Bible Studies
I Will Honor the God of Heaven (Dan. 4:1-3)
Series: There is a God in Heaven (Studies in the Book of Daniel)Introduction:
1. Throughout the Book of Daniel there is repeated contrast between the so-called gods of the Babylonians and the God of heaven.a. It is first introduced in 1:1 where the Lord gives Jehoiakim into the hand of Neb. and Neb. takes items from the house of God and puts them in the house of his god(s).
b. In chap. 2 it is the God of heaven who reveals Neb. dream and its interpretation. (And it is the God of heaven who sets up His kingdom that endures forever.)
c. In chap. 3 it is the God of Shadrack, Meshack and Abed-nego who delivers from the furnace.
2. Chap. 4 opens with Neb. praising the Most High God, but the rest of the chapter reveals that Neb. had elevated himself above the Most High. The Babylonian kings were accustomed to speaking of themselves as king of all the earth (cf. 4:1). Perhaps verses 2-3 are said after what he experienced in chap. 4. 3. There are a number of very poignant lessons to be learned from this text, but first we need to know what happened to Neb.Discussion:
I. Neb. had another dream.A. He had had one before of a great statue that “the God of heaven” had revealed to him (Dan. 2).
B. This time it was a dream of a great tree.
1. Neb. called in the representatives of his gods, but they were not able to interpret the dream.
2. Like Neb., the great tree flourished.
a. Neb. described it in 4:10-12.
b. But the tree was chopped down (4:13-17).
3. The representatives of Neb. gods could not interpret the dream and so Daniel was called in to give the interpretation.
a. Daniel had been given the Babylonian name “Belteshazzar” meaning “the spirit of the holy gods” (8, 9, 18).
b. Daniel did not interpret dreams by his own power, nor by the power of the Babylonian gods. He interpreted dreams by the power of “the God of heaven.”
C. Daniel’s interpretation of the dream was alarming.
1. It was alarming to Daniel (4:19).
2. The interpretation of the dream (4:22-26).
3. Note particularly the objective of the dream: “until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes” (v. 25).
4. Daniel’s advice: “break away from your sins by doing righteousness and from your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor, in case there may be a prolonging of your prosperity” (v. 27).
a. Reflective of Daniel’s perception of the God of heaven.
b. Turning away from sin and showing mercy results in God’s blessing.
II. The dream realized (4:28ff).A. Twelve months passed and Neb. reflected on his greatness (29-30).
B. A voice from heaven gave the startling news (31-33).
C. After this Neb. humbled himself (34-35).
D. He was restored (36-37).
III. Lessons to be learned.A. It is insane to exalt yourself above the God of heaven.
1. None of us have the position, wealth, and power of king Neb.
2. We might even envy his greatness (Psa. 73:3-12).
3. Do we exalt ourselves above God by neglecting His worship, His people, His word? Arrogance is not just about exalting ourselves; it is also about diminishing the God of heaven.
B. We need to understand our place in the scheme of things.
1. Neb. saw himself as king to all the peoples, nations and men of every language, that lived on the earth (4:1).
2. He came to realize that God was “King of heaven” (4:37).
3. Whatever place, power, wealth you have it is from God. You need to be thankful (Rom. 1:21).
4. You have responsibility to praise, exalt and honor Him.
C. Those who walk in pride God humbles.
1. He humbled king Hezekiah, who showed all his treasure house, the silver and the gold, the spices and precious oil and the house of armor and all that was found in his treasures to the king of Babylon. Isaiah said, “Days are coming when nothing shall be left” (2 Kings 20:13, 17).
2. A similar thing happened to king Herod (Acts 12:20ff). Having put on his royal apparel and taken his seat on the rostrum he began giving a speech. The people kept crying out, “The voice of a god and not of a man!” He did not give God the glory. He was eaten by worms and died.
D. There is also a comforting aspect to all of this. God is in control.
1. The captives must have felt abandoned in Babylon.
2. Neb. was their oppressor. He had power over them.
3. But God was sovereign. He was still in control.
4. What oppressor has power over you?
a. A domineering husband?
b. A domineering government?
c. A disability?
d. A psychological disorder?
e. A disease?
f. Guilt, shame, sin, death?
5. Our boast is not in ourselves, but in the Lord (1 Cor. 1:31; 2 Cor. 10:17). “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things” (Jer. 9:23-24).
E. It is through the Lord’s own humility that we are saved. He emptied Himself taking the form of a bond-servant, being in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Phil. 2:7-8). Will we exalt ourselves against Him or be humbled by the greatness of His humility?
Conclusion:
1. Will you find comfort from the sovereignty of the God of heaven or will you find humiliation? 2. Neb. said, “I praise, exalt and honor the King of heaven!” 3. Will you?
