Can I Get A Witness

TITLE: CAN I GET A WITNESS

SCRIPTURE: DANIEL 2:9-24

I love when a writer of the Bible just stops what he is writing and beings to praise God. But it is even more impressive to me when someone who is not connected to Jehovah sees the work of Jehovah and has to praise Him, even if that person still does not become a follower of Jehovah. Nebuchadnezzar is such a man. This great king of Babylon that God uses as a servant to do his bidding doesn’t even know God in any personal relationship. Yet, Nebuchadnezzar sees God through the lives of the men of Judah that have come to work in his court.

In our text, we find an impossible situation started with a sleepless night. We have all probably had those kinds of nights. Something keeps us up, we are restless, or our minds cannot rest. Like Nebuchadnezzar, we may have a really bad dream or nightmare.

• Nebuchadnezzar had a bad dream that was so bad, it unsettled him

• We will soon see that God was at work in the darkness of his mind

• When Nebuchadnezzar awoke, his dream bothered him so much that he wanted to find out the dream’s meaning

• He was desperate to find the truth

• Therefore, he called for help

Nebuchadnezzar was many things, but gullible was not one of them.

• He knew that people could fake a very good answer

• What the king asked was impossible if you didn’t have supernatural power

The group the king assembled was made up of people who claimed to have such supernatural powers.

• They are more than just scholars

• These are people who have claimed to have some type of power from some god

Included in this group were the Chaldeans. Chaldean is used generically to describe the people of the Babylonian area who lived in the southern area of Babylon. Little is known about the tribe, but we learn from scripture that --

• God called ABRAHAM from the land of Ur of the Chaldeans

• That was Abraham’s home

• His father and grandfather worshipped the gods of that area

• Archeologists tell us the Chaldeans studied Astrology and Mathematics

• They were considered “wise people” and their gods gave them wisdom

• It is believed the wise men - Magi that came from the East to see the baby Jesus were Chaldeans

Let me give some context to this text for those that are not familiar with the Book of Daniel. Nebuchadnezzar’s dream started something which appeared impossible to stop.

• He demanded that his dream be told, and only after this that it be interpreted

• Let me make sure you understand what he just asked them to do

o Usually, you would tell the details of your dream and then they would interpret

o King said I will not tell you what I dreamed – you tell me what I dreamed and then interpret

• His advisors sought to reason with him, but to no avail

• Finally, in frustration, they told him that what he asked was unreasonable

Nebuchadnezzar felt the wise men were stalling for time (which they probably were) because they saw he was serious about executing them if they did not interpret the dream immediately. If they could not reveal his dream to him, then he felt he could not trust their interpretation. Either way, this was an impossible demand. I wonder this morning if there are things you expect that are impossible?

• Perhaps you expect your spouse to just know what you are thinking?

• Perhaps you expect your spouse to change into the person you want

• Do you think you will find joy or security in your job, your health, or the future of the nation?

• Do you expect things to go a certain way in your personal life or in the life of the church that only God can do?

• Perhaps you expect to earn God’s favor

• Do you expect that you can do enough good things to earn God’s favor?

• Do you believe you can do enough bad things to lose what God has given you?

• That, too, is impossible because He has said that your salvation is based on His Grace and not your works

These so called wise men not only admitted their limitations, but they also even acknowledged the inability of their gods. The king’s demand was beyond what they or their gods could do. Nebuchadnezzar then says, since you guys are of no use to me kill them all. They say ‘wait a minute dude - hold up – let’s not be so hasty’ – we know of a different kind of fellow who serves a God he calls Jehovah.