Read

Daniel 4:19-27

¹⁹“Upon hearing this, Daniel (also known as Belteshazzar) was overcome for a time, frightened by the meaning of the dream. Then the king said to him, ‘Belteshazzar, don’t be alarmed by the dream and what it means.’

“Belteshazzar replied, ‘I wish the events foreshadowed in this dream would happen to your enemies, my lord, and not to you! ²⁰The tree you saw was growing very tall and strong, reaching high into the heavens for all the world to see. ²¹It had fresh green leaves and was loaded with fruit for all to eat. Wild animals lived in its shade, and birds nested in its branches. ²²That tree, Your Majesty, is you. For you have grown strong and great; your greatness reaches up to heaven, and your rule to the ends of the earth.

²³“‘Then you saw a messenger, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Cut down the tree and destroy it. But leave the stump and the roots in the ground, bound with a band of iron and bronze and surrounded by tender grass. Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven. Let him live with the animals of the field for seven periods of time.”

²⁴“‘This is what the dream means, Your Majesty, and what the Most High has declared will happen to my lord the king. ²⁵You will be driven from human society, and you will live in the fields with the wild animals. You will eat grass like a cow, and you will be drenched with the dew of heaven. Seven periods of time will pass while you live this way, until you learn that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of the world and gives them to anyone he chooses. ²⁶But the stump and roots of the tree were left in the ground. This means that you will receive your kingdom back again when you have learned that heaven rules.

²⁷“‘King Nebuchadnezzar, please accept my advice. Stop sinning and do what is right. Break from your wicked past and be merciful to the poor. Perhaps then you will continue to prosper.’”

Reflect

“You want the truth? You can’t handle the truth.”_{Jack Nicholson in “A Few Good Men”}

Daniel was in a position to tell the king some bad news. Daniel knew of the king’s tendency to fly-off-the-handle when people didn’t tell him what he wanted to hear. Belteshazzar was the type of guy who appeared to not be able to handle the truth. So, what was Daniel to do? God gave Daniel wisdom to understand the king’s dream. God also gave Daniel a heart to care for the king. Daniel didn’t want to tell the king the truth, not because he was afraid of the king, but because he was genuinely concerned for the king. Daniel didn’t want the king to have to go through God’s punishment. He pleaded for the king to change his ways.

Good friends can tell each other the truth, with the proper concern and love for the other person. As Christians, we need to seek God’s wisdom when we are faced with a situation where we have to tell someone something that will be difficult to hear. Just like Daniel, we need to deliver it with genuine love and compassion.

Respond

1. From his past history, how well did King Nebuchadnezzar handle bad news?
2. Why didn’t Daniel just lie to the king instead of telling him the truth?
3. What can we do in situations where we have to “be real” with a friend?

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