Sovereign Understanding of Providence

Daniel 4:1-18

1 Nebuchadnezzar the king,
To all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth:
Peace be multiplied to you.

2 I thought it good to declare the signs and wonders that the Most High God has worked for me.

3 How great are His signs,
And how mighty His wonders!
His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
And His dominion is from generation to generation.

4 I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in my house, and flourishing in my palace. 5 I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts on my bed and the visions of my head troubled me. 6 Therefore I issued a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. 7 Then the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers came in, and I told them the dream; but they did not make known to me its interpretation. 8 But at last Daniel came before me (his name is Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god; in him is the Spirit of the Holy God), and I told the dream before him, saying: 9 "Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the Spirit of the Holy God is in you, and no secret troubles you, explain to me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and its interpretation.

10 "These were the visions of my head while on my bed:
I was looking, and behold,
A tree in the midst of the earth,
And its height was great.

11 The tree grew and became strong;
Its height reached to the heavens,
And it could be seen to the ends of all the earth.

12 Its leaves were lovely,
Its fruit abundant,
And in it was food for all.
The beasts of the field found shade under it,
The birds of the heavens dwelt in its branches,
And all flesh was fed from it.

13 "I saw in the visions of my head while on my bed, and there was a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven. 14 He cried aloud and said thus:
Chop down the tree and cut off its branches,
Strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit.
Let the beasts get out from under it,
And the birds from its branches.

15 Nevertheless leave the 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
On the grass of the earth.

16 Let his heart be changed from that of a man,
Let him be given the heart of a beast,
And let seven times pass over him.

17 'This decision is by the decree of the watchers,
And the sentence by the word of the holy ones,
In order that the living may know
That the Most High rules in the kingdom of men,
Gives it to whomever He will,
And sets over it the lowest of men.'

18 "This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now you, Belteshazzar, declare its interpretation, since all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation; but you are able, for the Spirit of the Holy God is in you."

Here is the second dream of Nebuchadnezzar the king of the Chaldeans of Babylon.  He began the narrative by praising the LORD God who had revealed his first dream of his present mighty kingdom and those to follow him as interpreted through Daniel the man of God.  Therefore, because Daniel had been able to tell him the hidden dream and its interpretation as no mortal man should be able to do, the king extolled God’s mighty signs and wonders worked for him to hear and see.  This is as when Jesus Christ opens our eyes by His Spirit to behold such wonderful things from His written word when we are regenerated by that same power of revelation in our souls (1 Corinthians 2:10, Ephesians 3:3-5).  He who loves in us now is our interpreter to understand such mighty works of God and their meaning from the beginning in Genesis describing our fall to need redemption all the way to the consummation of redemption in Revelation 22:20-21 assuring His return and grace until that glorious day!  Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged the sovereign power and dominion of the King of kings and His eternal kingdom that never ends as a foreshadowing of the kingdom of heaven in us now and into the forevermore of the New Jerusalem, the Celestial City brought to earth where we will worship Him always.  If only that king could see the things revealed to us now in Christ!  His second dream instead troubled the king, this time telling it to hear an interpretation instead of demanding it to be as if read from his minds like the first one.  After the charlatans had no answers, Daniel came at last to hear the dream and who the king now acknowledged, “in him is the Spirit of the Holy God.”  He explained the entire vision to the man of God, describing a towering tree of strength reaching out over the whole earth, strong and bearing much fruit, providing food no shelter to all around.  Suddenly an angel from heaven, described as a holy watcher, came down and commanded the tree to be felled, stripped of branches, fruit, and leaves along with all who were fed and sheltered by it.  The stump with its roots was left, bound and watered by dew from heaven while he grazed like an animal in the field.  His heart was made mad like a beast of the wild, left to mindlessly graze for a set time.  This was the decree made in the vision dream as a sentence of the holy ones watching on.  The reason for all this was for all to know that the Most High alone rules among the visible temporary kingdoms on earth, which rule He entrusts and takes away at His will in His time of sovereign providence.  No kingdom or nation rises or falls in its own might or wisdom or goodness; the LORD of heaven alone (John 19:11, Romans 13:1) gives rule and takes it away, not based on a man’s power or greatness of any kind, just as king David was a small ordinary shepherd chosen to lead God’s people.  After king Nebuchadnezzar had shared this dream with  Daniel, he awaited its interpretation by the LORD of heaven, knowing he was “able, for the Spirit of the Holy God is in you.”  He acknowledged God alone has the future in His hands along with us all.  Our trust and reliance on truth is likewise found in His word as interpreted by the Holy One living in us as our watcher and helper to lead and guide for His name’ sake.  We look for His sovereign understanding of providence in all history - past, present, and future.