Just why was such a dream given to Nebuchadnezzar? In the dream, a large tree is cut down, banded, and after “seven times” has passed over, the bands are removed and the tree once again is able to grow.
The Bible explains the reason in simple terms at Daniel 4:17, “to the intent that people living may know that the Most High is Ruler in the kingdom of mankind and that to the one whom he wants to, he gives it and he sets up over it even the lowliest one of mankind.” I’m certain that no one will deny this.
As has been said before, The Bible interprets itself and so we do not have to guess about this matter at all. Therefore, it is not surprising that similar words are used concerning the kingship of Zedekiah. Ezekiel 21:25-27 reads: “As for you, O deadly wounded, wicked chieftain of Israel, whose day has come in the time of the error of the end, this is what the Lord Jehovah has said, Remove the turban, and lift off the crown. This will not be the same. Put on high even what is low, and bring low even the high one. A ruin, a ruin, a ruin I shall make it. As for this also, it will certainly become no ones until he comes who has the legal right, and I must give it to him.”
Many Bible scholars readily agree that this prophecy does indeed apply to the last king of Judah, Zedekiah. Ezekiel 20:1 gives the time period that the prophecy was given, “Now it came about in the seventh year...” The seventh year being the 7th year of Ezekiel’s exile. Ezekiel’s 7th year of exile was during the rule of King Zedekiah. In fact a quick reading of the entire 21st chapter of the book of Ezekiel will confirm that the prophecy is against Jerusalem and “against the soil of Israel,” and verses 18 through 21 confirm that it is the “king of Babylon” who would come against Judah and Jerusalem. Ezekiel 21:25-27 must therefore apply to Zedekiah and only Zedekiah since he was the ruling king of Judah at the time when the prophecy was given, he was the last king of Judah, and he was in fact shortly thereafter conquered by the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar.
Yet, there is even more evidence in Ezekiel 21 for connecting the kings of Judah — including the last king Zedekiah — with the tree in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. In chapter 21 of Ezekiel , Jehovah has a figurative “sword” that he used to unsheathe upon Judah because of their rebelliousness. This so-called “sword” is, of course, a symbol for the armies of Nebuchadnezzar in Jehovah’s hand. It is concerning that sword that verse 10 asks the following question: “Is it [the “sword”] rejecting the scepter [ruler ship] of my own son [Israel], as it does every tree? ” It answers in verse 12, “Cry out and howl, O son of man, for it itself has come to be against my people; it [the “sword”] is against all the chieftains of Israel. The very ones hurled to the sword have come to be with my people.”
Amazing! This exactly parallels Nebuchadnezzar’s tree dream, where Jehovah’s sword will even cut down the “tree” or “scepter” or ruler ship of Israel. The cutting down of the tree or ruler ship of Israel is of great significance because those kings of Israel represented Jehovah’s ruler ship in the earth.
1 Chronicles 29:23 tells us, “And Solomon began to sit upon Jehovah’s throne as king in place of David his father” From this we can see that the kings of Israel did indeed represent Jehovah’s ruler ship on earth.
It is in this regard that Lamentations 4:20 written after the desolation of Jerusalem and the end of Zedekiah tells us, “The very breath of our nostrils, the anointed one [king of Israel] of Jehovah, has been captured in their large pit, The one of whom we have said: “In his shade we shall live among the nations.” By using the word shade in connection with the king of Israel we are once again reminded of the large tree in Daniel 4 that would provide protective shade covering for all. This is the same protective tree-like shade that God’s ruler ship provided as represented by the kings of Israel.
So ask yourself this: Out of all the trees or scepters or ruler ships that Jehovah would use Babylon to cut down, which tree would be unbounded and restored in the future, receiving kingship from Jehovah himself as he saw fit? Which one would provide the ‘lowliest’ twig that would shoot forth and become a majestic cedar in Jehovah’s Holy Mountain put on high like no other?
Ezekiel 19 provides us with even more amazing similarities in comparing the ruler ship of Judah with the tree of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in Daniel 4. After comparing the rulers of Judah to young cubs of a lioness, notice the similarities to the tree in Daniel 4 with what is said of that mother lion comparing her to a vine in verses 10-14, “'Your mother was like a vine in your blood, planted by waters. A bearer of fruit and full of branches she became because of abundant water. And they came to be for her strong rods, meant for the scepters of rulers. And its height gradually became tall up among branches, and it got to be visible because of its tallness, because of the abundance of its foliage.” —Ezekiel 19:10-14
Compare that description to Daniel 4:11 “The tree grew up and became strong, and its very height finally reached the heavens, and it was visible to the extremity of the whole earth. Its foliage was fair, and its fruit was abundant, and there was food for all on it. Under it the beast of the field would seek shade, and on its boughs the birds of the heavens would dwell, and from it all flesh would feed itself.”
Additionally, just as the tree was chopped down there is a similar outcome to the vine/tree in Ezekiel 19:12 “But she was finally uprooted in fury. To the earth she was thrown, and there was an east wind that dried up her fruit. Her strong rod was torn off and became dry. Fire itself devoured it. And now she is planted in the wilderness, in a waterless and thirsty land. And fire proceeded to come forth from her rod. It devoured her very shoots, her very fruit, and there proved to be in her no strong rod, no scepter for ruling.”
And so it was that the high one, Zedekiah, the last ruler of Israel, was brought low. Meanwhile, the Pagan gentile ruler of the time was put on high — even above the kings that had sat on Jehovah’s throne in Jerusalem. The kingly representative of Jehovah on earth ceased for a time. The tree was banded until he who had the legal right would come and once again sit on ‘Jehovah’s throne’ as king. This lowly one with the legal right would be put on high when the tree was unbanded. How do we know this to be the case? Amazingly once again, we have the Bible explaining itself in no uncertain terms. Again the book of Ezekiel clears it up.
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