From Chad to Chopped
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Handout
Last week we talked about Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah who were thrown into the fiery furnace because of their faith. They refused to bow down to Nebuchadnezzar’s statue and found themselves thrown into the fire because of it. It was there in the fire that the Lord appeared with them. They were delivered from death and Nebuchadnezzar ends chapter three and the start of chapter four with a declaration of Yahweh’s glory. We have been following a narrator throughout the first three chapters but chapter four sees a narrative shift. We now hear a story from the perspective of Nebuchadnezzar, almost like Nebuchadnezzar is writing a decree to his kingdom.
Consecrated Faith
Consecrated Faith
1 King Nebuchadnezzar to all peoples, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you! 2 It has seemed good to me to show the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for me. 3 How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion endures from generation to generation. 4 I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and prospering in my palace. 5 I saw a dream that made me afraid. As I lay in bed the fancies and the visions of my head alarmed me. 6 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. 7 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. 8 At last Daniel came in before me—he who was named Belteshazzar after the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods—and I told him the dream, saying, 9 “O Belteshazzar, 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.
Nebuchadnezzar has another dream. If you remember, in chapter two, Nebuchadnezzar had a dream and God used Daniel to interpret it, leading to Daniel being placed in high authority within the Babylonian kingdom. Here Nebuchadnezzar has another dream. This time Nebuchadnezzar has confidence in Daniel because he believes that Daniel has the spirit of the holy gods within him. It is interesting to hear Daniel described this way. Nebuchadnezzar is a pagan king. His understanding of the world around him is skewed by his belief in the Babylonian pantheon, yet he understands that there is something special about Daniel. The Spirit of God is on Daniel and God is using Daniel to accomplish incredible things. When the king looks at Daniel in his work and in his character, there is no doubting Daniel serves a higher power.
What are the two words we have been throwing around about faith?
Faith in indigenous
Faith is consecrated
Daniel sets himself apart from the culture around him in the sacredness of his faith and character. Daniel represents the Lord well in all that he does, so much so that the king of Babylon has taken notice.
Do you represent the Lord in the way you think, speak, and act?
When people look at your character, do they see the Lord’s influence on you?
How do we grow in our character to look more and more like the Lord?
Daniel spent time with the Lord in prayer. In later chapters we will see this to be clearly evident, but Daniel was a man of prayer. Day and night, Daniel sought the Lord’s wisdom and protection. The more time we spend with the Lord, the more we begin to think, speak, and act like Jesus. This isn’t a product of human effort, in the New Testament world we live in, this is the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. When the Spirit of God lives in us, He begins to convict us of sin, and call us into holiness. The Holy Spirit moves and shapes our hearts so that we look more and more like Jesus every day. This is called sanctification.
Sanctification: The ongoing supernatural work of God to rescue justified sinners from the disease of sin and to conform them to the image of his Son: holy, Christlike, and empowered to do good works.
It was clear to Nebuchadnezzar that Daniel was different, but he still didn’t understand what made Daniel different.
"Preach the Gospel at all times; use words when necessary."
This is an incomplete understanding of the Gospel. While it is essential for our behavior to reflect the good news of hope we have in Jesus, it can never be only actions. It isn’t enough for us to only preach the Gospel in our actions. We must preach the Gospel with our words too.
13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
Jesus is sending us out as preachers, to boldly proclaim the good news of the Gospel, not just in actions, but by our words.
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Jesus calls all Christians to make disciples. We do that by going out into the world, winning souls to Christ through evangelism (resulting in baptism - the first act of obedience by a believer) and through teaching people how to follow Jesus. That means as a Christian you personally are responsible for learning how to do that - Going, evangelizing, and training.
Dreams and Visions
Dreams and Visions
10 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. 11 The tree grew and became strong, and its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth. 12 Its leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, and the birds of the heavens lived in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it. 13 “I saw in the visions of my head as I lay in bed, and behold, a watcher, a holy one, came down from heaven. 14 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 beasts flee from under it and the birds from its branches. 15 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 beasts in the grass of the earth. 16 Let his mind be changed from a man’s, and let a beast’s mind be given to him; and let seven periods of time pass over him. 17 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.’ 18 This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, saw. And you, O Belteshazzar, 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.”
Nebuchadnezzar needs to stop eating pizza late at night. God gives Nebuchadnezzar this crazy dream and only Daniel is going to be able to interpret it.
Does God still speak through dreams?
Throughout the Bible we see several instances of God speaking and revealing Himself through dreams. Jacob, Joseph, Pharoah, Isaiah, Joseph, Peter, Paul, John. All of these people had truth revealed to them in a dream. Can God reveal Himself through dreams today? Certainly! I think that there are modern day examples of God speaking to people through dreams. First and foremost, God has revealed Himself through Scripture and in the person of Jesus Christ.
1 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.
In the past God used many means to reveal Himself to His people. Today He doesn’t need to because we have Scripture, but there are some stories of Muslim converts who accredit their conversion to a dream of seeing Jesus. Does this mean we believe everyone who says they see Jesus in their dreams? Absolutely not. There is no way of confirming these things as truth. Scripture is our authority in all things. If someone says they saw Jesus in a dream and says Jesus told them to do something contrary to Scripture than we know for a fact they are deceived or trying to deceive.
So for example, when Joseph Smith claims to have been visited by an Angel named Maroni who tells him to start Mormonism, we can have confidence that it is a lie. He may have seen something, but it wasn’t from God, since God never contradicts His Word.
In the same way, we shouldn’t look too deeply into our own dreams. If you want to encounter the living God go to His word. If for some reason you believe God has spoken to you through a dream, take it to Scripture. Again, Scripture is how God has chosen to ultimately reveal Himself to us. For the prophets and Apostles who were actively writing the Bible were at times revealed truth by God, but there is no secret knowledge waiting for us to find through dreams or hallucinations because God has revealed Himself fully in the Bible.
Daniel’s Interpretation
Daniel’s Interpretation
19 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! 20 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, 21 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— 22 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. 23 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,’ 24 this is the interpretation, O king: It is a decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king, 25 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. 26 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. 27 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 breaks the bad news to Nebuchadnezzar. He can either humble Himself, repent and practice righteousness and showing mercy to the oppressed, or he can be humiliated and be made like a beast of the field until he knows that God is sovereign in all things.
The language in this dream is familiar to me.
Does anybody know the story of the tower of Babel?
Babylon is the Greek transliteration of the word Babel. They are the same place geographically. While Babel sought to build a tower to heaven and oppose God they are defeated by God confusing their languages and scattering them throughout the whole world. Now you have Babylon. Look at 4:1 who is this kingdom representative of. Here you have this mighty kingdom, where the king claims to be the king of kings, that claims to be made up of every people group, that has become so mighty and powerful, Daniel says it is like a tree that stretches to the very heavens. Just like the tower of Babel. Just as God used Babel to show the world His power and to point people to humbly seek Him, He is about to use Nebuchadnezzar in the same way.
What a great friend Daniel is. He cares deeply for the king and desires to see him humble himself and repent. He pleads with the king to repent. Imagine the guts it takes to stand before a king and question his character. In love, Daniel was willing to say the hard things. To say the things the king needed to hear. I think that when it comes to sharing the Gospel we get shy about possibly offending or hurting feelings, but if we love the people around us genuinely, we will be moved by that love to speak the truth.
Who has God brought into your life so that you can share the hope of Jesus with them?
God is sovereign in all things. He alone is king over all kings.
1 Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying, 3 “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” 4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. 5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, 6 “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” 7 I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. 8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. 9 You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” 10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. 11 Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
King David warns all other kings. There is no fighting against the Lord. You cannot win. While you plot and plan and strategize, God sits on His throne and laughs. Who can sit on the Lord’s throne? Only one. It is the begotten Son of God alone who sits on the throne. Jesus Christ.
God’s warning to Nebuchadnezzar serves as a warning to us.
Is Jesus the king of our lives?
Think about it. Does He sit on the throne of your life or does something else?
Nebuchadnezzar’s Humiliation
Nebuchadnezzar’s Humiliation
28 All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. 29 At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, 30 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?” 31 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, 32 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.” 33 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.
Nebuchadnezzar, the great and powerful king, has been humiliated. I assume the vain king of Babylon was usually pretty sharp dressed, well groomed. I’m sure he cared very much about his appearance and his perception among the people. I mean, this is the guy who, in the last chapter, made people worship a 90 foot statue of himself to be worshipped. This was the lowest of lows Nebuchadnezzar could have experienced. The sad truth about human nature is that sometimes it takes these rock bottom moments for us to open our hearts to the Lord.
Paul deals with a situation in 1 Corinthians 5. This young man had been in a sexual relationship with who the text says is his fathers wife. It was said to be an immorality that even the pagan, sex obsessed, Roman world around them looked at and saw it as inappropriate and unheard of. Not only that there was boasting about the sin taking place. They were proud of their sin. Paul says in response to this unrepentant sin, kick them out of the church, hand them over into the hands of the devil so that his flesh might be destroyed, so that he might repent and be restored into the household of faith. The truth wasn’t reaching this guy and so Paul instructs the church of Corinth to hand him over to his sin, be stripped of his community of faith, experience the full consequence of his sin, so that he might repent and be restored.
4 When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, 5 you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.
That is powerful language. It sounds at first like Paul isn’t showing grace or love, but the Holy Spirit was leading Paul to do this so that this man might get a wake up call. Later in 2 Corinthians we see this man restored back into the faith. He was humiliated, but he repented, and was welcomed back in, not seen as disgusting or in shame, but in love and forgiveness.
5 Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you. 6 For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, 7 so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. 9 For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything. 10 Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, 11 so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.
I don’t think that this is how we treat every example of sin in the church, but this was a public, boastful, sin that was seen in the community and hurt the cause of Christ and needed to be dealt with in a public way.
What does repentance look like?
What sin is the Lord calling you to repent of?
Like the man in 1 Corinthians, the Lord does not withhold His grace from Nebuchadnezzar. God’s grace is always ready to step in.
Nebuchadnezzar Restored
Nebuchadnezzar Restored
34 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; 35 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?” 36 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. 37 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 praises the Lord as king of kings, eternal Lord, above all creation, wise beyond counsel, just in all he does, able to humble even the most powerful.
Have you experienced God’s grace today?
How can you praise God for His grace towards you?
