Faith in the Fire #4 (Studies in Daniel)

Text: Daniel 4

I have always enjoyed studying the great songs of the church. Why they were written and under what circumstances. I find that they just add more meaning to them when I sing them the next time.
Well many years ago in London there was a concert given for many nobles. One of the guests was a preacher. After a young lady gave a great performance the preacher went up to her and boldly said, ‘I thought as I listened to you tonight how tremendously the cause of Christ would be benefited if your talents were dedicated to His cause. You know, young lady, you are a sinner in the sight of God, but I am glad to tell you that the blood of Jesus can cleanse you from all sin.’
The lady became so angry at the preacher that she stomped her feet and walked away. As she was leaving he said, ‘I mean no offense. I will pray that God’s Spirit will convict you.’
Now, that’s not exactly my style of witnessing, but here’s the rest of the story. The young lady went home, but she couldn’t sleep. The face of the preacher appeared before her, and his words rang through her mind. About two o’clock in the morning she got out of bed took a pencil and piece of paper, and with tears rolling down her face, Charlotte Elliot wrote:
Just as I am without one plea.
But that thy blood was shed for me.
And that thou bidst me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God I come.

A few words by a man who preached the judgment of God with a broken heart resulted in tens of thousands of new Christians declaring their faith. I wonder what would happen if that would be our modus operandi in the ministry today?1

We have gone through the first three chapters of the book of Daniel and seen how mighty God has been. What is interesting in these stories of faith is there are principally three parties:
the powerful earthly monarch, the oppressed men of faith (Daniel & the three) and the God of the Hebrews (Yahweh, the Most High).
The message for the oppressed people of faith is clear:
always make your decisions in life with the knowledge that God Most High is present. The message for the monarch is also clear: his power and his rule must ultimately answer to the true lord of heaven and earth. The message as it is many times in the Bible is not just what God can do for a man but what He can do to a man.
This brings us to chapter 4 then. Let’s read vs.1-3…

If you were simply continuing the narrative from chapter 3, you might lean towards the belief that this is stated by the king because of what just happened with the Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. But not really!
This King is depicted a couple of times in this book of having a great conversion to belief in the God of Israel but then not fully.
Before we go on: let’s notice what the king actually says here:
He addresses all people everywhere in his kingdom in favor of Israel’s God. To Nebuchadnezzar a foreign idolatrous king, God is great. We see in this mightiest of earthly kings a sincere and humble declaration of God.
Why did Nebuchadnezzar give his testimony?

Listen to his story:
Vs.4-7- I was at ease in my house and prospering! Here is the beginning of many people’s downfalls. Listen to the king- I was at rest. Isn’t this really the dream of so many people?
To have rest, to be at peace, to live at ease. This is what we desire. The king had the dream of so many—perhaps hoping to live out the rest of his days in peace & prosperity enjoying what he worked so hard for.
Reminded of Jesus parable in Luke 12:16-21- the rich man who built bigger barns and stored up for himself and then could relax, eat, drink and be merry. But God required his soul that night. Jesus then gave the warning about saving up treasures in this world and not being rich towards God.
Amos 6:1- woe to those who are at ease in Zion and to those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria.
There is a problem with only working to be at ease & prosperous enough in this world.
Neb has a dream and calls for everyone to interpret it.

Vs.8,9- Daniel is called and highly complimented. Perhaps without knowing it, Neb is actually complimenting Daniel’s God. His God can do things that everyone else’s gods cannot.

Vs.10-12- Here is Neb’s great dream. There was a great tree—everything was fruitful for it. Everything that could go right was going right.

Vs.13-17- the troubling part of the dream. A holy one, a watcher came down to speak for all the holy ones. This is interesting, it is not necessarily directly from God (the order that is) but the council of holy ones.
We’re also not told who actually performs the order. Basically, the tree is ordered chopped down. There isn’t a tree-hugger alive who will save this one.
But, the stump is left in the ground and for 7 periods of time the tree is allowed to be wet with the dew of heaven and be like a beast.
What is the purpose of this order?
That the living may know it is the Most High that rules and gives the kingdom of men to who he wills.

Vs.19- Something really interesting about Daniel here: he feels greatly uncomfortable in telling Neb the interpretation. Why? (we’ll answer later on)
Neb nonetheless tells Daniel to go on. Here is a question, we crave a message from God, we claim this but do we really want the truth?
Even if it is bad?
Do we get upset when we hear the message from God because it convicts us where we are?

Vs.20-22- The first part is pleasant: Neb you are the tree. Your greatness has grown to the ends of the earth.

Vs.23-26- The Most High God is about to intervene. Nebuchadnezzar felt comfortable with the life he had built, but there is someone he forgot. As the tree was chopped down, Nebuchadnezzar is going to be driven from men. He is going to be living with the beasts of the field. Is this a permanent condition?
Notice what Daniel says: God is saying not all is lost. Instead, you will be there until you know the Most High rules the kingdom of men & gives it to whoever He will. Your easy life that you were enjoying is only temporary, but true peace will come to you when you realize and humbly acknowledge that it is the Most High that rules.
What is Nebuchadnezzar to do?
Is God’s brutal judgment on him inescapable?

Vs.27- Daniel brings him a hard message of hope. There is a truth about Israel’s God that people need to understand: God delights in mercy.
His announcements of doom are sometimes conditional and at times can be delayed and other times avoided all together.
So king, break off your sins now: stop doing wrong. But don’t just stop doing wrong, replace it by doing right. Practice righteousness. Not just that now: don’t just be fair to the poor, but also be kind. Get rid of cruelty & injustice and bring justice & mercy. Daniel says, king listen to me and God may lengthen your prosperity.
Would Nebuchadnezzar listen?
Why wouldn’t he?
Do people always listen to delivering truth when it is hard to do so?
Unfortunately the warning is forgotten.

Vs.28-33- 12 months later: God gave Neb plenty of time to change his ways. This king had plenty of privileges given to him to change his mind. He had seen God work in the previous chapters, he was not ignorant of the truth of God. Knowledge + opportunity = responsibility.
The king was filled with pride—is not this great which I have built for my glory? All his work was done for himself.
Why did this king forget his earlier dream?
Because for 12 months everything continued as always. It is easy to forget.
Heaven responds to the king’s pride and while the words were still in Neb’s mouth the fulfillment of the dream took place.
The king becomes like a beast. His reason left him and he became mad. Matthew Henry said ‘Neb wanted to make himself more than a man but God made him less than one.’ What God can do to a man!

Vs.34-36- Here is the key moment:
I Nebuchadnezzar lifted my eyes to heaven.
I took off my pride, I was no longer this greater man, but instead a humble one. As he makes this great acknowledgement of God—his reason returns, his glory as well.
What was the key in his turn around?
He needed more than cutting his hair & clipping his nails. Nebuchadnezzar needed an inward conversion. He was originally given an opportunity to obey God and possibly avert this experience, but he disobeyed and experienced the difficulty of being broken and then turned from his pride.
Like the prodigal son in Luke 15- he came to his senses.
Didn’t just clean up and make the outside beautiful, he came to himself.

Vs.37- his confession: the King of heaven: all his ways are just: and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.

What God can do for a man is quite amazing. He delivers out of fiery furnaces, brings children to 100 year old men, opens up Red Seas, and raises the dead.
But, what God can do to a man is just as amazing. He breaks men down to restore them to greater greatness, He allows us to fall into utter despair when leaning on our own strength just so we can learn the greater stability of leaning on Him. Even a man filled with such pride who doesn’t need God; He can turn to make him totally rely on Him whose words are right and ways are just.

You know pride robs God. Humility simply gives God His due.

Looking for the easy life without looking to God is living dangerously. It is at times a greater challenge of faith than even dying for it. You might die for your faith in a difficult decision—can you life in your faith?
Can you live trusting God more than RRSP’s?
Can you live trusting God more than your own abilities, or greatness or even goodness?

Teaching others about the judgments of God should be an emotional experience for us. Daniel was troubled by the news for the king. Too often we speak about matters of morality and sin and maybe the only emotion we feel is anger.
‘Righteous anger’ we call it. How often do we shed tears over the coming fate on people who rebel against God?
Evangelism can be better accomplished not through programs and flashy works, but by hearts that genuinely care about the ones the message is for.

For those who are broken in sin—God is able to lift you up. Nebuchadnezzar spoke only half the truth about what God does in the arena of pride & humility. He humbles the proud, but He does lift up the humble.
Matthew 11:28-30- Jesus invites you to come just as you are!
1. Taken from The Inspirational Study Bible, Max Lucado, general editor New King James Version (Dallas, TX: Word Publishing, 1995) p.1025,1026

Back to lessons page.
Back to home page.