Title: Remember the Past (Daniel 5:18-21)
Contents
Lesson 55 Remember the Past (Daniel 5:18-21)
5:18-21
O king, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar a kingdom, great authority, glory, and majesty, and he gave him great authority; and peoples and nations and languages trembled and feared before him; He exalted and humbled himself, but his heart was exalted, and because of his arrogance, his throne was abolished, and his glory was taken from him, and he was cast out from the world. They ate, and their bodies were soaked with the dew of heaven, and they came to know that God the Most High reigns over the kingdoms of men, and that he sets up anyone over them according to his will.
Now Daniel's sermon has finally begun. Verse 18 begins with the words “King”. Everyone, please imagine the scene. Now, in front of Daniel is King Belshazzar, there are a thousand nobles of the city of Babylon, there are numerous queens and impoverished palaces, and Babylonian magicians, magicians, fortune tellers, and so-called wise men of Babylon are all listening to Daniel. But who should listen to Daniel directly now? This is King Belshazzar. Because King Belshazzar is responsible for everything. That's why I started saying "King".
Let's see. "The Most High God," he said. God is said to be the Most High. King Belshazzar, no matter how high he was as a king, was nothing compared to God. Of course, the God mentioned here does not mean the Babylonian gods whom King Belshazzar praised by pouring wine on the vessels he had taken from Jerusalem. I am not referring to the Babylonian gods made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. The Most High God refers to the God of Israel, Jehovah God.
"The Most High God gave the king's father, Nebuchadnezzar, the kingdom and great authority and glory and majesty." What did God give Nebuchadnezzar? He gave us the kingdom, gave us great power and authority to rule over the country and people, gave us fame and glory, and gave us dignity. So, who gave King Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom, authority, glory, and majesty? It is God-given. It's not something a person can afford. The owner of everything is God. It is God-given. King Nebuchadnezzar was only given by God.
Let's look at verse 19. It tells how great authority God gave King Nebuchadnezzar. “The peoples and nations and tongues trembled and feared before him, because he had given him great authority.” what do you mean? "Listen, King Belshazzar. Your father, King Nebuchadnezzar, was not a king like you who ruled one city of Babylon." It is a word with this meaning. "With the people." It's revenge. People from many different countries. He also said "with the nations." not one country. Also called “those who speak in every tongue.” It's not about speaking one language. He was a king who had authority enough to tremble and fear the peoples, the nations, and the peoples of every tongue. It doesn't even compare to you. Even King Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged the sovereignty of God and humbled himself before God, so why are you so proud?
Let's see. "He killed at will, raised at will, raised at will, lowered at will." It is said that God gave King Nebuchadnezzar great authority so that he could save people, kill them, exalt them, and bring them down according to his will. The words of King Nebuchadnezzar were law. They split people's bodies just by talking, used the house as a manure place, and threw them into the furnace to kill them. Also, Daniel and his three friends are 16 years old, how young are you? However, he had tremendous authority to rule all the provinces with a single word and to establish himself in a high position over each province of Babylon.
But, everyone, I ask. Who is the one who actually raises and kills, raises and lowers people? Look through some Bibles. Psalm 75:7.
"But God, the judge, humbles the one and exalts the other."
God lowers and exalts. Let's look again at Deuteronomy 32:39.
“Now know that I, even I, am he, and there is no God with me; I kill and I make alive, I wound and I heal; there is no one who can deliver out of my hand.”
Let's see one more. 1 Samuel 2:7.
“The Lord makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and exalts.”
It is God who gives life to life, kills, exalts and humbles. It is the power of God. However, King Nebuchadnezzar forgot his position and tried to become like God, but ended up becoming a sub-human figure.
Then let's see what happened to Nebuchadnezzar. This is verse 20. “He is exalted,” he said. It was God who gave everything, but King Nebuchadnezzar did not understand it. He didn't know that he was able to enjoy all of that by God's grace, and he mistakenly thought that he was able to do it by his own strength. So what happened? "Because the meaning is strong." It means that your heart is hard as stone. He was as soft as fertile ground, so he was humble, and if my opinion was right, he would have to bow his head knowing that other people's opinions were also right. “For by practicing pride, the throne has been brought to an end, and its glory has been taken away.” He took away the throne that God had given him and the glory that God had given him.
So what happened? In verse 21, we read, “I was cast out of my life.” It was not the human heart. He suffered from a mental illness, received the heart of an animal, lived like an animal, and acted like an animal, so he had no choice but to be expelled from the crowd. “His heart was like the heart of a wild beast.” I got the heart of a beast. I suffered from mental illness for 7 years. “And he dwells with wild donkeys.” So he dwelt with the beast. Not only that, he said, "And they eat grass like cattle." He even acted like an animal. "His body was drenched in the dew of heaven." Not only during the day, but at night as well, they lived and behaved like beasts. So, we have no choice but to get wet with the dew of the sky.
What was the lesson God gave to King Nebuchadnezzar through this? If you look at Isaiah 1:3, you will find these words.
"The ox knows its owner, and the donkey knows its master's manger, but Israel does not know, and my people do not understand."
Go to the beast and learn. They have thoughts that are worse than those of animals, so live like animals and learn from them. King Nebuchadnezzar had forgotten the grace God had bestowed upon him. He did not realize the grace and thought he was born well. To break that pride, God made King Nebuchadnezzar suffer from mental illness for 7 years.
How long have you been? “I have come to the point that I have come to know that God the Most High rules over the kingdoms of men, and that he sets up over them according to his own will.” It was not until after suffering seven years that King Nebuchadnezzar repented and acknowledged that all sovereignty rested with God.
There is a famous writer in England named C. S. Lewis. He is a person who has had a religious influence on many people through his beautiful religious writings. Here's what this C. S. Lewis said: Please remember everyone. "God usually speaks in a soft voice, but when those he loves don't listen to God's soft voice, he sometimes speaks in a loud voice like a loudspeaker. That is our suffering." If we do not listen to the gentle voice, He will make us realize even through suffering. Because God loved King Nebuchadnezzar, he gave him a mental illness for seven years to make him realize and surrender before God.
What God hates the most is human pride. Like King Nebuchadnezzar, I pray in the name of Jesus that you will have a great day to please God by giving up God's grace and exalting your heart and not being arrogant.