Week 13: The Most High’s Prophet Counsels Repentance
Week 13 | Daniel 4:19-27
Day 1 Part 1 Central Passage Father, open my eyes to see the truth in Your Word that I may know and love you more deeply.
Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was dismayed for a while, and his thoughts alarmed him. The king answered and said, “Belteshazzar, let not the dream or the interpretation alarm you.” Belteshazzar answered and said, “My lord, may the dream be forthose who hate you and its interpretation for your enemies!
20 The tree you saw, which grew and became strong, so that its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth,21 whose leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in which was food for all, under which beasts of the field found shade, and in whose branches the birds of the heavens lived— 22 it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong. Your greatness has grown and reaches to heaven, and your dominion to the ends of the earth.
23 And because the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field, and let him be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven periods of time pass over him,’ 24 this is the interpretation, O king: It is a decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king, 25 that you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.
26 And as it was commanded to leave the stump of the roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be confirmed for you from the time that you know that Heaven rules.
27 Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you: break off your sins by practicing righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, that there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity.”
OBSERVATION
1. This text repeats details we read in Week 12 in Daniel 4:1-18; however now we are not hearing them from Neb’s first-person point of view, but from Daniel’s third-person point of view. The repetition gives us an opportunity to practice observing the structure of a passage. Observe the breaks in the text above. These breaks show shifts in the content. Consider the content and then label each section. Then either list the evidence for why you chose that label or go back to the text and mark it up. The first section is done for you.
Verse 19 – Daniel is stricken dumb & shocked by Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.
Evidence – dismayed for a while, thoughts alarmed him, Nebuchadnezzar perceives Daniel’s alarm, Daniel wants the dream to be for those who hate Neb/for his enemies. This is written with an exclamation point.
Verses 20-22
Evidence –
Verses 23-25
Evidence –
Verse 26
Evidence –
2. The shift from Nebuchadnezzar’s descriptions (4:10-17) in the first-person using “I” to Daniel’s descriptions (4:20-26) in the third-person gives us an opportunity to compare and contrast the repeated ideas.
List anything that is repeated in both Nebuchadnezzar’s and Daniel’s descriptions that you find particularly striking as God’s purpose for giving the King this dream.
List below any differences you see in Nebuchadnezzar’s and Daniel’s descriptions.
Historical Context – When Daniel exclaims, basically, “If only this dream were for enemies who hate you!” he is using a typical Jewish curse. What prompts this curse is Daniel tells Nebuchadnezzar that the tree “it is you, O king” (or “you are the man”). This is the interpretation we perceived in our last lesson., but now Daniel states it explicitly, but not with an accusatory tone.
The figurative language that describes the tree as reaching heaven and visible to the whole earth is supported by these historical facts: Nebuchadnezzar’s realm grew to include all Mesopotamia as far as the Mediterranean, including Egypt. Recall that God gave Nebuchadnezzar permission to claim this wide realm for himself: “You, O king, are the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the strength, and the honor; and wherever the sons of mankind live, or the animals of the field, or the birds of the sky, He has handed them over to you and has made you ruler over them all. You are the head of gold” (Daniel 2:37-38 NASB). Actually, God gave Nebuchadnezzar the entire earth, but the king of kings did not claim the entirety of this divine grant.
OBSERVE DICTION
Ask: Which words/phrases might provide clues to the author’s message? What do they literally mean?
Ex. destroy > Also used to describe God’s Kingdom as one that shall never be destroyed (Daniel 2:44; 6:26; 7:14).
Ex. band > also imprisonment.
Ex. confirmed > assured or secured
Ex. heaven > This figurative word refers to God, the ruler of heaven. It is a metonym in that heaven is closely associated with God so it works as a substitute term. For example, we might refer to judges as “the bench” or a royal person as “the crown.”
Ex. acceptable > also, pleasing or beautiful
Ex. break off > as in to break or tear away. The idea is to separate.
Ex. righteous > the connotation is beneficent righteousness
Ex. iniquities > perversities
Ex. show mercy > or make supplication
Ex. prosperity > security, safety, or tranquility
3. Consider the additional observations in the historical context and diction box above. List any questions or other observations these spur in you.
Day 2 Part 2 Central Passage Father, open my eyes to see the truth in Your Word that I may know and love you more deeply.
INTERPRET
Ask: Why did the author choose to include these details, use these words, & make any figurative comparisons?
1. Review Daniel 4:19 and 26. How would you describe the relationship between Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar?
2. If you want to charm or chide someone, addressing them repeatedly as “you” can give you the win. Go back and box all the “you’s” that refer to Nebuchadnezzar. Now put yourself in Nebuchadnezzar’s royal sandals. “The decree of the Most High God is that YOU shall live as an animal...until YOU know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whomever He wills.” Keep in mind that Daniel is now speaking in the third-person as a prophet.
What do you think was God’s intention in couching His words in this particular way? What does He want Neb to feel?
What does He want Nebuchadnezzar to realize about his sins and about the one against Whom he sinned?
Why do you think God promises Nebuchadnezzar the return of his kingdom when he repents?
Context of Repentance -- We are born into this covenant relationship with God -- He is Creator-Law Maker and we created-law follower. We define repenting as “to turn” from sin to God. The idea is that we are “changing our mind.” When we turn, our mind change is evident in our actions: we stop living by our own standards and preferences and live by God’s standards.
3. Review your Day 1 Observations and Daniel’s counsel to Nebuchadnezzar in verse 27.
Based on Daniel’s counsel, what can we infer is Nebuchadnezzar’s sin?
How have we already seen that sin in action in our reading of Daniel 1-3?
God calls leaders to protect the vulnerable of their realm -- the widow, the orphan, the poor, the alien. We do not have any stories about how these are affected by the King’s rule. But what can you infer is likely?
What could be both “pleasing” and “beautiful” should this king of kings repent? Consider Daniel’s relationship with God and with Nebuchadnezzar. What might he long for the King to know and enjoy?
Days 3-4 Deeper Daniel Father, open my eyes to see the truth in Your Word that I may know and love you more deeply.
In Day 2, question 3, we reviewed the meaning of repentance and reflected upon how repentance might impact the turned sinner and also those he or she influences. For the next two days, we are going to reflect on God’s character revealed in the stories of people who repented. (See the list on next page.) As we do that, we will note the markers of true repentance. For example, one thing we learn from David’s story is that in love God exposes our sin to turn us from evil to Him and His goodness for us; in David we see how the truly repentant accepts the consequences of his choices.
Since you are choosing to follow one character or several characters and to reflect on them as much as you have time and interest to do, it is better if you control your space by recording your thoughts on a separate sheet of paper. Or you may wish to write them directly near the story(ies) in your Bible. Again you are looking for how God’s nature is revealed in these stories and for the markers of a truly repentant person. If you prefer to listen to these stories instead of reading them, go to biblegateway.com and type the reference to the story you chose. Then click the little megaphone.
You could choose to follow one character whose complex story is more deeply developed.
a. Judah in Genesis 37, 42-45 b. David in 2 Samuel 11-12 c. Jonah 1-4
OR
You could choose to follow several characters to gain broader exposure to what repentance looks like.
a. King Manasseh in 2 Chronicles 33 b. People of Nineveh in Jonah 3 c. the sinful woman in Luke 7
d. The Prodigal Son in Luke 15:11-32 e. Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1-10 f. Peter in Luke 22:54-62
g. Thief on cross in Luke 23:39-43 h. Paul in Acts 9 i. Philippian jailer in Acts 16
Day 5 Deeper Daniel Father, open my eyes to see the truth in Your Word that I may know and love you more deeply.
Steve shared with me this afternoon an area where he was so focused on reaching the goal that he was missing the daily win of enjoying the build toward that goal. He forgot the goal was a process. He had more to say, but first let’s review. In the Deeper Daniel Days of Lesson 12, you met with God for conviction and confession and for insight and guidance for the purpose of surrendering your kingdom and seeking first His Kingdom. You made a list of some potential goals for this year, both practical and spiritual, that supported the chief purpose of our lives that we saw Christ live out first.
The daily win, Steve realized, was enjoying the intimate moments along the way. These were the build to the goal. The True Kingdom goal is always relationship. We know our chief purpose is to bring glory to God and we do that through growing in intimacy with Him. The proof of our intimacy with Him is our love for others.
On Day 5 of Lesson 12, you reflected on your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities for growth and threats to your goals. Steve hadn’t seen the S.W.O.T. chart yet, but he laid out all those as he was processing out loud. And then he started the formulation of some steps to take. He still has the same goal in one sense, but now his plan for meeting that goal is to purposefully enjoy the intimacy along the way while depending upon God in his weaknesses and standing firm against threats. Steve affirmed his love for God by sharing all this with me. We will work together toward his goal.
1. Review the goals you listed in Day 4 Q3. Choose one likely candidate for a goal to scrutinize. If you would like to follow an example to see how a goal can be scrutinized, one is provided in the blue box after these questions.
A Kingdom Goal for 2026 ______________________________
a. How would meeting this goal bring glory to God?
b. What are some general steps you would need to take?
c. How would you enjoy a greater intimacy with God as you pursue this goal? What could you intentionally do to build that?
d. What will you lose or give up to pursue this goal? In other words, what will the costs be?
e. Even when we pursue goals to grow, we are tempted. What might your temptations be? Consider your triggers and when you are prone to be more vulnerable or with whom.
f. What will you do when you sense you are struggling? How will you seek God? What mature believing friend(s) can help you stay accountable?
g. In Days 3-4 of this lesson, you wrote some markers of a truly repentant person. If you move from temptation to sin while pursuing this goal, what steps of repentance should you take?
h. If needed, how soon can you take those steps of repentance with God and others you harmed? How often can you keep turning back to God? Let me answer those questions: in seconds and as often as you must (1 John 1:9).
Scrutinizing a Practical Goal Albert’s Example – Getting out of debt.
a. It will bring glory to God because this is also a heart issue, not just a money issue. He does not want me to be selfish or enslaved by debt. I will learn to be more disciplined in my spending and to trust Him.
b. Steps I should take include: Making a list of all my debt. Meeting with someone who can teach me the best way to pay this off or taking Moneywise at church. Setting up a payment plan with my wife. Following the payment plan that we set up faithfully.
c. I would grow in greater intimacy with God because I will have to depend on Him to resist the temptation to break from our payment plan. I can build that intimacy by praying to Him and praying with my wife as well so we can do this together. When I read the Bible, I can remember my goal and look to be encouraged and corrected. I will find Scriptures about money and wisdom.
d. I will lose spending money on whatever we will need to cut in order to meet our goal. I am thinking that will likely be things like eating out, spending money on hobbies, trips out of town, and postponing buying a car.
e. I will be prone to ditch the plan when we fail to plan meals and then are pressed for time and feel too lazy to cook. Or when my co-workers keep asking me to go get coffee/meals with them. I struggle with saying no to other people. I like to be comfortable and indulge myself, but I also struggle with looking good (nice car, clothes, lifestyle). It will be hard for me to tell my wife, friends, kids no to things. I don’t want to look like I cannot provide for my family.
f. Knowing that these temptations will come at work and at home, I will pray in the morning to be able to follow through with our plan. I will remember God does not want me to live as a slave to money or to the world’s demands by reading my list of Scriptures. I have a friend who just got himself and his family out of debt, and I will keep talking to him about my struggles to give in.
g. I read David’s story. What I learned was he just go too comfortable and wanted to stay comfortable by giving in to his own pleasures. If he had repented earlier, then others would not have been so hurt. But what I do admire about him is that he admitted his sin and did not make excuses. He accepted the consequences. I will follow those steps.
h. I will go to God and confess my impatience and greed and lack of leadership. I will trust He forgives me and then start again.
2. Review your answers. Do you see that in pursuing this goal, you can “win” daily by enjoying the intimate moments along the way? Even in struggle and failures (see 1fgh) we can grow in intimacy with God and others, maybe especially in the struggles and failures. How could that be so?
3. Perhaps you are ready to choose 1-3 goals that you believe will bring glory to God as they grow you and deepen your eternal relationships. If so, take your remaining goal choices through the 1a-h questions using the space below.
Group Reflection Faithful in Exile
Trios & Quad Time – Get together with your psemester prayer partners.
In your little group, discuss Day 5.
1. Read the text box together
2. Share one goal you will pursue for 2026.
3. Let those who completed Day 5 for homework share Q1acde.
4. Discuss Q2 together. Understanding how God builds intimacy with us as we pursue His Kingdom and keep pursuing His Kingdom in struggle is key to our application of this lesson.
Prayer
Pray for God to refine us so that we are serving His Kingdom and not our own.
Ask Him to show us what goals we should pursue this year so that we can grow and be humble witnesses for Him.
God’s presence would be tangibly felt at Grace Bible Church through the power of the Holy Spirit as we pursue an intimate relationship with Him.
God’s joy & strength to you!