In our current message series on the book of Daniel called Living With Lions we were first introduced to the Lion of Ambition. The second week, we met the Lion of Control. Last week was the Lion of Conformity. This week, Pastor Bart talks about the fourth lion, the Lion of Superficiality.

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Daniel 4:1-8

¹ King Nebuchadnezzar sent this message to the people of every race and nation and language throughout the world:
Peace and prosperity to you!
² I want you all to know about the miraculous signs and wonders the Most High God has performed for me.
³ How great are his signs,
how powerful his wonders!
His kingdom will last forever,
his rule through all generations.
⁴I, Nebuchadnezzar, was living in my palace in comfort and prosperity. ⁵But one night I had a dream that frightened me; I saw visions that terrified me as I lay in my bed. ⁶So I issued an order calling in all the wise men of Babylon, so they could tell me what my dream meant. ⁷When all the magicians, enchanters, astrologers, and fortune-tellers came in, I told them the dream, but they could not tell me what it meant. ⁸At last Daniel came in before me, and I told him the dream. (He was named Belteshazzar after my god, and the spirit of the holy gods is in him.)

Reflect

We know that acceptance of God as Lord over all is a life changing experience. Many of us have witnessed people changed from their new-found belief in God. In Chapter 4 of Daniel, we get to read a letter from the most powerful man in the world telling about his conversion experience. Here is a man who had everything. He was so powerful that he was worshipped and adored. Friends and enemies feared him. He had everything, yet, he was tormented by dreams that he knew were significant but couldn’t understand. Even turning to his trusted advisors didn’t yield him any answers. So, who did he turn to?

Daniel was one of most powerful men in Babylon at this time, second only to the king himself. As we read through the chapter, we begin to understand that the king turned to Daniel as a friend. He trusted Daniel enough to put him in such a high position and he knew that Daniel would be honest with him because of his relationship with him.

Respond

1. What makes today’s reading more personal than the previous chapters? Can you relate more when someone is telling you about what happened to them instead of just telling a story?
2. Why didn’t the king go to Daniel first?
3. Do you have a trusted friend you can ask for help when you need it?

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