“How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion endures from generation to generation.” – Daniel 4:3
In Daniel 4, Daniel’s around 45 or 50, and he’s been in Babylon for about 30 years. Here’s a little spoiler alert on what the rest of the chapter is about: Nebuchadnezzar, the great and mighty king, goes a little cray-cray and loses his mind. We’re talking tinfoil hat, underwear outside your pants, losing it. He’s not doing well. He disappears for seven years, then returns, and he gives his State of the Union address, telling all of Babylon what happened in those seven lost years.
There are three mega themes in these first three verses of Daniel 4:
- God’s Kingdom vs. Human Empires: God’s Kingdom is contrasted with the kingdom of Babylon. We’re all building something – a business, ministry, wealth, or family – and it’s either part of God’s Kingdom or it’s not. There’s nothing wrong with building something as long as it’s for God’s glory according to God’s design. Nebuchadnezzar built the most impressive kingdom on earth, but it conflicted with God’s Kingdom.
- Most High God vs. Lesser Rulers: In Babylon, there were lots of gods and goddesses, and Nebuchadnezzar was over them all. Daniel shows up and tells them, “Actually, there’s a higher and better King named Jesus.”
- Testimony vs. Biography: Nebuchadnezzar tells his life story and takes the credit; that’s a biography, and there’s a whole genre of literature for this. A testimony is, “This is what God did for me and through me and in spite of me,” which is what Daniel and his friends have. When good things happen, you have to decide who you’re going to give credit to.
When Nebuchadnezzar relays his second dream, he starts out, “I…was at ease…” That’s the understatement of the century. He lives in a palace and has servants, a harem, and so much extra gold that he makes a 90-foot statue of himself out of it. Even though he’s the most powerful man on earth, God can still get to him through dreams. No matter how hard you try, you can’t hide from, run from, or avoid God. Once again, all his false prophets who are supposed to know things know nothing, so he, again, calls for Daniel.
In this dream, the king saw a large tree that reached to Heaven, had abundant fruit, and provided shade for all the beasts of the field. Then, an angel, a holy mailman, came down from Heaven and said to chop the tree down, strip off the fruit, and scatter the beasts, cutting the tree down to the stump.
When Daniel gets the interpretation from God for this dream, it bothers, troubles, and concerns him because he loves Nebuchadnezzar, even though Nebuchadnezzar is an enemy of God. Daniel has faithfully served him, one of the most wicked men in the history of the world, for 30 or more years. In a similar way, God loved us when we were enemies and empowers us to give His love to our enemies. Daniel tells the king that he is the tree that has grown tall and is going to get chopped down. He tells him he has a decision to make: will he submit to the decree of the Most High God or stand in defiance as if he himself were the Most High God? He tells him that if he doesn’t change his ways, he’ll go hang out with the beasts of the field and lose his mind. He’ll move from the palace to the pasture.
Does Nebuchadnezzar like this message? Again, he hates the interpretation. But sometimes, we have to say things that people don’t like because it’s God’s decree to them. We all have a little bit of Nebuchadnezzar in us; there are areas where we don’t want to say we’re wrong and don’t want to repent. Nebuchadnezzar has been warned by God for at least 30 years now, so, needless to say, God is patient, and He still gives him one more year to decide his fate.
Have you ever had a dream or vision that you remember as significant? Did things play out in your life similar to the dream?
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