Good morning! How are you doing this morning? “floating down the river on a lazy afternoon” or locked in mortal combat going at it hammer and tongs with the world, the devil, and your own sinful flesh, trying to keep your head above water and simply survive? Probably the latter! Maybe a more important question is “How’s it going with you and the Lord this morning”.
I have good news for you. No matter how confusing and difficult life may be right now. The Lord is there. Even when we can’t find him or sense him, he’s still there. Proverbs 18:24 says, “There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Jesus promised never to abandon or leave us.
Martin Luther often said our battle is with the world, the devil, and our own sinful flesh. All these things can pull us away and put distance and a chill in our relationship with the Lord. Last week we read about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and their battle with the world, the devil, and Nebuchadnezzar. It’s now 30 years later and Nebby at 60+ is still in power.
He has built the city of Babylon into one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world. A chariot pulled by a 4 horse team, that’s side by side, could turn around on the top of the 100 ft high walls. A temple tower rose nearly 300 ft high, that’s 30 stories. The hanging gardens and zoos attract visitors from around the world. His libraries are world famous.
And then in the midst of all that success, disaster strikes. Everything begins to unravel. It starts with a nightmare, a vision of things to come. Once again the wise men of his cabinet can’t explain the dream so he calls on Daniel, his chief advisor for more than 30 years.
“Daniel, I’ve had a nightmare again. In my dream I saw a tree. A beautiful fruitful tree that grew to touch the sky. It could be seen from every corner of the earth. It provided food and shelter for the beasts of the field and the birds of the air. Suddenly a mighty one, a messenger from highest heaven came and said, “Cut it down, chop off the branches, strip off the leaves, scatter the fruit. But let the stump be bound with iron and bronze.”
Then the dream changes as dreams often do, they evolve. Suddenly the angel is speaking no longer about a tree, but a person. Vs 15 “Let him be drenched with the dew and live among the wild animals. Let his mind be changed from a man to an animal until seven times pass by him.”
In other words, this person will go insane. But why? Vs 17 “The decision is announced by messengers, the holy ones declare the verdict, so that the living (everyone) may know that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdom of men and gives them to anyone he wills and sets over them the lowliest of men.”
What’s the key word? Sovereign! The big kahuna! The one who has ultimate power and authority! It isn’t Nebuchadnezzar, and it sure isn’t you or me. So who is it? The LORD!
Remember Daniel has served King Nebuchadnezzar faithfully for 30 plus years. They have come to love and respect each other, even though Nebby isn’t a believer in Daniel’s God. He’s come close but he’s always drifted away again, back to being sovereign of his own life. He asks his friend, “Daniel, help me out here, what does my dream mean?”
When Daniel realizes what the dream is he’s terrified, not because he’s afraid of what the king will do to him, but because he’s come to love this pagan king. After 30 years together, the king can read Daniel’s fear. “Don’t be afraid. Give it to me straight!”
So Daniel does. “In not too long, you will go insane and be driven from your people. For 7 years, you will live in the fields like an animal until at last you acknowledge the Most High Lord, not you, is sovereign over the affairs of men. After 7 years, your kingdom will be restored to you when you acknowledge heaven rules!”
And then Daniel warns his king. “Renounce your sins by doing what is right and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue.” Dan 4:27
But even with this warning, Nebby doesn’t repent and twelve months later judgment falls just as the angel predicted. Vs 29 “Twelve months later, as the king was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, he said, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?” Dan 4:29
The king swells up with pride as if he, himself, had done all this. He completely forgets that everything he is, every thing he has, has come to him as a gift from God. He exalts himself as if he alone were the creator and sustainer of all these things. The angels must have rolled their eyes. How could any human being believe such bald-faced insanity! Yet, we do!
This insanity has a source. Let’s go back to Isa 14:12-14 “How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, "I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High." Isa 14:12-14
Who’s words are these? Pretty obvious isn’t it! Satan took that lie to Adam and Eve. He said, “You, too, can become like God!” How can that which is created exalt itself to be equal with the creator? Insane! Yet Nebby bought it! And if we’re honest, so have we! It seems our greatest enemy isn’t outside of us, it’s within us. Is there a God great enough to save me from myself?
As soon as the words are out of Nebby’s mouth a voice came from heaven, “This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar. You will lose it all, your wealth, your power, your mind, everything but your life, until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men.”
Sometimes it’s not until we come to the absolute end of ourselves that we really discover who God is and his power to save us from ourselves! The crazy thing is we have to learn this lesson over and over again. The apostle Paul said this was a daily battle of crucifying the sinful nature so that a new man could be raised to life each day.
I remember the first time I encountered Paul’s testimony in 2 Cor 1. I had come to the end of my rope and my cope. I opened up my Bible and began to read Paul’s words,
“My friends, I want you to know what a hard time we had in Asia. Our sufferings were so horrible and so unbearable that death seemed certain. In fact, we felt sure that we were going to die. But this made us stop trusting in ourselves and start trusting God, who raises the dead to life. God saved us… and we are sure that he will do it again and again.” 2Co 1:8-10
How amazing that God loves us enough to bring us to the end of ourselves. But he does. Is there a God who can save me from me?
Yes, his name is Jesus. Paul writes in Colossians “Christ is exactly like God, who cannot be seen. He is the first-born Son, superior to all creation. Everything was created by him, everything in heaven and on earth, everything seen and unseen, including all forces and powers, and all rulers and authorities. All things were created by God's Son, and everything was made for him. God's Son was before all else, and by him everything is held together.
He is the head of his body, which is the church. He is the very beginning, the first to be raised from death, so that he would be above all others. God himself was pleased to live fully in his Son. And God was pleased for him to make peace by sacrificing his blood on the cross, so that all beings in heaven and on earth would be brought back to God. You used to be far from God. Your thoughts made you his enemies, and you did evil things. But his Son became a human and died. So God made peace with you, and now he lets you stand in his presence as people who are holy and faultless and innocent. Col 1:16-22
Look at Dan 4:34 “At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever.” Dan 3:34
And then the old king begins to sing. I don’t know if his voice was deep and rich or croaky, but the words to his song are recorded for us here…
His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. (In other words, he treats kings and paupers just the same) He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of earth. (And everything he does is right and perfect) No one can hold back his hand or say to him, “What have you done.” (No one can question his sovereignty)
I guarantee your sinful nature is going to argue with this. Your sinful nature is going to have a better idea. Your sinful nature is going to want to question God and try to straighten God out. But the Lord isn’t the one who is sinfully insane! Will we surrender to his sovereignty?
Nebuchadnezzar testifies that after his repentance, the Lord restored his honor, his splendor, his reputation, his wisdom, to a place even greater than before his fall. He finishes with this testimony, “Now, I Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of Heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.” Daniel 4:36-37
I don’t know about you, but I am so humbled and thankful that there a God who can save me from myself! Yes, his name is Jesus. He took my sin to the cross, shed his blood for my forgiveness, and opened the way for my sanity to be restored. He is worthy of our praise, our allegiance, our devotion, our love, our obedience. AMEN
