Exiles realize God is at work for good, even in exile
Notes
Transcript
Warren Brosi
October 8, 2023
Dominant Thought: The Most High God reigns over the kingdoms of the earth by exalting the humble.
Objectives:
I want my listeners to recognize God reigns over all the kingdoms of the earth.
I want my listeners to feel comfort in God’s care for those in exile.
I want my listeners to pursue the path of humility.
The Most High God reigns over the kingdoms of the earth by exalting the humble. In our time today, we’ll look at a story in Daniel 4 about a dream the King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon experienced. We’ll look at this his dream, the interpretation by Daniel, and the fulfillment of that dream. Daniel 4 is a unique chapter of Scripture because we have words of King Nebuchadnezzar recorded for us. The opening three verses read almost like a letter or a proclamation.
READ Daniel 4.1-3. In these verses, Nebuchadnezzar addresses the nations and peoples of every language who live on the earth. If we were alive during his reign then we would have been included in his letter. He wishes the audience prosperity and says he is pleased to tell about the miraculous signs and wonders the Most High God has performed. Nebuchadnezzar has had an experience with the Most High God.
You may recall from Daniel 3 that Nebuchadnezzar praised the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. He saw that 4th man in the fire (Daniel 3.25) who may have been Jesus, and confesses that no God can save in this way.
In Daniel 4.3, Nebuchadnezzar confesses God’s signs and wonders are great and His kingdom is eternal and endures from generation to generation.
The Dream (Daniel 4.4-18). Nebuchadnezzar speaks about the dream he experienced while he was at his palace content and prosperous. He called out the wise men and enchanters to help interpret the dream. Remember those enchanters and magicians were connected to the demonic, so we need to balance Nebuchadnezzar’s praise of God with his reliance with those of the other gods and demons. Maybe he added Daniel’s God, our God, to his list of other gods?
He does call Daniel to help and recognizes that Daniel has the spirit of the holy gods in him. Again, cool he acknowledges the holiness of God. Not so cool that he still was holding onto the polytheism of Babylon.
The dream is a tree in the middle of that land—large, strong, reaching to the sky. It’s visible to the ends of the earth. It leaves were beautiful and fruit abundant. Wild animals found shelter and birds lived in its branches. Every creature was fed from this tree.
Remember the best commentary for reading Scripture is Scripture itself. Is there any other place in Scripture that talks about a tree and fruit, and birds and animals living near it? It sounds like a garden. It sounds like Eden from Genesis 1-2. Remember Adam and Eve and all the animals and birds?
Then the voice of holy one, a messenger or angel calls out in a loud voice, “Cut down the tree...” (Daniel 4.14). The tree is cut down the birds and animals flee and the stump and roots are bound with iron and bronze. That’s the dream of the tree.
Then, midway through Daniel 4.15, the dream switches from a tree to a man with the words, “Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let him live with animals…Let his mind be changed to that of an animal until seven times pass by for him.”
Then we read in Daniel 4.17,
a refrain that we will hear three times (Daniel 4.17, 25, 32). The holy messengers issue the verdict so that the living may know the “Most High is sovereign over all the kingdoms of the earth and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest of people.”
It sounds like the big picture of the dream is to remind you that the Most High God reigns over the kingdoms of the earth by exalting the humble.
So, to recap the dream, we see a big tree that stretches to the heavens with birds and animals living in and near it. The tree has abundant fruit and beautiful leaves. Then it is cut down to the stump, but it’s not fully destroyed.
A man lives outside with animals and his mind is changed from a man to an animal for seven times. Seven could be viewed a complete number like seven days of creation or seven days of a week. Not sure if this man is out in the wild for seven days, weeks, months, years. Whatever the timeline, it is a complete time set by the Most High God.
Then, the refrain the Most High God is sovereign over all the kingdoms of the earth and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest of people.
As this section concludes, let’s trace this theme of God setting the lowliest of people over the kingdoms of the earth.
Meet Hannah. Hannah knew what life as an exile was like. She was married but had to share her husband with another woman. One husband two wives. This family is headed for trouble. Wife one had children. Hannah bore no children. In fact, two times we read the Lord had closed her womb in 1 Samuel 2.5-6). She desperately wanted a child. She prayed for a child. She was praying so intensely at the Lord’s house that the priest, Eli accused Hannah to be drunk. God grants her request and remembers her. She bears a son, Samuel. In her son of praise after Samuel’s birth, Hannah sings, “He [the LORD] raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; He seats them with princes and has them inherit the throne of honor” (1 Samuel 2.8).
God sets the lowly over the kingdoms of the earth. Another lady will sing something similar after an angel speaks to her telling her she will have a son. Mary, the mother of Jesus sings, “He [the Mighty One] has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble” (Luke 1.52).
Friends living in exile, remember God is sovereign. Even when things look really bad, God can work something good.
The Most High God reigns over the kingdoms of the earth by exalting the humble.
The Interpretation (Daniel 4.18-27. Daniel enters the scene and is perplexed and terrified. Nebuchadnezzar reassures Daniel. Contrary to Daniel 2 where Nebuchadnezzar threatens destruction to life and homes. Daniel replies if only the dream applied to your enemies and your adversaries. Daniel addresses the king, “Your Majesty, you are that tree” (Daniel 4.22). You have become great and strong. Your greatness reaches to the sky and your dominion extends to the distant parts of the earth.
You will be driven away from people and live with wild animals. You will eat grass like an ox and be drenched with the dew of heaven.
Do you remember that tree in Genesis 1-2. Do you remember what happened when Adam and Eve at the fruit in Genesis 3. They were driven away from the garden. When we disregard the message of God, we face the consequences of separation from God.
Daniel offers the king some good news. Remember how the stump was saved? “Your kingdom will be restored to you when you acknowledge that Heaven rules” (Daniel 4.26).
Daniel even humbly pleads with the king. Remember Daniel spoke with the commander with wisdom and tact in Daniel 2.14. Now Daniel says, “Be please to accept my advice: Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue” (Daniel 4.27).
Do you admire the boldness and kindness of Daniel to advise the most powerful king on the earth at that time to renounce sins and do the right thing.
The Most High God reigns over the kingdoms of the earth by exalting the humble.
The Fulfillment (Daniel 4.28-37). 12 months later the dream comes true. King Nebuchadnezzar was walking on the roof of his palace admiring his kingdom. He said, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my power and for the glory of my majesty?” (Daniel 4.30). Notice “I” and “my” in that verse. My power and my glory that I have built.
Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
Scripture says as the words were still on his lips, a voice from heaven came, “King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you.” He will live with the wild animals and eat grass like an ox. “Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over all the kingdoms of the earth and gives them to anyone he wishes” (Daniel 4.32).
Nebuchadnezzar leaves the palace and lives away from the people drenched with dew, eating grass. His hair grew long like feathers and his nails like the claws of a bird.
When selfish desires rule our kingdoms, then we become what we worship. In a very real sense for the king, when you act like an animal you become like an animal.
At the end of that time, “I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven...” (Daniel 4.34). Once he raised his eyes toward heaven showing he acknowledged the Heaven rules the earth not Nebuchadnezzar, then his sanity was restored. He praises the Most High with a similar praise that he introduced his dream in Daniel 4.3. He praises God’s dominion is an eternal dominion; His kingdom endures from generation to generation (Daniel 4.34).
Also, true to the dream, Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom was restored to even greater heights than before.
Daniel 4.37 concludes the story with the final words Daniel records from Nebuchadnezzar, “Now, I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all His ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.”
The Most High God reigns over the kingdoms of the earth by exalting the humble.
Shane Wood shares in his Next Level teaching on Daniel, “Humility is knowing exactly who you are not higher not lower.”
Mark Mangano quotes, from the book, The Lord is King (p. 84), “We come to be truly in our right mind when we begin to view and value everything else in the light of heavenly realities.”
The Apostle Paul writes to the church in Philippi for them to have the same mind as that of Christ Jesus when he writes:
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.
The Most High God reigns over the kingdoms of the earth by exalting the humble.
In 1945, Louis Zamperini became a Prisoner of War in Japan. Zamperini suffered cruel punishments, humiliation and beatings at the hands of Mutsuhiro Watanabe, (a.k.a. “The Bird).
Years later, he wrote a letter to his captor. Here’s a portion of that letter: To Mutsuhiro Watanabe,
As a result of my prisoner war experience under your unwarranted and unreasonable punishment, my post-war life became a nightmare. It was not so much due to the pain and suffering as it was the tension of stress and humiliation that caused me to hate with a vengeance.
Under your discipline, my rights, not only as a prisoner of war but also as a human being, were stripped from me. It was a struggle to maintain enough dignity and hope to live until the war’s end.
The post-war nightmares caused my life to crumble, but thanks to a confrontation with God through the evangelist Billy Graham, I committed my life to Christ. Love has replaced the hate I had for you. Christ said, “Forgive your enemies and pray for them.”
As you probably know, I returned to Japan in 1952 and was graciously allowed to address all the Japanese war criminals at Sugamo Prison… I asked then about you, and was told that you probably had committed Hara Kiri, which I was sad to hear. At that moment, like the others, I also forgave you and now would hope that you would also become a Christian.(For more information you can view the letter at: https://reasonabletheology.org/the-rest-of-the-story-louis-zamperini-after-unbroken/).
