Daniel 4
It is not a common occurrence in the Scriptures for the Lord to allow His story to be told by someone who is outside the covenant community of His people. Daniel 4 is one of those times when the Lord and His prophets seem to step aside for a moment and God expresses His sovereignty through the words of one of the rulers of the earth. In this case the man is the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, and the story that He tells is specifically about the sovereignty of God over even the most powerful rulers. What better way to make that point than to use such a man to tell the story! The message here takes the form of a letter from the king to all the peoples of the earth. He has a story to tell, a lesson that he has learned through a devastating series of events in his life. The events described brought him to admit that Daniel’s God, who the king calls the Most High God, has dominion over all places and all generations.
Everything began with a very alarming dream which only Daniel could interpret to the king’s satisfaction. The vision was about a great tree that reached to heaven and could be seen throughout the earth. The language that the king uses to describe it is the language from other Biblical passages about the tree that is associated with God’s kingdom. This is a tree of some authority and power. In the dream someone comes from heaven and makes an announcement commanding that the tree be chopped down. The stump will remain. The language then becomes personal, not referring to a tree, but to a man, who will be brought low, so low that he will be given the mind of a beast. All of this is presented as certain and purposeful, “to the end that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men.”
The letter goes on to describe the interaction between the king and Daniel, who is commanded to give the right interpretation. Why did others not give the interpretation? Isn’t the meaning of it fairly plain? The details of timing and some specifics could reasonably be in question, but isn’t the basic theme of a great ruler being radically humbled very evident? Perhaps the other wise men did not want to give the interpretation in part because they were afraid of the king’s reaction to such a message. In any case, Daniel is greatly troubled, but he does give the interpretation. Ho does so with sadness, respect, and boldness. This great king will be made to eat grass like an ox for seven periods of unspecified time until the Lord accomplishes His desired purpose.
Not only is Daniel bold to interpret the dream, he is very courageous to add his own exhortation. “Break off your sins,” he says to the most powerful man in the world. We easily imagine that he would have spoken with the greatest sympathy and earnestness. Nonetheless his words are forthright. The king must practice righteousness. He must show mercy to the oppressed. These actions of humility, it is hoped, will lengthen Nebuchadnezzar’s prosperity.
One year later this prophecy came true. The king was expressing his great pride, and he was encountered by a voice from heaven exactly as had been spoken of in Daniel’s interpretation of the king’s dream. This is all recorded in the king’s letter to the world. He admits that these events took place just as he was speaking about the great glory of his majesty. The sentence against him was immediate. There was the great Nebuchadnezzar, eating grass like an ox.
This was not the end of the story. As expected the purpose of the Lord was accomplished. The king’s reason returned to him after the appointed time. He blessed God and acknowledged His eternal sovereignty and dominion. He noted that all the inhabitants of the earth were as nothing compared to their Maker, and that God does whatever He wants to do. The king’s former glory was restored, and he praised the King of heaven, who does everything according to what is right and just, and who humbles the proud.
The story of Christ is the story of God with us. By His divine nature He has always been and will always be above the most powerful kings of the earth. Yet He never needed to be taught a lesson in order to be made humble. He took upon Himself a human nature in His incarnation, and lived in perfect humility. We, on the other hand, who have no reason to exalt ourselves in pride, have often done so, particularly in our relationship with God. Every time we have ever decided that our way was the right way and a better way than the path of Christ, we have been proud in our estimation of our own wisdom and have acted as if we had sovereign authority over the affairs of our lives.
What should amaze us more than anything is that Christ took the discipline upon himself that we deserved in our pride. He did not have to eat grass like an ox for seven times. He did not lose His reason or His speech. He faced something much worse than what King Nebuchadnezzar faced. He took our eternal punishment upon Himself on the cross. He faced death and the grave for three days, and then rose again in glory. The message of this victory over sin has been published far and wide in His letter of love to His subjects. This is our great King. He is sovereign. He is the Most High God and the Savior of sinners. He rules over the affairs of men for the glory of His name and for our good.
posted by Pastor Magee @ 7:00 AM
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