Sermon - Daniel 4:19-27 - The Interpretation - Littleby Baptist Church - April 26, 2020
Last week we got back into the Book of Daniel and found that
king Nebuchadnezzar might be finally catching on to what God has been doing. As
we continue in chapter 4, remember that this chapter is written as a royal
proclamation. The king was retelling what had happened starting with the dream
and everything that followed.
As the king retells the events that have transpired, he
started by once again calling on his usual wise guys and they were no help.
Then he called for Daniel and shared the dream with him and proclaimed that the
pagan gods could not do it. He then went on to say that Daniel could do it
because he has ‘a spirit of the holy gods.’ The king having lived through all
of the events of chapter 4 believes that Daniel has been touched by God.
The highest political authority in the land has just stated
that Daniel has the Spirit of God in him and then asks him for help. Daniel has
been handed an amazing opportunity to witness to the king and everyone within
earshot.
Last week was a reminder that people are watching us. Many
want to believe that God is real and can work in our lives. They may feel
unworthy, but if they see God at work in us, it may give them hope and can open
a door for us to share with them. As we walk the walk that God has put before us, we need
to remember that He will give us opportunities to share, just like He is giving
Daniel one here in Chapter 4.
Daniel 4:19
“19 Then Daniel, whose name is
Belteshazzar, was stunned for a moment, and his thoughts alarmed him. The king
said, “Belteshazzar, don’t let the dream or its interpretation alarm you.” Belteshazzar answered, “My lord, may the dream apply to
those who hate you, and its interpretation to your enemies!”
God obviously revealed to Daniel what this dream meant, and
it took him a moment to collect his thoughts. Daniel may have been taken aback
by how it would hurt the king, he may have been wondering if the king was going
to fly off in anger once again, or may have been trying to find the diplomatic
way to tell the king that he was not going to like what God revealed to Daniel.
The king responded with encouragement telling Daniel to not
worry about it, might have been driven by appreciation for Daniel over the
years or may have just been trying to coax it out of him.
The Lord granted Daniel the wisdom as he politely stated
that he wished the dream was for the king’s enemies.
Daniel 4:20-21
“20 The tree you saw, which grew
large and strong, whose top reached to the sky and was visible to the whole
earth, 21 and whose leaves were beautiful and its fruit
abundant—and on it was food for all, under it the wild animals lived, and in
its branches the birds of the sky lived—”
Here Daniel is describing the tree, confirming that it is as
Nebuchadnezzar stated. It is large, strong, covers the earth, with beautiful
leaves, and abundant fruit. The tree provided food for all, shelter for the
animals, and branches for the birds.
Daniel 4:22
“22 that tree is you, Your Majesty.
For you have become great and strong: your greatness has grown and even reaches
the sky, and your dominion extends to the ends of the earth.”
Daniel may have started with the politically correct
approach saying he wished this dream was about the king’s enemies, but here he
is starting to take the gloves off. As Daniel tells the king that he is the
tree, you would expect the look on the king’s face to change and any idle
chatter in the room to stop.
Up unto this point it has all been pleasant as Daniel confirmed
that Nebuchadnezzar is arguably the greatest ruler of his day. His kingdom has
grown in strength and size. When Daniel finishes his retelling of the dream the
tone and the mood around the room changes.
Daniel 4:23
“23 “The king saw a watcher, a holy
one, coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Cut down the tree and destroy it, but
leave the stump with its roots in the ground and with a band of iron and bronze
around it in the tender grass of the field. Let him be drenched with dew from
the sky and share food with the wild animals for seven periods of time.’”
The words ‘that tree is you’ are probably echoing in the king’s
mind as Daniel repeats each part of the dream that point towards the
coming judgement.
Daniel 4:24
“24 This is the interpretation, Your
Majesty, and this is the decree of the Most High that has been issued against
my lord the king:”
‘This is the decree of the Most High’… this is God’s
judgement against you king Nebuchadnezzar.
Let’s take a look at what that judgement is.
Daniel 4:25
“25 You will be driven away from
people to live with the wild animals. You will feed on grass like cattle and be
drenched with dew from the sky for seven periods of time, until you acknowledge
that the Most High is ruler over human kingdoms, and he gives them to anyone he
wants.”
Your dream is a warning that judgement is coming because you
have not acknowledged and honored the One and Only God.
Let’s walk through what this verse tells us.
Tree will be cut down – The king is going to be removed form
his position of power. While being judged the king will no longer be the king,
he will not be a great leader that provides for and protects his people. You
could say he will be cutoff at the knees.
The king will be driven away from people – The king will not
only be removed from position of power he is going to be driven out of his
home, he is not going to be living with his family, his servants, or be around
his friends. He is not going to be around anyone.
He will live with animals, eat grass, and be drenched with
the dew of the sky – Not only will the king be essentially living in isolation
from his family and friends, but he is going to be living like an animal. From
the king’s own proclamation this was not some symbolic picture of what was
going to happen, this was exactly what was going to happen. The king’s life
would be reduced to that of a wild animal.
For seven ‘periods’ or more importantly until he acknowledges
the Most High God – The judgement against the king is that he will live like an
animal, away from the palace, away from his family, away from all that he
thinks he built, until he recognizes that the Most High God is over all
things. The only way to end this period of judgement will be to acknowledge that
God is God and that He is greater than any king and can give or take away
kingdoms as He sees fit. There is some debate on what seven periods is, but from
what I read most believe it was either seven months or seven years.
This judgement may seem extreme, but not when you compare it
to how the king has acted. He was a man we have seen act out of anger and treat
people as if they have no value, and that includes God’s people. Who in their
right mind would really toss people into a burning furnace because they simply
believed differently? You might say the king’s behavior was that of a wild man,
so he was being punished to live as a wild animal. He had several chances and
Scripture shows us that for a brief moment a couple of times, the king recognized
the power of the One True God. Sadly, the king is like seed that falls along
the thorns in Jesus’ parable in Matthew 13. The seed of hope that is planted is
choked out by the worries of this world and the deceitfulness of wealth. The kings
glimmer of faith was chocked out by fear of losing his power and vast wealth he
had acquired.
Daniel 4:26
“26 As for the command to leave the
tree’s stump with its roots, your kingdom will be restored to you as soon as
you acknowledge that Heaven rules.”
As is typical with our God, there is always this thing we
call Hope.
The Lord’s judgement against the king is going to be severe,
but that is not the end. If the king acknowledges the Most High God, if he
essentially repents and turns from his wicked ways, his kingdom will be
restored.
1 John 1:9
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to
forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
The Lord Jesus is there waiting for us to answer the door
when he knocks. When we acknowledge that He is God, repent of our sins, He will
cleanse us; He will restore us to our rightful place as a child of God. If we
repent, we will be forgiven, and we will be restored.
Daniel 4:27
“27 Therefore, may my advice seem
good to you my king. Separate yourself from your sins by doing what is right,
and from your injustices by showing mercy to the needy. Perhaps there will be
an extension of your prosperity.”
At this point Daniel is no longer interpreting the dream, he
is encouraging the king to turn from his sins, to turn from his wicked ways,
and to turn from the injustices he has inflicted on others. Turn from these
things and show mercy to those in need and do what is right. He ends by saying
if you do these things, if you change your ways, there is a chance, that maybe
the Most High God will see and show you mercy.
Most of us know that our God is the God of Second Changes,
He is the God of Grace and of Mercy, but we need to do our part. We need to
confess that Jesus is Lord, Repent of our Sins and choose to Follow Him.
Nebuchadnezzar is in the same boat and needs to do his part.
He needs to recognize who God is and that it is the Most High God that has
authority and power of all creation. It is the Lord our God who has given the
king Babylon and He is more than able to take it away. The king must repent,
recognize who God is, and submit to His leading., then and only then will he be
restored.
Daniel has been given an amazing opportunity to share the
Words of God with sinners and call them to repentance. This is something that every
single one of us has the opportunity to do. Most of us will never stand before
a king, President, or Governor, but all of us will have the opportunity to
share with people in our lives. Like Daniel we need to let the Holy Spirit
guide, use wisdom, and speak the truth. It is the Holy Spirit’s job to do the
rest.
All of us have sin in our lives, all of us fall short of God’s
glory, which is why all of us need to ask the Holy Spirit to point out the sin
in our lives and repent of it. Ask God to help you turn from your sin once and for
all.
If you have never repented of your sins and turned your life
over to Jesus, please listen to me. All of us are sinners and are doomed for an
eternity in hell. We are in need of a savior, and it is only through Jesus’ sacrifice
on the cross and His Resurrection on the third day that we have Hope. If we
repent of our sins and give our lives to Jesus, then we will be saved. If you
would like to start that journey, if you want to give you life to Jesus, please
repeat after me.
Jesus, I am a sinner. I believe that you died on the cross
to pay for my sins. I believe that you rose from the dead to give me new life.
Jesus, I repent of my sins and ask for you to come into my life. I put my trust
in you. Thank You Jesus, Amen.
May the Lord Keep You and Protect You!
Robert
Comments
Post a Comment