A Word between the Prophet and his King (Dan. 4:18-19)

 

7. Word of dialogue between Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar (4:18-19).

 

v. 18: “Now you, Belteshazzar, tell me its interpretation…”

 

o   See commentary on vv. 6-9. The King is finally ready to hear the Word of Truth, which his worldly counselors were unable to supply. The inability of such “wise men” to ultimately deliver for us and address our most basic spiritual needs is a recurrent theme in Daniel (cf., Dan. 1:20, 2:4-13, 4:7, 5:7-8).

 

o   In his unconverted state, the King employs the name Belteshazzar, with all of its pagan connotations (cf., v. 9), which indicates his continued claims to sovereign mastery over Daniel. He is not yet ready to acknowledge the truth that lies behind the meaning of the Hebrew name Daniel: “God is my Judge” (cf., 4:8, 19).

 

v. 19a: Then Daniel, whose name is Belteshazzar, was appalled…

 

o   Daniel was “appalled:” i.e., he was absolutely stunned, perplexed, and astonished at the substance of the awful dream, and what it meant in consequence for the great King Nebuchadnezzar, for whom the loyal Daniel (Jer. 29:4-7) had acquired a great deal of respect and a sincere personal regard.

 

o   “for a while” (NASB, ESV, WEB), or “a time” (NKJV, NIV); probably indicating a “brief time” (NET), or “moment” (CSB)—as opposed to the rendering of “one hour” by the LXX, KJV, DRV, and LITV.

 

v. 19b: The king responded and said, “Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its interpretation alarm you.”

 

o   Perceiving Daniel’s anguish and internal turmoil, the King nonetheless persists in his desire for TRUTH; neither the substance of the Dream nor its attendant “Bad News” should inhibit Daniel from speaking accurately or truthfully.

 

v. 19c: My lord, if only the dream applied to those who hate you…”

 o   Daniel’s statement of preparation is an ominous prelude to the ensuing interpretation.

o   An exhibition of remarkable pastoral concern for the object of his counsel!

 

o   A remarkable demonstration of tempering judgment with mercy! We are called to accurately and forcefully preach the holy judgment of God without restraint unto the world—but through TEARS, and not with GLEE!

 

o   Let us remember that the judgment that we preach unto others has also been merited by ourselves! “There but for the grace of God go I…”

 

o   Such remarkable concern for the great destroyer of Judah, Jerusalem, and the Holy Place! But Daniel’s patterns of thought are complex, tempered by such varying concerns as the need for personal humility and mercy when dealing with the unsaved, as well as a godly respect for secular royal authority.

 

o   As a student of the work of Jeremiah (Dan. 9:2), Daniel further understands that Nebuchadnezzar’s deeds—though tainted with personal sinfulness, for which he and Babylon were personally accountable (Hab. 2:6-20)—were nonetheless performed under the Banner of Divine Sovereignty. Nebuchadnezzar was thus a duly appointed agent of Divine Judgment against the Chosen Hebrew Nation for its sins (Hab. 1:5-11, Dan. 9:2-14)!