Continuing our message series through the book of Daniel entitled Living With Lions, our lead pastor, Bart Wilkins, tells us that real tranquility occurs after the battle and not in pretending that there isn’t a battle in this week’s Lion of Tranquility.
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34“After this time had passed, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven. My sanity returned, and I praised and worshiped the Most High and honored the one who lives forever.
His rule is everlasting,
and his kingdom is eternal.
35All the people of the earth
are nothing compared to him.
He does as he pleases
among the angels of heaven
and among the people of the earth.
No one can stop him or say to him,
’What do you mean by doing these things?’
36When my sanity returned to me, so did my honor and glory and kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored as head of my kingdom, with even greater honor than before.
37Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and glorify and honor the King of heaven. All his acts are just and true, and he is able to humble the proud.”
Reflect
At the end of this chapter, we finally come full circle to King Nebuchadnezzar’s journey with God. In Chapter 2, he acknowledged that God revealed mysteries to Daniel. In Chapter 3, he praised the God who rescued the three Hebrews. Despite his recognition that God exists and does wonderful miracles, in Chapter 4 we see that he still did not acknowledge God as his Lord!
The story of Nebuchadnezzar is a lot like many people’s story today. They recognize that God exists and does wonderful miracles but still don’t believe. To be a child of God, we must invite Him to be Lord of our life! When we finally give our life over to God, we, like King Nebuchadnezzar, will be able to say, “I praised and worshiped the Most High and honored the one who lives forever. His rule is everlasting, and his kingdom is eternal.”
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28“But all these things did happen to King Nebuchadnezzar. 29Twelve months later he was taking a walk on the flat roof of the royal palace in Babylon. 30As he looked out across the city, he said, ‘Look at this great city of Babylon! By my own mighty power, I have built this beautiful city as my royal residence to display my majestic splendor.’
31“While these words were still in his mouth, a voice called down from heaven, ‘O King Nebuchadnezzar, this message is for you! You are no longer ruler of this kingdom. 32You will be driven from human society. You will live in the fields with the wild animals, and you will eat grass like a cow. Seven periods of time will pass while you live this way, until you learn that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of the world and gives them to anyone he chooses.’
33“That same hour the judgment was fulfilled, and Nebuchadnezzar was driven from human society. He ate grass like a cow, and he was drenched with the dew of heaven. He lived this way until his hair was as long as eagles’ feathers and his nails were like birds’ claws.
Reflect
British scholar and novelist, C. S. Lewis once said, “A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you’re looking down, you can’t see something that’s above you.”
That’s exactly what happened to King Nebuchadnezzar. He was so full of pride that he missed an opportunity to serve God. Daniel pleaded with the king to change his ways and God gave him twelve months to do it. Unfortunately, the king was so full of pride that he didn’t repent, so, the dream was fulfilled, just like God promised!
That reminds me of another C.S. Lewis quote, “There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, ‘All right, then, have it your way.’”
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19“Upon hearing this, Daniel (also known as Belteshazzar) was overcome for a time, frightened by the meaning of the dream. Then the king said to him, ‘Belteshazzar, don’t be alarmed by the dream and what it means.’
“Belteshazzar replied, ‘I wish the events foreshadowed in this dream would happen to your enemies, my lord, and not to you! 20The tree you saw was growing very tall and strong, reaching high into the heavens for all the world to see. 21It had fresh green leaves and was loaded with fruit for all to eat. Wild animals lived in its shade, and birds nested in its branches. 22That tree, Your Majesty, is you. For you have grown strong and great; your greatness reaches up to heaven, and your rule to the ends of the earth.
23“‘Then you saw a messenger, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Cut down the tree and destroy it. But leave the stump and the roots in the ground, bound with a band of iron and bronze and surrounded by tender grass. Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven. Let him live with the animals of the field for seven periods of time.”
24“‘This is what the dream means, Your Majesty, and what the Most High has declared will happen to my lord the king. 25You will be driven from human society, and you will live in the fields with the wild animals. You will eat grass like a cow, and you will be drenched with the dew of heaven. Seven periods of time will pass while you live this way, until you learn that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of the world and gives them to anyone he chooses. 26But the stump and roots of the tree were left in the ground. This means that you will receive your kingdom back again when you have learned that heaven rules.
27“‘King Nebuchadnezzar, please accept my advice. Stop sinning and do what is right. Break from your wicked past and be merciful to the poor. Perhaps then you will continue to prosper.’”
Reflect
“You want the truth? You can’t handle the truth.”Jack Nicholson in “A Few Good Men”
Daniel was in a position to tell the king some bad news. Daniel knew of the king’s tendency to fly-off-the-handle when people didn’t tell him what he wanted to hear. Belteshazzar was the type of guy who appeared to not be able to handle the truth. So, what was Daniel to do? God gave Daniel wisdom to understand the king’s dream. God also gave Daniel a heart to care for the king. Daniel didn’t want to tell the king the truth, not because he was afraid of the king, but because he was genuinely concerned for the king. Daniel didn’t want the king to have to go through God’s punishment. He pleaded for the king to change his ways.
Good friends can tell each other the truth, with the proper concern and love for the other person. As Christians, we need to seek God’s wisdom when we are faced with a situation where we have to tell someone something that will be difficult to hear. Just like Daniel, we need to deliver it with genuine love and compassion.
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 9I said to him, ‘Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you and that no mystery is too great for you to solve. Now tell me what my dream means.
 10While I was lying in my bed, this is what I dreamed. I saw a large tree in the middle of the earth. 11The tree grew very tall and strong, reaching high into the heavens for all the world to see. 12It had fresh green leaves, and it was loaded with fruit for all to eat. Wild animals lived in its shade, and birds nested in its branches. All the world was fed from this tree.
 13Then as I lay there dreaming, I saw a messenger, a holy one, coming down from heaven. 14The messenger shouted,
  Cut down the tree and lop off its branches!
     Shake off its leaves and scatter its fruit!
  Chase the wild animals from its shade
     and the birds from its branches.
 15But leave the stump and the roots in the ground,
     bound with a band of iron and bronze
     and surrounded by tender grass.
  Now let him be drenched with the dew of heaven,
     and let him live with the wild animals among the plants of the field.
 16For seven periods of time,
     let him have the mind of a wild animal
     instead of the mind of a human.
 17For this has been decreed by the messengers;
     it is commanded by the holy ones,
  so that everyone may know
     that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of the world.
  He gives them to anyone he chooses
     even to the lowliest of people.
 18Belteshazzar, that was the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, had. Now tell me what it means, for none of the wise men of my kingdom can do so. But you can tell me because the spirit of the holy gods is in you.
Reflect
Today’s verses told the story of the kings dream. It is important to note that in verse 9, the king says that the “spirit of the holy gods is in you and that no mystery is too great for you to solve.” After all that King Nebuchadnezzar had seen, he still didn’t recognize God as supreme over all. He lumped God into his whole group of gods. Just another god among many that were worshipped that day.Â
But God had another idea. He was talking to the King through his dreams but the king didn’t know it. God would use Daniel (Belteshazzar) to witness once again to the king.
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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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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.
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26Then Nebuchadnezzar came as close as he could to the door of the flaming furnace and shouted: “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!” So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stepped out of the fire. 27Then the princes, prefects, governors, and advisers crowded around them and saw that the fire had not touched them. Not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched. They didn’t even smell of smoke!
28Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel to rescue his servants who trusted in him. They defied the king’s command and were willing to die rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. 29Therefore, I make this decree: If any people, whatever their race or nation or language, speak a word against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they will be torn limb from limb, and their houses will be crushed into heaps of rubble. There is no other god who can rescue like this!” 30Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to even higher positions in the province of Babylon.
Reflect
One sentence in today’s verses capture exactly what this story is about. “They defied the king’s command and were willing to die rather than serve or worship any god except their own God”. Looking at your own life, what would you be willing to give up to serve God? Would you be willing to give up your life?
Cassie Bernall had a choice. Cassie was in Columbine High School when two teenagers killed her and 12 others. It is widely reported that one of the killers asked Cassie if she believed in God. Her answer of “Yes”, cost her, her life. She was shot and killed. She had a choice. She defied the killer and died because of her choice. Would you be able to do that?
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