DANIEL 3-4

 

 

Ever had a FIERY FURNACE MOMENT?

Came face to face with EVIL? DEATH? DESTRUCTION?

What did you do?

What would you do?

What does Jesus EXPECT us to?

 

 

Turn with me to DANIEL 3...

 

Daniel 3 - Saved In the Fiery Furnace

Nebuchadnezzar erects an image and demands everyone worship it.

 

Verse 1 tells us…

“Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its width six cubits. He set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.”

 

How many of us have been to homes, where the walls are either FILLED with mirrors or life-size photos of the owner? Not their children, friends, or wife…but ALL mementos ARE of the owner?

Nebuchadnezzar was not only power-mad, cruel, evil, egomaniacal, and narcissistic but he was in love with himself.

 

“Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold”… There IS considerable debate regarding when this happened. Some think it was a short time after the events of Daniel 2, but others think it happened many years later.

 

But one thing IS for CERTAIN…there IS a discernible link between Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in Daniel 2 and the image he made in Daniel 3. It seems that Nebuchadnezzar deliberately made an entire statue of gold, saying that the day of his reign and authority would never end - in contradiction to God’s declared plan.

 

The GOLD image was 90 feet high and 9 feet wide. Being so large, it is safe to say that it was not made of solid gold but probably wood overlaid with gold. This was a common method of construction in the ancient world.

 

Interestingly enough, TODAY, on the plains of Dura there stands a rectilinear mound, about twenty feet high, an exact square of about forty-six feet at the base, resembling the pedestal of a colossal statue.

It is believed that it HELD this golden monstrosity of King Nebuchadnezzar.

 

Verses 2-3 tells us ALL Babylonia’s dignitaries gathered at the dedication of the image.

“And King Nebuchadnezzar sent word to gather together the satraps, the administrators, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. So the satraps, the administrators, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces gathered together for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.”

 

“Satrap” is a Persian word that means “protector of the realm.” It refers to a specific category of public officials. Probably much like the Secret Service and the FBI of today.

 

The DEMAND that all come to the dedication ceremony means that Nebuchadnezzar meant to use the worship of this image as a test of allegiance.

 

Verses 4-6 tells us about the command to worship the image.

“Then a herald cried aloud: "To you it is commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, that at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, you shall fall down and worship the gold image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up; and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.”

 

This was an impressive orchestra.

 

Again, some liberal thinkers SAY the use of the Aramaic words for lyre, psaltery and symphony PROVES that the book of Daniel was written hundreds of years AFTER the time of Daniel. They say this because these particular words are Aramaic words borrowed from Greek words and supposedly Daniel COULD NOT have had these words at his disposal in the sixth century b.c. and they supposedly did not come into the Hebrew vocabulary until the third century b.c.

 

BUT THEY ARE WRONG…because ancient records tell us there WERE Greeks in the region of Assyria, Babylon and Persia as far back as the eighth century b.c. Archaeology also proves beyond a doubt that Greek mercenaries fought and made military settlements in and around Judea BEFORE the time of Daniel.

 

Again, folks, TRUST God’s Word/History…it IS infallible.

 

The command is empowered by a naked threat. Nebuchadnezzar regarded refusing to worship the image as treason, not only as a religious offense.

 

In this, Nebuchadnezzar is just like most politicians, who often seem willing to use religion to strengthen their grip on political power. Politicians are happy to blend together spiritual allegiance and national allegiance. An example of this was displayed in 1936 when Herr Baldur von Schirach, head of the youth program in Nazi Germany, said: “If we act as true Germans we act according to the laws of God. Whoever serves Adolf Hitler, the fuehrer, serves Germany, and whoever serves Germany serves God.”

 

Another example comes from 1960 when the President of Ghana had a slightly larger than life-size statue of himself erected in front of the national house of Parliament. An inscription on the side of the statue read, “Seek ye first the political kingdom and all other things shall be added unto you.” The statue was destroyed after a bloodless coup in 1966.

 

“A burning fiery furnace”…shows us Nebuchadnezzar was NOT a man who allowed lawbreakers to go unpunished. In a cuneiform writing, Nebuchadnezzar is described as so devoted to HIS IDEAS of justice that “he did not rest night or day.” The document also tells of a criminal guilty of a second offense who was decapitated and afterwards a stone image of his head was displayed as a warning.

 

Verse 7 tells us the crowd obeys Nebuchadnezzar’s command.

“So at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the horn, flute, harp, and lyre, in symphony with all kinds of music, all the people, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the gold image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.”

 

This SHOULD remind us of the great inherent power in music, both for good and for evil.

 

There WAS total and immediate obedience to Nebuchadnezzar’s command!

 

Verses 8-12 tells us certain Chaldeans accuse the three Hebrew men.

“Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and accused the Jews. They spoke and said to King Nebuchadnezzar, "O king, live forever! You, O king, have made a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the gold image; and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. There are certain Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego; these men, O king, have not paid due regard to you. They do not serve your gods or worship the gold image which you have set up.”

 

These Chaldeans WERE JEALOUS & had an obvious political motivation against these Jews who were promoted to high office along with Daniel in the events recorded in the previous chapter.

 

Apparently their failure to worship the image was NOT discovered until these certain Chaldeans made it known. With so many thousands of government officials in attendance, it would be easy to overlook these three. Additionally, we see from this that the three Jewish men did NOT lodge a formal protest; they simply REFRAINED from sharing in the sin of idolatry themselves.

 

Though their actions were not public, neither were they hidden. These three Hebrew men must have known they would be discovered, yet they obeyed God rather than man.

 

Verses 13-15 tells us Nebuchadnezzar interviews the disobedient Hebrew men.

“Then Nebuchadnezzar, in rage and fury, gave the command to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. So they brought these men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying to them, "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the gold image which I have set up? Now if you are ready at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, and you fall down and worship the image which I have made, good! But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?”

 

To his credit, Nebuchadnezzar did NOT FOR ONCE accept the accusation on hearsay. He made sure of it with a personal interview. This was an even greater test for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. It is one thing to make a stand for God; it is a greater thing to stick to your stand when pointedly asked, “Is it true?” Peter could follow Jesus after His arrest, but he wilted and denied Jesus when asked, “Is it true?”

 

Nebuchadnezzar would NOT tolerate losing face on such an important occasion. His pride made him declare, “You shall have no other gods than me.”

 

Can’t you just IMAGINE the enormous pressure on Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego to compromise?? Everything in front of them - the king, the furnace, the music, their compatriots, their competitors - all of it conspired to convince them to COMPROMISE. Yet God was MORE real to them than any of those things.

 

Nebuchadnezzar thinks nothing of insulting ALL gods with this statement. He is more of a secularist or a humanist than a theist. The god he REALLY believes in is HIMSELF, not the gods of Babylon.

 

Verses 16-18 tells us the three Hebrew men insist they will NEVER worship the image.

“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”

 

They had NO need to defend themselves. Their guilt in the matter WAS clear - they clearly would NOT bow down to this image.

 

In this, the Jewish men show they have a good understanding and appreciation of God’s great power. In fact, they know that God is able to save them from both the burning fiery furnace and from the hand of Nebuchadnezzar himself.

 

“But if not…” In this, the Jewish men show they have a good understanding and appreciation of submission to God. They know God’s power, but they also know that they must do what is right even if God does NOT do what they expect or hope Him to do.

 

We often whine about our “rights” and what is “fair.” Often it is better to make a stand & leave our FATE in God’s hands.

 

UNDERSTAND THIS…they did NOT doubt God’s ABILITY but neither did they PRESUME to know God’s WILL. In this they agreed with Job, when he said in Job 13:15, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.” They recognized that God’s plan might be different than their desires. We ALL have desires and dreams and we pray that God fulfills them. But if He doesn’t, we CAN’T turn our back on Him. Jesus Christ KNOWS all things. HE KNOWS what is best.

 

These were men who did not love too much. There are popular self-help books that hope to help people who seem to love too much, yet many Christians are hindered because they love too much. Remember that early Christians were NOT thrown to the lions because they worshipped Jesus, but because they would NOT worship the emperor.

 

In our day, many do love Jesus and think highly of Him - yet they are far from God because they also love and worship the world, sin, and self. 1 John 2:15 REMINDS us, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

 

It took great faith to say this. God brought them to this place of great faith by preparing them with tests in less dramatic areas.

 

These men stood FIRM when challenged to eat impure foods and they saw God bless their obedience. That gave them the courage to obey NOW, when the stakes were much higher.

 

Are you waiting for something “big” before you really start to obey God? Is your life filled with many small compromises, yet you tell yourself that you will stand firm when it “really” matters? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego show us that “SMALL” things really matter to Jesus too.

 

This statement by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego is also remarkable for what it does NOT have - NOT ONE EXCUSE. In a time of testing like this it is easy to think of a thousand excuses that WOULD SEEM to justify compromise.

 

They might have said, “There is nothing to gain by resisting; wouldn’t we do more good by living?” It is easy to say, “we must live,” but in reality, we all must die - so why not die making a stand for God?

 

They might have said, “We are in a different place; in Rome, do as the Romans do.” Yet they knew that God has unlimited jurisdiction. We must do more than “perform” acts of religious obedience when we have an audience.

 

They might have said, “We will lose our jobs and our standard of living.” Often when God blesses us we make the blessing an idol and compromise God to keep what we have.

 

They might have said, “After all, we are not being called to renounce our God.” They did not have a super-elastic conscience that said “we are not bowing down to the idol, but in respect for the king, or to the music.” Excuses like this are common but prove the principle that anything will serve as an excuse, when the heart is bent on compromise.

 

They might have said, “Everybody else is doing it.” Instead they cultivated brave personalities, willing to stand alone with God.

 

They might have said, “It is only for once, and not for very long. Ten minutes, just for the king. It is stupid to throw our lives away for ten minutes.” These men knew that ten minutes could change an ENTIRE life. Ten minutes can chart the course for your eternity.

 

They might have said, “This is more than can be expected of us; God will understand just this once.” It is true that God understands our struggle with sin - that is why He loves the sinner and made provision at the cross for freedom from the penalty, power, and presence of sin. Knowing that “God understands” should be a spur to obedience, NOT a license to sin.

 

Charles Spurgeon says it best, “What have we to do with consequences? It is ours to do the right, and leave results with the Lord.”

 

Verses 19-23 tells us the three men are cast violently into the furnace.

“Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. He spoke and commanded that they heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. And he commanded certain mighty men of valor who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, and cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their coats, their trousers, their turbans, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Therefore, because the king's command was urgent, and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.”

 

No matter how brave Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego were, this still must have been extremely intimidating. We get the feeling that prior to their statement he spoke kindly, almost in a fatherly manner to these “wayward boys.” After hearing their bold challenge the expression on his face changed.

 

Despite the intense intimidation, the men stayed courageous in their confession of faith.

 

“Bound in their coats” tells us everything was done to make SURE that the three Hebrew men were quickly and completely burned.

 

Verses 24-25 tells us Nebuchadnezzar SEES FOUR alive and well in the furnace.

“Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, "Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?" They answered and said to the king, "True, O king." "Look!" he answered, "I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”

 

It is astonishing that anyone survived for a moment inside the furnace when others perished at the door.

 

The Septuagint says in Daniel 3:24 that Nebuchadnezzar’s attention was caught when he heard them singing praises in the furnace. We can imagine that the king had them cast into the furnace and didn’t intend to look twice, believing they would be immediately consumed. As he walks away with a satisfied look on his face, he is immediately stopped by the sound of singing coming from the furnace. At a safe distance from the raging heat he peers inside - and sees four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire.

 

If this singing in the furnace IS TRUE, it reminds us of Paul and Silas singing in the Philippian jail (Acts 16:25).

 

Nebuchadnezzar tells us WHO the fourth was - the Son of God. Jesus was literally with them in the worst of their trial.

 

We don’t know if Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego knew that the Son of God was with them in their fiery trial. Sometimes we are aware of Jesus’ presence in our trials and sometimes we are not - but He IS ALWAYS there nonetheless.

 

God can deliver us from a trial, or He can miraculously sustain and strengthen us in a trial. Trapp quotes an English martyr who said this as he was burnt at the stake: “O ye Papists, behold ye look for miracles; here now you may see a miracle; for in this fire I feel no more pain than as if I were in a bed of down; but it is to me as a bed of roses.”

 

Nebuchadnezzar ALSO observed that the four men were free in the fire. The fire ONLY burnt the ropes that bound them.

 

Verses 26-27 tells us the Hebrew men leave the furnace unharmed.

“Then Nebuchadnezzar went near the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and spoke, saying, "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here." Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego came from the midst of the fire. And the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king's counselors gathered together, and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them.”

 

BEFORE they are out of the furnace, Nebuchadnezzar recognizes that these men serve the true God, the God Most High.

 

The trial by fire had NO power over these men because they were thoroughly submitted to the power and will of God. Even before the time of Jesus they knew the truth of Jesus promise in John 16:33, which says, “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

 

NOT even the SMELL of smoke…this demonstrates how complete their deliverance was.

 

This whole account illustrates - perhaps serving as a type - of the future of Israel during the Great Tribulation.

 

1. Nebuchadnezzar is like the Antichrist, who forces the whole world into one religion of idolatry.

2. Nebuchadnezzar’s image is like the image described in Revelation 13, that the whole world will be commanded to worship.

3. The fiery furnace is like the Great Tribulation, which will be great affliction for the Jews.

4. The three Hebrew men are like Israel, who will be preserved through the tribulation.

5. The executioners who perished are like those in league with the Antichrist, who Jesus will slay at His return.

6. The mysteriously absent Daniel is like the church, not even present for this time of great tribulation.

 

Verse 28 tells us Nebuchadnezzar acknowledges the greatness of the God of the three Hebrews.

“Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God!”

 

Nebuchadnezzar gives glory to God, but he recognizes that this great God is not his God. He is still ONLY the God of these three brave men.

 

In Daniel 3:15 Nebuchadnezzar asked, “who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?” Now he knows:

 

1. He is the God of the Hebrews (the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego)

2. He is the God who sends a Savior (who sent His Angel)

3. He is the God of great power (delivered His servants)

4. He is the God worthy of trust (who trusted in Him)

5. He is the God worthy of full surrender (frustrated the king’s word, and yielded their bodies)

6. He is the God who demands exclusive allegiance (that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God)

 

Nebuchadnezzar MAY know a lot ABOUT God - but he does NOT YET KNOW Him personally.

 

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego surrendered themselves completely to God - body, soul, and spirit. It was the kind of submission Paul wrote of in Romans 12:1, when he says, “Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”

 

Daniel 3, IS a powerful illustration of the principle of Romans 12:1. We see Satan trying to make the believer bow down to his idealized image of what men and women should be. Christians must RESIST this with everything they have and pursue God’s ideal. In this, we will fulfill Romans 12:2, which says, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

 

Verse 29 tells us that Nebuchadnezzar makes a proclamation that nothing evil should be said against the God of the Hebrews.

“Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made an ash heap; because there is no other God who can deliver like this." Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego in the province of Babylon.”

 

The three Hebrew men did NOT ask for Nebuchadnezzar to make this decree, and they probably did not want him to. Coerced worship IS NOT good, either towards an idol or towards the true God.

 

Seeing God at work in the life of His people was an extremely effective testimony TO Nebuchadnezzar.

 

Paul expressed the same idea in 2 Corinthians 3:2-3, when he says, “You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.”

 

Turn with me now to DANIEL 4...

 

The Fall and Rise of Nebuchadnezzar

Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the tree.

 

Verses 1-3 tell us the opening of Nebuchadnezzar’s decree.

“Nebuchadnezzar the king, to all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you. I thought it good to declare the signs and wonders that the Most High God has worked for me. How great are His signs, and how mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His dominion is from generation to generation.”

 

This unique chapter is the testimony of a Gentile king about how God changed his heart. In this, Nebuchadnezzar is a good example of a witness (one who relates what he has seen and experienced).

 

It is good to declare what God has done for us. Satan has a huge interest in keeping us unnaturally SILENT about the signs and wonders that the Most High God has worked for us.

 

Nebuchadnezzar was a great king BY the world‘s standards, but he recognizes that God’s kingdom is FAR greater and His dominion is completely unique because it is an EVERLASTING kingdom.

 

Verses 4-9 tells us ONLY Daniel can explain the dream to Nebuchadnezzar.

“I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in my house, and flourishing in my palace. I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts on my bed and the visions of my head troubled me. Therefore I issued a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. Then the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers came in, and I told them the dream; but they did not make known to me its interpretation. But at last Daniel came before me (his name is Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god; in him is the Spirit of the Holy God), and I told the dream before him, saying: "Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the Spirit of the Holy God is in you, and no secret troubles you, explain to me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and its interpretation.”

 

Nebuchadnezzar’s rest was the FALSE peace of the ungodly. God soon SHOOK him from his false security.

 

This is NOT the same dream as in Daniel 2. Nebuchadnezzar readily told his counselors this dream but they did NOT tell him what it meant. The dream was fairly easy to interpret; the wise men probably lacked courage more than insight. Nebuchadnezzar says they did not make it known, not that they could not make it known.

 

“And why ‘at last’? Why was he not sooner sent for? If the soothsayers and sorcerers could have served the turn, Daniel had never been sought to. This is the guise of graceless men; they run not to God till all other refuges fail them.”

 

Before Daniel interpreted the dream described in this chapter for Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon considered the Babylonian deity Bel his god.

 

This means that what he saw previously with Daniel and the three Hebrew young men was enough to impress him, but NOT ENOUGH to convert him. Being IMPRESSED with God IS NOT the same as being CONVERTED.

 

Verses 10-17 tells us the content of the dream: the rise and fall of a great tree.

“These were the visions of my head while on my bed: I was looking, and behold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great. The tree grew and became strong; its height reached to the heavens, and it could be seen to the ends of all the earth. Its leaves were lovely, its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, the birds of the heavens dwelt in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it. I saw in the visions of my head while on my bed, and there was a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven. He cried aloud and said thus: “Chop down the tree and cut off its branches, strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts get out from under it, and the birds from its branches. Nevertheless leave the stump and roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field. Let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let him graze with the beasts on the grass of the earth. Let his heart be changed from that of a man, let him be given the heart of a beast, and let seven times pass over him. This decision is by the decree of the watchers, and the sentence by the word of the holy ones, in order that the living may know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, gives it to whomever He will, and sets over it the lowest of men.”

 

The tree in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream was noted for its size, strength, prominence, beauty, fruit, and shelter.

 

The watcher (presumably an angel) explains the fate of the tree. He notes that the tree is to be chopped down, and it will lose its size, strength, prominence, beauty, fruit, and shelter. He also says that the tree represents a man who will be changed and given the heart of a beast.

 

“Bound with a band of iron and bronze”…means these are either for the tree stump’s confinement or protection. It is no longer free and great.

 

“In order that the living may know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men”… Nebuchadnezzar HEARD these words in his dream. In light of this, the dream isn’t hard to interpret - it clearly deals with the HUMBLING of a great king. No wonder none of Nebuchadnezzar’s counselors wanted to interpret the dream for him!

 

But like MOST kings - ancient and modern - Nebuchadnezzar wanted to believe that HE ruled SUPREME instead of God or anyone else.

 

Verse 18 tells us Nebuchadnezzar asks Daniel to interpret the dream.

“This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now you, Belteshazzar, declare its interpretation, since 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 God is in you.”

 

Nebuchadnezzar KNEW he could get an HONEST/TRUTHFUL answer from Daniel, even when the truth was HARD to bear.

 

Though Nebuchadnezzar recognized Daniel as a man filled with the Spirit of the Holy God, he had not yet yielded himself to the Holy God.

 

Verses 19-26 tells us Daniel explains the rise and coming fall of Nebuchadnezzar.

“Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was astonished for a time, and his thoughts troubled him. So the king spoke, and said, "Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its interpretation trouble you." Belteshazzar answered and said, "My lord, may the dream concern those who hate you, and its interpretation concern your enemies! The tree that you saw, which grew and became strong, whose height reached to the heavens and which could be seen by all the earth, whose leaves were lovely and its fruit abundant, in which was food for all, under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and in whose branches the birds of the heaven had their home; it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong; for your greatness has grown and reaches to the heavens, and your dominion to the end of the earth. And inasmuch as the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, 'Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave its stump and roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze in the tender grass of the field; let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let him graze with the beasts of the field, till seven times pass over him'; this is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king: They shall drive you from men, your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make you eat grass like oxen. They shall wet you with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses. And inasmuch as they gave the command to leave the stump and roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be assured to you, after you come to know that Heaven rules.”

 

Daniel genuinely cared for Nebuchadnezzar and was clearly affected by the meaning of the dream. He didn’t want it to be true of his friend Nebuchadnezzar.

 

“It is you, O king”…Daniel applies the point without ambiguity. Instead of reaching for a general point (“we all could use a little more humility”) Daniel brought the truth in love. This reminds us of what the prophet Nathan said to King David: You are the man! (2 Samuel 12:7)

 

Great men and princes are often represented, in the language of the prophets, under the similitude of trees, see Ezekiel 17:5-6; 31:3 and following; Jeremiah 22:15; Psalm 1:3; 37:35.

 

When Daniel explained this to Nebuchadnezzar, the king probably couldn’t have guessed just how LITERALLY it would be fulfilled.

This was God’s intended purpose for Nebuchadnezzar. The king could have avoided this humiliating fate IF he genuinely humbled himself.

 

Verse 27 tell us Daniel, a good preacher, presses home the application: repent; perhaps it is not too late.

“Therefore, O king, let my advice be acceptable to you; break off your sins by being righteous, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. Perhaps there may be a lengthening of your prosperity."

 

The RIGHT reaction to the threat of judgment is a HUMBLE repentance. Unfortunately, Nebuchadnezzar did NOT do this. He should have followed the example of the repentance of Nineveh at the preaching of Jonah in Jonah 3.

 

We might THINK that Nebuchadnezzar had MORE reason than most to be proud - after all, he was a great king. Still, WE should remember the principle Benjamin Franklin put forth in one of his proverbs: “The greatest monarch on the proudest throne, is obliged to sit upon his own rear end.”

 

Nebuchadnezzar is not ONLY counseled to stop sinning, but also to practice righteousness and generosity.

 

Verses 28-33 Nebuchadnezzar IS stricken with madness, and humbled.

“All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of the twelve months he was walking about the royal palace of Babylon. The king spoke, saying, "Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?" While the word was still in the king's mouth, a voice fell from heaven: "King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you! And they shall drive you from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. They shall make you eat grass like oxen; and seven times shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses." That very hour the word was fulfilled concerning Nebuchadnezzar; he was driven from men and ate grass like oxen; his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair had grown like eagles' feathers and his nails like birds' claws.”

 

God GAVE Nebuchadnezzar TWELVE months to repent, and he probably forgot about the dream during that time - but God DID NOT forget.

 

Babylon was truly one of the spectacular cities of the ancient world, including the famous “hanging gardens” built by Nebuchadnezzar.

 

Daniel KNEW that the new Babylon was the creation of Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4:30), something previously thought untrue and only verified by recent archaeology. Nobody in the Maccabean period (second century b.c.) thought Nebuchadnezzar built the new Babylon.

 

Yet, today in the British Museum, there are six columns of writing recovered from Babylon with describe the huge building projects of Nebuchadnezzar and his zeal to enlarge and beautify the city.

 

And, MOST of the bricks found in the excavations of Babylon carry this stamp: “Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, supporter of Esagila and Ezida, exalted first-born son of Nabopolassar, king of Babylon.”

 

These ignorant “late-daters” of Daniel (who say that it was written in the times of the Macabees, around 167 b.c.) CAN’T explain how a late writer would have known to accurately attribute the spectacular buildings of Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar. One of these PURPOSELY BLIND AND ARROGANT liberal commentators, R. H. Pfeiffer, says of this problem: “we shall presumably never know.”

The form of insanity in which men think of themselves as animals and imitate the behavior of an animal has been observed. Some call it generally insania zoanthropica and more specifically in Nebuchadnezzar’s case, boanthropy, the delusion that one is an ox.

 

Strangely enough, Dr. Raymond Harrison of Britain, who in 1946 wrote a medical entry about a patient suffering from boanthropy, just as Nebuchadnezzar suffered.

 

There is no corresponding record of this seven-year (seven times) period of insanity in the secular historical records of Babylon - exactly as we would expect, considering the custom of the times. Nevertheless Abydenus, a Greek historian, wrote in 268 b.c. that Nebuchadnezzar was “possessed by some god” and that he had “immediately disappeared.”

 

Some STILL stupidly DISMISS this Biblical account of Nebuchadnezzar’s madness as unhistorical, but there is NO historical record of his governmental activity between 582 b.c. and 575 b.c. This silence is deafening, especially when we keep in mind how Near Eastern leaders liked to egotistically trumpet their achievements - and hide their embarrassments.

 

REMEMBER this…Nebuchadnezzar WAS given the opportunity to humble himself, and he did not. Now God humbled him, and the experience was much more severe than it would have been had Nebuchadnezzar humbled himself.

 

Verses 34-37 tells us of a repentant Nebuchadnezzar is restored, and praises God.

“And at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding 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 is from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand or say to Him, "What have You done?" At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my honor and splendor returned to me. My counselors and nobles resorted to me, I was restored to my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added to me. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down.”

 

Nebuchadnezzar could NOT & DID NOT break free from his madness until God appointed the end of the time. Then, he had the opportunity to humble himself and lift his eyes to heaven.

 

Nebuchadnezzar could only SEE the truth about himself when he SAW the truth about God. The Babylonian King did see who God was, and he eloquently praised His sovereignty - THEN, his SANITY returned.

 

This return of reason results in worship.

 

This return of reason results in prayer.

 

If we believe what Nebuchadnezzar believed about God, it will certainly show in our prayer life. We will KNOW that God can change the heart and mind of man, the course of rivers, the flow of the oceans, the distribution of resources, and the assignment of angels.

 

God WANTED to restore Nebuchadnezzar. The goal was NOT to bring him low, but to bring him to his proper place before God and among men. Truly, Nebuchadnezzar learned that those who walk in pride He is able to put down.

This is knowledgeable testimony from a direct source. Perhaps we might learn from Nebuchadnezzar’s plight and BE SPARED a lesson in humility from God’s school of hard knocks.

 

The abiding lesson is plain.

James 4:6 tell us, “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

 

There have been many who rise from humble origins to great glory, and then fall. Perhaps it is better to have never been raised up than to rise and then fall.

 

Proverbs 6:16-19 WARNS is that PRIDE/PROUD LOOK is the one of the MOST OFFENSIVE SINS against Almighty God.

 

We also see that God WILL glorify himself among the nations. When Nebuchadnezzar TOOK some of the treasures of the Jerusalem temple and put them in the temples of his gods, he THOUGHT his gods WERE stronger than the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. By the end of Daniel 4, Nebuchadnezzar KNEW which God was the TRUE God. And when Nebuchadnezzar knew it, he wasn’t shy about telling people what he had learned - he BECAME A TRUE witness, giving testimony to God’s great works.

 

Since “Babylon” is used in the scriptures as a figure of the world system at large, we can say:

 

1. Nebuchadnezzar’s madness foreshadows the MADNESS of Gentile nations in their rejection of God in End Times.

2. Nebuchadnezzar’s FALL typifies Jesus’ JUDGMENT of the nations.

3. Nebuchadnezzar’s RESTORATION foreshadows the restoring of some of these nations in the MILLENIAL kingdom.

 

Daniel 3-4 tell us that ALMIGHTY GOD & JESUS CHRIST HAVE A PLAN.

It PROVES, WITHOUT DOUBT, that Jesus Christ rules, reigns, & controls ALL things.

Tide, time, weather, men, kings, and kingdoms, satan and evil ones who obey satan.

It tells us that Jesus Christ is always with us.

It tells us that Jesus Christ will never leave us...abandon us...to our fiery furnaces.

If we WILL STAND...TRUST...OBEY....& BELIEVE ON AND IN OUR JESUS CHRIST.

We can not lose

We can not fail.

Jesus Christ IS in control.

TRUST Jesus.