A Call to Humble Righteousness

Daniel 4:19-27

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."

Nebuchadnezzar's dream was a call from God to repentance and righteousness.  Daniel was so astonished and troubled by the dream revealed by God to him that he took a while to sit and sift through it before finding a way to explain it to the king.  The king assured him and told him not to be upset but simply say plainly what it meant.  Of course, Daniel was hesitant and wanted Nebuchadnezzar to know it was nothing personal from him.  He then explained how the immense tree overshadowing the land was his kingdom with authority over all around him and was a great and strong dominion that had been given to him and grown even more by his hand.  Like the Tower of Babel, however, the king and kingdom had grown in pride as it reached to heaven while reaching out over the earth.  A holy watcher, and angel of God, was therefore sent to confuse the kingdom by confusing the king instead of the languages.  He would be stripped of his dignity and have his sense confused for a time to learn that God alone is sovereign over all in power and majesty.  He would be driven mad and graze upon grass with the dumb animals as a beast himself to learn this lesson that the great kingdoms men rule over are all given by God and not earned.  It is the Most High alone who controls who rules on earth and for how long; mortal wisdom and might of political or military strength do not gain or keep what nobody deserves.  It is all God’s grace.  There was hope in the night vision, however.  Nebuchadnezzar would find a stump of his kingdom waiting for his return after he came to understand and confess these truths that heaven alone rules.  Daniel’s counsel of sound godly advice was for the king to repent, pursue righteousness, and show mercy to the poor instead of taking advantage of others for gain.  That was the only hope of continued prosperity, through repentance and change of heart with living that reflected that humbling.  This is a picture of the gospel with repentance and faith with a converted life lived in humble righteousness as a result of that grace of God, whether as a ruler of nations or the lowest servant.  May we all give glory to the Lord in heaven and heed the call to righteous obedience through repentance by faith, especially to those given a political or other ruling position over others for their good (Romans 13:1, 4-6, Colossians 1:16).  Trust the Lord and give Him all the glory as we acknowledge all authority and power and honor is His alone.  We do not earn or deserve what we have been given by our flowery speeches or mighty deeds.  This is a call to humble righteousness with a resulting life of obedience in thankful grace.