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A LETTER FROM NEBUCHADNEZZAR |
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Someone
recently sent me a copy of a letter that John Quincy Adams wrote to
his son. It was written in September, 1811. Let me share with you a
few portions of the letter:
“My Dear Son:
In your letter of the 18th of January to your mother, you
mentioned that you read to your aunt a chapter in the Bible. . .This
information have me real pleasure; for so great is my veneration for
the Bible, and so strong my belief, that when duly read and
meditated on, it is of all books in the world, that which
contributes most to make men good, wise, and happy. . .I have for
myself, for many years, made it a practice to read through the Bible
once every year. . .My custom is, to read four to five chapters
every morning, immediately after rising from bed. . .The Bible
contains the revelation of the will of God. It contains the history
of the creation of the world, and of mankind; and afterward the
history of one peculiar nation, certainly the most extraordinary
nation that has ever appeared upon the earth. It contains a system
of religion, and of morality, which we may examine upon its own
merits, independent of the sanction it receives from being the Word
of God; and it contains a numerous collection of books, written at
different ages of the world, by different authors, which we may
survey as curious monument of antiquity, and as literary
compositions. In what light so ever we regard it, whether with
reference to revelation, to literature, to history, or to
morality—it is an invaluable and inexhaustible mine of knowledge and
wealth.”
Adam’s letter
is a great testimony to God’s Word and a special letter from a
father to a son, would you not agree. In Daniel 4 we find another
letter and it is one that was written by Nebuchadnezzar. We read in
verse 1, “Nebuchadnezzar the
king, unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the
earth; Peace be multiplied unto you.” It was a letter send to
the people of the Babylonian kingdom.
In our day and
time, on certain occasions, our President will have a prime time
talk with the nation to explain some action that he has taken or
announce some action that is about to be taken. In the case of
Nebuchadnezzar, certain events had happened in his life and there
had been a time when he had been absence from the throne.
Nebuchadnezzar felt that his kingdom needed to know what had
happened and he wanted them to understand what had occurred in his
life.
How it must
have surprised everyone when this letter was received and read that
the mighty Nebuchadnezzar had had a life-changing experience. As we
study this letter we will see that it is a testimony of how the hand
of God had brought down the proud and arrogant king and how God had
brought Nebuchadnezzar to Himself.
As you read the
letter you find Nebuchadnezzar using an interesting to speak of God.
Six times Nebuchadnezzar speaks of God as “the high God” (Vs. 2), or
“the most high” (Vs. 17, 24, 25, 32, 34). It is a title that speaks
of God’s sovereignty. As the “high God” or “most high,” He is the
One Who rules both in heaven and earth. He is the highest of the
high and rules over all.
In chapter 3 we
saw Nebuchadnezzar erecting a statue in which he commanded all the
people to worship. It was an act by which he declared his rule and
power. In chapter 4 he testifies of how he learned that he was not
the one in charge, but God—the most high—was the One on the throne.
This is a
fascinating story in the Bible. Let’s look at this state letter that
was written by Nebuchadnezzar and sent to the people of
1. A PUBLIC
DECLARATION
This letter was
a public declaration that was centered on the God who Nebuchadnezzar
had met. What must have been so surprising to the people of
The man who had
worshipped a plurality of gods is now declaring that he is
worshipper of one God, the one and only true God. In this public
declaration he speaks of:
A) The Miracles of
the One True God
Nebuchadnezzar
says in his letter, “I
thought it good to shew the signs and wonders that the high God hath
wrought toward me” (4:2). The words “signs and wonders” speaks
of miracles. Nebuchadnezzar had witnessed many of God’s miracles.
The word “signs” indicate that God’s miracles had a purpose of
making something known. In this case, it was to make Himself known
to Nebuchadnezzar as the “most high God.”
From the time
Nebuchadnezzar had invaded
In the first
dream Nebuchadnezzar learned and declared,
“Of a truth it is, that your
God is a God of gods, and a Lord of lords, and a revealer of
secrets, seeing thou couldst reveal this secret” (Dan. 2:47). At
this time he is acknowledging that the God of Israel was a God of
the gods and a Lord of lords. He is no longer denying His power and
ability, but still has not come to the place where he declares that
He is “the most high” and the One and only true God.
In the event
that involved the three Hebrews children, Nebuchadnezzar declared
“there is no other God that
can deliver after this sort” (Dan. 3:29). Now he is declaring
that the God of Israel is able to do what no other god can do. He is
coming along, but still has a way to go. He still has to get to the
place where he sees that God is the only God.
On each
occasion, God had made His power known through the miraculous things
he did. On each occasion the heart of Nebuchadnezzar is moved by
what he sees and he moves closer to the truth about God. But there
was one final miracle that he would see that bring him to a full
understanding of truth.
He not only
speaks of the miracles of the One True God, but also:
B) The Might of the
One True God
He writes in
verse 3, “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.” He
is praising the God of Israel. He is praising Him for His strength
and how mighty are His wonders. He is praising Him for His
sovereignty for His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and His
dominion lasts through the ages.
Do you see the
change that has been made in Nebuchadnezzar? He is no longer
speaking or thinking of himself as the great ruler, but is publicly
declaring that God is the One who rules over all things and is in
charge of all in heaven and earth. I can only imagine how shocked
the leaders and people of
What if
President Bush went on TV and said to the people of the
His letter was
a public declaration of the miracles and might of God. Furthermore,
in his letter he speaks of:
2. A PERSONAL
REVELATION
He describes a
second dream that he had. He writes in verse 4,
“I Nebuchadnezzar was at
rest in mine house and flourishing in my palace.” The word
“flourishing” speaks of the prosperity he was enjoying. Being at
rest speaks of how everything was running smoothly. He was making it
clear to the people that it had not been a time when he was under
pressure and had a nervous breakdown as a result of everything he
was going through. No, not at all! Things could not have been any
better.
However, into
this tranquil setting, he tells of how God send him a dream. He
tells the people about this dream in his letter. First, we see:
A) The Troubling of
the Dream
He writes in
verse 5, “I saw a dream
which made me afraid, and the thought upon my bed and the visions of
my head troubled me.” The word “afraid” speaks of how he was
filled with fear. The word “troubled” speaks of being terrified. The
first dream and left him confused. This dream left him terrified.
As before, he
called his advisers to interpret the dream. It is interesting that
this time he does not place the same conditions on the
interpretation of the dream. We read,
“Therefore made I a decree
to bring in all the wise men of
Furthermore, he
writes about:
B) The Telling of
the Dream
Why he did not
call Daniel at the beginning is uncertain. You would think he would
have considering his past experiences with Daniel. Maybe he was so
upset that he was not thinking straight. Whatever the case, his
advisers could not tell him the meaning of the dream and Daniel was
eventually called. We read in verse 8,
“But at the last Daniel came
in before me, whose name was Belteshazzar, according to the name of
my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods: and before him I
told the dream.”
As before,
where the Babylonian advisers failed, Daniel was able to tell him.
Nebuchadnezzar said to him in verse 9,
“O Belteshazzar, master of
the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in
thee, and no secret troubleth thee, tell me the visions of my dream
that I have seen, and the interpretation thereof.”
In verses 10-16
Nebuchadnezzar tells his dream in his letter:
“Thus were the visions of
mine head in my bed; I saw, and behold a tree in the midst of the
earth, and the height thereof was great.
The tree grew, and was strong, and the height thereof reached
unto heaven, and the sight thereof to the end of all the earth: The
leaves thereof were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was
meat for all: the beasts of the field had shadow under it, and the
fowls of the heaven dwelt in the boughs thereof, and all flesh was
fed of it. I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, behold,
a watcher and an holy one came down from heaven; He cried aloud, and
said thus, Hew down the tree, and cut off his branches, shake off
his leaves, and scatter his fruit: let the beasts get away from
under it, and the fowls from his branches:
Nevertheless leave the stump of his roots 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 in the grass of the earth: Let his heart be changed from
man's, and let a beast's heart be given unto him; and let seven
times pass over him.”
In his dream he
saw a tree that dominated the earth. The tree grew and continued to
get larger, reaching up to heaven, and bearing much fruit. The
beasts of the field and the birds in the sky found shade and food in
the tree. But then there came one, a watcher and holy one from
heaven, came and cut down the tree, shaking off its leaves and
fruit. Only a stump was left and he saw the stump covered with dew.
The one whom this dream represented experienced a great change in
their conditions. They were changed from a man to a beast and would
remain in this condition for seven years.
Then
Nebuchadnezzar tells the people that he realized that it was a dream
from God and the one represented in the dream was himself. He writes
in verse 17, “This matter is
by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the
holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High
ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will,
and setteth up over it the basest of men.”
He has now come
full circle. We will see more about this drastic change in our next
study, but we see that he now understands that God is the One who
rules over the affairs of the world, and that His will is always
done. He is no longer comparing God to the gods of
Finally, in the
letter he tells how the dream was interpreted by Daniel and the
effects of the interpretation. He describes it as:
3. A PERPLEXING
INTERPRETATION
We read in
verse 18, “This dream I king
Nebuchadnezzar have seen. Now thou, O Belteshazzar, declare the
interpretation thereof, forasmuch as all the wise men of my kingdom
are not able to make known unto me the interpretation: but thou art
able; for the spirit of the holy gods is in thee.” He expressed
his total trust in Daniel’s ability to interpret the dream for he
tells Daniel the dream that he had. He then asks that Daniel
interpret the dream for him.
When Daniel
hears the dream it has a troubling effect on him as it had
Nebuchadnezzar. We read in verse 19,
“Then Daniel, whose name was
Belteshazzar, was astonied for one hour, and his thoughts troubled
him. The king spake, and said, Belteshazzar, let not the dream, or
the interpretation thereof, trouble thee. Belteshazzar answered and
said, My lord, the dream be to them that hate thee, and the
interpretation thereof to thine enemies.”
For one hour
Daniel sat in astonishment at what he had heard. Knowing the meaning
of the dream caused him great consternation. Nebuchadnezzar saw the
troubled look on Daniel’s face and told him not to be troubled.
Daniel finally spoke and told Nebuchadnezzar that the dream involved
him and meant that some terrible things were about to happen to him.
First, Daniel
interpreted the dream by telling the king:
A) What Would
Happen
What would
happen is seen in verses 20-26:
“The tree that thou sawest,
which grew, and was strong, whose height reached unto the heaven,
and the sight thereof to all the earth; Whose leaves were fair, and
the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all; under which the
beasts of the field dwelt, and upon whose branches the fowls of the
heaven had their habitation: It is thou, O king, that art grown and
become strong: for thy greatness is grown, and reacheth unto heaven,
and thy dominion to the end of the earth. And whereas the king saw a
watcher and an holy one coming down from heaven, and saying, Hew the
tree down, and destroy it; yet 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; This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the
decree of the most High, which is come upon my lord the king: That
they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the
beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen,
and they shall wet thee 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. And whereas
they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots; thy kingdom
shall be sure unto thee, after that thou shalt have known that the
heavens do rule.”
Daniel tells
Nebuchadnezzar that just as the tree was cut down, He would be
brought down by God. He would become an insane man. He would begin
imaging himself as an ox. He would literally be put out to pasture
where he would live and act as an ox. This condition would last for
seven years. It would last until he came to the realization and
acknowledge that the God of Israel was the one and true God. Daniel
explained that the preservation of the stump indicated that he would
be restored to his place as king once he made this acknowledgement.
Daniel, having
interpreted the dream, then tells Nebuchadnezzar:
B) What Should
Happen
He says in
verse 27, “Wherefore, O
king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins
by righteousness, and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor;
if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity.” Daniel calls
for Nebuchadnezzar to repent, and if he repented, maybe God would
spare him from what was revealed in the dream.
As we shall see
in our next study, it would appear that Nebuchadnezzar, as troubled
as he was, did not immediately repent and God’s dream was brought to
fulfillment in his life. He would repent and acknowledge that God
was the most high, but it would take God breaking him first.
So often we are
like Nebuchadnezzar. Instead of listening to God’s warnings, God has
to bring us down the hard way. We must never forget that God is in
charge, and He knows how to bring us down. He knows how to get our
attention. He knows how to bring us unto Himself.
© 2007 by the Living Word |
