17 " 'The decision is announced by messengers, the holy ones declare the verdict, so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest of men.'18 "This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, had. Now, Belteshazzar, tell me what it means, for none of the wise men in my kingdom can interpret it for me. But you can, because the spirit of the holy gods is in you."19 Then Daniel (also called Belteshazzar) was greatly perplexed for a time, and his thoughts terrified him. So the king said, "Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its meaning alarm you." Belteshazzar answered, "My lord, if only the dream applied to your enemies and its meaning to your adversaries! 20 The tree you saw, which grew large and strong, with its top touching the sky, visible to the whole earth, 21 with beautiful leaves and abundant fruit, providing food for all, giving shelter to the beasts of the field, and having nesting places in its branches for the birds of the air- 22 you, O king, are that tree! You have become great and strong; your greatness has grown until it reaches the sky, and your dominion extends to distant parts of the earth.
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How truly perplexed Daniel must have been for a long time,as he was about to tell King Nebuchadnezzar the true meaning of his ominous dream. Sometimes the truth can hurt and it's not easy to tell this truth to someone in his face... We can see how the spirit of God continuously guides Daniel and gives him the wisdom to interpret dreams.At the same time, Daniel remains humble and modest in the Lord and is being used by Him as His tool of instrument... In this section, we can also see beginning of the downfall of Nebuchadnezzar.Regardless of how much earthly glory and splendor he has enjoyed and experienced, God will soon take away the royal authority from Nebuchadnezzar and drive him away from his people since since he practiced idolatry and ordered the Israelites to worship man-made idols.... Through this example, we can see how easily and quickly God can interact in our lives and turn situations. We truly are "nothing" compared to our omnipotent God who is the Alpha and Omega of this entire universe, and we should remain humble and obedient before Him. At the same time, we should remember that our life on this earth is just temporary.
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