Palace, Pasture, Praise (Part 2)

Last time we were together, we found Daniel in a very awkward situation, as he had to interpret King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. He had to be truthful and faithful to God, while also being gracious and compassionate towards the king.

The gist of the dream’s interpretation was that the king was going to become like an animal until he recognized that God is sovereign; in other words, God is in charge of everything and nothing happens outside of God’s knowledge. The time period for Nebuchadnezzar to be an animal was going to be seven years.

Besides interpreting the dream for the king, Daniel had pleaded with the king to repent. The king would have to recognize that Daniel’s God, who is our God, is the only, one true God. All of the king’s gods were imaginary and man-made. Even the king himself, was not a god.

Today, we’ll continue in Daniel 4, beginning at verse 28. The theme is the same: Knowing that God is sovereign, I can live my life in full obedience to Him.

Pride and Defiance - 4:28-36

In essence, everything that Daniel explained to the king from the dream, actually took place. But it seems that Daniel’s plea in verse 27 should have still been ringing in the king’s ears. It appears that God was giving Nebuchadnezzar time to repent. In fact, it is now a year later, according to verse 29. Nothing terrible has happened.

Does this sound at all familiar? The warning goes out. People are seriously considering it. Yet, when judgment doesn’t fall upon them, they go back to business as usual. Most of us remember 9/11/01. After those terrible events, it seemed that people were going to take God seriously. Yet, not long afterwards, the nation and its people were back to business, as usual. There had been no massive turning back to God nor surrender to Jesus Christ.

Even though the opportunity to repent had been given with ample time, the king did not take advantage of that time. Then comes verse 30. The king reflected and said, ‘Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?’ The arrogance of the king comes out. What Nebuchadnezzar was stating was somewhat true. The city was incredible and magnificent. When one reads the history of the city, our collective mouth drops open in awe. Nebuchadnezzar had three palaces there. We recall reading about the famous “hanging gardens” which used to be considered one of the seven wonders of the world by the Greeks. Even 100 years later, the Greek historian, Herodotus, was overwhelmed by Babylon’s grandeur and splendor. 200 years later, Alexander the Great planned to make Babylon his headquarters for his empire.

Yet, the king’s defiance towards God was obvious. Nowhere did the king give glory to God for all that he had. And then the hammer came down. While he was still speaking these words of pride and arrogance, the King of Kings made the pronouncement Daniel had warned Nebuchadnezzar about. The king was driven out of the palace and made to live in the fields and eat grass.

God is not slow as many would understand slowness. When God chooses to act, He will do so quickly and thoroughly. We know that when God chooses to take the church home to be with Him, it will be in the twinkling of an eye. This appears to be the last option for Nebuchadnezzar. The king who had elevated himself over all humanity and even over God, has been brought lower than any man.

Sadly, it took seven years before the king recognized Who was really in charge. At the end of the seven years, listen to what happened as we read verses 34-35: “But at the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward 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, But He does according to His will in the host of heaven And among the inhabitants of earth; And no one can ward off His hand Or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’

Notice the first thing the king says he did; he raised [his] eyes toward heaven. The next thing he did was he blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever. King Nebuchadnezzar would never be the same again. He recognized that God was over everything. He understood that anything he was could only be because of God. We see from the previous verses that Nebuchadnezzar understood the role all humanity plays under God’s authority. God is completely sovereign!

We see in verse 36 how the king was restored. At that time my reason returned to me. And my majesty and splendor were restored to me for the glory of my kingdom, and my counselors and my nobles began seeking me out; so I was reestablished in my sovereignty, and surpassing greatness was added to me. Leadership then sought out the king. In fact, the last part of the verse suggests that King Nebuchadnezzar was even greater than previously.

I wish so much that the rulers of the nations of our world today would understand this. I wish that the citizens of the nations on this earth would understand this. Until that day happens, we continue to pray for our leadership; here and around the world.

Let’s go back to the first 3 verses and the last verse of the chapter and listen to Nebuchadnezzar’s testimony to the world. Nebuchadnezzar the king to all the peoples, nations, and men of every language that live in all the earth: “May your peace abound! “It has seemed good to me to declare the signs and wonders which the Most High God has done for me. “How great are His signs And how mighty are His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom And His dominion is from generation to generation.

Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride.

Knowing that God is sovereign, I can live my life in full obedience to Him.

Praise and Deliverance - 4:1-3, 37

Now we want to take some time to look into those verses specifically. Hopefully, you’ve seen the progression from the king’s time in the palace, to being forced to spend time in the pasture, and finally, when the king finally understands Who God truly is, a time of praise.

As we read this, it almost seems like a contradiction in the person of the King of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar was not known as a man of peace. In fact, the very opposite was true. He was a vicious warrior. What could possibly have caused this Babylonian King who was a mighty conqueror to bless all people around the world with peace? Very simply, he had given his life to God.

One translation for verse 2 states: It is my pleasure . . . rather than It has seemed good to me . . . This gives us a real sense of the change which had occurred. Now that we know the rest of this chapter, we can understand why Nebuchadnezzar was glad to share this. I’m so encouraged by this, in the fact that, everyone who has been rescued by God, ought to want to share that information with everyone. For us, as Christians, we should be looking for opportunities to proclaim the miraculous change in our lives that took place when we surrendered our lives to Jesus Christ.

We see in the very next part of the verse; he now knows to give all the glory to God and take none for himself. King Nebuchadnezzar is giving a powerful testimony of the great things God has done and is doing.

Thus far, the king has seen how Daniel was able to reveal the dream the king had earlier without any knowledge shared by anybody else. Then, the king saw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, walk out of the fiery furnace (after he had seen a fourth person walking with them in the flames), totally unscathed by the incredible heat which had killed his top soldiers earlier. And now obviously, he recognized that the Sovereign Lord had removed his mental faculties and kept him alive as if he were a cow. Then when Nebuchadnezzar chose to repent and give glory to God, everything was restored.

The testimony gets quite personal in verse 37: Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride. The king acknowledges that what had happened to him had been totally appropriate because it was done by God in order to get his attention. The king understood firsthand how God will bring down the proud and exalt the humble.

Ponderings

Was King Nebuchadnezzar saved? Did he truly experience a conversion experience in that he believed in the One True God? I believe this chapter strongly suggests that Nebuchadnezzar had put his faith in God alone. However, only the Lord knows the heart.

I want to also touch upon something that I believe God has allowed us to have insight into, as we have looked at Daniel and Revelation, along with other prophetic books.

Stephen Miller states: Throughout the book the absolute authority of Israel’s God is set forth. Such is the teaching of Scripture, a teaching that should comfort every believer today who casts a thoughtful glance upon a world in chaos and is tempted to fear. In these times the redeemed of God must look beyond the earthly scene to heaven and remember that God still reigns, and someday he will come and rule directly over the kingdoms of the earth.

There will come a day when the nations on earth will boast of how great and amazing and powerful they are. There will come a day when people all across our globe will rise up and declare that there is no need for a person to believe in Jesus Christ. In fact, Christians will be considered a detriment and a danger to our society. People from all over the world will be pumping their fists in the air claiming their own greatness in their worldly and humanistic lifestyles.

Then suddenly, there will come a terrible period of judgment that the Bible calls the Tribulation. Yet, it won’t last forever; just seven years. But what a horrible seven year period for those who continue to defy and rebel against God in their arrogance.

Right now, as we experience a world in total chaos and great opposition to the things of God, with threats all around us, it is easy to give in to fear. Remember that this is all temporary. Having a hope beyond today and beyond this world, should remind us, as followers of Jesus Christ, that God is still sovereign; He still is in charge. We can then freely be that light that this dark world so desperately needs. We can, in spite of all that is going on around us and to us, be the ones who will point people to Jesus Christ for salvation.

So, as believers in Jesus Christ, we can take heart. Knowing that God is sovereign, we can live our lives in full obedience to Him.