Imagine a set of scales. On one side, let us put all your struggles. Maybe you had parents who were neglectful, mean, or played favorites. Add the dead-end job and the hateful boss who has been promoted beyond his ability. Some would include a bad marriage or rebellious children. There are bad days, bad health, and bad breaks. Stack them up. That side of the scale hits bottom.
On the other side let us put the sovereignty of God. You place on the scale the reality that, despite appearances, God is in control; just that one truth. The side holding all your burdens begins to rise. With the sovereignty of God comes the weighty truth that He is a powerful God, more powerful than anything on the other side. The sovereignty of God reveals that He has more power than the illness that will not release your body, or the person from the past or the present who sows lies about you in your psyche. As a growing understanding of the sovereignty of God begins to add truth to your life, it becomes more influential. One outcome is you are comforted knowing God is in control.
In Daniel, God’s people are in a foreign land under the rule of a dictator who has total control over their lives. He can be exceedingly prideful and deadly when crossed. The story of Daniel’s three friends tossed into a burning furnace for not bowing to the golden statue of King Nebuchadnezzar is one example of his ferocity.
Daniel 4 is a word to God’s people that God protects His people in spite of their helplessness before a seemingly all-powerful human ruler. On one side of the scales it appears that Nebuchadnezzar controls their fate. But the following story of the King’s dream and madness rips away the façade and shows the reality of who is in control. It is God, not Nebuchadnezzar, who calls the shots. The reality of God’s sovereignty is to comfort God’s people. I have divided the chapter into five parts. Let us go through them quickly and then we will look at how His sovereignty comforts us.
I. PRAISE (DANIEL 4:1-3)
(1)King Nebuchadnezzar,
To those of every people, nation, and language, who live in all the earth:
May your prosperity increase. (2) I am pleased to tell you about the miracles and wonders the Most High God has done for me. (3) How great are His miracles, and how mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom, and His dominion is from generation to generation.
There is debate over who this Nebuchadnezzar is but we will leave that for the scholars. This is a remarkable chapter because it is an official Babylonian document that is included in the Word of God; no prophet, priest, or Israelite king wrote this chapter. It is the only chapter in the Bible where the author is not of one of those offices but a Gentile king. What he writes we would call in our day a witnessing tract of his personal story of how he became a follower of the God of Israel. You could do this. Go to www.mostimportantthing.org and put your story of how you came to salvation in Christ. I will give you some cards to give to others to direct them to the web site to read your story. Nebuchadnezzar thinks he is a big deal but he learns only God has an eternal kingdom and His rule lasts for all of time and eternity.
II. INTERPRETER (DANIEL 4:4-18)
(4) I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and flourishing in my palace. (5) I had a dream, and it frightened me; while in my bed, the images and visions in my mind alarmed me.
Nebuchadnezzar had conquered his enemies, he built two of what we now call the Seven Wonders of the World, and his political affairs were working smoothly. He had outward and inward satisfaction and peace but this dream was about to reveal that it was a false peace:
(6) So I issued a decree to bring all the wise men of Babylon to me in order that they might make the dream's interpretation known to me. (7) When the diviner-priests, mediums, Chaldeans, and astrologers came in, I told them the dream, but they could not make its interpretation known to me. (8) Finally Daniel, named Belteshazzar after the name of my god—and the spirit of the holy gods is in him—came before me. I told him the dream: (9) Belteshazzar, head of the diviners, because I know that you have a spirit of the holy gods and that no mystery puzzles you, explain to me the visions of my dream that I saw, and its interpretation.
Why did Nebuchadnezzar take a different approach with the wise men of Babylon this time than he did in chapter 2? Why did he not go to the top man, Daniel, to begin with? The author does not give us that information. It is not important to the truth Daniel wants to teach God’s people. The fact that the Babylonian wise men again fail to interpret the dream, but Daniel knows, teaches that God’s man is superior to Nebuchadnezzar’s men. God’s court rules over the earthly king’s court. That is what we need to know. The rest is inconsequential speculation.
(10) In the visions of my mind as I was lying in bed, I saw this: There was a tree in the middle of the earth, and its height was great. (11) The tree grew large and strong; its top reached to the sky, and it was visible to the ends of the earth. (12) Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit was abundant, and on it was food for all. Wild animals found shelter under it, the birds of the air lived in its branches, and every creature was fed from it. (13) As I was lying in my bed, I also saw in the visions of my mind an observer, a holy one, coming down from heaven. (14) He called out loudly: “Cut down the tree and chop off its branches; strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the animals flee from under it, and the birds from its branches. (15) 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 the plants of the earth with the animals. (16) Let his mind be changed from that of a man, and let him be given the mind of an animal for seven periods of time. (17) This word is by decree of the observers; the matter is a command from the holy ones. This is so the living will know that the Most High is ruler over the kingdom of men. He gives it to anyone He wants and sets over it the lowliest of men.” (18) This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, had. Now, Belteshazzar, tell me the interpretation, because none of the wise men of my kingdom can make the interpretation known to me. But you can, because you have the spirit of the holy gods.
Nebuchadnezzar made the mistake most people make: he kept going to the wrong place to find answers. Do you remember Robert Schuler? He was a best-selling author and had a popular TV show called “Hour of Power.” My counselor friend Glynn Gallagher said some of the most mixed up people he counseled were people who read Schuler’s books and believed his theology. Today Robert Schuler has been replaced by such people as Joel Osteen and Joyce Meyer. Be very careful where you go to get biblical answers. You are responsible to evaluate the teaching you receive from me or your Sunday school teachers or others.
III. INTERPRETATION (DANIEL 4:19-27)
Daniel instantly is given the meaning of the dream, and he is horrified. He cares for this man. After an hour of silence the king assures Daniel it is safe to tell him the dream. The tree that dominates the earth is Nebuchadnezzar. He is the center of the Babylonian empire. The empire is vast and provides protection and provision for the people who are a part of it. The tree is chopped down and the branches cleared off. It is an obvious sign of judgment: Nebuchadnezzar is going to fall from his perch and be left desolate. The judgment is so devastating that he will be reduced to an animal-like condition. In the end, he will be restored because the stump is left with a brass band around it.
But this message is conditional. Daniel says in v. 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.” That is not works salvation. He calls on the king to repent and demonstrate a genuine change of heart toward God by avoiding sin and being kind to people. In spite of his greatness, he must humble himself before God.
IV. INSANITY (DANIEL 4:28-33)
(28) All this happened to King Nebuchadnezzar. (29) At the end of 12 months, as he was walking on the roof of the royal palace in Babylon, (30) the king exclaimed, "Is this not Babylon the Great that I have built by my vast power to be a royal residence and to display my majestic glory?" (31) While the words were still in the king's mouth, a voice came from heaven: "King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared that the kingdom has departed from you. (32) You will be driven away from people to live with the wild animals, and you will feed on grass like cattle for seven periods of time, until you acknowledge that the Most High is ruler over the kingdom of men, and He gives it to anyone He wants." (33) At that moment the sentence against Nebuchadnezzar was executed. He was driven away from people. He ate grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with dew from the sky, until his hair grew like eagles' feathers and his nails like birds' claws.
God gave Nebuchadnezzar a year to get right with the God of the dream. He delayed, made excuses, ignored, or doubted; all the things we did when we first rejected God’s convicting message of sin and our need to repent. The conviction died away.
He was admiring the work of his hands. Nebuchadnezzar was truly a remarkable person. He was a warrior-king. He did not stand on a hill and watch his soldiers battle the enemy. He led them into battle. He was the most successful military leader of his generation.
There was not a city in the world like Babylon. The city occupied twenty square miles and had two gigantic walls to protect it. The walls were 27 feet thick. It was said you could turn around a chariot of four horses on the walls. Wide avenues bisected the city. The processional street was a thousand yards long. The banquet hall could seat 10,000. One of his queens was homesick for the mountains of her homeland, so he constructed magnificent hanging gardens on the tops of buildings. From a distance, the city of Babylon looked like a luxuriant tree-covered mountain. Nebuchadnezzar boasted that he had done all of this. There was no acknowledgment that God had given him all he had.
One of the signs that this insanity – which is an actual condition where people have imagined themselves to be dogs, wolves, or cows – was a judgment from God was the rapidness in which it came on the king. Many mental disorders like dementia, Alzheimer’s, or Parkinson’s take years before becoming debilitating. Again it is showing the inferiority of the Babylonian king to Jehovah.
V. PRAISE (DANIEL 4:34-37)
(34) But at the end of those days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven, and my sanity returned to me. Then I praised the Most High and honored and glorified Him who lives forever: For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom is from generation to generation. (35) All the inhabitants of the earth are counted as nothing, and He does what He wants with the army of heaven and the inhabitants of the earth. There is no one who can hold back His hand or say to Him, "What have You done?" (36) At that time my sanity returned to me, and my majesty and splendor returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and my nobles sought me out, I was reestablished over my kingdom, and even more greatness came to me. (37) Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt, and glorify the King of heaven, because all His works are true and His ways are just. And He is able to humble those who walk in pride.
Many believe this is a testimony of genuine salvation by Nebuchadnezzar. We can say that it is certainly establishing who is in charge of this world. The moment the king looks toward heaven in acknowledgement of sovereignty, Nebuchadnezzar’s mental condition is restored. It reminds one of the Prodigal Son story Jesus told. The son wastes his fortune. A famine sends him to slop hogs and compete with them for something to eat. In the end, he comes to his senses and decides to return to his father.
There is hope for a person when they look to heaven. You do not even need to know the words to say. When I went forward I was as dumb as a fencepost in knowing how to be saved. All I knew to tell the preacher was I was tired of running from God, but that was an effective prayer of salvation. Many times since then I have wondered why it took me so long. I rejected the love of God, the forgiveness of sin and guilt, and failed to have the power to live a different life. I must have been out of my mind not to surrender to the sovereignty of God over my life.
After this experience of humiliation Nebuchadnezzar refers to God as “the Most High God.” It is found six times in this chapter (vv. 2, 17, 24, 25, 32, 34). When you examine the use of this name in other parts of the Bible it does not refer to God’s role as Redeemer or to His wisdom. It relates to God’s sovereignty. He is the One who rules both heaven and earth.
Daniel 4 is to comfort beleaguered believers. We are depressed when we see how the powerful Nebuchadnezzar’s of our life seem to have control over our fate. The dream and madness of Nebuchadnezzar rips away the façade before our eyes and shows the reality that God is in control. He ultimately calls the shots. I want to give you two reasons I think this is comforting to us.
1. God will humble the proud.
Can God defeat those who harm us and overcome the obstacles to life and faith? The author of Psalm 73 had his doubts. It seemed the proud did not have any problems. In v. 3 he said, “I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong.” That seems to be our experience too. Who are the beautiful people? The ones who are all smiles and seem to enjoy the best this world has to offer without the daily grind of pressures you face. They sneer at our religion. You could give names. There are the publicly known people and then there are those you personally know. It causes us to question if God is in control.
God’s humbling of the proud began in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve began to distrust the Lord and trust their own judgment. Pride led them to break the one commandment their Friend told them to keep. The result was they were cast out of paradise and were humbled and shamed.
Even the psalmist in Psalm 73 came to see the prideful and arrogant differently. He said he was like a “brute beast”, but he came to his senses when he came into the sanctuary and saw the destiny of the arrogant who ignored and attacked God. The proud are swept away but he will always be with his God.
John Ortberg told a story about a CEO of a Fortune 500 company who pulled into a service station to get gas. He went inside to pay, and when he came out he noticed his wife engaged in a deep discussion with the service station attendant. It turned out that she used to date this man back in high school.
The CEO got in the car, and the two drove in silence. He was feeling pretty good about himself when he finally spoke: “I bet I know what you were thinking. I bet you were thinking you’re glad you married me, a Fortune 500 CEO, and not him, a service station attendant.” His wife said, “No, I was thinking if I’d married him, he’d be a Fortune 500 CEO and you’d be a service station attendant.” God knows how to humble the proud.
This is not only a comfort but a warning to us about pride. It is easy to take our eyes off God and cast them upon ourselves. It happens every time we trust our judgment more than God.
2. No one is beyond God’s grace.
It is an amazing story of grace. God used Nebuchadnezzar to fulfill prophecy in his destruction of Tyre and Egypt and judgment on Jerusalem. He sends Daniel back to Babylon to develop a relationship with this deadly despot to be a witness for God. God speaks to Nebuchadnezzar in a dream in chapter 2, out of a fiery furnace in chapter 3, and now another dream which resulted in insanity. If there was anyone you would have believed God had given up on and could not or would not reach it would have been this wicked, cruel man. But God pursues this man from his introduction to the Bible to his last words of praise of God. He is an Old Testament example of the apostle Paul. Paul claimed to be the chief of sinners. Paul’s point is since God has saved the worst sinner, He can save anyone else. No one is beyond God’s grace.
I began to pray for my uncle Dub when I began praying for my father. My uncle was a worldly man. He survived a plane crash and was severely burned. The accident took his wife’s life. I thought for sure he would turn to Christ. He did not. But 5 months before his death he was diagnosed with melanoma. That confrontation with mortality brought him to Christ. He lived a strong witness for Christ those months.
My uncle Charles was rough as you can get. I am not aware of him ever giving a thought to the things of God. But he came to Christ months before his death due to cancer.
I visited Bill before he had surgery in Oklahoma City. The doctors told him he had a 40% chance to live. The family asked me to come and witness to him. When I arrived before the surgery they did not tell him I was coming. After explaining the gospel and offering him the chance to come to Christ, he said, “You believe what you believe and I believe what I believe.” I left the hospital room expecting him to die and go to hell. He survived. A year or so after that he called his daughter and said he and her mother had read this blue tract and would she come over and help them pray. She called and told Carol and me the good news.
What does it mean for God to be sovereign? No one is beyond the saving grace of God; no one. Do not give up. Keep trusting God. Keep praying. Despite appearances God is in control. When that truth is genuinely embraced it comforts God’s people.
1. The NIV Application Commentary, Daniel, Tremper Longman III.
2. Exploring the Book of Daniel, John Phillips and Jerry Vines.
3. Ibid, p. 72.
4. Daniel, James Montgomery Boice.
