Title: Nebuchadnezzar's Dream (Daniel 4:10-12)
Contents
Lesson 37 Nebuchadnezzar's Dream (Daniel 4:10-12)
4:10-12
This is the vision that I received into my brain on the bed. I saw a tree in the center of the earth, and it was high and it grew and became strong. There are many, and they are food for all people, and the wild animals are in their shade, and the birds of the air make their nests in their branches, and everyone who is alive finds food there.
This is the scene where King Nebuchadnezzar is explaining his dream to Daniel. Let's look at verse 10. “This is the vision that I received into my brain in bed.” King Nebuchadnezzar first revealed the fact that the dream he had had was not just a dream, but a vision and a vision given to him by God. It is undoubtedly a dream that God revealed to him about the future. So after I had a dream, I was afraid because of the dream, and I was caught in deep anguish.
“I saw,” he said. It is clear that I saw it in a dream. What I am telling you is clearly the content of the dream I had. Shouldn't the interpretation of the dream be correct only if the content of the dream is accurate? If you say you may have seen this or you may have seen that, the interpretation itself has no choice but to go back and forth. The dream I tell you is certain.
What did you see in your dream? "I saw a tree in the center of the earth." What is the essence of your dream? What did you see? I saw a tree. How do we know that this tree is important? It is said that it is not located at the edge of the earth, but in the center of the earth. And I saw not many trees, but one tree. Also said it was expensive. I saw a big tree, a giant tree. Who does the giant tree standing in the center of the land mentioned here represent? That is King Nebuchadnezzar.
In the past and now, the tree symbolizes people in the East and the West. In the Bible, Amos 2:9 describes the Amorites as being tall as a cedar and as strong as an oak. Also, in Judges 9, Abimelech, one of Gideon's sons, killed all 70 of his brothers and became king. Jotham, who barely survived at that time, told a parable. You told the olive tree, the fig tree, and the vine to be king, but you didn't want to, but what tree said that it would become king? The thorn tree wanted to become a king on its own. In this way, trees also symbolize people. In today's text, the large tree standing in the center of the earth symbolizes King Nebuchadnezzar.
Then look at verse 11. “The tree will grow and become strong.” The tree did not stand still. It got bigger and bigger. In addition, the strength of the tree grew stronger and stronger. And more important words emerge. "Because it reached the sky." The height reached the sky.
When we think about this scene, there is a picture that is drawn in our head. In Genesis 11, when people were building the Tower of Babel, what did they say to build the city and the tower high and where the top would reach? I was told to reach the sky. What does the sky represent? What thrones are in heaven? There is the throne of God. So, building the Tower of Babel is a desire to become like God. This is the wrong desire. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve also ate the fruit of the forbidden fruit, so that if they ate it, they would become like God. Humans have a false desire to be like God. Pride. You must keep your own fountain.
"Its height has reached the sky, so it will be visible from the ends of the earth." Skip ahead and look at verse 22.
“O king, this tree is a king, for you grow and become strong, and become great and reach into the heavens, and your dominion extends to the ends of the earth.”
The tree was said to represent the king. The phrase “I will be seen from the ends of the earth” in verse 11 means that the power of King Nebuchadnezzar extends to the ends of the earth. King Nebuchadnezzar conquered all the neighboring countries. There were no more countries to conquer. The power has been extended to the ends of the earth.
Not only that. Please see verse 12. "The leaves are beautiful." Are the leaves of the tree diseased? no. It was fresh and beautiful. So, as verse 4 says, I was at peace at home, and I was also at peace in the palace. At home, there were no problems with the class. It was peaceful.
How prosperous and prosperous have you been? "Its fruit is abundant, and it is worthy of being a plant for all people." It was worthy of prey for all beasts. “The beasts of the field are in their shade, and the birds of the air make nests in their branches.” What do the wild beasts and birds in the air here symbolize? All the servants of King Nebuchadnezzar. The lives of all his servants are in the hands of King Nebuchadnezzar. "Everyone of the spirit found food there." All living animals got their plants from the tree.
What did King Nebuchadnezzar see in his dream? It is God who is in control of human life and death and is in charge of history, but King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream as if the life of the whole world depended on him. This is pride. So, he had no choice but to be punished. No matter how great King Nebuchadnezzar's authority was, he should have thought of and humbled himself with the absolute authority above him, but he was not. In the end, King Nebuchadnezzar was punished by God for his pride.
What did the Proverbs say?
"Pride is the forerunner of destruction, and a haughty heart is the forerunner of falling."
What does it mean? When pride precedes, something must follow. Falls follow, and destruction follows. What does God hate the most? Lying and stealing seem to be favored by God, but in the Bible, pride is always emphasized. God always gives grace to the humble and opposes the proud. God hates arrogance the most. Do not strive to be high, but rather go low. That is how God exalts us. When we try to exalt ourselves, God humbles us. Rather than being proud, we should be humble, acknowledging God, putting God first, and following the Lord's footsteps.
If you look around you, there are people who interfere with you even though you have no special relationship with them and go out and install them for nothing. It's really bad to look at. So there is an old saying. The fool in other people's house kept his mouth shut, so he went in the middle, but the fool in my house just installed it and went around to disgrace the whole house. Isn't it? How many people go out and install them without knowing it, and find out all their ignorance?
I pray in the name of Jesus that God's grace, which gives grace to the humble, will overflow more and more to all of you on this day when you can keep your position humbly without trying to be ahead.