Humbled For Pride, Daniel 4, OT S1:E572

0:00Welcome to the Family Bible Journey. Whether you're a first-time listener, one of our regulars, or one of those who is committed to either reading through or journaling through the Bible with us, thanks for listening. This is episode 572, Season 1 of the Family Bible Journey Old Testament Podcast. Today we're looking at Daniel 4. The title of today's podcast is Humbled for Pride. In our key verses for today, Daniel 4 verses 19 to 35, where we read. Then Daniel, whose name was Belta Shazar, was dismayed for a while and his thoughts alarmed him. The king answered and said, Belta Shazar, let not the dream or the interpretation alarm you. Belta Shazar answered and said, My Lord, may the dream be for those who hate you and its interpretation for your enemies. The tree you saw which grew and became strong

1:01so that its top reached the heaven and it was visible to the end of the whole earth whose leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, in which was food for all, under which beasts of the field found shade, and in whose branches the birds of the heavens lived, it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong. Your greatness has grown and reaches to heaven and your dominion to the ends of the earth. And because the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave this dump of its roots and the earth bound with a band of iron and bronze in the tender grass of the field and let him be wet with the dew of heaven and let his portion be with the beasts of the field till seven periods of time pass over him. This is the interpretation of the king. It is a decree of the most high which has come upon my Lord the king that you shall be driven from among men and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You shall be made to eat grass like an ox and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven.

2:05And seven periods of time shall pass over you till you know that the most high rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will. And it was commanded to leave this dump of its roots of the tree. Your kingdom shall be confirmed for you from the time that you know that heaven rules. Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you. Break off your sins by practicing righteousness and your nakedies by showing mercy to the oppressed that their may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity. All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon and the king answered and said, is not this great Babylon which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty. While the words were still in the king's mouth their fellow voice from heaven. O king Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken, the kingdom has departed from you and you shall be driven from among men and your dwelling shall be with the beasts

3:07of the field and you shall be made to eat grass like an ox. In seven periods of time shall pass over you until you know that the most high rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will. Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew long as equals feathers and his nails were like birds claws. At the end of the days, I Nebuchadnezzar lifted my eyes to heaven and my reason returned to me and I blessed the most high and praised and honored him who lives forever. For his dominion is never lasting dominion and his kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are a cowardice nothing and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth and none can stake his hand or say to him what have you done. This is the word of the Lord. In this chapter Daniel is put in

4:12the unenviable position of having to tell the king the interpretation of a dream that means his own demise. And in this dream in this chapter, this fourth chapter of the book of Daniel. Instead of being coy with his dreams Daniel has proven that he is trustworthy and so the king simply tells him the dream he doesn't play cat and mouse games like he did before by not telling the people the dream that needed to be interpreted. No, he lays it out there for Daniel and God interprets this dream through Daniel for the king and it is a simple lesson that the king and his might and power has grown proud and that God is going to take his sanity from him for a season for seven seasons actually. And we don't know that seven days, seven weeks, seven months, seven years, but it is long enough for the king's hair to grow all crazy, wild and matted and his fingernails to grow

5:13and to curl so that he looks more like a beast of the field than the king of the mightiest nation on earth. And yet God is going to allow the king's sanity to be restored. He is going to take mercy on this king who mistakenly took credit for his greatness, his might, his majesty and his own wealth and he is going to reveal himself to King Nebuchadnezzar as an Almighty yet merciful Lord. And this hymn of praise that is sung towards the end of the chapter. It shows us that Nebuchadnezzar, if he hadn't been brought to faith before to the faithful witness of Daniel and Shadrach and Meshach and Abednego, through this season of insanity, he is going to be brought to faith. And what we see happening here is that God is using Daniel and his friends to bring a pagan nation even to faith. Israel and Judah

6:22as long as they had lived in their own land. They had proven to be anything but faithful to the Lord. But here in these chapters, they are proving that they are the Lord's instruments, the Lord's light in a dark place. The very voice of God spoken to ears that are not Jewish or Israelite, but nonetheless are listening ears, ears that listen and receive the good news of God's redeeming love in Christ Jesus. And so this chapter, it stands as a stark and a hard warning against human pride. And the narcissist is someone who needs control, who needs to feel like they are in control even when they are not. And when life is spinning out of control or of events, proves to the narcissist that they aren't in control, these people can oftentimes lose their minds. They're going to cause tremendous hurt in

7:28harm to others. They are going to act as if they are the God, as if they are the one to whom everyone must pay account. As if they are the ones who are in control, there is only one ruler, ultimately, the ruler of heaven and earth, who has no beginning or end of days. It doesn't matter if you're the most powerful, most influential, wealthiest, most beautiful, strongest, wisest person on earth. Your life is going to be just that. The span of a human life, it's going to be temporary. We are all fleeting. We are all passing away. But the God who is truly God, the God who is in charge and in control of all things, he is the one that we are all going to answer to in the end. And if we do not like King Nebuchadnezzar, come back to our senses when the Lord has mercy on us and reveals his love to us, well then we are the ones who will be crushed in the end. And

8:33so this story, it is full of lots of warnings for us against human pride. It is warnings against earthly rulers to not think more highly of themselves than they ought, but it is also a wonderful testimony of God's love, mercy and forgiveness given to a man who did not deserve it, who in the height of his prosperity and power was as far from the Lord as anyone could ever be, yet God had mercy on him, restored him in his position, in his sanity, and his health, and blessed him. It does appear in these pages of Holy Scripture with true and saving faith, which is our hope, our salvation, the God who has mercy on us, forgives us our sins and promises in Christ Jesus to bless us with everlasting life. And so let us learn from King Nebuchadnezzar to take even our afflictions and times of illness and even insanity

9:38as seasons whereby God prepares us for a glorious, eternal inheritance as we are brought to our knees, humbled, but ultimately restored and brought to faith by his good pleasure. If you appreciate the faith and perspective of the family Bible journey and you would like to see how our sister organization, Genesis Group, gets to help Christians, churches, and organizations discovered new life and ministry, go to our website, g-e-n-y-s-y-s-group.com, or look for us on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. Our blessing for today. May your earthly trials humble you so that God may restore you by his mercy and grace. Amen. Peace!