Daniel 04 01-37

Daniel 4:1-37

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.

King Nebuchadnezzar is the author of this chapter.

The crazy king who wanted to teach Daniel & his three friend about his gods in order to change them.
The crazy king who wanted to kill all the wise men in Babylon when he had his first dream.
The crazy king who set up an great image & made everyone worship it.

Notice what he now saying in this chapter.

He speaking about what God has done for him.

Last chapter he thought he was great than God.
Now he is praising God for what God has done in his life.

He is even sings the praises of God. worshipping the God of heaven.
Before Nebuchadnezzar thought he was in control & he had made himself great.
Now he realizes that God is control & will always be in control.

What has changed? Nebuchadnezzar seems to me to have been saved, converted from a pagan to a worshipper of the true & living God.

This so us that anyone can be saved. No one is beyond the reach of God.
This chapter is Nebuchadnezzar's testimony. It shows us how he gets saved.

1. Nebuchadnezzar's Need

4 I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and prospering in my palace.

Some students believe that twenty or thirty years may have elapsed between the episode of the fiery furnace described in chapter 3 and the events described in this chapter.

Nebuchadnezzar was now enjoying a time of peace and security.
After defeating all his enemies and completing several impressive building projects, he was able at last to rest at home and delight in what had been accomplished.
Nebuchadnezzar thought that he was the builder of "Babylon the great" and the architect of its peace and prosperity, but he was soon to learn that all these things had been permitted by the will of the Most High God.
Nebuchadnezzar was a rich & powerful man.
On the outside all looked well.
He had nice palace to live in. (With wonderful meals to enjoy.)
His kingdom was growing & prospering.
What more could a man wanted?
Because of his physical & material well being Nebuchadnezzar did not see his need for God.

Nebuchadnezzar was a rich & powerful man.On the outside all looked well.

He had nice palace to live in. (With wonderful meals to enjoy.)

His kingdom was growing & prospering.

What more could a man wanted?

Because of his physical & material well being Nebuchadnezzar did not see his need for God.

Many people are like this.

This is pride! To think you can get on without God.
The truth was God had given him all that he had . He owned God for the good life he was living.
The truth is we all own God for what we have.
Our riches & blessings in life.
To the food we eat & the air we breath.
It is pride for us not to recognize our need & dependents on God.

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.

This was the second dream that Nebuchadnezzar had that troubled him. When trouble where did Nebuchadnezzar turn to for answers?

Right back to the worldly wise men as before.
They could not give the answer before & they could not give the answer to the dream this time.
We must learn to turn to the Lord for answers to spiritual problems we have in life.
It is the Lord alone that has the answers we need for lives biggest problems.

Lucky Nebuchadnezzar does remember Daniel & answers he had last time the king needed help.

2. Daniel's Witness

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.

A. A Holy Life

Daniel was different than the rest of the wise men & the king knew it.

Even this pagan king knew that the Spirit of God was in Daniel.
Daniel's witness to the king had not gone unnoticed.

I'm sure it seemed that way at times to Daniel & his three friends.

But the king knew that there was something different about Daniel.
His holiness & stand for the Lord meant he was different than all the other wise men.
If we want to have a witness or impact for the Lord like Daniel did than we need to be like Daniel.

Stand up for the Lord.
Live in holiness & obedience to the Lord.
Seek to declare the power & glory of the Lord.

A holy life is made possible only by the presence & power of Holy Spirit with us.

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."

So the king's dream was of a great tree that gets chopped down & turns into a beast.

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!

B. A Loving Heart

Daniel was alarmed & slow to answer when he heard the kings dream. Why was this?

While he knew the dream was not good news for the king.
So, it could be that he was a afraid to tell the king.

But I do not think this was the case.
Daniel had always spoke the truth before & trusted in the Lord.

I believe Daniel really cared about the king & his welfare.
To be an effective witness for the Lord we must love those we are trying to reach.

People often to do not care what you know until they know you care.
I have found this to be true in my sharing the gospel with people.

We have the truth of God & we need to share it in the love of God.

C. A Truthful Mouth

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.

Like the tree in the dream Nebuchadnezzar & his kingdom had grown large & strong.

There was no other kingdom like Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon.
He was the strongest king & controlled a vast dominion.
He was known throughout the known world at that time.
People often talk about the most powerful man in the world today.

Many say it is the president of U.S.A.
There was no doubt to who it was in Nebuchadnezzar's day.

If the dream had stop here it would have been great for Nebuchadnezzar, but it goes on.

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.

Then came the bad news.

The cutting down of the tree—a decree from the Most High—meant that Nebuchadnezzar would be removed from his position of authority in the kingdom.
He would be turned out of the palace (driven away from people) and would live like an animal among the wild animals until seven periods would pass over him.

Daniel this most likely predicting that Nebuchadnezzar would live in a demented state for seven years.

The point here is that Daniel gives the bad news to the king & not just what he wanted to hear.

Daniel did not hold back from delivering that whole message of God to this proud king.
What an example for us to follow.

It had be easy to tell people that God loves them.
But it is more difficult for us to tell people they are sinners & therefore under the judgement of the Lord.

Like Daniel we need to be faithful to declare the whole message of the Gospel to people.

If we do not many will never see there need for Christ in the first place.

God's message to Nebuchadnezzar was not all judgement. There was also much hope in it if or in his case when he repented of his sin.

The fact that the stump was not to be uprooted (but was to be secured and left in the field, indicates that the king would be restored to the throne.
However, that restoration would not take place till Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged God’s sovereign right to rule (that heaven rules).

The same is true with the message of the gospel. It is full of hope for those that repent of their sin.

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 finishes by asking the king to repent from sin right there & than. That way he could be spared the judgement of the Lord.

Daniel's witness was a good witness, but it does not change the heart of Nebuchadnezzar.
We can be witness of the Lord but we can't change people's hearts.
The Lord alone must do the work of changing men's hearts.
This is what we will see happening in the rest of the chapter.

3. God's Salvation

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?"

So here we are a year after the dream & Nebuchadnezzar is as proud as ever.

In his mercy God had graciously allowed Nebuchadnezzar a full year to repent of his sins, but he had not done so.
He does not see his need for God.
He has not listened to word that Daniel has said to him.
And he still thinks he has built this great kingdom by himself.
But all this was going to change because God was about to take it all away from Nebuchadnezzar & bring him to about the lowest any man could get in this life.

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.

Just as God said Nebuchadnezzar goes insane & loses control over his kingdom.

God gave & God took away.

Why do you think God would do such a thing to Nebuchadnezzar?

Was it to judge Nebuchadnezzar?
Yes, I think so. He was being judged for his pride.
But there was a higher reason I believe the Lord had in mind.
God did not wish such a horrible experience on the king—he gave Nebuchadnezzar a full year to repent.

Nevertheless, out of God’s mercy and love the ordeal was permitted in order to bring the proud king to repentance.
Though severe, in this case the punishment was necessary.

It was meant to help Nebuchadnezzar face up to the fact that he needed the Lord. *

That he needed to repent of his sin & recognize that God was in control of his life.

Often the Lord will bring things into peoples lives to help them see their need for him.
It is often at peoples' low times, during the hardships of life that they see their need & turn to the Lord.

I know this is the testimony of some in our own church.

The Lord will often bring people to low points so that they might turn to Him for salvation.
Matt 5:3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
As much as this was a judgement for pride for Nebuchadnezzar it was a even greater mercy.

That he needed to repent of his sin & recognize that God was in control of his life.

Often the Lord will bring things into peoples lives to help them see their need for him.
It is often at peoples' low times, during the hardships of life that they see their need & turn to the Lord.

I know this is the testimony of some in our own church.

The Lord will often bring people to low points so that they might turn to Him for salvation.
Matt 5:3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
As much as this was a judgement for pride for Nebuchadnezzar it was a even greater mercy.

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.

At his very lowest Nebuchadnezzar's pride was gone & he praise & honor to the Lord.

When he turned to the Lord & turned from his sin of pride there was salvation for him.

He was saved from beast like state.
He was given the grace of having kingdom returned to him.
And most of all I believed he became a true believer in the God of Daniel, the one true living God.
He was a changed man!

When a person turns to the Lord in repentance of their sin they are saved.

Saved from the often insanity of their own sin.
We are given the grace that comes from Jesus Christ.
We become believers in the one true living God & are given eternal life.
We become changed people.

Notice how the praise & worship of Nebuchadnezzar changes.

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 now has real & personal relation with the Lord.

Before this was not the case.
Da 3:28 Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the king's command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God.
Da 2:47 The king answered and said to Daniel, "Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a re vealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery."
Salvation means we go from knowing about the Lord to knowing the Lord personally.
Salvation brings a personal worship of the Lord from our hearts.