Looking Up

Our Theme for 2021 is “Redeeming the Time.”

Happy Mother’s Day!

We honor the women in our lives who have nurtured us!

I realize Mother’s day isn’t happy for everyone.

There are those who have lost a mother.

There are mothers who have lost children.

There are those who never knew their mother.

There are those who wish they could become a mother.

And then there are those who have a mother, but wish that somehow that person were different than they are.

We honor you all; those who have earned a, “job well done!” and those who grieve an aspect of their life that is incomplete.

It’s good to be able to admit that we are not perfect?!?

We can honor one another without having that pressure to perform.

No parent is perfect, but all are deserving of honor.

Only God is perfect, and we are being formed into His image.

Our lesson today from Daniel focuses on King Nebuchadnezzar.

We already saw some of his insecurity by trying to extort information from his advisors and then making them all bow to a statue as a test of loyalty.

But a king has a big job.

If he does it well--people thrive.

If he doesn’t--people suffer.

Archeologists tell us that the kingdom of Babylon prospered under Nebuchadnezzar II.

Babylon had multiple layers of fortification.

The outer wall was seventeen miles long and was wide enough that two chariots could pass each other.

Somewhere in proximity to the royal palace, was the hanging garden which was described by the Greeks as one of the seven wonders of the world.

The hanging garden was described as an artificial terraced mountain made of brick with irrigation pumps to disperse water throughout the entire structure and plants, flowers and trees covering the terraces.

Imagine being able to look out over the countryside, far beyond the wall while being surrounded by lush tropical vegetation, also above and below you.

Imagine being surrounded by beauty all day, every day.

You might say that Nebuchadnezzer built a man-made Eden.

All that was missing was the presence of God.

But can you ever escape the presence of God?

We have talked a lot about suffering and difficult times, but sometimes the most dangerous time is when everything is going well.

I say dangerous because it is in those times that we may forget about God, or worse; we might think that we don’t need God.

Without God life loses meaning, relationships lose purpose and we lose our sanity.

Time and Providence will show that God is the source of every good thing.

Getting too comfortable

We begin again with the declaration that concluded our last story.

Remember, when the Bible was written, there were no chapters, so this declaration may have been made after the fiery furnace. It certainly fits!

Another possibility is that it is meant to be a bookend (chiasm) to the story of Nebuchadnezzar that we will be talking about today.

If it wasn’t made after the golden image incident, then it would be a conclusion to today’s lesson that also serves as an introduction.

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.

Commentators suggest that perhaps as much as 30 years have passed between chapter 3 and chapter 4.

So if King Nebuchadnezzar was convinced that the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego is the Most High God after seeing them delivered from the fiery furnace, what happened?

Some people say that Nebuchadnezzar was never really converted in his heart as evidenced by today’s story.

If he did, in fact, have an encounter with God, he was “backslidden” or no longer responding to the truth of that encounter.

Backsliding begins with forgetting God’s presence.

Have you ever run into someone who you know had an encounter with God, but years later it seems like nothing happened?

“Yeah sure. God appeared in the fire.”

“But for weeks after that we were busy with reporters and talk show appearances.”

“And then after that nothing! Everybody moved on so we moved on.”

“Sometimes I burn myself while cooking and wonder, God, why do you save me from the furnace but you let this happen!”

Oh. I think that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were OK, though we don’t hear about them anymore.

The King, on the other hand has another crisis.

Daniel 4:4–5 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.

What happened? Life happened.

God was so real in that moment.

But there have been lots of other moments since that moment where you wondered where is God?

Sometimes we associate God’s presence with a feeling.

When the feeling isn’t there; we think that God’s not there.

If we are not intentional about remembering; it is so easy to forget.

Did you know that the greatest failures often occur later in life and in ministry?

Think about the people who failed in the Bible (Gideon, Jephthah, Samson, Saul, David, Solomon, Hezekiah)

They all had a period of success followed by a catastrophic failure.

Sometimes (like Solomon) the failure didn’t really show up until the next generation.

But somewhere along the way they got too comfortable.

They began to take for granted that God was with them, but they were no longer pursuing God, or even inquiring of God.

We get so used to doing things for God, that we forget to be with God.

Our inner life and our outer life do not match.

Verse 4 is the outer life. Verse 5 the inner life.

We work hard to keep it together, because that’s what everyone expects, but inside we are a mess.

God is “out there somewhere” or in the past, but His presence is absent.

King Nebuchadnezzar appeared too be thriving! - That’s what the vision of the tree was all about.

But the tree had to be cut down because it was not healthy.

The flow of life was restricted.

Daniel 4:13–16 ESV

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.

Mankind, without God, is reduced to an animal.

Have you ever thought about what means to be human?

People used to say that animals don’t have a soul.

By soul they mean the mind, will and emotions.

But any animal lover knows that animals are pretty smart, they definitely have a will of their own and they are capable of emotion.

What is meant by “having a soul” is really a spiritual quality.

It is the status of being created in God’s image and the capacity for relationship with God.

Just as animals have a capacity for relationship with humans; humans have a capacity for relationship with God.

And that capacity grows as it is cultivated.

The angelic messenger is called a “watcher” which literally means “one who is awakened.”

The king’s lethargic state is contrasted with the that of his “awakened” messenger.

Spiritual beings see things and know things that we do not yet have the capacity to see or know.

Psalm 8:3–7 ESV

3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? 5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, 7 all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field,

So here is mankind somewhere between the heavenly beings and the animals in terms of capacity for spiritual awareness.

We learned in “the Unseen Realm” that God’s plan is to redeem humanity and to use us as an example to all of the unseen realm of His power and grace.

But King Nebuchadnezzar is moving in the wrong direction.

He is going down the ladder, becoming like an animal.

There is a Hebrew word for “fool” that means “lacking sense” and literally means “like cattle.”

I worked with cows for many years. They are creatures of habit. It’s not that they can’t think, mostly they just don’t. They prefer to eat the same things, lie in the same spot and keep the same schedule. If you change their routine, they will let you know. They would have the strength to bust out of their station, but they are not inclined to try. It’s only when something frightens them that they get creative.

We we get too comfortable, we get lazy and too often we forget the purpose for which we are created.

The Creeds of Christendom, with a History and Critical Notes, Volume III: The Evangelical Protestant Creeds, with Translations The Westminster Shorter Catechism. A.D. 1647: Catechismus Westmonasteriensis Minor

Question. 1. What is the chief end of man?

Quæstio. Quis hominis finis est præcipuus?

Answer. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.

Responsio. Præcipuus hominis finis est, Deum glorificare, eodemque frui in æternum.

God rules.

Daniel 4:17 ESV

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.’

Here we have heavenly beings deciding and decreeing that King Nebuchadnezzar is critically off course and requires Divine intervention.

God want’s us to know Him, to enjoy Him and to rule with Him.

When we insist on going it alone, God will allow it for a time, because He wants us to exercise our own will.

But ultimately, our will leads us away from God, so there must be correction.

Proverbs 14:12 ESV

12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.

One of the major themes of Daniel is God’s Sovereignty.

Certainly God has the ability to control things on earth, but so often He doesn’t.

God holds back in order to draw us out.

He doesn’t cause suffering, but He allows it, especially if that’s what it takes to get our attention or to shape our character to be more like Him.

Losing your mind

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!

Here is Daniel, a Jewish prince, serving in the palace of a foreign king.

He has been trained in the ways of Babylon, and he has a genuine interest in the prosperity of the city in which he now lives.

Jeremiah 29:7 ESV

7 But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.

But Daniel has not forgotten the God of Israel.

He knows that he is in covenant with the One true God.

So while he is serving in Babylon, he sees God’s hand at work in everything even in his own thoughts and in his work.

Your ability is because of God’s sovereignty.

Daniel 4:24–26 ESV

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.

Lycanthropy (or boantrophy) is a mental disorder where a person perceives themselves to be an animal.

It has been documented to include physical attributes such as growing longer hair and coarse finger nails.

I don’t know if Daniel fully understood and knew what he was predicting or if he was just speaking what God gave him to speak.

But imagine the courage that it took to speak the truth right to the kings face!

How could Daniel speak such a difficult word?

He saw the king and himself as being under God’s rule.

God ultimately decides who will rule the earth.

Those who exercise authority represent the ultimate authority.

From the time we are born until we are grown, every authority in our life shapes how we see God.

Not every authority figure is godly or represents God well.

We are told to pray for those in authority that God would guide them and correct them where needed.

God is sovereign, and as sovereign He is the ultimate authority.

However, you always have a choice.

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.”

A prophetic word has several parts.

There is the actual word, image or impression.

There is the interpretation or meaning of what was seen or heard.

And then there is the application or instruction of what to do with what was communicated.

We often think that a prophetic word is final, and sometimes they are.

But most of the time a prophetic warning is an appeal to change what is a likely outcome.

The king’s dream was showing him what would happen if he continued on the same course.

Daniel not only interprets the dream but gives it application - repent, while there is still time!

Maybe the king did repent or maybe he didn’t.

Whatever he did, it didn’t change the outcome; only delayed it.

You can only fake it for a while.

Daniel 4:28–32 ESV

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.”

Several commentators suggest that the hanging gardens together may have been the rooftop that is mentioned here.

If that’s the case, then it wasn’t just the town that he was admiring.

It was the technology that allowed him to enjoy vegetation on a scale previously unimaginable.

It was the architecture that enabled him to build higher than previously imagined.

It was the man-made Eden without the presence of God.

Nebuchadnezzer thought he had succeeded where Babel had failed.

But God was about to have the last word...

Acknowledging your source

What was it like for the king of a world-wide empire to suffer debilitating mental illness?

What would it have been like for Daniel and the palace staff?

Ken Eberly pointed out to me in a recent conversation that Daniel probably would have run the palace in the king’s absence and made it possible for the king’s eventual return.

Some commentator suggest that his son may have been a co-regent during this time.

Some suggest that the king would have been locked away from the public in the palace garden.

Others see in the text a man driven into the wilderness by his madness only to be found again seven years later when his mind returned to him.

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.

So lets do a little application of our own. What do we learn from this?

Reason comes from God.

Rene’ Descarte said, “I think therefore I am.”

In his search for meaning, he found that the search is proof of meaning.

The world assumes that intelligence is a sign of evolution.

I think it points to an intelligent Creator.

Why should we think that the ability to think lofty thoughts and solve complex problems is to our own credit?

If a computer is able to do the same thing, we give credit to the designer.

Even artificial intelligence has the ability to learn because someone programmed it to do that.

But God created us for more than mere intelligence, He created us to love and to be loved.

Philippians 2:5 TPT

5 And consider the example that Jesus, the Anointed One, has set before us. Let his mindset become your motivation.

It is in learning to love that we become what God created us to be.

Greatness comes from God.

As humans we tend to measure greatness according to who is the most powerful, the most influential or who is in control.

Nebuchadnezzer had conquered the world militarily.

He had mastered the arts, the sciences and ancient mysticism.

He has created the most prestigious and elaborate city of his day; so much so, that historians were still telling about it hundreds of years later.

But greatness is not achieved by being the best at something.

If it were, then Nebuchadnezzer would be right in his boasting, because he was the best at just about everything.

Greatness was on display when God became an embryo in the womb of a young Jewish woman.

Greatness was on display when He was born as a baby and learned to honor and to obey parents as every other human has to do.

Greatness was on display when He washed His disciples feet and taught them to do the same.

Greatness was on display when He wept and identified with our suffering.

Greatness was on display when He voluntarily went to the cross to purchase our forgiveness.

Greatness was on display when He rose again to give us new life.

Greatness is not what we think it is; Jesus had to show us true greatness.

Humility comes from God.

And then there are the people who already know all of this and have mastered the art of being humble, or at least of looking humble.

Here’s what I have learned, that the more I try to follow Jesus’ example, the more I realize that all of my efforts only show me how self-centered I am.

Religion teaches us to be proud of our humility.

The Bible teaches us to delight in God and in who God made us to be.

I am not sure if Nebuchadnezzar could have learned his lesson any other way.

I certainly have difficulty repenting without God’s help.

Fortunately, I have not completely lost my mind, but I have come close.

It’s in those times of realizing my own weakness that I find out what God’s strength can do in me an through me.

Paul said the same thing:

2 Corinthians 12:7–10 TPT

7 The extraordinary level of the revelations I’ve received is no reason for anyone to exalt me. For this is why a thorn in my flesh was given to me, the Adversary’s messenger sent to harass me, keeping me from becoming arrogant. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to relieve me of this. 9 But he answered me, “My grace is always more than enough for you, and my power finds its full expression through your weakness.” So I will celebrate my weaknesses, for when I’m weak I sense more deeply the mighty power of Christ living in me. 10 So I’m not defeated by my weakness, but delighted! For when I feel my weakness and endure mistreatment—when I’m surrounded with troubles on every side and face persecution because of my love for Christ—I am made yet stronger. For my weakness becomes a portal to God’s power.

It’s Mother’s Day; the day we celebrate those who gave us life.

But it’s also a good day to remember that God is the source of every good thing.

When life gets you down, remember to look up!

Questions for reflection

Was there a time in your life when you knew God in a way that was different than you do now? Remember the encounter that you had with God. What did you learn from that experience? How has that experience changed you? Have you taken God for granted?

Does your inner life match your outer life? Are you really thriving or are you just faking it? Are you moving higher toward becoming more like God or are you becoming more like an animal?

Who is the ultimate authority in your life? Does God’s sovereignty comfort you or concern you? What would it mean for you to acknowledge God as your source? Are you willing to become weak to become strong?