
Daniel Explains the Second Dream
19 Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was astonished for a time, and his thoughts troubled him. So the king spoke, and said, “Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its interpretation trouble you.”
Belteshazzar answered and said, “My lord, may the dream concern those who hate you, and its interpretation concern your enemies!
20“The tree that you saw, which grew and became strong, whose height reached to the heavens and which could be seen by all the earth, 21 whose leaves were lovely and its fruit abundant, in which was food for all, under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and in whose branches the birds of the heaven had their home— 22 it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong; for your greatness has grown and reaches to the heavens, and your dominion to the end of the earth.
23“And inasmuch as the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave its stump and roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze in the tender grass of the field; let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let him graze with the beasts of the field, till seven times pass over him’; 24 this is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king: 25 They shall drive you from men, your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make you eat grass like oxen. They shall wet you with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses.
26“And inasmuch as they gave the command to leave the stump and roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be assured to you, after you come to know that Heaven rules. 27 Therefore, O king, let my advice be acceptable to you; break off your sins by being righteous, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. Perhaps there may be a lengthening of your prosperity.”
My Thoughts:
Unlike the first dream this one did not need take much to understand maybe that is why the other wise men did not want to answer. The interpretation which follows is so plain that is needed no explanation.
Daniel was not just a captive and a slave to the king, over the years it seems that Daniel and the king had built and friendship, because when Daniel was faced with the task of interpreting the dream we see that he hesitated, and it was said that he was astonished for a time. Daniel had received favor from the king so it was very hard for him to be the bearer of such terrible news.
Daniel could have come right out and rebuked the king but he chose to use kindness and compassion as his tools. He made it known that if Nebuchadnezzar would change his ways things would be easier on him, but we will see tomorrow that the king did not lesson.
Ellen White Statements:
“He last dream which God gave to Nebuchadnezzar, and the experience of the king in connection with it, contain lessons of vital importance to all those who are connected with the work of God. The king was troubled with his dream; for it was evidently a prediction of adversity, and none of his wise men would attempt to interpret it. The faithful Daniel stood before the king, not to flatter, not to misinterpret in order to secure favor. A solemn duty rested upon him to tell the king of Babylon the truth.” {RH Sept. 8,1896}
Last thoughts:
So who are the watchers in Daniel 4:13, 17? They are probably the same beings that are called angels elsewhere in the Bible. (1 Cor. 4:9) says “For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men.” And my favorite verse about angels must be (Heb. 1:14) “Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?” they use their gifts to help us through our daily trials. We should teach our children to thank God for giving us these watchers of men.
About bobh6
40 Days of study 
I believe you and I are using the same book for our studies, Bobby. 🙂 I am thinking it must have been hard for Daniel to have to interpret this dream for the king. Even though they had become friends this was still a difficult thing to say. Friend or no, he was still the king and could have them all killed. It is important to remember though that part of our obedience to God is obedience to the state. Daniel had to tell this interpretation to the king.
What was the significance of calling Daniel, Beltshazzer? Wonder if it implied Daniel’s faith wavering in pleasing King Neb or God. We studied in Proverbs how a true friend doesn’t flatter but would rather hurt them in love in honesty in hopes of helping them. At the end Daniel stood firm for God and took the chance of lossing the favor he had come accustomed, maybe even his very life. Even the greats like Daniel waver, that gives us hope; at the end what matters is at the end where we stand.
It was a common practice to change the names so that the captive would not focus on the past life. as for the name the meaning is : protect the king, it is the Chaldee name given to Daniel by Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 1:7). As for Daniel wavering I do not remember anywhere that says Daniel ever did, from the very beginning he held tight to his God and never let go.
Vrs 19 shows it bothered him and he started out by consoleing the King by telling him not to let the dream trouble or even worry him, and that it may be done instead to those who hate King Nebuchadnezzar. Sounds like a little bit of brown nosing to me.