And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots; thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee, after that thou shalt have known that the heavens do rule. Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by showing mercy to the poor; if it may be alengthening of thy tranquillity (Dan 4:26-27).
Daniel's Counsel: Quit Your Sinning! "This one verse (27) stands uniquely alone from the rest of the thirty-six verses in our chapter. What a pity that most commentators have passed it by with little or no comment at all! Daniel offered what he had not been asked to give—sound spiritual counsel. It takes moral courage for a preacher to apply the truth and admonish his hearers as did Daniel."(Strauss-written 1967-68)
We don't know what Nebuchadnezzar's reaction was to such forthright advice from Daniel. The king had run short on reliable advisors in this dream crisis. His soul was in a bind. You would think he would take it to heart. But when you mess with a man's ego and habit, it takes some doing to get him to see that he's strolling through a mine field. It's hard to believe that the upset king would ignore the advice of the preacher who knew so much about him, but that's exactly what he did.
It's always risky to urge a man to quit his sinning. We tend to protect our pet sins like we protect our pet dogs and cats. They are family. And even if a man knows he ought to quit his sinning, it can be done later at a more convenient time. On the other hand, finding a preacher or Bible teacher who will lay it on the line is getting to be as scarce as hen's teeth. It's a lonely job. If we read about confrontation in the Bible it's hard to see that it was difficult to do. It's easy for us to dismiss it as an easy thing to do back then but hard to do in these days.
Paul admonished young Timothy: Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables (2Ti 4:2-4).
Paul gives a lengthy defense of his faith to King Agrippa until the king said: … Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian (Act 26:28).
Peter gave a lengthy testimony with this conclusion: Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? (Act 2:36-37)
Peter also preached like this on the day of Pentecost. But although three thousand people turned to the Lord, most of the people who heard him paid no attention. One writer laments: "The heart of man has not changed since that historic seventh century. With all the courageous and compassionate preaching of God's Word, men will not turn from their pride and passions to Jesus Christ."
God is being merciful to Nebuchadnezzar but one day soon, God's mercy will be exhausted and there will be no more patience for this wicked man. Is there something that needs to be dealt with in your life? Has the Lord been chasing you about something? Today is always the right day to settle things with the Lord.
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