Daniel 4:27 - Stop Sinning, Do What Is Right And Help The Needy.
Dan 4:27: Stop Sinning, Do What Is Right And Help The Needy.
CONTENT; What's in the verse; Translations; Paraphrase; Word
Study:
Dan 4:27 (KJV) 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 a lengthening of thy
tranquillity.
Dan 4:27 (AMP) Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable
to you; break off your sins and show the reality of your repentance
by righteousness (right standing with God and moral and spiritual
rectitude and rightness in every area and relation) and liberate yourself
from your iniquities by showing mercy and loving-kindness to the poor
and oppressed, that [if the king will repent] there may possibly be
a continuance and lengthening of your peace and tranquility and a
healing of your error.
Dan 4:27 (NIV) Therefore, O king, be pleased to accept my
advice: Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness
by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity
will continue."
Dan 4:27 (NCV) So, O king, please accept my advice. Stop
sinning and do what is right. Stop doing wicked things and be kind to
the poor. Then you might continue to be successful."
Dan 4:27 (CWR) This is the dreams meaning. And now, Your
Majesty, may my personal advice be acceptable to you. Atone for your
sins by doing what is right and for your iniquities by showing mercy
to those who are weak and taking care of those who are poor. This
change on your part will defer the sentence and may even cancel it
altogether.
CONTEXT; What's around the verse; Overview; Topic:
Overview
Daniel interpreted a dream portending disaster to Nebuchadnezzar
(4:1-27), and witnessed its fulfillment (vv. 28-37). As an old man Daniel
interpreted a sign indicating the fall of the Babylonian Empire (5:1-30),
and became a valued administrator of the Persian Empire which
succeeded it (6:1-3). God thwarted the plan of Daniel's enemies and
miraculously delivered him from a den of hungry lions (vv. 4-28). [The
365-Day Devotional Commentary]
4:19-27 Through his experience, Nebuchadnezzar (4:20-22) was to
learn that the Lord is the ultimate Sovereign and that he delegates
dominion so that man cannot take the glory or credit. Daniel counseled
the king to repent in order to avoid God's judgment (4:27). [New
Bible Companion]
SECTION HEADINGS
A Letter From Nebuchadnezzar About His Insanity (4:1-37)
Daniel interprets the dream (4:19-27)
Daniel Interprets the Second Dream (4:19-27)
"You Will Graze on the Grass Like an Ox" (4:19-27)
CROSS REFERENCES; What's in verses elsewhere.
Proverbs 16:6 (KJV) By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and
by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil.
Proverbs 28:13 (KJV) He that covereth his sins shall not
prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.
Isaiah 55:6-7 (KJV) Seek ye the Lord while he may be found,
call ye upon him while he is near: [7] Let the wicked forsake his
way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto
the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he
will abundantly pardon.
Ezekiel 18:21 (KJV) But if the wicked will turn from all his
sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that
which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.
Ezekiel 18:30-32 (KJV) Therefore I will judge you, O house of
Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord God. Repent, and
turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not
be your ruin. [31] Cast away from you all your transgressions,
whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit:
for why will ye die, O house of Israel? [32] For I have no pleasure
in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God: wherefore turn
yourselves, and live ye.
Matthew 3:8 (KJV) Bring forth therefore fruits meet for
repentance:
Acts 26:20 (KJV) But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at
Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the
Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for
repentance.
Galatians 5:6 (KJV) For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision
availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.
Galatians 5:13 (KJV) For, brethren, ye have been called unto
liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love
serve one another.
James 4:8-10 (KJV) Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to
you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye
double minded. [9] Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter
be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. [10] Humble
yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
1 Peter 4:8 (KJV) And above all things have fervent charity
among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.
COMMENTARY / APPLICATION: Moving From The Head To The Heart
What is God teaching here? What does it teach about Jesus?
Here a divine principle is communicated to the proud monarch.
God's judgments against men may be averted by repentance and
conversion (see Isa. 38:1, 2, 5; Jer. 18:7-10; Jonah 3:1-10). For this
reason God announced the impending judgment upon Nebuchadnezzar but
gave him a full year in which to repent, and thus avert the
threatened calamity (see Dan. 4:29). However, the king did not change his
way of life, and accordingly brought upon himself the execution of
the judgment. By contrast, the Ninevites, given 40 days of respite,
took advantage of the opportunity, and they and their city were
spared (Jonah 3:4-10). "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he
revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets" (Amos 3:7). God
forewarns peoples and nations of their impending doom. He sends a message
to the world today, warning of its rapidly approaching end. Few may
heed such warnings, but because adequate warning has been given them
men will be without excuse in the day of calamity. [SDA Commentary]
Nebuchadnezzar's pilgrimage with God is one of the themes of
Daniel. In 2:47, he acknowledged that God revealed dreams to Daniel. In
3:28-29 he praised the God who delivered the three Hebrews. Despite
Nebuchadnezzar's recognition that God exists and works great
miracles, in 4:30 we
see that he still did not acknowledge God as his Lord. We may
recognize that God exists and does wonderful miracles, but God is not
going to shape our life until we acknowledge him as Lord. [Life
Application SB]
Why was God working this way in the king's life? To teach him
humility. You will remember that in the king's "image dream" he was
pictured as the head of gold; and in chapter 3, the king had made an
entire image of gold to attract worship and praise to himself. God
would show this proud monarch that he was actually a beast at heart.
In fact, in chapter 7, Daniel will have a vision that shows that
all the empires are nothing but wild beasts. Daniel warned the king
to repent and change his ways. "Break off your sins," he begged,
"and perhaps the Lord will give you forgiveness and time to serve
Him." After all, God had spoken to the king on two different
occasions--the dream of chapter 2 and the furnace episode of chapter 3--and it
is dangerous to turn a deaf ear to God. [Wiersbe Expository
Outlines]
Loss of mental capacities may reduce humans to a mere animal
existence. No person is too powerful or wealthy to be immune to mental
illness. Such illness has many causes. Nebuchadnezzar lost his mental
functions as a direct result of God's punishment on his pride. His example
shows us God's punishment may take this form, but the one example must
not be used as a rule to condemn as sinners all who endure mental
illness. [Disciple SB]
Daniel called upon Nebuchadnezzar to renounce his sins and do
right. "Renounce" means "to break off," like breaking a yoke off one's
neck. Repentance is breaking off our sins and proving it by doing them
no more and then reaching out to the needy, oppressed and
suffering. [Disciple SB mod]
It is necessary, in repentance, that we not only cease to do
evil, but learn to do good. [Matthew Henry Commentary]
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