It was easy after WWII, Korea, Vietnam, especially in the 60’s, to fear about national politics, and from that fear rose the JBS, Carl McIntyre, Jerry Falwell, and others, but God has saved us by faith!
Many wasted time, energy, thoughts, and reading political junk in prior years and decades; God has kindly taught us His word to reject their nonsense, ignore politics and conspiracies, and enjoy life.
God taught us to pray and live life, leaving political wrongdoing to His judgment, all easily proven from scripture (Pr 24:21-22; Ec 5:8; 10:4,20; Jer 29:4-7; Rom 13:1-7; I Tim 2:1-3; Jude 1:8-10; etc.).
We reject patriot-anarchists as anti- God and Bible.
Reading, thinking, or talking about politics has never accomplished anything except to distract or destroy fools engaging in any of the three activities … and those poor souls in relationship to them.
It is easy in a declining nation with much Internet fear-mongering to fear or worry about politics, for never before has it been so easy to splash sensationalized events in the faces of so many for so little.
Babylon was the church’s great enemy; this and other events about Nebuchadnezzar are comforting.
We cannot prove eternal life for Nebuchadnezzar here, and it does not matter at all; Balaam made comparable statements about God and even Christ; Babylon had no known revival; Nebuchadnezzar was known to have made similar statements before about God without change (2:46-49; 3:28-30).
The chapter is divided introduction (1-3), warning (4-27), fulfillment (28-33), conclusion (34-37).
I will not regale you with ancient history of Babylon and Nebuchadnezzar or modern political history or current events, because my call, duty, and privilege are to preach the word (II Tim 4:2).
We believe this chapter to be exactly what it claims and its content to be exactly as events occurred.
Who was Nebuchadnezzar? (4:1)
He was a Chaldean, part of Mesopotamia, which ruled in Babylon (Job 1:17; Is 23:13; 47:1; 48:14; Jer 21:4; 22:25; 25:12; 32:28; 38:18; 51:54; Dan 9:1; Hab 1:6; etc.).
He was son of Nabopolassar, who with an alliance overthrew the city of Nineveh.
He went west to defeat the Assyrian and Egyptian army at the battle of Carchemish.
The Bible has Chaldea (7), Chaldeans (66), Nebuchadnezzar (88), and Babylon (260).
What kind of a king was he? (4:1)
At Carchemish he defeated Assyria and Egypt, the two greatest preceding empires.
He was a monarch that ruled with absolute, despotic, and total power over all citizens.
God considered his kingdom the greatest, he a king of kings (Dan 2:37-39; Eze 26:7).
God gave him total dominion over many nations (II Kings 24:7; Jer 25:8-11; 27:1-8).
God counted him His servant, a lofty title from heaven (Jeremiah 25:9; 27:6; 43:10).
God even gave him the beasts (Jer 27:5-6; 28:14 cp II Kgs 2:24; 17:25; Eze 14:15,21).
He destroyed Tyre, Egypt, and other nations (Ezek 26:7-21; Jer 28:14; 43:8-13; etc.).
He showed absolute and cruel authority over all (Dan 2:1-9,12,46-49; 3:19-22,28-30).
He showed Jeremiah mercy, though he burned Jewish rulers (Jer 29:20-23; 39:11-14).
He did not learn to fear God from Daniel or his friends (Dan 1:20; 2:46-49; 3:28-30).
There is no worry to fear your government, for it is far inferior to the rule of this king.
There is no worry to fear their legislation, for Nebuchadnezzar’s laws were far worse.
What is Daniel 4? (4:1)
It is not a history written by Daniel of what happened to the king Nebuchadnezzar.
The king wrote it in Aramaic or Chaldean as an official proclamation to his empire.
God by inspiration and providence told Daniel to insert it from Babylon’s records.
Nebuchadnezzar does not have to be inspired to make it scripture, only Daniel.
It is Nebuchadnezzar’s autobiographical synopsis of his reign, ruin, and restoration.
The first person I occurs 14 times and first person me, my, or mine occurs 25 times.
It was extracted and placed in scripture nearly contemporaneously with the event.
It is for sure one of the great detailed descriptions of God’s sovereign rule over rulers.
If you want to meet the God of the Bible and how He operates, read this chapter.
If you are not excited and humbled by this account to worship God, you lack faith.
It was written to all known people, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth.
He opens it to all people and nations with peace, which from him was a blessing!
This chapter is from the historical archives of the Babylonian/Chaldean Empire.
A million cuneiform tablets have been found; only 50,000 or so are deciphered.
Estimates have been made that there might be 100 million more cuneiform tablets.
We do not need junk written by liars, for we trust inspiration (Ro 3:4; II Pet 1:21).
Why did Nebuchadnezzar write it? (4:2-3)
He thought it good, and it was obviously from God by conversion to humble himself.
The king’s new humility was so great he chose to admit pride and a terrible ordeal.
He saw the benefit of public instruction for the glory of God and profit of people.
A wise king learning a wise lesson will share it with his people for praise and profit.
He called Jehovah ‘the high God,’ which sets him above Babylon’s other gods.
Usually a terrible and warlike king, this royal letter opens with salutation of peace!
He testified of God’s wonders, as we should do (Psalm 34:1-3; 66:16; Dan 6:26-27).
Do you think it good? Or does hardly anyone know that you are a Bible Christian.
Jesus told a Gadarene to tell what great things had happened to him (Mk 5:19-20).
God is known by His judgments (Dan 4:3; Ps 9:16; 58:11; 78:1-8; 83:18; 106:21-22).
The signs and wonders toward Nebuchadnezzar were obvious and visible miracles.
They were wrought toward Nebuchadnezzar first in demotion and then promotion.
See the exclamation marks! Nebuchadnezzar praised the high God very strongly.
Though still the introduction, he summarized God’s sovereign rule over the world.
God’s rule as King is eternal and perpetual, very unlike temporal human kingdoms.
His dominion extends from generation to the next, though they may vary greatly.
We understand kingdom and dominion here as describing His sovereign rule of all.
He will repeat this description of God when he closes out this proclamation (4:34).
Why did Daniel include it? (4:2-3)
For the benefit of God’s people to see how God treated their destroyer from Babylon.
The O.T. scriptures were given to teach us patience, comfort, and hope (Rom 15:4).
There is comfort to remember that God has destroyed His people’s enemies and/or that He will do so (Exodus 15:1-21; Psalm 9:15-20; 58:10-11; 137:8-9; Rev 19:1-3).
You worry about political affairs in our nation or world, but your worry is total vanity.
God has, does, and will always deliver His children from their enemies that He hates.
What was the setting? (4:4)
Nebuchadnezzar had rest and prosperity from God’s blessings upon him (Jer 27:1-8).
God best describes the wealth, glory, and power of the Babylonian empire (2:37-39).
The dream (4:5)
God gave him a dream that made him afraid and troubled by God’s revelation to him.
You do not know anything about any ruler and how God might deal with any of them.
Though confused by the dream, it still frightened the king (Job 4:12-21; 33:14-19).
Do not think God speaks to you by dreams, for He has not proposed or defined such.
Dreams were one of God’s methods of revelation before the completed, perfect Bible.
His counselors (4:6-7)
His false prophets and pagan devil worshippers did not help, just like before (2:1-13).
You need not fear, believe, or read the wisdom of this world – you have far more.
Just think about their ignorance … evolution, deficit spending, global warming, capital punishment, labor unions, greatest love is self-love, abortion, same-sex marriage, sight method of reading, women in combat, bleeding for health, etc., etc.
Nebuchadnezzar is no more a believer in the fourth chapter than he was in the first.
He is still appealing to witchcraft for help and wisdom in a major time of trouble.
He refers to Daniel as having the spirit of the holy gods, but misses God Jehovah.
He will know more at the end of this chapter, but he does not know very much yet.
Daniel the interpreter (4:8-9)
Poor Daniel was named (with no change) after Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylonian god.
Ashpenaz, the prince of the eunuchs, gave this name to Daniel at his arrival (1:7).
It refers to Bel, which was the main deity of Babylon and Nebuchadnezzar’s god.
Daniel also had the illustrious title of master of the magicians, which he endured.
Daniel was inspired directly to know more; we are inspired indirectly to know more.
Never forget Elihu’s confidence to young men by inspiration of God (Job 32:6-13).
The word of God can give young men today the same confidence (Ps 119:98-100).
Elihu was inspired directly, but we indirectly (II Tim 3:16-17; II Peter 1:16-21).
Your birth, economic class, intelligence, or education is of little matter when it comes to truth, wisdom, knowledge, and discernment (Prov 18:17; 28:11; 14:15; John 7:24).
Never fear the wise of this world, because you have a source document to trump them.
If anyone’s ideas run counter to scripture, it is because they have no light (Is 8:20).
Faithful Christians are very intolerant of any contrary idea or opinion (Ps 119:128).
The media is in its own category, because they are more ignorant or biased than most.
They have ability today by the Internet to assault you with sensationalized junk.
Social media allows the most ignorant persons in society to broadcast to all others.
Dream details (4:10-18)
The tree he saw was of great height, strength, fairness, fruit, and provided for all flesh.
A watcher and a holy one came down – this is one mighty angel coming from heaven.
Observe that these are two descriptions of the singular he of the following verse.
Angels are God’s strong ministers always doing His commands (Ps 103:20-21).
The angel’s words of judgment in the dream continue from 4:14 through 4:17.
The tree is a male person by the use of male personal pronouns used by the angel.
The stump of the tree’s roots was to be preserved by a band of iron and brass.
The order is for his heart to be changed from a man’s heart to that of a beast.
Seven times is seven years by comparison (7:25 cp Rev 13:5 cp 12:6 cp 12:14).
Decrees or demands of angels are only by the approval or order of God Himself.
Grasp the secret view Micaiah saw of God operating in heaven (I Kgs 22:19-23).
Lest anyone fear, the holy angels only have decrees for God’s holy decree (4:24).
Angels resent the violation of God’s ordained authority hierarchy that they honor.
And the reason for their demand was to teach the king Nebuchadnezzar a lesson.
They respect each other, rulers among men, and expect us men to do so as well.
The purpose and reason for this event to Nebuchadnezzar was to reveal political truth.
The living in this context is first Nebuchadnezzar and then all to whom he wrote it.
The right title for our God Jehovah is most High, for as Highest there is no higher.
The most high God rules in heaven, but He also rules over all human governments.
He has no obligation to any man or respect of any; He gives offices to His choices.
By God’s sovereign choice He may put the basest men in the highest human office.
What is a watcher?
A watcher, called an holy one, is an angel involved in earthly politics (Dan 4:13,23).
We believe the two terms describe one angel by the singular pronoun (Dan 4:14).
There is more than one angel or holy one assigned to watch human affairs (4:17).
An angel taught Daniel of angels involved in both Persia and Greece (Dan 10:13,20).
These political angels – good and bad angels – oppose each other (10:20; 12:1).
The conflict is never in doubt, though the pride-blinded devils continue to fight.
We can read about slaughtering angels (Ezekiel 9; Sennacherib’s Assyrian army).
We can read about saving angels, as in Peter’s escape from prison (Acts 12:1-19).
The angels are always ready to obey God’s orders in any matter (Psalm 103:19-22).
They watch what we are doing (Eccl 5:6; I Cor 11:10; I Timothy 5:21); beware!
And they are involved in governments (Dan 10:13,20; I Kgs 22:19-22; II Pet 2:11).
Paul admitted the influence and power of Satan allowed to hinder him (I Thess 2:18).
At the time the proclamation was written, Nebuchadnezzar was committed to Jehovah.
He declared Him the King of heaven, a glorious title, and higher than king of Babylon.
He had done similar things before without real change (2:46-49; 3:28-30). God forbid!
There are several to be baptized this week, and their change should be real and lasting.
Is God true and just? (4:37b)
If Joseph, David, Daniel, Esther had said so, we might question it due to promotions.
But Nebuchadnezzar declared it about an incredibly humbling demotion to a beast.
Nebuchadnezzar stated what God did to him was according to truth and just and fair.
Do not ever accuse God of any wrongdoing, no matter the pain or trouble in your life.
God abases the proud! (4:37c)
There is no human ruler at any level of any sphere that God cannot greatly humble.
Remember that He threw Satan out of heaven for His pride (I Ti 3:6; Is 14:13-14).
Pride cometh before a fall, as Solomon sought to teach often (Prov 16:18; 18:12).
There is no reason for us to fear or revenge the pride of any ruler, for God sees it all.
No authority in any sphere owes humility or righteousness to us, but rather to God.
See proud rulers abased … Sennacherib, Alexander, Herod Agrippa I, Hitler, etc.
The world’s proud, like Richard Dawkins or Stephen Hawking, are toys for God.
He has already abased Stephen Hawking to slouch and slobber all over himself.
Jethro mocked Egypt … Wherein they dealt proudly, he was above them (Ex 18:11)!
Pharaoh said, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey … I know not the LORD.”
But ten plagues later he was drowned and his armies and the nation destroyed.
The proud wicked are subdued and foam out their shame (Ps 65:7; 93:3-4; Jude 1:13).
Lessons to remember
God and heaven rule all affairs of men, even political, no matter how high or hidden.
Fear and worry never change circumstances, but they do corrupt faith and steal peace.
We pray for our rulers and nation, like Babylon or Rome, and give thanks for benefits.
Though powerful or proud, there is no strength or wisdom against a sovereign God.
There are angels in the world – good and evil – but the struggle has been won by God.
Our divine library is spectacular to include things like this Babylonian proclamation.
As Nebuchadnezzar did, we should also be eager to publish what God has done for us.
We should humble ourselves to turn from sin to righteousness to preserve tranquility.
Let us fear God and carefully examine our ways, lest we have faults to bring trouble.
Long life and seeing good days (long tranquility) is by hating evil and doing good.
It is God’s longsuffering, in this case seven years, that kindly leads us to repentance.
No matter how bad things get, God can save a nation with a king seven years AWOL.
God is in the business of mind control in both directions, for our fear and comfort.
He is still giving beastly hearts to men as reprobate minds show us (Rom 1:18-32).
He continues to deceive and delude those who reject Him (Pr 14:14; II Thess 2:9-12).
Earthly men do not understand things, but He has given us knowledge and wisdom.
Repentance works; God will restore when we clear ourselves, like Ahab and Nineveh.
When God restores for repentance, He can restore losses and add more benefits to us.
A faulty memory or loss of conviction is a terrible thing to avoid (4:29 cp I Cor 15:2).
We have heard more than Nebuchadnezzar, and we must be faithful and zealous to it.
We cannot allow the world to sensationalize any news to provoke fear or worry in us.
The greatest threat to Christians is carnal Christianity, not ISIS, Islam, Zika, NEA, etc.
Godly living is our duty, not patriotic vigilance; ten souls could have saved Sodom.
Life is short; redeem time; worrying about politics is vanity; pray and live (Je 29:4-7).
Reminders or rules to avoid political fear or worry:
God rules (Is 52:7). No one is getting away with anything (Eccl 5:8). He is not surprised or hindered (Dan 4:35). He is laughing (Ps 2:4; 37:13; 59:8; II Kings 19:21)!
Fear and worry have never altered any circumstances or situation … but they have stolen peace and destroyed faith of foolish readers and thinkers. Why fear or worry?
Jesus promised tribulation in this world, but told us to be of good cheer, for He had overcome the world (John 16:33). He told us to rejoice if the persecution reaches us.
We are to pray for political rulers, even the pagan Roman or U.S. governments. We are to give thanks for them and the many benefits, for they are His ministers for good.
We must view today’s small current events in a historical perspective … WWII, terrible 60’s, race riots, Roman wars, Civil War, Islam wars in Europe (1600’s).
The Internet sensationalizes everything they can, which is a new threat in recent generations, to provoke fear in you and sell ads for them, and social media’s nonsense.
The greatest threat to Christians is carnal Christianity all around us, the real perilous times, which have nothing to do with politics or war (II Tim 3:1 – 4:4).
There is no instruction in the Bible to fear or to worry about political events, because they are so insignificant under His rule. We can pray and live life to its fullest.
Godly citizenship is our duty, not patriotic vigilance; we are citizens of a holy nation and kingdom. Ten souls could have saved Sodom, so righteousness trumps petitions.
Life is short, so we must redeem the time, and worrying about politics or violent events is wasteful. Jeremiah said to live it up after praying for Babylon (Jer 29:4-7).
Conclusion:
It was easy after WWII, Korea, Vietnam, especially in the 60’s, to fear about national politics, and from that fear rose the JBS, Carl McIntyre, Jerry Falwell, and others, but God has saved us by faith!
Many wasted time, energy, thoughts, and reading political junk in prior years and decades; God has kindly taught us His word to reject their nonsense, ignore politics and conspiracies, and enjoy life.
God taught us to pray and live life, leaving political wrongdoing to His judgment, all easily proven from scripture (Pr 24:21-22; Ec 5:8; 10:4,20; Jer 29:4-7; Rom 13:1-7; I Tim 2:1-3; Jude 1:8-10; etc.).
We reject patriot-anarchists as anti- God and Bible.
Reading, thinking, or talking about politics has never accomplished anything except to distract or destroy fools engaging in any of the three activities … and those poor souls in relationship to them.
It is easy in a declining nation with much Internet fearmongering to fear or worry about politics, for never before has it been so easy to splash sensationalized events in the faces of so many for so little.
Babylon was the church’s great enemy; this and other events about Nebuchadnezzar are comforting.
