Church: Reformed Baptist Church of Franconia | Text: Daniel 4 | Date: October 28, 2018 | Speaker: Fred Zaspel

Open your Bibles with me, if you will, please, to Daniel chapter 4. I keep reminding you because the series is so long, in case we get lost where we are, we are looking at the Bible’s story of salvation, and that is to sketch the story from beginning to end to show how it is a story, a gospel-shaped story about Jesus. I had decided to take a couple of passages in Daniel to illustrate that and to take as a sample of the Bible story. Now we are taking a little more than I had originally planned, but we’re going to be looking through a large part of Daniel at least.

And today we’re in Daniel chapter four. And I will take the time to read through this very familiar chapter.

“King Nebuchadnezzar to all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell on the earth, peace be multiplied to you. It has seemed good to me to show the signs and wonders that the most high God has done for me. How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and his dominion endures from generation to generation.

I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and prospering in my palace. I saw a dream that made me afraid. As I lay in the bed, the fancies and the visions of my head alarmed me. So I made a decree that all the wise men of Babylon should be brought before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. Then the magicians, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, the astrologers came in, and I told them the dream, but they could not make known to me its interpretation.

At last, Daniel came in before me, he who was named Belteshazzar after the name of my God, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods. And I told him the dream, saying, ‘O Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you and that no mystery is too difficult for you. Tell me the visions of my dream that I saw in their interpretation.’

The visions of my head as I lay in the bed were these. I saw and behold a tree in the midst of the earth and its height was great. The tree grew and became strong, its top reached up into heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth. Its leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, the birds of the heaven lived in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it.

I saw in the visions of my head as I lay in bed, and behold, a watcher, a holy one, came down from heaven. He proclaimed aloud and said thus, ‘Chop down the tree and lop off its branches, strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the beast flee from under it and the birds from its branches, but leave the stump of its roots in the earth bound with a band of iron and bronze amid the tender grass of the field. Let him be wet with the dew of heaven. Let his portion be with the beast in the grass of the earth. Let his mind be changed from a man’s. Let a beast’s mind be given to him, and let seven periods of time pass over him.’

The sentence is by the decree of the Watchers, the decision by the word of the holy ones to the end that the living may know that the most high rules in the kingdom of men and gives it to whomever he will and sets over it the lowliest of men.

This dream I, Nebuchadnezzar, saw in you, O Belteshazzar, tell me the interpretation because all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation, but you are able for the spirit of the holy gods is in you.

Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was dismayed for a while, and his thoughts alarmed him. The king answered and said, ‘Belteshazzar, let not the dream or the interpretation alarm you.’ Belteshazzar 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 up and became strong, so that its top reached to the heavens, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth, whose leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and which was food for all, under which the beast 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.

Because the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, “Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump of its roots in 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 beast of the field, till seven periods of time pass over him.” This is the interpretation, O 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, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men and gives it to whomever he will. As it was commanded to leave the stump of the 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 iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, that there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity.’

All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of 12 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 for the glory of my majesty?’ While the words were still in the king’s mouth, there fell a 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 of the field and you shall be made to eat grass like an ox and 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 as long as eagles’ 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 an everlasting dominion and his kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing. And he does according to his will among the hosts of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. And none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?”

At the same time, my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and splendor returned to me. My counselors and my lords sought me, and I was established in my kingdom, and still more greatness was added to me. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right, and his ways are just, and those who walk in pride, he is able to humble.'”

Let’s bow together for prayer. Our Father, what a remarkable passage of scripture this is. What a remarkable event of history. May we learn from it. We ask that our hearts would be assured as was Nebuchadnezzar’s: the Most High rules in the kingdom of men and gives it to whomever he will. We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Pride of King Nebuchadnezzar

The remarkable events of this passage transpire about 20 years after the dream of Daniel chapter 2 that we saw a couple of weeks ago. The date would be something like 570 BC, for those of you who like those to keep up with the dates. Nebuchadnezzar is at the height of his power. He’s now comfortable and secure in the enjoyment of his successful reign. He has expanded his kingdom further than any had previously. He was now sitting in the enjoyment of it.

He had considerable military exploits. He had plundered Egypt. He had plundered the Kingdom of Tyre. He had plundered Israel, of course, as we saw in Chapter 1, and other nations. He had brought all of their treasures back to Babylon, put many of the holy items from other temples into the temple there in Babylon. His own palace and temples were magnificent. We get a sense of that in verse 30 here. When he’s bragging about this great kingdom, he’s up on the housetop looking at all that had been built, and he was a very successful builder and administrator in his own kingdom at home. He’d built the famous hanging gardens for his wife, which was one of the ancient wonders of the world.

And now he’s very proud of himself for it. Thank you very much. And he’s sitting back just taking it all in and really pretty awed by his own greatness. In verse one, he refers to himself as the king of the earth. Well, I don’t know that that meant necessarily that he is thinking in terms of the whole globe. I don’t know that he knew of the globe as such as we do, but certainly it was, and the language of the earth and the whole earth is used this way in the scriptures. The whole Middle Eastern world, the whole area that he knew of, virtually the whole known world was under his control. It was from the Persian Gulf in the east to the Mediterranean on the west. It was from Egypt in the south to Iran in the north. It was a massive kingdom that he had accomplished. And now, according to verse 4, he’s at rest and flourishing, prospering, reflecting on the successes of his kingdom and all of his wonderful accomplishments, and he’s feeling very good about it.

We saw in chapter 1 that he had sacked Jerusalem. He had taken exiles and brought them into captivity in Babylon. This, as God had told would happen through the prophets Isaiah and others, that this would happen to them. But chapter 1 records that for us. He also then takes the cream of the nobility of Israel’s exiles and enlists them into service for himself in the royal palace. And that includes Daniel and his three friends that we have seen.

In chapter 2, then, you remember the king has this great dream of this huge statue with a head of gold, head and shoulders of gold, a chest and arms of silver, the middle and thighs of bronze, and then the legs and the feet of iron, and the feet iron mixed with clay. This huge image, which then Daniel interpreted for him to mean this will be the succession of kingdoms. “The head of gold, that’s you, King Nebuchadnezzar. And then there’s going to be another kingdom after you, and then another one after that, and another one after that.” And the lesson to be learned is that God rules over the kingdoms of men, and he gives them to whomever he will.

Nebuchadnezzar was not very happy with that, and we saw in chapter 3 that he builds his own statue then. And it’s not just a head and shoulders of gold, but the whole thing is gold. A head of gold? Nothing. I’m the whole thing, and I will never be succeeded. I’ll prosper forever. I’m the king, and no one can say otherwise. And that statue then that he builds in chapter 3 we saw last week is a token of his defiance against this prophecy that had come against him.

Now even after we saw in chapter 3, he built this image, and after he saw the response of the three Hebrews that were in his court, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and he saw their faithfulness, and he saw God’s amazing ability to rescue them from the fire, preserve them through it—even after that, and after confessing God’s greatness at the end of it, and even after issuing a royal decree that no one can blaspheme this great God, we find in chapter four that he’s still full of himself and he still hasn’t learned himself to bow before the God Most High.

The Dream and the Interpretation

And now in chapter four, we find the event recorded by King Nebuchadnezzar himself, the event that taught him how to bow. Daniel, of course, is the author of the book, but chapter 4 is simply the words of Nebuchadnezzar himself. He records the words of Daniel speaking, but the whole chapter is shaped or framed as a royal missive, a letter of the king to all of his kingdom, addressed in verse 1, “to all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth. Peace be to you and multiplied.” This is his letter to all of the kingdom. And his subject of this letter, the subject that he will write about in verse 2, he tells us, is “the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for me.”

And then in verse 3, he gives a doxology, which is something of a conclusion that he draws from the events that he’s going to narrate through this chapter. And the conclusion is this, verse 3: “How great are his signs, how mighty are his wonders. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. His dominion endures from generation to generation.” And then in verses 4 through 36, he narrates the event for us in some detail. And then finally in verse 37, there’s another doxology giving us, stating again the conclusion, the lesson that he had learned from the event.

So let’s go back through it. Verses four and five, he has this dream. As it turns out, it’s a dream that God had given him. And in fact, it’s not just a dream. The dream itself is a prophecy. For Nebuchadnezzar, it’s a nightmare. And he said, it made my head hurt and it made me terrified. I was afraid of what it might be. It was deeply troubling. And so, I suppose, remembering the dream of chapter 2, and remembering the interpretation of that dream, and how troubling that was, he’s troubled over this. Well, he’s got to know the meaning of it.

And so in verse 6, he does what a king does. He issues a decree. And the decree is: have all the wise men come and interpret this dream for me. Tell me what it means. He probably had some foreboding sense of trouble. He wanted to head it off, let these guys come, tell him what it means so he can take his own action to thwart whatever troubling meaning is involved in this dream.

But he calls the wise men. For some reason, he doesn’t call Daniel yet. We can only guess as to why. Daniel had been the one already who was proven to have the connections. He’s the one that could not only give interpretations of the dream, he can tell you what you dreamed. We saw that in chapter 2. Maybe there was some sense of shame—that after the lessons learned in chapter 2 and in chapter 3, he’s still strutting and he understands what Daniel stands for and what Daniel had told him and maybe he’s a little embarrassed to bring Daniel in. I don’t know. All of this is just conjecture. My best guess is that he probably didn’t want to hear what Daniel had to say, because he’d heard Daniel’s interpretation of that other dream, and he doesn’t want to hear it this time. This haunting part of it about this big tree being cut down, and somehow somebody losing his mind… this doesn’t sound good, and he doesn’t want to hear what Daniel has to say about it.

Finally, he calls Daniel in because his advisors, the other ones, cannot tell the dream. And so he brings in Daniel. He says, “I know you can. Bring me the interpretation of this dream.” And then finally, in verse 10 and following, we are told exactly what the dream was that he dreamed.

Verses 10 and following, he dreams that there’s this great tree. It’s beautiful. It’s huge. It rises up to heaven. It’s full of fruit. It feeds the whole earth. Birds of the air can nest in its branches. The beasts of the field can gather under it for shelter. It’s a marvelous, marvelous vision. And then suddenly a watcher comes from heaven. And he issues this decree: let this tree be cut down. Cut down to a stump. And then in verse 15, you’ll notice the change in the pronouns. In verse 14, we see he’s talking about the tree and its branches and its leaves. Under it the birds from heaven dwell. Under its branches leave the stump of its roots in the ground, bound with a band of iron and bronze amid the tender grass of the field.

And now, verse 15, the middle of the verse: “Let him be wet with the dew of heaven. Let his portion be with the beasts of the grass of the earth. Let his mind be changed from a man’s and let a beast’s mind be given to him and let seven periods of time pass over him.” So suddenly this tree is said specifically to represent a man. Whoever is represented by this tree is going to be humbled. He’s going to live like an animal. And this is evidently the portion of the dream that troubled Nebuchadnezzar.

And now he calls Daniel to give the interpretation. Verse 17 identifies the purpose of the dream, and you shouldn’t miss it. It is, in some respects, the crux of the chapter, although it’s reiterated several times throughout the chapter that we’ll see. Notice the sentence is, “by the decree of the watchers, the decision by the word of the Holy Ones to the end that the living may know that the most high rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men.” So this great tree is a great kingdom, which God is going to cut down. And in fact, its king will be put out to pasture until everybody knows that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men and gives it to whomever he will.

Well, verse 18, Daniel understands immediately what this dream is about, and he’s asked to give the interpretation. Verse 19, he’s troubled by it. He’s alarmed. He evidently has some real compassion for the king. He has served him loyally despite some of the hard words that he has given him and now will give him again. He has respect. He’s been a loyal subject. And he says to Nebuchadnezzar, “I wish this dream were of somebody else. I wish it were your enemies.”

But in verses 20 and following, he gives the interpretation. “This great tree, Nebuchadnezzar, it’s you. It’s you, it’s your kingdom. And this decree of the watcher, verse 24, that’s the decree of heaven. And the decree of heaven is that your kingdom is going to be cut down. And the decree of heaven is, not only will your kingdom be cut down, but you yourself will be driven from among men, and you’ll be put out to pasture, and you’ll eat grass like an ox. You’re going to lose your mind. You’re going to live outside like the animals. Your hair is going to grow long. Your claws are going to grow long. You’ll resemble more an animal than a man, let alone a king, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of heaven and gives it to whomever he will.”

He said this will last seven times, or as it’s translated in my version, seven periods of time, presumably seven years. But at least this long, verses 25 and 26, it will be until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will. That’s the interpretation. And so verse 27, Daniel says to the king, there’s really only one sensible response.

Nebuchadnezzar had been a ruthless king. He defeated other nations. He destroyed their cities. He had subjected their peoples. He’d brought them in for slave labor. He’d taken the cream of the nobility, the cream of the crop, the most intellectuals, the best, the most promising, and made them serve in his own royal palace—a ruthless tyrant. There’s only one sensible response to all of this. Verse 27: “Break off your sins by practicing righteousness. Break off your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed that there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity.”

The Humiliation of the King

Well, true to form, Nebuchadnezzar gets over it. And he’s given a full year to repent. As often as the case, the time to repent only gives more room for self-confidence. And whatever fear, whatever discomfort Nebuchadnezzar felt by the interpretation of the dream and however much he had been bothered by it when he dreamed the dream, he got over it. After all, he’s great King Nebuchadnezzar. Who could take him down?

And so in verses 29 and 30, we read he’s up on the flat rooftop of his palace one day, a year later. He’s feeling very good about himself, feeling very accomplished, a sense of security. And he begins this little speech, verse 30: “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” Notice the personal pronouns. You can almost underline them or write them in bold to get the sense of it. He’s obviously strutting. He’s very confident, self-confident in all of his great accomplishments. Look at what I have done. And he’s up there talking to himself, probably talking to his attendants as well. “Look at what I’ve accomplished. Isn’t this marvelous? I’m really something. Are you as impressed as I am?”

And then in verse 31, God interrupts and makes a speech of his own. And all that he had threatened in that dream came to pass. While the words were still in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven. “Oh, 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 of the field, and you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and 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.”

And notice the important purpose clause there. It is “until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of heaven.” And so the king comes to utter humiliation. This great king, all of his authority and even his sanity was taken away, it says in verse 33, immediately. God spoke the word and it was done. And the king loses his mind. He thinks he’s a cow or something. And he goes out, driven from the presence of men, not fit to be with people. He’s out in the pasture eating grass like an ox. And he’s out there living outside, wet with the dew of heaven, had his living outside day and night, his hair growing long like eagle’s feathers, his nails growing long like eagle’s claws, scarcely a resemblance of the king or even the man that he was.

And verse 33 records the fulfillment then of God’s decree. “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 eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws.” Unfit now for human society, he’s out to pasture.

You can’t miss the irony of the story itself, and as it’s reflected in the previous chapter as well. In the previous chapter, he builds this great image to himself that all will come and bow down before him like he’s some kind of God. And now in chapter 4, he barely resembles the image of God in which he was created. He’s been reduced to the level of an animal. And I think the not-so-subtle message is that to deny the true sovereign who reigns is to be reduced to the level of an animal.

Chapter 3, he presents himself as some kind of superhuman and builds this great image to which everybody must bow. In chapter 4, there’s a reflection of that. Verse 30, “Is this not great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power to the glory of my majesty?” And so he’s some kind of superhuman, superhero, serving his own interests. And now he’s something subhuman. A poor excuse for the great king that he had been. A poor excuse even for even a man. You can’t help but see the contrast here between what Nebuchadnezzar was in his own eyes and what Nebuchadnezzar became under the judging hand of the Most High God.

The Most High Rules the Kingdom of Men

Well, seven times are completed, presumably seven years, and now, verse 34, his sanity is restored. “At the end of the days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven. My reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High God and praised and honored him who lives forever.” His sanity is restored and he gives praise to God. Again, probably not so subtle of a message that a man is in his right mind only when he gives due honor to the God who rules.

All of this then is what we find in verse two. He describes as the “signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for me.” And then note his confession in verses 34 and 35: “I blessed the Most High and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation.” The same words you saw in verse 3. “All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing. And he does according to his will among the hosts of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay his hand or say to him, ‘What have you done?'”

It’s really a marvelous confession that he makes here. Notice first he confesses the sovereign rule of God, that God’s rule extends limitlessly in time from generation to generation. Limitless in space, he rules over all of heaven, and in all of earth, he rules over all things. And not only that, but he makes a contrast in verse 35, and that is the corresponding insignificance of all of mankind. All of the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing. And he does according to his will among the hosts of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. They, the people of the earth, are not autonomous. They are not self-rulers. And in fact, Nebuchadnezzar himself, great though he was, had no reason for self-confidence and no reason to strut.

And then in verse 37, he gives a further confession of God. He confesses the truthfulness and the righteousness of God. “All his works are right and his ways are just. And those who walk in pride, he is able to humble.” God’s actions with me—that is, God’s actions with me have been severe, but they were just. He was right in doing it. And in fact, he was faithful because he had restored me just as the dream said he would. And so Nebuchadnezzar learns that there is a king who is greater even than he.

Now Daniel 4 is the last we hear of Nebuchadnezzar. He’s mentioned once in passing in chapter 5, but this is the last we know of Nebuchadnezzar. This is the last narrative. And someone asked me after the message last Sunday, and if I don’t bring it up now, I’m sure more will ask me the question today, because it’s a question we all ask. It’s a question I’ve asked myself. Was this a genuine conversion? Can we say here that Nebuchadnezzar was saved?

Well, you don’t know how tempting it is to title the sermon, “The Conversion of the King of Iraq.” Wouldn’t that be something? And I think the short answer is we just don’t know. I certainly would have thought so at the end of Chapter 2. I certainly would have thought so again at the end of Chapter 3. But now here we have again in Chapter 4, he’s still strutting and still hasn’t learned the lesson. But here he makes a great confession at the end of Chapter 4. In fact, I’ve read sermons that were preached here that here is an example of what true repentance looks like. Not bad. But then again, I would have said the same after chapter two and after chapter three.

In fact, there was a discovery of some decades ago in the caves of Qumran. A story was told of King Nabonidus. Now, Nabonidus was a king who reigned a couple of decades later. He was not an actual descendant of Nebuchadnezzar. He was a king who usurped his authority, but married Nebuchadnezzar’s daughter to legitimize his throne. But there’s a story that is written in one of the scrolls of the Qumran caves about King Nabonidus. And it talks about his severe illness that lasted seven years, that God gave him a Hebrew to interpret the experience for him. And at the end of it all, he worships the Most High God. Well, evidently the writer there confused the story of Nebuchadnezzar or of Nabonidus with that of Nebuchadnezzar.

But whether this was a genuine conversion or not, I don’t know. But clearly the confession of the God of Israel as the one who reigns over all, is Daniel’s goal in writing this chapter and recording it for us. Not just to show what Nebuchadnezzar learned, but by that to assure Israel in exile of the same thing.

Now there are other details in this passage that are very worthy of application. We might want to talk about this great spirit that is in Daniel, the spirit of the holy gods is in him. Something about the demeanor of Daniel himself as well as abilities commended him to King Nebuchadnezzar. We might want to talk about the sin of pride that’s emphasized in this chapter. In fact, Nebuchadnezzar talks about that at the very end of the chapter that God is able to humble those who walk in pride.

But I doubt that that is Daniel’s primary concern here in this chapter. Writing for the exiles in Babylon who are suffering and humiliated and defeated, I doubt that he needed to warn them against pride. The point here is bigger than that. And the point is related to that, but it’s much more important.

And that is that the sovereign God rules over all of the affairs of men and gives the kingdom to whomever he will. That’s the point of the passage. And I want to take a minute to survey the passage again to show you how that is, in fact, the point of the passage. You’ll notice, first of all, how the chapter opens and closes. In verse one, the king simply addresses his empire, identifying himself and his people. Verses two and three then state his theme. And the theme is the wonders of the most high God: “How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and his dominion endures from generation to generation.” This is what I’ve learned, Nebuchadnezzar said, from the events that I’m about to narrate for you. That’s the beginning of the chapter.

The end of the chapter closes with that same confession in verses 34 to 36. And then in verse 37, we have that closing doxology. His works are right. His ways are just. Those who walk in pride he’s able to humble. He is the king of heaven. In other words, up front and then again at the end, this is the lesson. Nebuchadnezzar writing now in his letter, “this is the lesson that I’ve learned.”

And in between the beginning and the end, we have the same sustained emphasis. There’s like a recurring refrain. Notice in verse 17: “The Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men.” Verse 25, we have it again: “The Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” Again, verse 32: “The Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” And in fact, even verse 24 is very similar, when Daniel interprets the dream and says “this decree of the Watcher is the decree of the Most High which has come upon my Lord the King.”

And in fact, not only do we have these expressions, “the most high rules in the kingdom of men,” but notice how it’s shaped as the very purpose. There are purpose clauses with this in verse 17 again. “This is to the end that,” or “for this purpose that,” the living may know that the most high rules. That’s the point of the passage. We have the same thing in verse 25. “You’ll have this happen until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” We have the same again in verse 32. “This will happen until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” That is, Nebuchadnezzar has to learn this lesson. That’s the point from God’s perspective, and he will learn this whether willingly or painfully. He is going to learn this lesson, and that is that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whomever he will.

Notice also, related to all of this is the way God is described throughout this chapter. Verse two: the most high God. Verse 17: the most high. Verse 24: the most high. Verse 34: the most… verse 32: the most high. Verse 34: the most high. And then in verse 37, he’s called the king of heaven. And not only is God described in these big terms of the most high, the most high, the most high, but God’s kingdom is described and characterized as limitless in either time or space. We have it in verse three. We have in verses 34 and 35 that his kingdom endures from generation to generation. It’s an everlasting dominion and it is over heaven and it is over earth as well.

And you see this sustained repetition, this contrast that’s sustained throughout the chapter through this repetition. You have some recurring words. Look through the chapter and count the occurrence of some words. It’s interesting. The word “heaven” occurs in this chapter 14 times. Okay, he’s talking about heaven a lot. The rule of heaven, that is the God of heaven. This is his domain. He rules in heaven. And then about 10 times in the chapter, you have the word “earth.” This is supposedly, purportedly the area of Nebuchadnezzar’s rule. 10 times over, he rules this earth and to all the peoples and nations and languages and all of that. But guess what? The God of heaven rules there too. And it comes to a climax in verse 37, where God is referred to as the King of Heaven. Wonderful title. I think the only time in the scriptures this title is given to God: the King of Heaven.

That is to say, this chapter then, in this whole event, is to teach us not just that God is sovereign, but more specifically, this chapter is intended to teach us that God rules over the kingdom of men as well. It is not just that God is sovereign in heaven, but the relation of God who rules in heaven to the affairs of this earth is what is emphasized. He rules over the kingdoms of this earth, and he gives them to whomever he will. As we said last time, it’s something like a tale of two sovereigns. Only guess what? It’s only one.

And of course, all of this is related to chapters 2 and 3. The point of chapter 2 was God takes the kings and kingdoms and he gives them to whomever he will. In chapter 3, we have the same thing. Interesting in chapter 3, we mentioned this last time, there’s that recurring phrase twice over. In chapter 3, verses 4 and 5, all peoples, nations, and languages are commanded to come and worship the image. In chapter 3 and verse 7, we read all peoples and nations and languages fell down and worshiped the image. And now in chapter 4 and verse 1, Nebuchadnezzar writes to all peoples, nations, and languages to tell them how he learned to bow before the God of heaven.

What a powerful reminder this must have been to Israel in exile: that God can accomplish all his will and no one, no one can interfere, not even the world’s greatest king. I think you can see immediately how this fits in the Bible story of Jesus that we’ve been tracking in this whole series. How does this story of the sovereignty of God fit? In this, what we’ve been emphasizing, the Bible is a story about Jesus.

Well, of course, the answer is it’s the ground of fulfillment. The whole hope, the whole promise of God’s coming kingdom rests on God’s ability to perform, his ability to do what he promised that he would do. And Daniel is written to affirm and to assure and to illustrate just that to God’s people in exile—that despite appearances, God rules over the kingdoms of men. And what that means to Israel in exile is that he can yet bring us home. In his own time, God gives the kingdom to whomever he will. And he can accomplish his purpose for Israel. You’ve read about his promises to Israel in Isaiah that he’ll bring you back. In other places, he’ll bring you back. Jeremiah, he’ll bring you back. And we see in all of this that he can. He was not left defeated in Jerusalem. He can bring them back. And in fact, when they come back, when they come back to their own land, they’ll give birth to the Messiah. And he will lead in a greater return from a greater exile.

And we can be sure that he will, because the God who is sovereign over all the kingdoms has said so. And when Jesus tells us of that kingdom in this age, in its spiritual aspect, this mystery aspect of the kingdom that was hid—this age where the kingdom is to advance by the gospel throughout all the world—we might wonder how in the world is that supposed to happen when Jesus himself says he’s sending us out like sheep in the midst of wolves and against all kinds of opposition in the world that’s settled in its hatred of God and its unbelief. How in the world can that happen? And the answer is, this is the God who rules not only over the kingdoms of men in the broadest sense, but he rules over the hearts of men as well.

And when we read the promise of the final consummation of that kingdom, that Jesus will come and he will reign worldwide in a kingdom of righteousness and peace, we may be sure because of verbal affirmation, because of past performance, because of prophecies that already have been fulfilled, that God will carry out that promise as well. No power can possibly oppose this God. He reigns over all the kingdoms of the earth to accomplish his purpose. That’s the message of Daniel chapter four.

A couple of weeks ago we sang, I think we might sing it again this morning after the message if we can, a song by Isaac Watts taken from Psalm 117. “From all that dwell below the skies, let the Creator’s praise arise. Through every land and every tongue, let the Redeemer’s name be sung.” When we sing that song, I think we are intended to sing it kind of looking two different directions at the same time. I think it’s the way the psalm itself was intended. When we sing, “From all that dwell beneath, below the skies, let the creator’s praise arise,” it’s an urgent appeal to all of the world to give to our creator the praise that is due him. From all that dwell below the skies, let the Creator’s praise arise.

But although it’s an appeal to all of the earth to give praise to God, it’s more than that. When we sing that, we sing it with a note of anticipation, knowing that one day, from all that dwell below the skies, the Creator’s praise will arise. And through every land and every tongue, the Redeemer’s name will be sung. And we may be sure of it, because the God who promised it reigns over all things to exactly that end. Amen.

Let’s pray together. Our Father, what a remarkable passage, what a remarkable event, and what a vivid reminder of the greatness of your power and your authority. How grateful we are to be able to look to you as the God who reigns over all, that you are not isolated from us, but you are a God who is, yes, transcendent, but yet a God who is imminent among us, a God who carries out all his will in the kingdoms of men and in the hearts of men. What great assurance this gives us as we look to the future to know that your promises will yet be fulfilled. And we pray that you will use this then as it was intended in its own context, to stir the hearts of your people to greater confidence in the God who rules and a greater faithfulness to him until the coming of our Lord. We pray in his name, amen.

And then, well, let’s join our voices together by singing that song that we just heard, the words of Isaac Watts, “From All That Dwell Below the Skies, Let the Creator’s Praise Arise.” It’s number three in your Trinity hymnal. Number three, let’s stand together and sing.

From all that dwell below the skies, let the Creator’s praise arise.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Let the Redeemer’s name be sung.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Eternal are thy mercies, Lord, eternal truth and love thy word.
Alleluia!
My praise shall sound from shore to shore, till suns shall rise and set no more.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Amen. You are dismissed. Thank you.