Twitter
RSS
Facebook
ClickBank1

5-11-14. Daniel 4:19-27. DANIEL INTERPRETS THE KING’S DREAM- my devotional

5-11-14. Daniel 4:19-27. DANIEL INTERPRETS THE KING’S DREAM- my devotional

DAN-4-NEB-FIELD

Daniel 4:19-27                                   Kevin E. Jesmer                                                  5-11-14

“And 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.” (26)

Dear Lord, thank you for mothers. Today we celebrate mothers. Thank you for providing them for each of us. Thank you for their unconditional, sacrificial, nurturing love. Where would be without our mothers? We wouldn’t even exist. We wouldn’t know what it means to nurture and to serve. We wouldn’t know what it means to love each person in our lives with equal love. For those who do not have a mother, please bring female mentors in their lives who can love them like the mother they never had. Lord, we thank you for mothers. Help us to love others like we have been loved by our mothers. You have loved each of us, also like a mother, like a hen trying to gather up her chicks under her wings. May we reflect your love also. For those mothers who do not know how to love their kids, touch their hearts with your love, so that they in turn may learn how to love. Please fill my heart with wisdom from your word today. I pray all these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen!

Part 1: You, O King, Are That Tree! (19-23).

Verses 19-23, “19 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! 20 The tree you saw, which grew and became strong, so that its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth, 21 whose leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in which was food for all, under which beasts of the field found shade, and in whose branches the birds of the heavens lived— 22 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. 23 And 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 beasts of the field, till seven periods of time pass over him,’

Immediately upon hearing the dream Daniel was perplexed and his thoughts terrified him. He was empathetic with the king. He sincerely cared about the king’s emotional response to the dream. As servants of God we need to be empathetic. We need to put ourselves in the shoes of someone else to feel the way they feel. It is called having empathy. Daniel felt empathy even for the king of the people who invaded his land and carted them off to exile and slavery. We can grow in empathy when we know the empathy that Christ has for us. Jesus empathizes with us because he has suffered in every way that we have suffered. He shared in our humanity. We can know that Jesus understands and cares for us.

When the king tried to console him, Daniel was truthful and said, “If only the dream applied to your enemies.” He told the king clearly that he was the tree that had become so strong, the tree that would be cut down to its stump, and that he, the king, would live like a wild animal until seven times passed by. The king was in for some very tough and hard times. God wanted him to know what was coming so that he could prepare his heart and be ready to learn from what he was going to experience.

God is good educator. He warns the student on what is going to happen ahead of time. He tells him the purpose of the lesson and what the expected outcome is and how long the educating process will be. These are all good principles in educating someone.

Part 2: The Interpretation And A Decree (24-27).

Verses 24-27, “24 this is the interpretation, O king: It is a decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king, 25 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 the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will. 26 And 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. 27 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.”

The interpretation was given to the king by Daniel, but it came from the Most High. There was a purpose for revealing the dream to the King. Verse 25b, “…till you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” And verse 26b, “…your kingdom shall be confirmed for you from the time that you know that Heaven rules.”  God has an end point in any hardship he sends our way. It would behoove us to learn the lesson earlier than later. Why not just repent and acknowledge the sovereignty of God and allow him to rule our hearts? What are we waiting for? More wandering in the darkness?

I need to acknowledge God’s sovereignty in my life, in all of my relationships and situations. So far God’s sovereign rule in my life has been all good. No complaints here. Even through the emotional turmoil 2 years ago, God’s will was done. It was like my ship came through the storm into safe harbor. I pray that even in the toughest time I may never doubt God, nor what he has done in my life. He is Lord. He is my shepherd and he is guiding my life. And I will praise him.

The king would not have come to face the interpretation of his dream if it were not for the honesty and the integrity of Daniel. Daniel was an excellent servant of both the king and the Lord. He was a servant of the word of God. He told Nebuchadnezzar that he would be restored only when he acknowledged that God is Most High and Sovereign Ruler. It is not easy to declare that God is the Most High and the Sovereign Ruler, to a secular world. That message will meet resistance on all fronts. But we need to stand up by faith and declare that Jesus is Lord. May God open opportunities to do so.

God can reveal his truth directly to peoples’ hearts through his spirit. But he chooses to work through people. He chooses to work through servants of God who are not afraid to speak the whole truth at the right time. I pray that I can be that kind of servant of God.

Though he was only the king’s servant, Daniel wisely advised the king to renounce his sinful and arrogant pride and be kind to the oppressed. Look at verse 27, “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.”

He basically called the king to repentance. There was life in repentance. There was prosperity for the king in his repentance. Repentance is not a bad word. It is a great word. God brings true life to all who embrace repentance.

The king was able to accept this call to repentance. He had experienced God’s grace already. His heart was moved by the revelation of God. He was ready to hear these hard words from Daniel. Speaking words of repentance are important but they take wisdom and empathy for the other person, which Daniel had for the king. When we pray and try to understand the other person, then we can begin to think about calling that person to repentance. But we must always know it is God that moves a person’s heart to respond and grow through it.

Prayer: “Lord, you are the Most High. Help me to renounce my negative pride that keeps me from acknowledging you, and accept your sovereignty. Give me courage to proclaim your sovereignty to all people.”

One Word: Acknowledge that Heaven rules




Interact with us using Facebook

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.