God's Authority Sustains His People

Introduction

Have you ever woken up from a dream that was so vivid that you knew that God wanted you to pay attention to something from that dream?

Some of us are probably very comfortable with a question like this. We may have experienced this kind of thing many times and the idea that God might be speaking through someone’s dream is something that we easily accept as a possibility or even probability.

Others of us are a bit leery of this kind of thing and we would not be as quick to assign a whole lot of significance to a message that someone received from a dream. We might just want to blame it on something you ate or watched on tv last night before bed. It just sounds weird to us, to “hocus pocus” and unstable. It is not that we would say that God couldn’t use a dream to communicate something to someone, but we are always skeptical at first.

Maybe you would’t firmly place yourself on one end or the other of that spectrum, but instead find yourself somewhere in the middle…just leaning to one side or the other. That is probably most of us, and for good reason because the Bible is just as clear about God having used dreams and visions as it is that we need to be cautious about people’s experience with dreams and visions. Discernment is needed, and so we weigh everything that God might say in a dream against the sufficiency of what He has already said in His Word.

Tension

So you might be asking, “Why all this talk about dreams?” Don’t worry... I slept fine last night and have no dream to share with you today, but I wanted to prime the pump of your ideas about dreams because we are continuing in the book of Daniel this week, and God gave Daniel a special gift to be able understand dreams and their meanings.

In Daniel Chapter 2 King Nebuchadnezzar, the King over the entire Babylonian Empire, has a dream that is so troubling that he summons all his wise men together to find out what it means. But he wants to make sure that these “so called” wise men had the ability to see things others couldn’t, as they claimed, so he requires that they not only told him what the dream meant, but also what the dream was. Well they didn’t know what to do, no one had ever asked them something like this before. Listen to their response

Daniel 2:11 ESV

11 The thing that the king asks is difficult, and no one can show it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.”

I am sure this was a confusion statement considering the fact that these wise men had been telling them for years what these so called “gods” have been saying. Needless to say, their response greatly angered the King, who we know from last week has a short fuse, so he he declared that every wise man in Babylon be killed. Specifically, “torn limb from limb and their houses laid in ruin” This King is clearly not prone to leniency when it comes to what he saw as disloyalty.

Included in those “wise men” who were sentenced to death was Daniel and three friends. And so when they came to kill Daniel this is how he responded:

Daniel 2:14 ESV

14 Then Daniel replied with prudence and discretion to Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon.

Again we see Daniel responding with wisdom and reason to a situation that was probably invoking fear and panic among all those around them. Seems applicable to our world right now, doesn’t it? Daniel asks for a meeting with the King where he says He will give him both the content and interpretation of the dream. It is bold undertaking, but a very prudent one. I mean, what did he have to loose?

So his first step was to gather his friends together and pray. I hope you have been doing this. I hope you have spent just as much praying for those in leadership, as you have complaining about them. The former will have a much greater impact than the latter.

After they prayed God gave Daniel exactly what he needed to respond to the threat that stood before him. By God’s grace, he was able to stand before the King with both the details of the dream and the interpretation.

[Image Slide] In short, the dream was about a huge frightening image that towered before the King and was made up of 5 different substances. Gold for the head, Silver for the chest and arms, Bronze for the lower torso, iron for the legs and iron mixed with clay for the feet. Then there was this huge bolder, not formed by human hands, that came crashing into the towering figure to destroy it.

This, Daniel went on to explain, was a picture of a series of Empires that the Most High God would allow to rule for a period of time, beginning with Babylon as the golden head. The final step of the crushing stone was a reminder to Nebuchadnezzar, and every King who followed, that the very God who had established their empire for a period of time would also destroy all earthly kingdoms in order to establish his own eternal kingdom.

It was quite a picture. And because of his ability to tell him both the dream and it’s interpretation, and no doubt because the interpretation made the King out to be the “golden head” King Nebuchadnezzar responds favorably toward both Daniel and “his God who revealed the mystery”

Daniel 2:47–48 ESV

47 The king answered and said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.” 48 Then the king gave Daniel high honors and many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon.

And Daniel remained in this role for the rest of his life, even serving under Kings after Nebuchadnezzar. It is hard for us to imagine what that must have been like. Here is Daniel, a faithful Jew who was put in charge over all the “the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and astrologers” of this massive pagan empire. What a spot to be in! How will Daniel remain faithful to the one true God even as he is surrounded with pagan influences, pressures and practices? How will answer all of these pagan wise men when they come in to him to discuss and debate matters of the Empire, when they have such different world views?

We are left to believe that he handled them in the same way that he handled the chief of the eunuch (last week), the captain of the guard, and the King himself as we see today.

He spent time in prayer seeking the counsel of the LORD and

Then He answered each issue respectfully with reason, prudence and discretion.

What a timely word for us today, Church.

And so as far as we know, Daniel faithfully serving both God, the Babylonian people and King Nebuchadnezzar for the next 30 years until we read about the King having another dream. The interpretation of this dream does NOT show the King to be so golden...

Let’s check it out in the book of Daniel Chapter 4, go ahead and turn there in your Bibles at home. I will pray and we will dive into this great story of God’s authority and sovereignty together.

Truth

So Daniel chapter 4 is such a unique chapter in the Bible because it is a letter that was written not by the key character, Daniel, but by King Nebuchadnezzar himself. The letter starts out much like the many letters or Epistles of the New Testament, beginning with the authors name and then the recipients:

Daniel 4:1–3 ESV

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.

Wow, what a testimony from the King of Babylon. Throughout the Bible, Babylon is never a symbol of a good and moral place but it seems clear to me that at least for a period of time, Nebuchadnezzar understood his place beneath the Most High God. Not only that, but here he is telling the entire world about it. Whatever else we might think of him, we gotta respect this declaration. This pagan King was doing something that every Christian is called to do, but how many of us are actively doing this? To declare to everyone in our world, the things that God has done in our life.

This is how the letter begins, and then he moves in to tell the story of how he came to this realization. It all started with a disturbing dream he had:

Daniel 4:4–6 ESV

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.

So everything was going great for Nebuchadnezzar. He had accomplished his “Babylonian Dream”, much like we might be after the “American Dream”. He had neutralized all the threats, maximized the opportunities, and capitalized on the many resources that were afforded him. He was truly living the dream, a life of ease and luxury…until another type of dream interrupted it all.

Just like before, the King calls together all his other wise men to interpret the dream and they again prove to be useless, but the King knew he could count on Daniel. And so he shares the dream with Daniel and immediately observes that Daniel is noticeably hesitant to give the interpretation to the King,

Daniel 4:19 ESV

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!

These two men seem to have developed a relationship of mutual respect over the years, and Daniel is concerned that the realization of this vision may greatly effect this. But at the Kings insistence, He shares the interpretation of the dream with him:

Daniel 4:20–22 ESV

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.

So far everything still seems golden, but then the dream takes a disturbing turn when a messenger from heaven enters the scene...

Daniel 4:23–26 ESV

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.

This is where the interpretation ends, but in his respect for and relationship with the King, Daniel wants to offer his counsel in light of these things that the King has been shown. So he immediately says:

Daniel 4:27 ESV

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.”

This is great advice, not only for Nebuchadnezzar but for God’s people at all times and places. It is reminiscent of what God told his own people in 2 Chronicles 7:14:

2 Chronicles 7:14 ESV

14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

But the King’s letter gives no indication that he took Daniels advice. Instead, he operates in proud blindness to God’s authority over him. This brings us to our first theme of the week:

Those who walk in pride are blind to God’s authority (Daniel 4:29-30)

And the King continues to tell his story...

Daniel 4:29–30 ESV

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?”

Understand that the problem here was not that Nebuchadnezzar recognized Babylon to be a great city, because there is no doubt that it was magnificent. It was not a moral place by any means, but as a representation of what can be built by the hands of men it was incredible. Believed to be the biggest city in the entire world, it was surrounded by a broad and deep filled moat where ships could come in. On top of that it had a double walled defense system that ran for 17 miles and these walls were so thick that chariots could pass each other on the wall. There were 8 gates leading into the city, some of which were 40 feet tall surrounded by towers and battlements ready to defend against anyone who dared to approach.

And it wasn’t just a place of cold military strength, the entire city was aesthetically awe inspiring with incredible architecture, craftsmanship, stonework and vegetation everywhere you looked. Maybe you have heard of the famous “Hanging Gardens” that the Greeks eventually declared to be one of the 7 wonders of the world. Nebuchadnezzar constructed these for his wife who was from a mountainous region and so he in effect built a huge mountain in the middle of the city that could be seen from beyond the city walls and filled it with every kind of vegetation you can imagine along with these inventive water hoists that would bring the water to the top and having it work it’s way back down again. And if any one of us where standing on the roof as Nebuchadnezzar was we would have been just as amazed…and there is nothing wrong with being amazed at amazing things - the problem came in Nebuchadnezzar heart as He attributed the greatness of these accomplishments to himself alone.

Here me Church, there is nothing that you and I have that we do not owe to the generosity of our sovereign King. You may have worked hard, as certainly Nebuchadnezzar did, but at the end of the day you do not have a single ability, resource, aptitude or advantage that was not provided for you by your creator for His intended purposes in your life. It was not Nebuchadnezzars greatness that accomplished all of this, but God’s purposes for him.

It doesn’t mean that we can’t stand back and admire the effects of our efforts after a home remodel, a flower or vegetable garden, a successful career, a trophy buck or fish, a marathon or whatever it might be…it just means that we need to recognize God’s hand in it all. This is what Nebuchadnezzar lacked and this is why God stepped in to humble him

Our second theme for the week is that...

God graciously humbles those who walk in pride (Daniel 4:31-33)

Daniel 4:31–33 ESV

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.

This might sound like the end of the story. This King angers God and now he is crazy cow man. The end.

But of course it is not the end because this is still a part of this letter that the King wrote…as the King, not as the crazy cow man. When God humbles us, it is not to humiliate us, but to graciously show us that we are living out of line with who He created us to be. This is never a healthy option.

It is like the symptoms of a sickness that rise up to show us that something is not as it should be. If we ignore those symptoms, things will just get worse and worse, but if we take the steps needed to address them we can see things get back to the way that they were designed to work…and this is actually how the story ends for Nebuchadnezzar, when the…

Praise of God replaces pride in those who have been humbled (Daniel 4:34-37)

Daniel 4:34–37 ESV

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.

Again, what a powerful testimony of how a very powerful man went from pride to praise because God graciously humble him in order to accomplish His purposes in His life. This declaration is the last thing we read on Nebechadnezzar, and it was something that He sent through out His entire Kingdom.

Gospel Application

Of course the problem with teaching on “Pride” is that is so easy to identify…in someone else. We could all describe a prideful person pretty easily, but rarely would it look like the face in the mirror.

I was talking to a friend of mine this past week. He works for a World Wide Language Ministry and so he has a much better international perspective than I do so it’s fun to get his take on things and as we discussed the pandemic and it’s effect around the world, one of the things that he said really stuck with me. He said that he found it interesting how so much of the western world seems to be responding to the presence of this virus as if it was something that we could of and should of be able to control.

He wasn’t putting down the efforts we have taken to love and serve our neighbors well by choosing to stay home or wear masks to lessen the spread of this virus, it was much more about the attitude. We just haven’t dealt with unknown sickness like this in our life time. Many other countries around the world see outbreaks of new, or “new to them” virus’ sweep through their communities, but we haven.t. And so we are desperately asking our questions from the perspective of “What went wrong” because we should not have to deal with something like this.

We should be at ease in our homes and prospering in our palaces. Sounds a little familiar, doesn’t it?

And my point is not that we should belittle our medical advances or our economic strength, because just like the city of Babylon they are incredible things to behold, but lets not forget who it is that has given us these things. When we praise God for all the good gifst that He has given us it keeps us from pride and helps us to see clearly so that we can understand the purposes that God has for giving us all the blessing that we have.

This is something that King Nebuchadnezzar learned and then declared to the whole world, what will you do in appreciation for everything that God has purposes in your life? Can you say along with Him...

I 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.

Landing

God humbles the proud so that they can recognize His authority and praise Him. Let’s pray, and then we will spend some time praising our King together in song.