When Daniel heard the king's dream, he was shocked. The interpretation of the dream he had heard would be unpleasant to the king, and it terrifies him. Nebuchadnezzar was a fearful and dreaded ruler known to do things at his whim.
Daniel must have wondered how the king would handle the
unpleasantness of the dream. So, he paused with perplexities written all over
his face. And the king noticed it. He then addressed Daniel by his Babylonian
name, saying, 'Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its interpretation alarm
you.'
With that assurance, Daniel diplomatically told the king the
interpretation of his dream. He prefaced it by saying he wished that what the
king saw in the dream applied to someone the king hates and not to the king
himself before he proceeded to share its meaning.
The king saw a luxuriant tree towering over the earth, providing
food, shade, and shelter for men, beasts, and birds. An angel was ordered to
chop it down. However, the stump would remain in the field where animals made
their habitation and be drenched by dew for seven years.
Daniel told the king that his dream was God's Most High decree.
The tree refers to the king, who has all his power granted by God. He would be
driven away from mankind to dwell among the beasts of the field, to eat grass
like cattle and be drenched with the dew of heaven. He would only recover and
return to sanity after seven years when he realizes that God, Most High, is
ruler over the realm of mankind and gives power to whomever He wishes. The
stump that was not uprooted was an assurance to Nebuchadnezzar that his kingdom
would be returned to him by God. This would show that God gives the power to
rule whoever He wills.
Daniel ended with gentle counsel to the king. He admonished,
"Therefore, O king, may my advice be pleasing to you: Break away now from
your sins by doing righteousness
and from your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor, in case there may be a prolonging
of your prosperity."
What's the key lesson? God detests pride. He opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble. Our position in life is God granted. We will
always be there with His design and approval. We must always maintain sight of
this and become proud to think we are making of our capability. Pride always
comes before fall and a haughty spirit before destruction. We must heed the
admonition of 1 Peter 5:6, "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's
mighty hand, that he may lift you in due time."
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