4:20-27
Daniel now outlines the meaning of the dream, and it essentially means the king is going to lose his mind and act like an animal. This was not the sort of message that one would like to give to a king, it could well mean that the king would kill you! The magnificent tree represented the king himself. The great power of the king was the good news! Then comes the bad news. The king will be driven away from the people and will live like a wild animal. He would even eat grass like the ox! This state of affairs would continue until the king acknowledged that the Lord is sovereign over all the nations. So God is dealing with the pride of the king. However, it was not all bad news. The kingdom would be restored to the king once he did acknowledge who the Lord is. Daniel then gives advice to the king: “renounce your sins”. Daniel genuinely spoke “truth to power”.
4:28-30
All the things foretold in the dream came to pass. One might have thought that he could have heeded the warning and so changed his ways and avoided the humiliation, but human nature is not like that. Sin is a very powerful driving force. Even knowing the consequences, we will still follow its deceptive paths. So here we read of the king boasting about the greatness of Babylon and how it was he who built it, and all for his power and glory. Pride is a very powerful force.
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