Brethren in the Lord, greetings to you in the name of our Lord Jesus. We bless God for the opportunity to present to you another episode of our daily study of the Scriptures. We thank God for the gift of life and for His benefits on us each new day. Praise be to God.
In our today’s episode 574, we shall be examining the book of Daniel Chapter 4 titled:
This Looks Weird; How Nebuchadnezzar Turned To An Animal
Chapter 4 looks like a testimony of someone who have been through hell and safely returned.
Notice how he praised God for the wonders and miracles that God did for him. He acknowledged God as King forever.
However, before getting to this point of eulogising God in this manner, a lot happened, which were revealed in this letter of Nebuchadnezzar to the people of all nation which narrates the account of his dream, how Daniel again interpreted it, how it came to pass and how God rescued him in the end.
This particular dream was a terrifying one.
Again, none of his fortune tellers was able to interpret the dream and then Daniel’s service was required.
The king affirmed that the Spirit of the holy God is in him and that he understands all mysteries.
Below is a summary of the king’s dream:
In his dream, he saw a huge tree in the middle of the earth. The tree grew bigger and bigger until it reached the sky until and could be seen by everyone in the world.
The tree was fruitful and with leaves and wild animals rested in its shade. Read the details of the dream here in Dan 4:10-17.
Then in verse 13, an angel appeared and ordered that the tree should be cut down
With its leaves stripped and fruits scattered, but the stump was left.
The stump was bound with iron and bronze according to Daniel 4:15.
The tree was to be drenched with the dew of the heaven and was to live among the animals and plants of the field according to Dan 4:15.
It’s very clear this dream was talking about King Nebuchadnezzar and the punishment was to last for 7 good years.
Why was King Nebuchadnezzar banished from the palace into the forest?
It’s all about the fact that he crafted an image for himself made with pure gold instead of the exact thing he saw in the dream, claiming no empire could displace him. To make matter worse, he ordered people to bow down in worship, forgetting that God hates Pride and idolatory.
Having interpreted the dream, Daniel then advised him to stop sinning and acknowledge God as the only true and living God worldwide. Unfortunately, he did not pay attention and that’s the dream became fulfilled.
To proof to him that his kingdom can be displaced, God then allowed him to wander into forest and become an animal.
In other words, human mind was taken away from him and was replaced with the mind of an animal. He started eating foods that animals eat.
This happened for seven years. What a terrifying experience.
The aim is for him to admit that the supreme God controls all human kingdoms, and that God can give them to anyone he chooses. After that he would then become king again.
That was the reason for the stump of the tree that was remaining.
Then in verses 28-33, we can see the fulfilment of that dream.
After seven years, he was again restored to his kingdom. Verses 34-37
What lessons can we learn from this chapter?
We must know that God rules over earthly kings, presidents, governors, senators etc
If we are proud and disregard God, He will humble us. The Bible says God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.
To be continued…stay tuned and stay blessed.
Let us Pray as we declare this together:
Freedom and peace of mind are mine right now. No power of darkness can cut my life short. I know this truth and I believe and affirm it. Come rain, come sunshine, I will fulfil my destiny, in Jesus name.
Bible Readings For Today: 1 Peter Chapters 4 & 5 with Isaiah Chapter 34
I call you blessed now and always.
Friday October 23, 2020 (DDMI)
