Daniel 4
COMMENTARY:
: 2 I thought it good to show the signs and wonders that the high God has wrought toward me. (2324 “show” [chava] means interpret, explain, inform, declare, make known, to make information that was previously known only to a few people or that was hidden or meant to be kept a secret, or to breathe.)
DEVOTION: In every life there are special times. There is a time to be born. There is a time to start school. There is a time when you end going to school. There is a time when you earn your first paycheck. There is a time when you move out of your parent’s house into your own place. There is a time when you are married. There is a time you have children. There is a time to retire. There is a time to die.
Between birth and death there are times when we see the LORD work in our life. Those who are no believers might not ever realize that the LORD has given them a chance to become a follower of HIM. Christ died on the cross for the sins of the world so everyone has an opportunity to become a believer but most chose to reject the message and the Savior.
Those of us who are follower of the LORD have special occasions when we see the LORD working in our life. Here we have a pagan king realizing that the LORD is working in his life. He realizes that the LORD has showed him many things in his dreams and in his kingdom. It gives credit to the LORD even when he seems to be going in a different direction. He will see the LORD deal with an issue of pride in his life.
God is at work in our life. HE is dealing with some sin issues in each of our lives. Each of us has a besetting sin in our life. We inherit it from our family. The LORD gives us opportunities to overcome our besetting sin with HIS help. God deals with pagan kings and us.
CHALLENGE: Look at the rainbows in the clouds to see that the LORD always keeps HIS promises to HIS people.
: 8 But at the last Daniel came in before me, whose name was Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods: and before him I told the dream, saying (2493 “dream” [chelem] means a dream in which the God of Israel makes something known whether through verbal communications or images, as vehicle or revelation, a visionary revelation from God as an omen of the future.)
DEVOTION: As a heathen king he didn’t understand completely good Bible doctrine or teaching. He only knew what he was taught by his ancestors. They believed in more than one god, they believed in many gods. In fact, they would conquer nations and take their gods made of wood or gold or silver or stone and put them in their temples. They thought that once they conquered a people they were more powerful that the gods of those nations but they didn’t want to upset any god. They were afraid of all gods.
Daniel represented the only TRUE God in the universe which is the one we should worship regularly in a Biblical church each Sunday. The king of Babylon had a history with Daniel whom he renamed after his god Belteshazzar.
However, Daniel told him that he represented the Most High God of the universe. There was none greater than the Most High God.
Nebuchadnezzar realized that Daniel was working for the Most High God who gave him the Holy Spirit to help him interpret dreams. He made this statement three times in this chapter. He knew from Daniel about HIS God. He didn’t understand all about HIM but he knew that Daniel did and would tell him the truth.
Today those who become followers of Jesus Christ are indwelt with the Holy Spirit the moment they become a follower. HE is the third person of the Godhead. HE is equal with the Father and the Son. They make up ONE GOD. Today we use the word Trinity to help us understand this truth.
CHALLENGE: Nebuchadnezzar had to realize this truth and he did after seven years of acting like an animal. Pride always comes before a fall.
: 17 This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomsoever he will, and sets up over it the basest of men. (5894 “watchers” [‘iyr] means wakeful ones, angels, messenger, sentinel, or guardian.)
DEVOTION: In I Peter 1: 12 we find that the angels desire to look into our salvation. They want to understand the dealings of God with men. They are not omniscient. They have to study what is going on to see what they can learn.
Here we have angels described as those who are watchers. They are the holy angels not the angels that followed Satan in the fall from heaven.
Remember about a third of the angels fell with Satan. They thought he had a better idea. They were wrong.
Did the fall of man and the fall of angels surprise God? NO!! HE knew before the foundation of the world what was going to happen before creation and until the end of time. HE doesn’t live in time, we do. HE knows the beginning from the end. HE knows the past, present and future. The angels on the other hand have to learn. They are God’s representatives to humans on many occasions throughout Scripture. Here they are used to judge a heathen king who is full of pride. They are used to teach him a lesson as to who is in control of the universe.
Nebuchadnezzar was warned in a dream but he didn’t take the warning. He is recorded in the Bible to give us a warning regarding pride. If we think that everything that has happened in our life is our own doing, we are wrong. God is watching over every individual in this world. HE is using HIS angels as messengers to us at times.
The New Testament states that we can entertain angels unaware. They are not the angels of television but the angels that are revealed in the Bible. As I have stated before there seems to be about twenty-two different offices for angels. Here we have those who are watchful.
CHALLENGE: Do we realize that the Most High is in control of this universe? If we believe it does it show? Angels are real.
: 37 Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase. (7187 “truth”[q@showt] means what really is, truly, surely, right, just, or in accord with a standard.)
DEVOTION: Nebuchadnezzar was on top of the world. He was successful. He was ruler of a great nation. His capital was beautiful. He was sitting back and enjoying his success. He was proud of himself. He made a statement that he had done it all himself.
The LORD had him dream a dream one night. He saw a large tree in his dream. The dream made him afraid. He called for Daniel to come and interpret the dream. Daniel didn’t want to tell him the meaning of the dream. He even asked the king to stop sinning. He was given a year by the LORD to turn his life around and he chose to ignore the gift the LORD offered.
There is a news commentator that uses a man named Walter and in his segment of the program he tells people that they are in Walter’s world. We sometimes think that the world revolves around us and in truth it doesn’t. Our world revolves around the LORD who created it and is still in control of what is happening.
Daniel knew that the LORD would cause the dream to take place if the king didn’t change his ways. His pride was going to cause the dream to come true if he didn’t repent of his sin within a year and turn to the LORD. If we don’t listen to the Word of God the LORD will send judgment to all those who reject HIM. Nebuchadnezzar found out this truth.
After seven years of acting like a wild animal, the king came to his senses and realized that the LORD had done it to him because of his pride. Now all he could do is praise the LORD. He realized that the King of Heaven had caused this to happen to abase him because of his pride. He realized that the LORD had set him up in his kingdom. He realized that he, LORD could take the kingdom away from him.
While he was praising the LORD, he made the statement that the LORD always did what was right. HE always did what was just. The king understood that what happened to him was for his good.
Now we need to realize that when things happen to us it is for our good to bring us closer to the LORD. HE is always right in HIS actions in our lives. Are we thankful for all that HE sends our way? Are we listening to the warnings that come our way? IF we are not listening to the warnings, HE will correct us one way or another to get our attention. It is time to listen to the LORD!!!
CHALLENGE: Remember that all truth is God’s truth. There are some truths that are not found in the Bible but the ones we are to learn are found there.
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