Page 83 - The Prophet-statesman a Drama of Daniel

The news of the king’s madness went through the city on the wings of the wind,
and left the populace stupefied, stunned.

It was Sheshack, the chamberlain, who brought to the queen the Hebrew books
and read to her from them, who broke to her the news of the tragedy that had
overtaken the king. The lovely Rhea was prostrated with grief and gave orders that
Daniel should be summoned to her presence.

When the Prime Minister entered, she sobbed out her heart to him: “I felt it must
come, Lord Belteshazzar, since he has never bent his heart in faith and obedience to
our great God, Jahveh, whose wisdom and might he has had an opportunity to observe

in such marvelous ways. There have been seasons of sweetness and reasonable-ness,
but these have been a temporary veneer for a state of deep-dyed rebellion of heart.
Maybe this is the means which Jahveh was compelled to use to bring him to
repentance and humility, and it may be that our gracious God, after He has chastened

him severely, will restore to him his reason and return him to the kingdom, a different
man.”

Then Daniel asked her if she had any knowledge of the content and interpretation

of the king’s second dream. To this she replied in the negative, whereupon Daniel told
her the whole story and assured her that her surmise that the kind would ultimately be
restored to his kingdom was correct and part of the revelation of the dream. “But,
Queen Rhea, it will be seven years before this can come to pass, and you will have to

be patient until that time has expired. Only you and I and my three friends know of
this and will expect his restoration when the seven years have elapsed. I am convinced
that then we shall find him a very different man.”
“I beseech you that you come to me from time to time,” the queen replied, “and

tell me more of your great God, Who has now become fully, my God. And thank you
Lord Daniel, (I like your Hebrew name better than the Babylonish one by which you
have been called) for coming to me and bringing this great comfort and assurance to
my heart. Be assured that I shall pray that Jahveh may continue to guide you in the

administration of your high office during this strange interlude, this heptad during
which my royal husband is under the chastening hand of God. It will doubtless prove
a trying period for you!”

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Out into the wide-open spaces had gone Nebuchadnezzar the madman. He was

afflicted with total amnesia. There was not a vestige of recollection in him of his own
identity or previous history. As he pressed his wild flight across the plain of Dura past