““Upon hearing this, Daniel (also known as Belteshazzar) was overcome for a time, frightened by the meaning of the dream. Then the king said to him, ‘Belteshazzar, don’t be alarmed by the dream and what it means.’ “Belteshazzar replied, ‘I wish the events foreshadowed in this dream would happen to your enemies, my Lord, and not to you! The tree you saw was growing very tall and strong, reaching high into the heavens for all the world to see. It had fresh green leaves and was loaded with fruit for all to eat. Wild animals lived in its shade, and birds nested in its branches. That tree, Your Majesty, is you. For you have grown strong and great; your greatness reaches up to heaven, and your rule to the ends of the earth. “‘Then you saw a messenger, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, “Cut down the tree and destroy it. But leave the stump and the roots in the ground, bound with a band of iron and bronze and surrounded by tender grass. Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven. Let him live with the animals of the field for seven periods of time.” “‘This is what the dream means, Your Majesty, and what the Most High has declared will happen to my Lord the king. You will be driven from human society, and you will live in the fields with the wild animals. You will eat grass like a cow, and you will be drenched with the dew of heaven. Seven periods of time will pass while you live this way, until you learn that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of the world and gives them to anyone he chooses. But the stump and roots of the tree were left in the ground. This means that you will receive your kingdom back again when you have learned that heaven rules. “‘King Nebuchadnezzar, please accept my advice. Stop sinning and do what is right. Break from your wicked past and be merciful to the poor. Perhaps then you will continue to prosper.’”
Daniel 4:19-27 NLT
Daniel, upon hearing the dream, became concerned for the king. Daniel was the Nebedchednezzar’s most trusted advisor. We know that in his call for repentance, he acknowledges the wicked behavior of the king. He knew the evil that the king was living in, despite the fact that the dream presented the king as a safe haven for his kingdom. Daniel would know the king as both men. First he would be a good king in function. He was by all accounts, legendary. But second, he was a sinful man at heart. He was by God’s account, as a filthy rag. It is important to note that Daniel’s reaction takes into account both men. It was not a moment of vindication for Daniel, to reveal the meaning of the dream. He wanted an easier path for his king. It is in this context that the call to repentance comes. Daniel knows that, despite the greatness of his king, his pride and subsequent behaviors are the reason for this drastic future. There is only one possible end to this future and it is one of submission to God and the burning off of that pride. Coupled with Daniel’s love for him, and the call to repentance, this is a gospel message. If he will simply believe that God is the real king of kings and lord of lords, and turn to him, then this judgment need not come.
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