The Lord Alone is God - Daniel 4

Introduction

At the end of chapter 3, we saw that Nebuchadnezzar had another close encounter with the God of Daniel, Hannaniah, Mishael, and Azariah. After God delivered the three men from the king’s wrath and fiery furnace, Nebuchadnezzar once again blessed the God of the Hebrews and made a decree that anyone who speaks anything against God should be brutally punished. Again, we think, maybe Nebuchadnezzar is getting it now, but once again, Nebuchadnezzar falls back into his old way of thinking, because he still has not come to submit his life to Daniel’s God as his Savior and Lord. He is still dividing his allegiance between all the false gods.

However, in chapter four, we see that there is a deeper heart issue within Nebuchadnezzar that we could not quite see before. The reason we can see his heart this time is because this chapter is in Nebuchadnezzar’s own words. He is now contributing to this book that is included in God’s Holy Scripture and he is giving his testimony as to the work of Yahweh God in his own life.

We saw in the last chapter that Nebuchadnezzar was setting himself up as a god in order to secure his own salvation, trying to find a way to keep his kingdom going forever. it is one thing to try to act like to God to earn your own salvation. But in this chapter, we see that the king is no longer simply acting like God, but is actually worshipping himself by claiming credit for his greatness rather than seeing that it is God who has given him all that he has. And it is this heart position that is going to lead to further trouble for him.

Nebuchadnezzar has another dream which greatly troubles him and he has no clue what it means. So he once again goes to his wise men to seek an interpretation. But unlike he was in chapter 2, he is going to give the details of his dream to the wise men. He at least seems to have calmed down from this manic behavior. And once again, his wise men are unable to give an interpretation for the dream he had.

But then walks in Daniel and the king gives him the dream. The dream he had includes a great tree in the midst of the earth and that had a great height. Again, his mind is thinking back to his statue or the tower of Babel. Nebuchadnezzar could have probably come from Texas where everything is bigger there...

This tree was also a source of provision and shelter for all the inhabitants of the earth. But then someone comes from heaven to chop down this great tree, to completely decimate it except for its stump. And then there is a proclamation that this tree would be left alone in the wild and would be given the mind of an animal for a period of seven times. We can see why this image would be disturbing to Nebuchadnezzar.

Read Daniel 4:19-33

Daniel 4:19–33 (ESV)

Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was dismayed for a while, and his thoughts alarmed him. The king answered and said, “Belteshazzar, let not the dream or the interpretation alarm you.” Belteshazzar 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 beasts 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 and 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, and let his portion be with the beasts 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 beasts of the field. You shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and 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.”

Daniel 4:19–33 ESV

Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was dismayed for a while, and his thoughts alarmed him. The king answered and said, “Belteshazzar, let not the dream or the interpretation alarm you.” Belteshazzar 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 beasts 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 and 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, and let his portion be with the beasts 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 beasts of the field. You shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and 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 twelve 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 beasts 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 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.

All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of twelve 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 beasts 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 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.

God Opposes the Proud (Daniel 4:19-33)

Matthew 23:12 (ESV)

Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

We see the truth of Jesus’ words in this story with Nebuchadnezzar.

God is calling out Nebuchadnezzar on his pride and arrogance in thinking that the kingdom has been singlehandedly built by himself, rather than given to Him by God.

Daniel 4:29–30 (ESV)

At the end of twelve 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?”

What is pride? Pride is a lifting up of oneself. Pride is essentially saying I am God.

It is ignoring the fact that while we might honestly have gifts, talents, and skills that can produce great results, it is ignoring the fact that those gifts are given to us by God, not developed within ourselves.

Pride is essentially a posture of looking down upon everything and everyone else.

There was a Superman series in the 90’s starring Dean Cain as Superman. In this series, Lex Luthor, Superman’s nemesis, had built his corporate tower to be higher than every other building in Metropolis because he wanted to look down in the city and make sure that everyone else looked up to him. This is the posture of pride.

This is the posture of Nebuchadnezzar as he is looking down upon his kingdom. He is ascribing praise to Himself that belongs to God alone

we have been trying to steal Gods praise and be gods of our own since the beginning

Pride causes us to become less human and more like the beasts around us.

Part of the consequences of seeking to be gods and refusing to submit to God as Lord and King is we actually become less like God and more like the animals

In creation, God created us in His image. We were made to be like God and to display His glory to all of creation.

The serpent lies to Adam and Eve and says they can be like God

In taking the fruit, the image of God within them becomes marred+

And while, we as humans are still made in the image of God, that image is blurred and we have become much more like the animals.

We see this in ourselves today

Instead of practicing self-control, we give full vent to our passions and emotions

we excuse away our sin by simply saying that’s who I am, those are my natural desires

We even look to animals to explain why we do what we do and even, for some reason, find comfort in the fact that current scientific theories have us descended from the animals, as if that doesn’t cheapen our existence.

We give full way to our appetites and lusts and do not bat an eye at our lack of control or propriety

We even call it pride to give in to our natural tendencies, not realizing that we are harming and cheapening the value God has placed within us. Never realizing that we are here for more than satisfying ourselves with food, sex, money, and power.

God is demonstrating through Nebuchadnezzar what happens to all of us when we allow our pride to blind us to who God is and what He is calling us to.

We become as savage as the beasts as we take pride in who we are, doing things that unthinkable and treating others as less than human for our own self-preservation.

Fight Pride By Trusting in God

We do not exist to simply fulfill our appetites and desires, but to live according to the call of God on our lives. And what is God’s call on our lives?

John 6:29 (ESV)

Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

We often think that doubt is the opposite of faith. However, the true antithesis of faith is not doubt, it is pride. If faith is trusting in God, then pride is trusting in self. The problem of unbelief is not doubt, it is pride and trust in oneself rather than in God.

Notice here, as we look at Nebuchadnezzar, he is trusting in his own power and ability to form his kingdom.

He is refusing to give thanks to God who has given him all that he has.

Pride is the opposite of doing the will of God.

God is not looking for self-made men. He is looking for men who are desperately depending on God for their provision and strength.

God has humbled Nebuchadnezzar and He will humble all those who trust upon themselves.

The question we have to ask ourselves is this: where am I remaining prideful in who I am and refusing to give God the glory He alone deserves? Where am I lifting myself on a pedestal and refusing to give God thanks for all that He has done for me and how is that pride affecting my relationship with those around me?

God Lifts Up the Humble (Daniel 4:34-37)

Matthew 23:12 (ESV)

Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

So going back to Jesus’ words, just as God will humble those who exalt themselves, God will also exalt those who humble themselves.

Daniel 4:34–37 (ESV)

At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and 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;

all 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 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.

Nebuchadnezzar, at the end of the time that God appointed, finally humbled himself. How?

By lifting his eyes to heaven.

This is a posture of recognizing that he was not the greatest, rather God is.

He is finally submitting himself to God and His power.

Look at his prayer of praise in the following verses:

He acknowledges that God’s kingdom is the everlasting kingdom

God will accomplish His will and no one can stop Him or question Him

What was the result of his humbling himself before God?

God restored to Nebuchadnezzar his kingdom, majesty, and glory.

Nebuchadnezzar became the king God created him to be.

But notice in verse 36, Nebuchadnezzar did not say that I established my kingdom and I made myself great. He said, “I was established in my kingdom, and still more greatness was added to me.”

This is passive tense, which is important, because he is acknowledging that he did nothing to gain this on his own. He is acknowledging that God has blessed him with greatness and that it is God alone who deserves the praise for this greatness, glory, and majesty of his kingdom.

In verse 37, Nebuchadnezzar enters into a time of praise to worship God for what God alone could do for him. And he even admits with his own words that God is right and just in what He does and that He is able to humble those who walk in pride. He is giving his own personal testimony and his thanks to God for the work of God in his life.

Scripture shows us another King whom God exalted as He humbled Himself.

This King left His throne above to take upon Himself the form of a servant.

He became fully obedient to God, even to the point of death, even the humiliating death upon the cross.

As a result, God has highly exalted Him and has now given Him the name that is above every name so that at His name every knee should bow.

This King is Jesus, God made man, to pay the penalty of our sins that find all their root in pride and in our desire to be God.

However, to be like God, instead of trusting in ourselves, we are told to have this same mind among ourselves:

Philippians 2:5–11 (ESV)

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

If we are to truly trust God and to be truly exalted as God’s image bearers, we must learn to quit looking down towards others and turn our eyes upwards to Him.

Postures of Humility - 5 Volunteers

I would like to get 5 of our college or high school guys to come up here for a demonstration.

This was an illustration that was given to us at the Baptist convention this past week and the speaker told us to steal and use this and I am following through because this is actually what we see in Nebuchadnezzar’s heart in this chapter.

Bowing before the Lord on both knees - a posture of honor and reverence. This is a recognition that God alone deserves the honor and glory for what He does in our lives. Psalm 5:7

Psalm 5:7 (ESV)

But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,

will enter your house.

I will bow down toward your holy temple

in the fear of you.

Kneeling on one knee - a posture of submission. This is seeing God as Lord and Ruler over our lives and choosing to submit to Him as our final authority. Philippians 2:10

Philippians 2:10 (ESV)

so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

Sitting cross-legged - a posture of sitting before the Lord. Fellowship with the Lord and being teachable. Understanding that we do not know it all and that we are willing to listen and learn and grow in our relationship with God. Judges 20:26

Judges 20:26 (ESV)

Then all the people of Israel, the whole army, went up and came to Bethel and wept. They sat there before the Lord and fasted that day until evening, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord.

Lifting up both hands - a posture of worship - recognizing that Yahweh is God and is worthy of our worship and devotion alone. Lifting up holy hands. Jesus did this when he broke the bread and fishes for the crowds and before He raised Lazarus. 1 Timothy 2:8

1 Timothy 2:8 ESV

I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling;

Lying prostrate on the ground - a posture of desperation and dependence upon the provision of God, knowing He is our only hope in life. Matthew 26:39

Matthew 26:39 (ESV)

And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”

Now these are physical postures and what we want to do is get our hearts to submit themselves to God in these ways. And while you can perform these physical postures and not truly mean it, these physical postures can help us direct our minds and our hearts to rely on God in these ways.

All of us here, myself included, need to turn to God and posture our hearts in a way that recognizes Him as God alone and that shows our reverence, submission, willingness to learn, worship, and dependence upon Him. And when we posture our hearts in this way, it will completely change not just how we relate to God, but also how we relate to others, because it is impossible to look down on others if we are keeping our eyes fixed upward on Christ.