In Daniel 4 (click here to read it) Nebuchadnezzar dreamed another dream. What I would like
to look at, however, is Nebuchadnezzar himself. His first encounter with Daniel,
as recorded in the book of Daniel, was when he had his first dream. Being a
king did separate him from his subjects, so it was not as if he was a personal
friend of Daniel. At the time he did place “Daniel in a high position
and lavished many gifts on him. He made him ruler over the entire province of
Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men. Moreover, at Daniel’s request the king
appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego administrators over the province of
Babylon, while Daniel himself remained at the royal court,” (Daniel 2:48-49).
Nebuchadnezzar also “fell prostrate before Daniel and paid him
honour and ordered that an offering and incense be presented to him.”
He did say to Daniel, “‘Surely your
God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for
you were able to reveal this mystery,’” (Daniel 2:46-47).
It is not as if Daniel was a
stranger to king Nebuchadnezzar. He was one of the king’s courtiers and the
head of the wise men, so he had to have had some interaction with Nebuchadnezzar
at times. Yet in Daniel 4:5-8 we read how Nebuchadnezzar had dreamt a dream and
how the so-called wise men could not interpret it for him until “finally,
Daniel came into my presence and I told him the dream. (He is called
Belteshazzar, after the name of my god, and the spirit of the holy gods is in
him.)” (Verse 8). Daniel was the head of the wise men of Babylon, so why
did Nebuchadnezzar not first call him? Nebuchadnezzar also acknowledged God in
Daniel 2:47 and Daniel as His servant, yet he mentioned that ‘the spirit of the
holy gods’ is in Daniel.
Nebuchadnezzar was like James 1;5-8
puts it: “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously
to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he
who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
That man should not think he will
receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.”
To serve the Lord properly and know the difference between a religious, self-centred
life and a godly life requires wisdom. For us to gain this wisdom the Lord
sometimes have to bring us down to earth hard.
This is what happened to
Nebuchadnezzar. He had seen the glory of the Lord and had actually glorified
Him and brought honour to His servants (chapter 2), yet his loyalty was still
divided between his ‘other’ gods and the Lord of hosts. When he wrote this
testimony he began it by genuinely glorifying the Lord (Daniel 4:2-3).
Previously he did it almost as a duty – it was the accepted thing to do. Now,
however, he did it from a changed heart after he went through this trial we
read about in Daniel 4. He concluded his testimony with these words: “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 4:37).
This is why James began his book
talking about trials. Without being put through the tests of character we cannot
really become godly, but will always be drawn to the glitter that the world
offers. The Lord, however, wants us completely dedicated to Him and will go to
great lengths to form us for his glory. Those who avail themselves have to be prepared
to go through tests and hardship and the heat of purification, just like
Nebuchadnezzar had to endure before he could testify: “At the same time that my
sanity was restored, my honour and splendour were returned to me for the glory
of my kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne
and became even greater than before,” (Daniel 4:36).
Where do you stand? Are you still
divided between the Lord and your idols of secular living, or are you one
hundred percent committed to godliness? Are you prepared to be purified by the
Lord through trials? Maybe you are in the midst of a trial and therefore I would
like to encourage you – just keep your faith and do not accuse the Lord or yield
to carnal solutions. The outcome will be holiness.
Lord, please get me where you want
me to be.
Thank you Lord that your Word went
out from your mouth, via your servant’s pen, and it will not return to you
empty, but will accomplish what you desire and achieve the purpose for which
you sent it.
Please pass this on if you think others may
benefit by it.
No comments:
Post a Comment