King James Version, with Nii Okai's journal notes · 20 notes
1Nebuchadnezzar the king, unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you.
Everyone has the place and point they meet God at and surrender to him. After all that King Nebuchadnezzar had experienced, you would have expected him to have converted to the Hebrew God, but no, not until his sanity was taken from him did he surrender to God Almighty. And that is what happens to us. Some change drastically after their first major encounter with the Lord.
Others take more than one, and yet others multiple encounters to surrender to the Lord, and sadly some never do.
2I thought it good to shew the signs and wonders that the high God hath wrought toward me.
These sound like the words of a man who has been humbled and forced to bow the knee and acknowledge a superior power, the power of the Most High GOD.
3How great are his signs! and how mighty are his wonders! his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation.
I can only imagine what it took for Nebuchadnezzar to get to this point.
He was a proud man who set up images as gods and decided the whole earth must worship 🛐 it.
He was a god to himself.
Secondly, why did he have to be asleep in a dream state, where all senses are suspended, for him to have this dream, a portal to the spirit realm?
Mind you, his dreams were super accurate. Why did God and the Spirit have to commune with him in a dream state?
Could they not have communed otherwise, directly to him? This is where knowledge into the spirit arises.
Our spirit senses physical things as our everyday default mode. To sense spiritually, we would have to change the mode or engage in some activity that serves as a portal to the spirit.
There is no way around it; it is deliberate knowledge that must be applied.
Being in a dream state was how God chose to communicate directly with this pagan king 👑.
Indeed, that was how he dealt with the pagan kings, from Abimelech, Pharaoh and other pagan kings who were not conscious of God and how to access the spirit realm to God...
Is King Nebuchadnezzar in heaven? Just thinking aloud.
4I Nebuchadnezzar was at rest in mine house, and flourishing in my palace:
The NIV says he was content.
Daniel 4:4-5 NIV
...contented and prosperous. I had a dream that made me afraid. As I was lying in bed, the images and visions that passed through my mind terrified me.
He did not have need for anything else and was happy with his life.
But little did he know there was a void that only God Most High could fill.
5I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts upon my bed and the visions of my head troubled me.
6Therefore made I a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known unto me the interpretation of the dream.
These people and kings were deeply spiritual; indeed, the supernatural was part of the offices and structure of his government, deeply embedded in it.
7Then came in the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers: and I told the dream before them; but they did not make known unto me the interpretation thereof.
8But 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, saying,
Why was Daniel the last to be called?
And this was not the first time; maybe he was not around at this time.
Or because he was detested for his righteous ways and jealoused over for his many promotions, others tried to get ahead of him.
When finally he was needed because all else had failed, then he was called.
After which his judgement, which was so impeccable, often led to his promotion.
How was Nebuchadnezzar's understanding of who GOD Almighty was? Did he think of HIM as one of the gods, but with superior rank, higher than his own god? Remember, he referred to him as the high GOD in verse 2, and rightly so.
So GOD was the high one among the gods. Indeed, GOD refers to himself as the Most High GOD, thus acknowledging lower gods.
But as Christians we know deeper, that there is no god but our GOD and no lord but our LORD — he has no equals. Let's go on.
9O 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.
The holy gods? How many did he think Daniel's GOD was?
10Thus 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.
11The tree grew, and was strong, and the height thereof reached unto heaven, and the sight thereof to the end of all the earth:
12The 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.
13I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, behold, a watcher and an holy one came down from heaven;
14He 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:
The watchers... Who carved out such a story, the imagery and the narrative? Who thought it out?
I can imagine they had counsel, called the heavenly scribes and the artists and communication experts of heaven, to see how best they can communicate and get through to Nebuchadnezzar.
15Nevertheless 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:
16Let his heart be changed from man’s, and let a beast’s heart be given unto him; and let seven times pass over him.
17This 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.
In which ways does God rule in the earth, and what is Satan doing here?
What laws does Satan function with to give him such power?
18This 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.
These were polytheists, so why do they call Daniel's God holy?
Maybe because He detested vain practices and idolatry and debauchery and sexual immorality... A practice which other gods relished in.
So seeing these attributes, they realized that these gods were pleased 😌 with holy living.
That is how to stir their power and activate their goodness on you.
19Then 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.
Probably within these times he received the interpretation. An hour ⏳
20The tree that thou sawest, which grew, and was strong, whose height reached unto the heaven, and the sight thereof to all the earth;
21Whose 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:
22It 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.
23And 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;
24This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the most High, which is come upon my lord the king:
25That 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.
26And 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.
No wonder he did not believe nor implement the suggestion of Daniel.
The dream and its interpretation were too fantastic.
27Wherefore, 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.
Despite being forewarned, he did not heed; that is the nature of man, we are so stubborn.
Sometimes we can't even help our very own selves and are often led astray by our own desires.
This was the same by whom his dream of the image was interpreted and by whom the 3 Hebrew boys were delivered from the burning fiery furnace, so he knew God would do what he said he would do, yet Nebu would not heed.
28All this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar.
29At the end of twelve months he walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon.
30The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?
I suspect he might have been at the top of his palace viewing the expanse of his kingdom and might; I am inferring this from the way he is describing his kingdom.
Or maybe he looked at his own grandeur of a house he had built in Babylon and began praising his own self.
It is well.
31While the word was in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee.
32And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.
Who are the “they”?
33The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles’ feathers, and his nails like birds’ claws.
Hm... Imagine seeing this in the forest.
A man, yet a beast.
Wonders shall never end, and I suspect such decrees and strange events continue to happen up to even this moment of time.
34And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation:
35And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?
36At the same time my reason returned unto me; and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honour and brightness returned unto me; and my counsellors and my lords sought unto me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me.
37Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.
Whoever thought that the king 👑 of kings among men would be so humble and come to this point?
See how God screamed 😱 😡 and raved at Israel 🇮🇱.
Yet in captivity he shows favour to them and even gets their captor Nebuchadnezzar into Jehovah worship 🛐.
God is good and truly loves us as his children 🧒