Daniel 4 - The King Received A Warning - NIV

1. This Chapter was Written by Someone Other than Daniel.

Daniel 4:1-3 King _________________________, To the peoples, nations and men of every language, who live in all the world: May you prosper greatly! [2] It is my pleasure to tell you about the __________________ signs and wonders that the Most High God has ________________ for me. [3] How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom; his ______________ endures from generation to generation.

Who is the author of this chapter of Daniel? _______________________

2. Nebuchadnezzar Has Another Dream.

Daniel 4:4-6 I, _________________________, was at home in my palace, contented and __________________. [5] I had a dream that made me afraid. As I was lying in my bed, the images and visions that passed through my mind terrified me. [6] So I commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be brought before me to ________________ the dream for me.

Daniel 4:7-9 When the magicians, __________________, astrologers and ______________ came, I told them the dream, but they could not interpret it for me. [8] ____________, Daniel came into my ______________ and I told him the dream. (He is called Belteshazzar, after the name of my god, and the spirit of the holy gods is in him.) [9] I said, "Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you, and no mystery is too ________________ for you. Here is my dream; interpret it for me.

Daniel 4:10-12 These are the visions I saw while lying in my bed: I looked, and there before me stood a tree in the middle of the land. Its height was ______________. [11] The tree grew large and strong and its top touched the sky; it was visible to the ends of the earth. [12] Its leaves were ________________, its fruit ______________, and on it was food for all. Under it the beasts of the field found shelter, and the birds of the air lived in its ______________; from it every ______________ was fed.

Daniel 4:13-17 "In the visions I saw while lying in my bed, I looked, and there before me was a ________________, a holy one, coming down from heaven. [14] He called in a loud voice: 'Cut down the tree and trim off its branches; strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the animals flee from under it and the birds from its branches. [15] But let the stump and its roots, bound with iron and bronze, remain in the ground, in the grass of the field. " 'Let him be ______________ with the dew of heaven, and let him live with the animals among the plants of the earth. [16] Let his mind be changed from that of a man and let him be given the mind of an animal, till seven times pass by for him. [17] " 'The ______________ is ________________ by ________________s, the holy ones ____________ the ____________, so that the living may know that the Most High is ________________ over the ______________ of men and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the ______________ of men.'

Daniel 4:18 "This is the dream that I, King _________________________, had. Now, _____________________, 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."

3. Daniel Didn't Enjoy Telling Nebuchadnezzar the Meaning of This Dream.

Daniel 4:19 Then Daniel (also called Belteshazzar) was greatly ________________ for a time, and his thoughts ________________ 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 ___________________!

Daniel 4:20-23 The tree you saw, which grew large and strong, with its top ______________ the sky, visible to the whole earth, [21] with ________________ leaves and abundant fruit, ________________ food for all, giving shelter to the beasts of the field, and having nesting places in its ______________ for the birds of the air-- [22] you, O king, are that tree! You have become great and strong; your ________________ has grown until it reaches the sky, and your ______________ extends to distant parts of the earth. [23] "You, O king, saw a ________________, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, 'Cut down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump, bound with iron and bronze, in the grass of the field, while its roots remain in the ground. Let him be ______________ with the dew of heaven; let him live like the wild ____________, until seven times pass by for him.'

Daniel 4:24-26 "This is the _________________________, O king, and this is the decree the Most High has issued against my lord the king: [25] You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild ____________; you will eat grass like cattle and be ______________ with the dew of heaven. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is ________________ over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes. [26] The ____________ to leave the stump of the tree with its roots means that your kingdom will be ______________ to you when you acknowledge that Heaven rules.

Daniel 4:27 Therefore, O king, be pleased to accept my advice: Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your __________________ by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your __________________ will continue."

It seems Nebuchadnezzar forgot God's warning concerning his pride. And it was his pride that made it easy for him to forget.

4. Twelve Months Later.

Daniel 4:28-30 All this ______________ to King _________________________. [29] Twelve months later, as the king was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, [30] he said, "Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal ________________, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?"

Daniel 4:31-32 The words were still on his lips when a voice came from heaven, "This is what is ____________ for you, King _________________________: Your royal authority has been taken from you. [32] You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild ____________; you will eat grass like cattle. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is ________________ over the ______________ of men and gives them to anyone he wishes."

Daniel 4:33 ___________________ what had been said about _________________________ was ________________. He was driven away from people and ate grass like cattle. His body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird.

Daniel 4:34-35 At the end of that time, I, _________________________, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was ______________. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and ________________ him who lives forever. His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation. [35] All the peoples of the earth are ______________ as nothing. He does as he ____________ with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: "What have you done?"

Daniel 4:36-37 At the same time that my sanity was restored, my honor and ______________ were ______________ to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne and became even greater than before. [37] Now I, _________________________, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because __________________ he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.

What do you think Nebuchadnezzar learned from his experience of living with the wild beasts? _______________________________________________

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