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DANIEL

Daniel 3-4

Please turn in your Bibles to Daniel chapter 3, as we continue our study through the Word of God. In our study this evening we are going to be looking at some trials that are going to come into the lives of Daniel’s three friends and also into the life of the king of Babylon.

And like it or not, trials are important aspects of our life. James tells us, "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience." James 1:2-3. Notice that James is not saying "if" you fall into various trials, but "when" you fall into various trials! We should expect them to come. And it is no accident with God. Some may get that idea because James speaks of falling into various trials. The word is better translated "encounter" or "come across." So the verse should read, "My brethren, count it all joy when you encounter (or come across) various trials."

Now don’t become discouraged by this. God uses a variety of trials, He mixes them up, the various experiences of life, to produce or complete something beautiful for His glory, us! You see, the Eastern goldsmith would keep that precious metal in the fiery furnace until he could see his own reflection in it, after all the impurities were raised to the surface and removed.

And that is what God does with us. He allows the fires of tribulations to purge us of the impurities in our life so they can be removed. Thus, as God looks at us, He will see His own reflection, but that is a life-long process. And thus, through all these trials we give praise and honor and glory to God. And true faith, like pure gold, will endure, no matter how hot the fire is turned up as we will soon see in the lives of these three Jewish men; Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah.

DANIEL 3

VERSE 1

1. In chapter 2 of Daniel we saw the king have a dream of this awesome multi-metallic image which God interpreted for him through the prophet Daniel. The head of this image was of gold, the chest and arms of silver, the belly and thighs of bronze, legs of iron and feet partly of iron and partly of clay. This image represented various gentile world empires beginning with the Babylonian, which was succeeded by the Medo-Persian, which was succeeded by the Grecian, which was succeeded by the Roman. And we saw that the last gentile world empire will be part of the old Roman empire. Then, during the time of this last gentile world empire, Jesus Christ will return to set up His kingdom and He will utterly crush and pulverize these gentile kingdoms, leaving no sign of them or their existence.

2. But here in chapter 3 the king sets up a image that stood 90 feet tall, (about the size of a present day eight story building), and 9 feet wide. The difference between this image which he made and the image of the dream that God had given to him is very obvious. This image which the king made was entirely of gold, probably gold plated. And what he is saying was that his kingdom, the Babylonian kingdom, would never end!

3. If you remember back in chapter 2, after Daniel revealed the dream and its interpretation to the king, that Daniel said "...The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure." Daniel 2:45. And the king responded by saying "...‘Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret.’" Daniel 2:47. But now Nebuchadnezzar was saying that it didn’t matter what God said, for his kingdom would stand forever, or so he thought! In 1936, Herr Baldur von Schirach, head of the youth program in Nazi Germany, said "If we act as true Germans we act according to the laws of God. Whoever serves Adolf Hitler, the fuhrer, serves Germany, and whoever serves Germany serves God." You see, like Nebuchadnezzar, he had a political and religious following. And that power went right to his head. We know the saying, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely!

4. This huge image was placed in the plain of Dura for all to see. Interestingly enough, archaeologist Julies Oppert found an exact square of about forty-six feet at the base and some 25 feet high, located some six miles southeast of Babylon that may have been the base for this image. This area is called Tolul Dura or Mounds of Dura. Thus, in this open plain this gold image would shine in the bright desert sunlight and I’m sure it could be seen for many miles. It must have been a sight to see!

VERSES 2-3

1. Since the image was now complete, it was time to have a dedication ceremony, so the king calls 8 classes of officials together for this, besides many others.

A. SATRAPS - CHIEF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE KING

B. ADMINISTRATORS - MILITARY COMMANDERS

C. GOVERNORS - CIVIL COMMANDERS

D. COUNSELORS - COUNSELORS TO THOSE IN GOVERNMENTAL AUTHORITY

E. TREASURES - ADMINISTRATED THE FUNDS OF THE KINGDOM

F. JUDGES - ADMINISTRATORS OF THE LAW

G. MAGISTRATES - PASSED JUDGMENT IN KEEPING THE LAW

H. OFFICIALS - ALL THE OTHER GOVERNMENTAL PEOPLE

VERSES 4-7

1. The command in chapter 2 was that if the wise men could not tell the king his dream and the interpretation they would all be killed and their homes made into an ash heap. Now, here in chapter 3, the command is to all who hear the sound of the various musical instruments, they are then to fall down and worship the image. And of course, the image represented the king, and for those who refused to follow through with this command, they will be cast into the fiery furnace. And please note that there is not a long court process for those who refuse to obey the command. There is no room for appeals or even a jail term, but those that refused would "be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace." Daniel 3:6.

VERSES 8-12

1. Here we see some of the Chaldeans come before the king accusing Daniel’s 3 friends with disobeying the decree to worship the golden image. If you remember that in chapter 2, after Daniel had revealed and interpreted the kings dream, that he was placed "...over the whole province of Babylon, and chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon." Daniel 2:48. Not only that, but Daniel’s 3 friends were placed "...over the affairs of the province of Babylon..." Daniel 2:49.

2. I think you can see the problem here. These Jewish captives were placed in a position of authority over these wise men of Babylon. And as this animosity grew against these Jewish men, the Chaldeans saw one way to get back at them. Their plan was to get them to either compromise their faith and worship the image or to be burned in the fiery furnace for refusing.

3. Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego, the Babylonian names that were given to them, knew the commands of God. If you remember in Exodus chapter 20, as God gave to Moses the Ten Commandments, the first four dealt with man’s relationship with God. The other six dealt with man’s relationship with man. Thus, you could never have a right relationship with man without first having a right relationship with God. You see, without Christ being our Lord and Savior, our relationship with man is askew!

4. The thing I want you to see is what the Lord said in Exodus chapter 20, that was followed by these young men. In Exodus chapter 20, beginning in verse 2, we read "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments." Exodus 20:2-6. They lived what they believed and others saw that. Their faith shined brightly, and, in this case, others were going to try to destroy them for it. They did not try to hide their faith, but lived it!

VERSES 13-15

1. It is interesting to me to see the king give these men a second chance, an opportunity to comply with the command and bow down and worship this gold image. Also notice that the king challenges any god to circumvent his authority! Talk about pride. In fact, that is what will bring him down in the next chapter, his pride! With this threat before them, will they stand up for what they believe or will they crumble to the pressure that has been placed upon them? Let us see and learn.

VERSES 16-18

1. These men did not need to give the king a long, drawn out defense for themselves. Their response was that the God they serve can deliver them, if it is His will, but no matter what happens they will not compromise their beliefs. That is faith displayed in action! They saw the sovereignty of God in their lives. H. L. Leupold put it this way. He said: "The quiet, modest, yet withal very positive attitude of faith that these three men display is one of the noblest examples in the Scriptures of faith fully resigned to the will of God. These men ask for no miracle, they expect none. Theirs is a faith that says: ‘Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him’" (Job 13:15).

2. What about you? What have you compromised in your walk with the Lord? Maybe it is not one big thing, but many little things. Understand this, a compromise is still a compromise! Stand strong in the faith, don’t compromise, trust in Him and the promises He has given to us in His Word! Make no excuses, God is able to deliver you, if it is His will. Trust in Him and then rest in Him!

VERSES 19-23

1. Now the king was going to display the cost of rebellion against his authority for all to see. These three men were going to be cast into the fiery furnace for all to see, and that fire was heated up some seven times hotter than usual. And keep in mind that the ancients were very skilled in regulating the temperatures of these blast furnaces for smelting various metals and to bake bricks.

2. You can see how out of control the king was at this point. He orders them to be cast into the fiery furnace fully clothed and the kings "mighty men" who cast them into the furnace were instantly killed by the heat! Things do not sound good for these three Jewish young men who have been cast into this furnace!

VERSES 24-27

1. Sometimes I think we forget that God is always with us. This is a great illustration showing us that even in the most fiery trials we find ourselves in, God is there right beside us. What a comfort that should be for us if we would just hold onto that truth. As flames were all around these young men, there is Jesus with them. I love that!

2. You see, this pagan king saw the power of God and his own weakness. It was the faith of these men that opened the kings eyes to see God. These guys didn’t even smell like smoke! Can you imagine that? Sit by a campfire for a while and you will smell like smoke, but not these guys. In fact, the only thing that was burned were the ropes that bound them! It is as Jesus said in John 8:36, "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed." The chains of sin have been broken and we are set free in Christ!

3. Now because of what the king saw, notice his response.

VERSES 28-30

1. The king witnessed this miracle. He knew there was no other god like the God these men served. Because of that he made a decree that all should not make a statement against this God for if they do, they would be killed. An interesting turn around by the king. But understand this, head knowledge does not equal salvation or heart knowledge. We are going to see that in Daniel chapter 4.

2. Because these men honored God, God honored them by promoting them in Babylon. That is an important lesson for us to understand. Stand strong in the faith, don’t compromise, and God will lift you up!

3. One last point before we move into chapter 4 this evening, and it has to do with the prophetic significance of this chapter. During the coming tribulation period there will arise a gentile ruler (Daniel 7:8) that will demand that he himself should be worshiped and not the living God (II Thessalonians 2:4, Revelation 13:8). During this time anyone who refuses to worship Him will be killed (Revelation 13:15). And as this ruler gains political and religious power, he will oppress Israel (Revelation 13:7). King Nebuchadnezzar represents the gentile ruler. The three Jewish men represent the nation of Israel who will go through the fiery tribulation but will be protected by God (Revelation 12:14). But where is Daniel? Daniel, for some reason, was not around for he surely would not have worshiped the image. In saying that, Daniel is a type of the church who are taken up before the tribulation period begins. The church will not go through this trial. Interesting coincidence or is the Holy Spirit trying to show us something?

DANIEL 4

VERSES 1-3

1. The events of Daniel chapter 4 took place some 30 to 35 years into the reign of king Nebuchadnezzar, who reigned for some 43 years, and it is probably some 25 to 30 years after the fiery furnace episode of Daniel chapter 3.

2. Now, Chronologically speaking, this proclamation that the king is making should come at the end of chapter 4, for his statements are born or have grown out of the experience he had in this chapter. You see, in previous chapters the king had a head knowledge of "the Most High God" But we are going to see that this pagan king will come to know "the Most High God" in his heart. And this proclamation here is to let others know who rules! In fact, this chapter is a testimony of the kings conversion. Yes, I believe the king is saved and you will see why as we go through this portion of Scripture.

VERSES 4-7

1. Again, as in chapter 2, we see the king troubled by a dream. Things were going well in HIS kingdom, nothing to worry about. It seems that the king had just completed a victorious battle against Egypt which is supported by a fragmentary tablet that was found which reads, "In the 37th year Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon marched against Egypt to deliver a battle." So after this battle, this world ruler felt free from fear. He was unconquerable! He was secure! He was full of pride!

2. But again it was a dream that troubled this mighty ruler and it most likely is because he knew it related to him. So he once again calls together the wise men of Babylon to interpret the dream. The difference this time is the wise men were told the dream, so all they had to do was go to their book of dreams and give the interpretation! But they couldn’t!

VERSES 8-9

1. Daniel, being a chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon, now enters the scene. And as Daniel enters he is recognized as the one that has the Spirit of God on him. May that be what people see in us! And it is interesting that the king gives both his Hebrew name and his Babylonian name, Daniel and Belteshazzar respectively. Why would the king do this? First, his Babylonian name was the name he was known by throughout the land. It was his official name. His Hebrew name spoke of the power behind the interpreter of dreams, the Holy God!

2. Now the king will tell Daniel his dream so that the interpretation can be made known.

VERSES 10-18

1. The king knew the dream somehow was related to him, but what did it mean? Was it good news or bad news? I think what troubled the king so much was he knew it wasn’t good news. You see, the end result of the dream was that God was going to reveal Himself and His authority to the king. Something this autocratic ruler wanted nothing to do with, like many people today!

VERSE 19

1. Daniel was troubled because it meant bad news for the king, his friend. In fact he wished the dream was meant for the king’s enemies, but it was not. Keil says of this, "As Daniel once understood the interpretation of the dream, he was for a moment astonished that he could not speak for terror at the thought which moved his soul. This amazement seized him because he wished well to the king and yet he must now announce to him a weighty judgment from God."

VERSES 20-22

1. The dream itself spoke of the king. The tree represented the king and his mighty kingdom which had grown and flourished. Daniel began with the good news, but now for the bad news.

VERSES 23-26

1. We now see an angel having this tree chopped down with only the stump and it’s roots remaining. This is speaking of the king being removed from his kingdom for a time. He will not be destroyed because the root system remains. The band of iron and bronze speaks of a protective fence in which the king would dwell safely within. Why would the king need this kind of protection? Because he was going to encounter a mental illness that was going to last anywhere from 1 3/4 years to 7 years, depending on how you take "seven times" to mean, seasons or years. I tend to lean more towards this being years. And yet during this time he would be cared for, and I believe that it is Daniel that not only cared for the king but also watched over the kingdom for him until the king and his sanity returned.

 

2. What an important lesson for us to learn. It doesn’t matter if a person is a tyrant dictator with absolutely no morals, we are to reach out in love to them, pointing them to Jesus, as Daniel did with this king. We are to love the unloving, as the Lord did with us. And, as Daniel, you will see the awesome, transforming power of God in that person’s life if they are willing to receive it. You love the person and let God deal with the heart, as Daniel did!

3. This demented state is known as Zoanthropy and is manifested by a person who thinks of himself as an animal and acts like one. That may seem a bit bizarre, and I guess it is. But there is actual reported cases of this condition. Raymond Harrison speaks of a personal experience which was very similar to what the king had. Raymond Harrison observed this in a British mental institution back in 1946. So this is not far fetched as some might think.

4. Now before the kings sanity is returned to him there is a condition that first must be met. And not only would his sanity return be returned upon meeting this condition but he would be restored to his kingdom, his position. This will take place when the king has "come to know that Heaven rules." You see, when he acknowledges God’s sovereign rule, he will be restored. For the king it will take him seven years before he responds to the rule of God. But even before the king acquires this mental illness, we see Daniel give him some wise counsel in verse 27.

VERSE 27

1. Good advice. Daniel is urging the king to repent from his sin of pride. That this judgment of God upon the king may be stopped if he does. Even though it is good counsel, the king really doesn’t follow through with what Daniel had told him. Many today do the same thing. They hear the truth of God and yet they reject it for it does not fit their own prideful plan of action. It doesn’t make them right, but just shows how pride has caused them to be foolish in their decision making.

VERSES 28-30

1. For 12 months God was patient with the king. I am sure that during those 12 months the king continued in his prideful ways and yet God was patient and longsuffering towards him. And I am also sure that during those 12 months the king forgot about God’s promise of judgment that would come upon him if he continued in his ways.

2. Isn’t that the case with man most of the time? Man forgets about God being a righteous judge, and that He will judge our sins. Time has a way of making us forget these things and that is what happened to the king. In Ecclesiastes 8:11-13 we read, "Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days are prolonged, yet I surely know that it will be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him. But it will not be well with the wicked; nor will he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he does not fear before God." Don’t take God’s patience and longsuffering to mean He can’t do anything about your actions, or that He doesn’t care, or even worse, that He condones your sin. Make no mistake about it, God will judge sin. God’s patience and longsuffering will come to an end one day!

3. God’s judgment fell upon the king when he was boasting of HIS mighty kingdom that HE has built! But did the king have a reason to boast? Was his kingdom that powerful and secure? From a human perspective he did have the right to boast about his mighty kingdom. But from God’s eyes what he had was given to him by God. In Jeremiah chapter 27 we read beginning in verse 6, "‘And now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant; and the beasts of the field I have also given him to serve him. So all nations shall serve him and his son and his son's son, until the time of his land comes; and then many nations and great kings shall make him serve them. And it shall be, that the nation and kingdom which will not serve Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and which will not put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation I will punish,’ says the LORD, ‘with the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand. Therefore do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your dreamers, your soothsayers, or your sorcerers, who speak to you, saying, "You shall not serve the king of Babylon." For they prophesy a lie to you, to remove you far from your land; and I will drive you out, and you will perish. 'But the nations that bring their necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will let them remain in their own land,' says the LORD, 'and they shall till it and dwell in it.’" Jeremiah 27:6-11. That is the real power behind the kings mighty kingdom! But lets look a little closer at this kingdom and what it was all about.

4. The city of Babylon extended for some 60 miles around, 15 miles on each side. The walls of the city were some 350 feet in the air and some 80 feet thick, extending some 35 feet below the ground so that their enemies could not tunnel in. On this wall they would have chariot races anywhere from 6 to 8 abreast. There were some 250 towers on top of the wall that extended another 100 feet in the air. They had another inner wall with a moat between the two walls. The Euphrates river almost divided the city into two equal parts with gates at the entrance and exit of the river, and the river supplied the city with a fresh water supply. They had enough food within the city to last them 20 years without ever opening the gates of the city. Now you know why he was so secure as he walked upon the walls of the city.

5. There was also the hanging gardens of Babylon, which were one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The gardens were built for the kings Median wife. There were several tiers of arches one over the other, each bearing a solo platform, 400 square feet of terraces and the top was covered with flowers, shrubs, trees and a garden roof, all watered from a reservoir at the top to which the water was raised from the river by hydraulic pumps. And at the top was also a temple to the god Bel. Again, a very impressive sight to behold, and he felt secure, although he was warned not to be.

VERSES 31-33

1. As the king’s sin of pride continued, we see God pour out his judgment against the king. In fact that very hour, as the king was speaking of all he had done, judgment fell and he was made to dwell like an animal until he acknowledges the true God!

VERSES 34-35

1. Notice the first thing that the king does, he looks up to heaven. We too must look up to God and call upon Him if we are to be saved. No one can do that for us. When we do we will be restored to fellowship with Him. Our eyes will be open to the truths of God and we will have the wisdom of God imparted to us.

2. The next step is praise and worship unto God. The king blesses God. When you are filled with the love of Christ in your heart there is a natural outflow of praise and worship unto God for what He has done in your life. That is what happened to the king when he encountered God!

VERSES 36-37

1. I think that this testimony that the king has given here in Daniel chapter 4 speaks of his conversion, that he had come to know that "God rules!" It was then and only then that his sanity returned to him and his position as king restored. The verbs praise, extol and honor speak of a continuing action in the kings life. It was not like the previous chapters where in the excitement of the miracle the king made an empty profession of faith. I think the king is saved! I hope that you see that no heart is too hard, that no person is beyond hope, but all have a choice to make, to turn to the living God and receive Him as Lord and Savior, or to reject Him and His call upon your life. Next week we will see a heart filled with pride in the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar, which will only cause Belshazzar to fall from his position, and it will also cause the kingdom to come crashing down because he refused to repent and turn to the GOD WHO RULES!