Do you remember my telling you a few weeks back about my recurring dreams? In case you weren?t here, I?m referring to a dream I often have in which it?s Sunday and I?m at church ready to do my sermon, when I look down and realize I?m wearing my pajamas. I also told you that sometimes that dream shifts?and I?m dressed okay but all of you are in your pajamas.
Well, believe it or not, last week those two dreams merged into REALITY. And?before you call the guys in the white coats to come take me away to the ?pastoral funny farm,? let me explain. Last Sunday Sue and I had been asked to lead council time at AWANA and that morning after worship Joshua Callahan told us he was excited because it was pajama night at AWANA. With that fact in mind Sue and I decided to gear our talk to that theme. We spent the afternoon preparing to talk with the SPARKS kids and the TNT kids about what the Bible has to say when it comes to the subject of: ?How to have sweet dreams? or ?How to shrug off nightmares and sleep well at night.? You?d be surprised how much God?s Word has to say about that subject!
In any case, as we finished our preparation, we decided it would help the kids LISTEN to our sleep-themed message, if we went with the flow and followed that night?s AWANA dress code.
So, Sue and I got our bedroom slippers and bathrobes out of the closet. Then, we pulled our best pair of PJ?s out of the drawer and after giving them a quick ironing?so as to look our best?we headed off to church. As we pulled into the parking lot I was struggling to understand my feeling of de javu when Sue told me that my dream had come true?and it hit me that she was right. That?s why my attire felt oddly familiar. I was about to go into church in my PJ?s while surrounded by other Redlanders in theirs!
I bring all this up because today we are studying chapter 4 of Daniel?s book, and in it old Nebuchadnezzar has another troubling dream. Unlike his first dream?this one came true in his own lifetime?but like his first dream this one contained vital messages not only for him but for us as well. Before we look at it though, let me give you the setting of this?the FINAL chapter of King Nebuchadnezzar?s life?at least in the Book of Daniel. 30 years have passed since the fiery furnace incident in chapter 3. Daniel is now in his mid 50’s and Nebuchadnezzar is approaching 70. He had ruled Babylon for nearly 35 years. By this time, his enemies have all been defeated such that he rules the largest kingdom in the history of the world. The royal treasury is bursting at the seams and he has completed several impressive building projects. In short, these are the golden years of his reign.
Okay with that setting in mind I want you to open your Bibles to Daniel chapter 4 and as you do I want you to note a change. This chapter is written not by Daniel but by Nebuchadnezzar himself. Think of chapter 4 as sort of a ?book within a book.? Now as I read the first three verses see if you can note something ELSE that is different?from the first two chapters. Here goes: ?King Nebuchadnezzar, to the peoples, nations, and men of every language, who live in all the world: May you prosper greatly! It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me. How great are His signs, how mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom; His dominion endures from generation to generation.? Do you hear the difference I?m referring to? Here?s a hint. Do these words sound like the Nebuchadnezzar we have come to know and love in chapters 1-3? I don?t think they do.
No?something has happened. In fact, I don?t know about you, but these verses remind me of one of David?s Psalms. I mean, Nebuchadnezzar himself has changed?for the BETTER! He seems to have finally forgotten his false gods and acknowledged the fact that Jehovah is the one true God?or to use his own words: The MOST HIGH God. I also think that to me he sounds like a man who sleeps well at night?an older gentleman in the golden years who sleeps the sleep of someone who has made his peace with God.
So, what happened? How did Nebuchadnezzar change such?and how can the same thing happen to us? To refer back to our AWANA lesson: How can we get to be like Nebuchadnezzar in that we ?dream sweet dreams??
Well, the rest of this chapter?this book within a book?is written to answer these questions. I mean, this is Nebuchanezzar?s personal testimony of how he came to abandon his false gods?how he came to REST in the character of the one TRUE God?our Heavenly Father.
Turning the clock back eight years, Nebuchadnezzar says it all began with this dream I referred to. He tells us about it in verses 10:17. Follow along as I read. Nebuchadnezzar says:
?These are the visions I saw while lying in my bed: I looked, and there before me stood a tree in the middle of the land. Its height was enormous. The tree grew large and strong and its top touched the sky; it was visible to the ends of the earth. Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit abundant, and on it was food for all. Under it the beasts of the field found shelter, and the birds of the air lived in its branches; from it every creature was fed. In the visions I saw while lying in my bed, I looked, and there before me was a messenger, a holy one, coming down from Heaven. He called in a loud voice: ?Cut down the tree and trim off its branches; strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the animals flee from under it and the birds from its branches. But let the stump and its roots, bound with iron and bronze, remain in the ground, in the grass of the field. Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let him live with the animals among the plants of the earth. Let his mind be changed from that of a man and let him be given the mind of an animal, until seven times pass by for him.? The decision is announced by messengers, the holy ones declare the verdict, so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone He wishes and sets over them the lowliest of men.?
When he woke up, as he had done in the past, Nebuchadnezzar called on his ?wise men.? He told them the dream and asked them to interpret it but they?couldn?t.? It?s interesting to note that the literal Hebrew translation of verse 7 says, ?they DID NOT interpret it.? In other words, it sounds to me as if they didn?t even try to use their magical books and formulas. Why? Because they knew they were fakes?and they knew their king knew that. They knew that if they messed up?it might push Nebuchadnezzar into one of his infamous fits of rage. He might heat up his fiery furnace again?so they ?humbly? bowed out. And when they did, Nebuchadnezzar called in his star ?player.? He called on Daniel. He knew Daniel?s track record when it comes to dream interpretation. And he knew that, unlike his other ?wise men? Daniel would shoot straight. Remember, Nebuchadnezzar has had 30 years to see that Daniel is a man of integrity and wisdom.
Well, verse 19 says that when Daniel heard the dream, he was very disturbed. Look at this part of Nebuchadnezzar?s account. He writes, ?Daniel?s thoughts terrified him.? You see, God revealed the dream?s meaning to Daniel such that he saw what lay ahead for Nebuchadnezzar…he saw that incredibly tough times lay ahead and like a doctor who doesn?t want to be the bearer of bad news to a terminally ill friend, Daniel hesitated. Look at the last part of verse 19 where Daniel said, ?My lord, if only the dream applied to your enemies and its meaning to your adversaries!? In other words, ?Neb?this is bad news and it concerns you and sincerely I wish it didn?t!? Well, Nebuchadnezzar wanted the truth so he urged Daniel to tell him. In verse 19 he says,?Do not let the dream or its meaning alarm you?I can take it. Give it to me straight!?
By the way?let me just pause to ask: do you have a ?Daniel? in your life? Do you have someone whose walk with the Lord is close someone you can count on to shoot straight with you? We all need someone like that. We need a spouse or friend who will admonish us in love when need be someone who will love us enough to keep us on the straight and narrow. So, if you don?t have a ?DANIEL? like that in your life, GET ONE!
In verses 22 and following Daniel boldly, honestly, lovingly shot straight with Nebuchadnezzar. He told this troubled king the meaning of his dream. Listen to what he says: ?You, O king, are that tree! You have become great and strong; your greatness has grown until it reaches the sky, and your dominion extends to distant parts of the earth. You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like cattle and be drenched with the dew of Heaven. Seven times will pass by for you?until you acknowledge that the Most High is Sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone He wishes. The command to leave the stump of the tree with its roots means that your kingdom will be restored to you when you acknowledge that Heaven rules.?
Okay?so you don?t miss the meaning?let me remind you that in the Bible trees are often used as symbols of nations or empires so this tree represents Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylon. The good news of Daniel?s interpretation is that Nebuchanezzar is indeed a GREAT king over a GREAT kingdom. The bad news is that, in spite of the fact that God has repeatedly revealed Himself to him over the years?like when Daniel told him the meaning of his first dream and when God rescued Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the fiery furnace…in spite of this Nebuchadnezzar has not been able to bring himself to submit his life to God?s rule. Swindoll writes, ?For a man who had conquered vast armies, surrender didn?t come easy.? And, it didn?t! I mean, Nebuchadnezzar was just too proud to humble himself to the God of Israel. He thought that gods?all gods?were just a dime a dozen?easily manipulated.
So, like Nathan confronted another proud king, Daniel boldly told Nebuchadnezzar of God?s coming judgement?a judgement that would show Nebuchadnezzare once and for all that there is only ONE God?and that He?not puny earthly kings?GOD alone is sovereign. But Daniel didn?t stop there. He told his king that if he WOULD humble himself?if he would get down off of his high horse and confess his sins to God…if he would help the poor…that perhaps God would change His mind and forestall His judgement. Well, Nebuchadnezzar heard all that?but he did nothing. Perhaps he thanked Daniel and made some half-hearted promise to think about what he said?but then he dismissed him from his chambers.
Okay…twelve months pass and every day the memory of their conversation fades and Nebuchadnezzar?s pride grows. One month passes?no judgement. Six months and he tells himself, ?I?m still okay! Daniel was wrong for once!? Eleven months go by… ?Ha! Why did I ever worry? I?m invincible!? I mean, God is patient with Nebuchadnezzar. He gives him an entire year to take Daniel?s advice but every day Nebuchadnezzar chooses to push the dream and its meaning out of his mind. Every day he says, ?I will not bend my knee to this Hebrew God. I will not do justice as He asks. I will not show kindness to the poor and the oppressed. I?ve done nothing wrong. After all I?m the KING…so there?s no reason for me to repent! Not today! I?ll just build my gardens and my palaces and my walls. I?ll spend my money the way I want to.? Maybe he thinks God is bluffing. Maybe he thinks he?s clever enough to outsmart God. Maybe he tells himself that one day he will pay attention…one day he will give God his obedience one day but not today.
Have you ever been like that? In some way?maybe through the wise counsel of a Godly friend?our Lord told you that you needed to change your life but you put it off. Maybe you?re not a Christian?and your spouse or friend has told you over and over again that you need to repent and follow Jesus?and inside you know they are right?but you have put it off. Listen?God is patient?but don?t be a fool. Don?t put God off. Today is the day. Now is the right time! Don?t wait any longer!
Well, Nebuchadnezzar may have been a great KING but he was also a great FOOL because even though he saw the truth in his dream he tried hard to NOT think about it. I bet he avoided Daniel for that whole year until the seed that God sowed in him was so dead that he became a complete slave to all the arrogance and self-centeredness that God had so strongly cautioned him against.
Then exactly twelve months later Nebuchadnezzar was walking on the roof of the royal palace in Babylon and he looked out over his beautiful city…a city built by his design. And while we are on the subject, what did Nebuchadnezzar see as he looked out over that city? He could have gazed over at the hanging gardens of Babylon, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. These were massive gardens he built for his wife Amytis. You see, she came from Media where there were mountains and vegetation and she was homesick so Nebuchadnezzar constructed an artificial mountain?a ?tower??and he planted gardens that hung down the side of this structure that made it appear as if they were growing in mid air. Plus he designed an ingenious system to hoist water over 300 feet from the Euphrates to irrigate these hanging gardens. I?m sure Nebuchadnezzar looked at that beauty and thought, ?Look what I have done!?
He may have looked and saw two of his palaces in the distance and thought of his homes?including the main palace where he was taking his roof-top stroll. It was 350 yards long and 200 yards wide?that?s 630,000 square feet. It contained 15 million bricks and each one had Nebuchadnezzar?s name engraved on it. As he looked down perhaps his eyes fell on one of those bricks and as he read his name he thought, ?Look what I have done! I am the greatest! No one has ever built palaces like mine!?
He might have looked out at lights of the City of Babylon and the city itself was an architectural marvel. Records indicate two million people lived there making it easily the largest city in the world. A wide ceremonial boulevard ran down the town center 1,000 yards long?that?s ten football fields. A double-wall system encircled the main city. It?s inner wall was 21 feet thick and reinforced with defense towers at 60-foot intervals. The outer wall was 38 feet high and 11 feet wide and also had watchtowers. Later, Nebuchadnezzar added another defensive double-wall system. It ran for 17 miles and was wide enough at the top for two chariots to pass each other. I?m sure he looked out at this spectacular city and thought of his designs and the months it took to build?I?m sure he proudly thought, ?Look what I have done! No one can conquer my city. I need fear nothing or no one?be it god or man?I am invincible!?
As he took all this in?his heart became filled with pride such that it was unthinkable for him to give God the glory for his blessings. His head was far too full of self-importance for that and he began to boast to himself of his own greatness and ability. All Nebuchadnezzar could think about was himself?his ?greatness??and in verse 30 he said, ?Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residency, by MY mighty power and for the glory of MY majesty?? As Swindoll says, ?It was time for God to pull the royal rug out from under this haughty king.? And that?s what exactly what happened. Look at verses 31-33: The words of verse 30 were still on Nebuchadnezzar?s lips when a voice came from Heaven saying,?This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you. You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like cattle. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is Sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone He wishes.? Immediately what had been said about Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. He was driven away from people and ate grass like cattle. His body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird.? Think of it. The ?head of gold? in the first dream would become the ?stump of a tree.? In short, God sent Nebuchadnezzar on an involuntary sabbatical. He would lose his throne, his wealth?even his sanity?so that he could finally lose his pride and acknowledge God as God.
This ?sabbatical? could have lasted seven years?or MORE. I say this because, in Hebrew the number ?7? is a symbol for completeness so it literally meant that God would discipline Nebuchadnezzar in this way for as long as it took to complete the job. And please understand. The purpose was not to punish Nebuchadnezzar but rather to help him. You see, God loved Nebuchadnezzar…and He knew that these years of discipline is what it would take to get him to repent and follow Him. God knew that this proud king would have to live like an animal before he could come to acknowledge God as God. He would have to be changed from a ?beauty? to a ?beast.?
By the way, if you think this is strange, there is a documented psychological phenomenon called ?Lycanthropy.?It is a form of insanity where a person is convinced he is an animal. The word, ?Lycnthropy? literally means ?wolf man.? In fact the primitive werewolf superstition was inspired by this condition. But today it is the general term used to describe anyone who believes he or she is an animal. This mental ailment is what Nebuchadnezzar would go through. To borrow C. S. Lewis? words, he would be treated with a ?severe mercy? in that God would cut down everything precious to him in life?even his mind?so that out of the severed stump would grow the tender green shoot of salvation.
Now?try to imagine the transformation that took place after verse 30. Nebuchadnezzar left his spectacular palaces and lived outside in the fields with grazing animals. He left his wives and advisors and soldiers behind and no longer lived with people. The mouth-watering foods that were put on his table were taken from him. The Bible said he ate like an animal?and that would not just refer to WHAT he ate?but HOW he ate it. At night he wouldn?t come inside. Now he would sleep in the open field, exposed to the elements so in the morning he would be ?drenched with the dew from heaven.? His hair, which I am sure was always washed, combed, and oiled, became matted and coarse, and looked like eagle feathers. I?ve seen people living on the streets whose hair looks like that. Nebuchanezzar?s fingernails and toenails were not cut for YEARS and became like claws. I think of Sabertooth from the latest Wolverine movie.
And please understand. God didn?t perform some hocus-pocus to turn Nebuchadnezzar into a beast. No?our Heavenly Father simply removed the constraints from his heart such that Nebuchadnezaar?s true beastly nature manifested itself. We see examples of this even today because all of us are sinners with a bent to sin. All of us have a ?monster? living within?a beastly nature that wants to manifest itself. I mean, in my mind, Nebuchadnezzar?s transformation represents a life out of control. It shows us what happens when we remove God from the equation of our lives. It shows us what happens when at our insistence God leaves us alone and gives us over to our sinful depraved minds. When that happens in essence we become like beasts. Without our God-given inhibitions, we become more and more depraved. Eventually, we cease being ashamed of our sinful actions?and what is worse?we begin to judge these evil behaviors as right. Does it sound like our society today? Think of it. Our culture now welcomes adultery. This past week, instead of booing Letterman when he confessed that he had been unfaithful to his wife, the audience cheered him. Fornification is now an accepted practice. Most young couples live together before they get married?and they do so with their parent?s approval. I knew someone in college who?s mom was thrilled that he was sleeping with her daughter. She encouraged them to ?sleep over? at their family home whenever they liked. Even homosexuality is now considered an honorable lifestyle?and entire month is set aside so that people who embrace this lifestyle can be proud of their actions. But sexual sins are not the only things we embrace. These days we admire deceit?politicians who can ?spin? the truth are esteemed as skilled governmental leaders. In our culture we also justify murder with tens of millions of legal abortions and reward greed by giving bonuses to executives while laying of hundreds of their employees.
John Gerstner, a frequent speaker at the Philadelphia Conference on Theology was once teaching about the depravity of man and in his speech he compared men and women to rats. After he had finished his address there was a question and answer period and someone who was greatly offended by the comparison stood up and asked Gerstner to apologize. The questioner said he thought it was insulting to compare men and women to rats. John Gerstner replied, ?I do apologize?I apologize profusely. The comparison I made of people to rats was terribly unfair?to the rats.? He then went on to show that what a rat does it does by the gifts of God that make it rat-like. But when we behave like rats, we behave contrary to our design and thus even worse than rats.
Okay?back to our story. God?s patience has its limits but so does His discipline and finally a day dawned when Nebuchadnezzar was humbled enough to lift his eyes to Heaven. Look at verse 34 where he says,?At the end of that time, I raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High and I honored and glorified Him Who lives forever. His dominion is an eternal dominion; His kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as He pleases with the power of Heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back His hand or say to Him: ?What have you done.? I praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven because everything He does is right and all His ways are just. And those who walked in pride, He is able to humble.? All this goes to show that only God can change a ?wolfman? into a witness.
Well, it is likely that Daniel and the other officers had managed the affairs of the kingdom during the king?s years of discipline so that when he returned to the throne, he found everything in good order. But God did better than that. He made his kingdom even greater AFTER he was humbled than it was before. Okay?let me just point out two things?lessons we can learn from this dream that will help us to have sweet dreams as well?lessons that will help us to be at peace with God.
(1) First, don?t take your SELF too seriously.
You seen Nebuchadnezzar?s main problem?the thing that kept him from submitting his life to God?was his pride. He saw everything in his life through the ?lense of I.? He thought that the size and grandeur of his kingdom was due to his talent…his wisdom…his ingenuity and leadership. He forgot that as Daniel said back in chapter 2, ?God changes times and seasons; He sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom and power.? In short, Nebuchadnezzar forgot that everything he had and was came from our Sovereign God. His years of humility taught him how foolish he had been. He learned first hand that as another king once said, ?Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.? (Prov 16:18)
I wonder?do any of us need to learn this same lesson? Would we sleep better if we humbly acknowledged that GOD?not us?GOD is in control? A church leader of many centuries ago named Gregory the Great once wrote:?Pride makes me think that I am the cause of my achievements, and that I deserve my abilities…and leads me to despise other people that don?t measure up. Pride causes the illusion of self-sufficiency. It thinks, ?I made myself. I deserve all I have.?? And?that describes not only the ?pre animal years? of Nebuchadnezzar?but all those of us who take ourselves too seriously as well. It describes all of us who forget that no matter what our station in life, we are all depraved fallen sinners?created and saved by the grace of God. We must remember that as the Psalmist says,?The Lord is God. It is He Who has made us and not we ourselves. We are His people?the sheep of His pasture.? (Psalm 100:1-3) We must remember what Paul wrote in 1st Corinthians 15:10:?By the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me was not without effect. I worked harder than all of them?yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.? In other words, even the Apostle Paul didn?t take himself too seriously. He remembered that as James 1:17 says,?Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father.?
Don Shula, former coach of the Miami Dolphins, tells of a time many years ago when he and his wife were on vacation in the state of Maine and they walked into a movie theater. There was just a handful of people there, and when they walked in the people applauded. Shula was pretty pleased with himself that even in Maine he was famous so he nudged his wife and said, ?I guess there is no place that we can go where I am not known.? Just before the movie started, a guy came over and shook his hand. Shula said, ?I?m surprised you folks know me here.? And the guy?s response was, ?Am I supposed to know you? We were just glad when you came in. The manager said he wasn?t going to start the movie until there were ten people here.?
In his book, A Love Worth Giving, Max Lucado cites some physical symptoms that are often found in prideful people?people who take themselves too seriously. As I list them?take a moment to examine yourself?so as to determine if PRIDE might be a problem in your life right now. Here they are:
- Clutching hands?do your fingers ever wrap and close around your possessions?
- Protruding teeth. To fangs ever flare when you are interrupted or irritated?
- Heavy feet…when a neighboring car wants to cut out in front of you, do you sense a sudden heaviness of foot on the accelerator?
- Extended shoulder…any inflamation from patting yourself on the back?
- And you neck…is it sore from keeping your nose in the air??
So?remember?to be at peace with God?don?t be proud! Whenever anything good comes to you don?t look to self?no?look to Heaven and thank God. DON?T take yourself too seriously.
(2) On the other hand?do take OTHERS seriously.
Reject PRIDE?but embrace HUMILITY or as Paul puts it in Philippians 2:3-4,?Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.?
Nebuchadnezzar?s animal years helped him to realize that as a ruler, he had not been concerned about others?especially the poor in his kingdom. He had no doubt exploited thousands of his people in pursing his extensive building operations…and wealth that should have helped the poor, had been used to gratify the selfish appetites of this proud king. He would have been wise to embrace the wisdom of Proverbs 29:14 where King Solomon wrote, ?If a king judges the poor with fairness, his throne will always be secure.?
The fact is, we can?t be at peace with God or ourselves?if we ignore the people around us who are in need. We must HUMBLE ourselves. Now, in our culture this word ?humility? is often given a bad rap. I mean, when we think of humble people, we think of doormats and people with self-esteem problems. But that?s not Biblical humility. No?God?s Word teaches that humble people don?t have inferiority complexes. To the contrary, they are secure in who God made them. In fact, the truth is, humility is the mark of emotionally HEALTHY people whereas pride is the mark of emotionally INSECURE people. Real humility is getting the focus off my needs, my desires, my hurts, my wants, and putting the focus on what other people need. Think of it this way: Humility is not thinking less OF yourself?it is simply thinking less ABOUT yourself. John Ortberg writes, ?Pride is the condition of the heart that is most fundamentally incompatible with love because pride whispers to me to be kind only to those people I can use, or who happen to touch me emotionally. Pride tells me to view people as a means to an end…to value them only if they?re useful to me, to helping me achieve my agenda, build my little ?Babylon,? meet my emotional needs.?
Well, let?s each ask ourselves?are we like Nebuchadnezzar in that we suffer from self-consumption? Where in our priorities are the needs of our neighbors our co-workers…our spouses? Do we take ourSELVES too seriously and not take others seriously enough?
As you know, we close our service each week, with a time of invitation. The idea is for us to take time after we?ve studied God?s Word to look to Heaven and humble ourselves and say, ?God, You made me. You redeemed me. What change do I need to make in my life in light of what You?ve taught me today? What do I need to do in order to fully acknowledge You as Lord?to indicate my conviction that You are the boss….You are the Creator…I?m the creature. Tell me what to do God. Tell me what changes I need to make and I?ll do it. I?m looking to Heaven for direction.? Let?s all do that right now. Let?s end this service by humbling ourselves in the sight of the Lord.
Pray with me.