Daniel 4
Turn in your copy of the scriptures
to the fourth chapter of Daniel. We’re nearing the middle of the
book, and so we’re getting through the narrative or the storytelling,
and then we’ll turn over towards the other side, which is maybe
prophecy visions and some of the stranger things. So chapter
four begins with Nebuchadnezzar praising God. He tells about
his second dream. Daniel interprets the dream.
The dream comes true. And then there’s a back end of
this passage where Nebuchadnezzar praises God again. So the way
to think of this passage is Nebuchadnezzar reflecting on what God did in
his life. through the interpretation of
the dream. And so the praise at the beginning may seem a little
bit at first to you to be out of place, but he praises God,
he tells the story, and then he praises God again as he reflects
on God’s work in his life. So here, the word of God together,
Daniel chapter four, beginning at verse one. King Nebuchadnezzar
to all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the
earth, peace be multiplied to you. It has seemed good to me
to show the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done
for me. How great are His signs! How
mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting
kingdom, and His dominion endures from generation to generation.
I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and prospering in
my palace. I saw a dream that made me afraid. As I lay in bed, the fancies
and the visions of my head alarmed me. So I made a decree that all
the wise men of Babylon should be brought before me, that they
might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. Then the magicians,
the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers came in and
I told them the dream, but they could not make known to me its
interpretation. At last Daniel came in before
me, he who is named Belshazzar after the name of my God and
in whom is the spirit of the holy gods. And I told him the
dream saying, oh, Belshazzar, chief of the magicians, because
I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you and that
no mystery is too difficult for you, tell me the visions of my
dream that I saw and their interpretation. The visions of my head as I lay
in bed were these. I saw and behold a tree in the
midst of the earth and its height was great. The tree grew and
became strong and its top reached to heaven and it was visible
to the end of the whole earth. Its leaves were beautiful and
its fruit abundant and it was food for all. The beast of the
field found shade under it and the birds of the heaven lived
in its branches and all flesh was fed from it. I saw in the
visions of my head as I lay in bed, and behold, a Watcher, a
Holy One, came down from heaven. He proclaimed aloud and said
thus, Chop down the tree and lop off its branches. Strip off
its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the beast flee from under
it and the birds from its branches. but leave the stump of its roots
in the earth bound with a band of iron and bronze amid the tender
grass of the field. Let him be wet with the dew of
heaven. Let his portion be with the beast in the grass of the
earth. Let his mind be changed from a man’s and let a beast
mind be given to him and let seven periods of time pass over
him. The sentence is by the decree
of the watchers, the decision by the word of the holy ones
to the end that the living may know that the most high rules
the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over
it the lowliest of men. This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar,
saw. And you, O Belshazzar, tell me
the interpretation, because all the wise men of my kingdom are
not able to make known to me the interpretation. But you are
able, for the spirit of the holy gods is in you.’ Then Daniel,
whose name was Belshazzar, was dismayed for a while, and his
thoughts alarmed him. The king answered and said, Belshazzar,
let not the dream or the interpretation alarm you. Belshazzar answered
and said, my Lord, may the dream be for those who hate you and
its interpretation for your enemies. The tree you saw which grew and
became strong so that its top reached to heaven and it was
visible to the end of the whole earth whose leaves were beautiful
and its fruit abundant and in which was food for all under
which beast of the field found shade. and in whose branches
the birds of the heavens lived. It is you, O king, who have grown
and become strong. Your greatness has grown and
reaches to heaven and your dominion to the ends of the earth. And
because the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from
heaven saying, chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave
the stump of its roots in the earth. bound with a band of iron
and bronze in the tender grass of the field. And let him be
wet with the dew of heaven. Let his portion be with the beast
of the field till seven periods of time pass over him. This is
the interpretation, O King. It is a decree of the Most High,
which has come upon my Lord the King, that you shall be driven
from among men. And your dwelling shall be with
the beast of the field. You shall be made to eat grass
like an ox. You shall be wet with the dew
of heaven and seven periods of time shall pass over you till
you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives
it to whom he will. And as it was commanded to leave
the stump of the roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be confirmed
for you from the time that you know that heaven rules. Therefore,
O King, let my counsel be acceptable to you. Break off your sins by
practicing righteousness and your iniquities by showing mercy
to the oppressed, that there may perhaps be a lengthening
of your prosperity. All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of 12 months, he was
walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, and the king
answered and said, is not this great Babylon, which I have built
by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of
my majesty? While the words were still in
the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven. O King Nebuchadnezzar,
to you it is spoken. The kingdom has departed from
you, and you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling
shall be with the beast of the field. And you shall be made
to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass
over you until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom
of men and gives it to whom he will. Immediately, the word was
fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men,
and he ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the
dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers,
and his nails were like birds’ claws. At the end of days, I,
Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven. My reason returned
to me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored
Him who lives forever. For his dominion is an everlasting
dominion and his kingdom endures from generation to generation.
And the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing. And
he does according to his will among the host of heaven and
among the inhabitants of the earth. And none can stay his
hand or say to him, what have you done? At the same time, my
reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty
and my splendor returned to me. My counselors and my lords sought
me, and I was established in my kingdom, and still more greatness
was added to me. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise
and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works
are right and his ways are just. And those who walk in pride,
he is able to humble. Amen. This is the word of the
living God. Well, we find in our passage,
Nebuchadnezzar in another rough patch. He, comes out of this
singing Yahweh’s praise, the beginning, his praise, the end,
his praise. But he tells the story in first
person and he wants to recount to those in his kingdom God’s
signs and wonders. and his reasons for praising
this God. Now, lest we think Nebuchadnezzar
has become a Christian, just read the language of this passage
and you’ll see his paganism is still thick. Does he call Daniel,
Daniel? No, he calls him Belshazzar,
the name of his God. Does he speak of Yahweh specifically
or the Holy Spirit? No, he speaks of the gods and
uses all kinds of pagan language. So lest you get giddy and think,
what a evangelism project Daniel has done in Babylon. No, this is just Nebuchadnezzar
giving lip service because, well, things were bad, now they’re
better again, his kingdom is restored, and what else is there
to say? But thanks, you’re great. So
he’s telling the story from the first person, We want to think of this passage tonight in three places, four
places actually. Nebuchadnezzar’s second dream
with Daniel’s interpretation. Nebuchadnezzar’s dream coming
true, and then Nebuchadnezzar’s restoration. There’s a refrain
that comes up in this passage. Hopefully you caught it in verse
17, again in verse 25, and I believe again in verse 32. And that refrain
is this, the most high rules over the kingdom of men and gives
that kingdom to whom he wishes. That’s the theme, that’s the
message of this passage. And we want to think of it in
light of what it means to us as Christians, what it must have
meant to Daniel. If the Most High rules over the
kingdom of men and he gives that kingdom to whomever he wishes,
isn’t he also Lord over exile, master over our diets? God over men, Lord of dreams,
the one to be worshiped, the one who rescues, he saves, he
delivers, and he brings the mighty to nothing. If these things are
true for Daniel and his friends, even true to Nebuchadnezzar,
are they not true to us and can we not take some lessons? So let’s think for a moment about
Nebuchadnezzar’s second dream. All is well in Babylon. Did you
notice in the passage, he’s at ease in his palace. He’s prospering
in Babylon, his walls are built. His warriors are in good marching
order, good fighting ready battle armored warriors. He’s prospering,
his lap pool has been cleaned. Right? Supper every night is
good. Lunch, fruit trays, you know,
his harem, the whole business of kings in his day. And he is
at ease in his palace and he is prospering. This is, the grass
is cut and you sit on the back porch with a cold drink and admire
your work. Now, five days later, guess what? You’re gonna be cutting that
grass again. be drinking another cold drink and the more summer
goes by, you’re not going to be thinking about prospering
in your little palace, but how much work it is to keep it up
and how you might get a townhome with one of those co-ops where
somebody keeps it all up for you because you’re getting worn
out with it. But here’s Nebuchadnezzar all is well. and then a bad night
of sleep again. And God is known for giving dreams
that terrify and he wakes up from this dream afraid, he’s
frightened, he’s terrified. And in fact, just a few verses
down the road when he tells the dream to Daniel, Daniel is dismayed. Oh boy, this one’s a doozy. But
Nebuchadnezzar’s second, dream terrifies him. He’s under the
bed. He’s hugging his teddy bear,
we might say. And I would imagine he did not
sleep any more that night. It’s interesting. what probably
took place the next morning. His aides come in to wake him
up and dress him, and his secretary says, all right, Nebuchadnezzar,
on the schedule for day is, and as he begins, he says, clear
the schedule. I’ve had a dream. Get the interpreters in, the
enchanters. Did you notice the whole list of them? The sorcerers,
the magicians, the enchanters, the whole pagan round of people
who Nebuchadnezzar has at his disposal. They come in. I’ve
had a dream. I’m terrified. Now, don’t you
think he would have remembered from chapter two? They’re not
gonna be able to do it. Only Daniel could do it. Well,
he tells the dream. Last time, what did he say? You
gotta tell me the dream and its interpretation. Well, he spits
out the dream this go round. It’s of a tree. It’s a great
tree that grows big and tall. If you’ve had a tree cut in your
yard, you know the losses, the loss of shade. There are birds
that go running. There are squirrels that scurry. There’s their little cache of
nuts. Maybe they’re uh, bird, baby
birds in the tree. If you cut it in spring, uh,
you lose your shade. If you had a swing hanging from
the branch, you lose it. And that, that’s the gist of
this dream. There’s this great tree. It’s tall, it’s big. It
can be seen from everywhere. It gives a fruit to give shade. It gives a blessing to everyone
around it. And it’s going to be cut down
and it’s clear to Nebuchadnezzar, this is me. I am the one who
has grown great. This watcher comes. It’s a sad thing in our neighborhood.
We have a lot of the big old trees, and the tree service will
come through and they’ll whack one down. There’s almost like
a hole in the sky, more sunlight comes in, but it’s like a missing
piece of the family to see these trees gone. You ride through
the country, maybe on the way to the coast, and you see a logging
path, and they just wipe the earth clear. To lose a tree is
devastating, and that’s what Nebuchadnezzar knows. And all
that’s left will be a stump. All that’s left will be Nebuchadnezzar. And what’s the dream about? Well,
it’s about a mighty king getting a mad cow disease. He lives seven
years out in the field. The dew gets up on his back.
He loses his mind. He grows his nails. He grows
his hair. And for seven years, he is a
strange spectacle. Just a little synopsis of Nebuchadnezzar’s
second dream. It’s a mighty dream. It’s from
the Lord. And we remember the refrain,
the most high rules the kingdom of men and he gives it to who
he will and he sets over it the lowliest of men. And so there’s
the dream. Now enter Daniel, the interpreter. Remember Daniel and his companions,
they’re, they’re 10 times better than the pagans. They’re 10 times
better than the Chaldeans. And he comes right in the midst
of Nebuchadnezzar’s rank paganism. All the sorcerers can’t interpret. All the gods can’t help him.
And so paganism is at its best. Maybe Nebuchadnezzar in his lip
service to God does what everybody does. We come to God for help
when we need it. So let’s go to Daniel. Only Daniel
is able. Only Daniel is able to interpret
the dream. Can you imagine though, Nebuchadnezzar
tells this dream, all of the sorcerers, all of the enchanters,
all of the magicians, all of the Chaldeans say, uh-uh, I am
not touching this one. It is clear what it means, and
do any of us want to tell this maniac what’s coming his way? But Daniel is bold, Daniel fears
the Lord, Daniel knows there is a decree, and so he cuts to
it. All right, Nebuchadnezzar, this is it. Now, he tells him
the dream, but he’s pastoral with them. Did you catch the
call to repentance? There is in verse 27, therefore,
O King, let my counsel be acceptable to you. Did Nebuchadnezzar want
advice? Did Nebuchadnezzar want counsel?
No, but Daniel in faith gives it to him. Break off your sins,
practice righteousness. Stop your iniquities, show mercy
to the oppressed, and perhaps your prosperity may continue. Maybe again, you can live at
ease in your palace and prosper in your leadership of this great
nation. Well, this is a dream no one
wants to explain, but Daniel serves and ministers to Nebuchadnezzar.
He tells the dream’s interpretation, its meaning, and as it sinks
into his own mind and heart, he is dismayed. This is not a
dream he wants to interpret for Nebuchadnezzar. And what did
he say? This really ought to be for your enemies. You ought
not to wish this on anyone, but reserve it for your greatest
arch enemies. Well, repent, turn is the message,
and perhaps Perhaps you’ll prosper. Isn’t it interesting in the midst
of all the paganism, all the pomp and circumstance, all the
grandeur of Babylon, the voice of God makes it through Daniel
into Nebuchadnezzar’s ear. And what is the voice? It’s not,
oh, you’ve done, I love what you’ve done with the place. It’s
not, wow, I’m really glad I chose you, as the phrase says here. He rules the kingdom of men.
He gives it to whom he will. It’s not God saying, well, I
am just so tickled pink that I picked you Nebuchadnezzar,
because as kingdoms go of this world, you’ve done a right fine
job with things. Now, what does Daniel whisper?
He whispers a word of grace. This God, He hates sin and he
will by no means clear the guilty. Turn from your ways and perhaps
this dream may not come true, that sort of thing. Well, Daniel
interprets the dream and then the third little section, Nebuchadnezzar’s
dream comes true. We want our dreams to come true,
don’t we? We want to win the lottery. Well, we want a place
at the beach. We want a sports car. Uh, we
want a boat. Uh, we want, um, I don’t know
what, whatever it is we want. I read a very interesting quote
this week. Uh, we spend our entire lives
chasing after what God does not mean to give us. That’s the first
part. We spend our entire lives chasing
after things God has not meant to give us and we seek to obtain
them in ways he does not approve of, right? And that’s the way
of coveting. That’s the way of theft. That’s
the way of, uh, idolatry. That’s the way of what, whatever,
uh, we seek. We seek after things that God
has not meant to give us in ways he has not meant for us to obtain
them. Well, Nebuchadnezzar’s dream
comes true. Now, if you’re a thinking person,
you’re quick to remember, Nebuchadnezzar should know that his kingdom
is not gonna last. Remember the big statue, the
gold, the silver, the bronze, the iron and the clay? And God
told him, your kingdom is gonna end. Well, this is a different,
dream here, you’re going to go mad. You’re going to live seven
years out in the wilderness. You’re going to be a cow, an
ox, a beast. And some of you are quick to
remember, Nebuchadnezzar should know this already. But nevertheless,
12 months later, 12 months is long enough to forget about it.
Don’t you think? you have a spiritual lesson on
Sunday, you repent of your sins because of that spiritual lesson,
and when are you back at it? Oh, by Sunday afternoon, come
on now, right? At least by Monday morning, and
by the end of the week. I can tell you that’s true just
this week, you know, listening to I don’t know, six, eight,
10 sermons at a family preaching camp. Uh, I took a legal pad
of notes, um, listen to lots of wonderful things. And then
I knew on the way back home, you get back into the hustle
and bustle of life. Uh, you get back into the idiocy
of the television and the internet. We were, we were away from television
and internet five days. That’s a great blessing. Cut,
cut it. Um, It’s such a plug-in drug,
as they say. But how long does it take for
us to get at ease again? Doesn’t take long. And so 12
months later, this took place. But can’t you imagine during
those 12 months, Very little thought of the dream. Very little
thought of Yahweh. Very little thought of Daniel’s
God. Very little thought of this statement,
the most high rules, the kingdom of men, and he gives it to whom
he will. How do we know that to be true?
Well, we know it to be true from our spiritual lives, but look
at verse 28. All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar.
At the end of 12 months, he was walking on the roof of the royal
palace of Babylon and the king answered and said, I wonder when
God is going to lay me low. That’s not what he says, is it?
He’s basically saying, look at all I built. Look at this wonderful
place. You read descriptions of Babylon,
you read descriptions of his capital city, his walls and his
rivers and his gardens. It’s quite an amazing thing.
Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by how? My mighty
power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty. No lesson learned. This man is
a pagan. This man is a self worshiper. But God has a sense of humor,
does he not? Man is fleeting, man is a mist,
man’s accomplishments. You read the book of Ecclesiastes,
you work hard and you build only to die and to leave it to someone
else who doesn’t care what in the world you did. They’re gonna
change the color, they’re gonna paint it, they’re gonna tear
it down, they’re gonna remodel it. Your garden will be full
of weeds. There’ll be nothing of yours
left to admire in a generation. things fade, the decay of sin,
even great city walls and gates and chariots. Look at him now
though, see verse 37. It’s a little hint. I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and
extol and honor the king of heaven, for all his works are right,
his ways are just. Those who walk in pride, he is
able to hunger. What’s the lesson he learned
through the dream coming true? You’re full of yourself. and
maybe to use American colloquialism, not only is he full of himself,
he is full of it, right? And God has a way of taking you
down and saying, there is nothing in you, there’s nothing in your
work, there’s nothing in your life that is worthy of praise,
every good and perfect gift from me. So Nebuchadnezzar’s dream
comes true. Now, is there anything for us
in this lesson? Well, of course there is. Worship
God, trust God, fear God, repent of your sins. Don’t seek after
your own glory. Stop building a name for yourself. All these sorts of things. I
look lastly at Nebuchadnezzar’s restoration. There’s the refrain
that appears three times. The most high rules the kingdom
of men. He gives it to whom he will and
sets it over the lowliest of men. There’s this refrain, the
most high rules. He restores, he’s in charge.
We’re not in the hands of fate. It’s his providence which rules
the face of the earth. Nebuchadnezzar’s restoration
is by the hand of God. And there’s something to think
of here spiritually. God’s people are living in this
maniac’s nation. And so often we think as Christians,
God ought to give us the leaders We want the Reagans, not the
Carters. We want the Bushes and not the
Clintons. We got the forever Trumpers and
all that business. What if you, during your entire
life, lived in the wicked regime? Like in a Soviet era, a communist
era. What if you lived in India? What
if you lived in Eritrea? What if you lived in Chavez,
Venezuela? You fill in the blank. Can you
still be faithful? God restores this man. Maybe
we were cheering for him not to restoring him and maybe Daniel
coming to the throne. But sometimes we live under evil,
wicked regimes and it’s for our sanctification. Maybe it’s, maybe
it’s what we deserve. We forget also Psalm 2. What
does God see when nation rises up against his people? He sits
in the heavens and he laughs. And so we ought to take great
care, great fear to observe this passage and to remember it is
God who rules and we ought to get used to that. It is God who
rules. He doesn’t work on our timetable.
He doesn’t establish our people on our thrones, but he He works
out his will according to his great wisdom and his great plan. And whether you’re great or small,
you’re in the hands of almighty God. Let’s look to God for help
and blessing. Lord, remind us of this great
lesson tonight, that you are the most high, you are the only
God there is, and that you rule the kingdoms of men, and you
give thrones and scepters and authority to whom you will give
it. None can stay your hand. And
so we pray that we would, as your children, as subjects of
your royal kingdom, that we would submit to it. And we pray that
as we say week by week, your kingdom come, your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven. We pray that more and more people
would come to faith in Jesus, submitting to your kingly rule
and finding that you are gentle and lowly. Though you are mighty
and though you rule every human heart, you are gentle and lowly.
And you save sinners who repent from practicing unrighteousness
and turn from their iniquities. You show mercy to those who call
on your name. So hear us and help us. We pray
in the name of Christ. Amen.