A call to prayer, reading and meditation (Sermon 9)

Date 20 01 02 Text Daniel 9 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church

We have considered Daniel under two kings so far – under two Babylonian kings Nebuchadnezzar and under his grandson Belshazzar. Daniel also served under two Medo-Persian kings. In Chapters 9 and 6 we read of two things that happened to him under King Darius the Mede. As is often the case, we don’t know anything about Darius except what we find in the Bible. We are told that he was a Mede by descent and that he was the son of Xerxes {Ahasuerus} and that he was made ruler over the Babylonian {Chaldean} kingdom, presumably by Cyrus the Persian. What we read of in Daniel 9 happened In the first year of Darius. His example here is a clarion call to three basic Christian disciplines – prayer, reading and meditation.

1. A call to read God’s Word

By this time Daniel is probably about 82. We say that because he probably came to Babylon as an exile in 605 BC when he would have been about 14. Some 68 years had now passed, almost the full 70 of the exile period. In this period he has seen the power of Babylon come and go. His own popularity has waxed and then waned and then waxed again so that he was again beginning to be honoured and respected. Through it all, he has remained faithful. Come rain or shine he has continued to look confidently to the Lord. He has continued to trust in him.

As the chapter opens then we can picture this old man with his long white beard – not in the palace or going about his civic duties - but sat at home. There is a lamp on the table, perhaps, and before him he has a great scroll opened and he is pouring over its contents. It is part of Daniel’s Bible. No slimline pocket editions from the Bible Societies in those days. Rather each book of the Old Testament was available only on handwritten scrolls. The scroll Daniel has at this present moment is the prophecy of Jeremiah. When Daniel was a boy back in Judah Jeremiah had been preaching. Perhaps Daniel could remember having heard him preach. As he read from the prophecy perhaps he could picture him in his minds’ eye. As he read from Jeremiah he discovered something quite remarkable that had either escaped his attention previously or came home to him with new force. In verse 2 he tells us how in the first year of Darius I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the LORD given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last 70 years. Jeremiah’s prophecy wouldn’t have had chapters or verses then but today we can see that Daniel must have been reading Jeremiah 25:8-11 and especially 29:10-14.

25:8-11 Because you have not listened to my words, I will summon all the peoples of the north and my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, declares the LORD, and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and against all the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy them and make them an object of horror and scorn, and an everlasting ruin. I will banish from them the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, the sound of millstones and the light of the lamp. This whole country will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon for 70 years.

29:10-14 When 70 years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfil my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you, declares the LORD, and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile

Can you imagine Daniel reading this and remembering his childhood days? If you grew up in one place as a child you will know how the memory of it is burned into you with an intensity nothing can match. I grew up in Cwmbran, as you know. Things like the route to the shops or school or chapel, are burned into the retina of my mind with an amazing depth. For Daniel, of course, besides all this, there was the Temple itself and all it meant. We know that he would open his windows and pray towards that temple three times every day. That’s where his heart was. And now he saw that the people of God were going to be returning there in just two years time. The Babylonians had come and gone and God clearly had plans for his people. But what about the calling on God and praying to him? Who was doing this? And so on the basis of what he read Daniel set to praying. Verse 3 So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes. Before we turn to his prayer let’s note some lessons found in these 3 verses.

Applications

1. Do not neglect the Word.

2. Look for applications to your situation. They are there – not in the newspaper way some imagine but what we need to know is there.

3. Reading should lead not to complacency but to prayer. Daniel did not say ‘O that’s good, I look forward to it. Rather, he began to pray earnestly for its fulfilment.

2. A call to pray to the Lord

It is interesting that in the Books of Ezra, Nehemiah and Daniel, in the ninth chapter of each we have a great prayer, one from each of these three great and holy men. In each case, these great prayers have something to teach us about how to go about praying to God in our day. Here in Daniel’s prayer we notice a number of things. Daniel’s prayer is characterised by seven things that ought to characterise our prayers too.

1. Pray with seriousness. Perhaps this goes without saying but there is an attitude about that we can engage in prayer lightly or casually, even with humour. This flies in the face of all we learn in Scripture. Daniel is in utter seriousness as he approaches the throne of grace here. Daniel prayed three times a day at normal times but this was a special season of extended prayer. In verse 3 he says So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes. The accompanying actions demonstrated how serious he was.

2. Pray with reverence. Daniel was clearly intimate with God but there is no ‘pallyness’ here. Look how he begins (4) O Lord, the great and awesome God.

3. Pray with penitence. The burden of this prayer is confession. I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed he says in verse 4. In verse 20 he refers to speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the LORD my God for his holy hill. He confesses his own sin and the sins of his people. He identifies with them. We must do the same. Do we?

5-8 We have sinned and done wrong he says We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame - the men of Judah and people of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you. O LORD, we and our kings, our princes and our fathers are covered with shame because we have sinned against you.

4. Pray with submissiveness. He makes no excuses for their guilt. He does not complain. We must do the same. Do we?

10-16 We have not obeyed the LORD our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets. All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you. Therefore the curses and sworn judgements written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you. You have fulfilled the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing upon us great disaster. Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem. Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us, yet we have not sought the favour of the LORD our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth. The LORD did not hesitate to bring the disaster upon us, for the LORD our God is righteous in everything he does; yet we have not obeyed him. Now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made for yourself a name that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong. … Our sins and the iniquities of our fathers have made Jerusalem and your people an object of scorn to all those around us.

5. Pray with confidence. It is important to notice that though Daniel is very penitent and submissive, he is yet full of confidence in the Lord. We need that blend in our prayers so much. He addresses the Lord not only as awesome but also as the one who keeps his covenant of love with all who love him and obey his commands. In verse 9 we have the same note, The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him. The prayer ends with a confident plea to God’s mercy (18, 19)

Give ear, O God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For your sake, O my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.

God is merciful. We cannot presume on that mercy but we can be confident about it.

6. Pray with particularisation. One problem we often have in prayer is that we are not specific enough. Daniel is not like that at all. He is very specific:

16 O Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your holy hill … 17 Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, O Lord, look with favour on your desolate sanctuary. 18 … see the desolation of the city that bears your Name … 19 … O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act!

7. Pray with persuasiveness. Finally, note how although Daniel does not make demands as such he is very persuasive. He uses all the arguments he can muster. This also ought to characterise our prayers. Cf 15 Now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made for yourself a name that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong. Note the reminder of who these people were and how God had worked for them in the past. 16 O Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your holy hill … 17-19 … For your sake, O Lord, look with favour on your desolate sanctuary. … see the desolation of the city that bears your Name … For your sake, O my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name. How often do we pray like that?

3. A call to meditate on the Lord’s future plan

Thirdly, we come to the matter of meditation and especially the call to meditate on God’s future plan. If we really want to pray and read Scripture then meditation or contemplation must go with it. It’s clear here that it was as Daniel meditated and reflected on what he’d read in Jeremiah, as he revolved it in his mind, that it began to sink in that he was near the end of the exile. As he was thinking about these 70 years, God sent Gabriel to him again and he was given something more to reflect on.

In verses 20, 21 he tells us while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice (3 pm).

1. Important general insights. Initially Gabriel says two very interesting things

22 He instructed me and said to me, Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding. It as we meditate on God’s Word and pray about it that insight and understanding come. If we simply forget about what we read and don’t pray in the light of it we will have no insight and no proper understanding.

23 As soon as you began to pray, an answer was given, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed. Daniel was highly esteemed in heaven. The angels knew about him. Do they know about you? Daniel is assured here that as soon as he started to pray an answer was given. Are you tempted to leave replying to things? Usually it’s best to make an immediate reply and then if there is a delay at least it won’t be so bad. By this time it is afternoon but, we are told, the actual answer was given as soon as Daniel prayed. We do not know the reason for the delay but it assures us that even though answers to prayer may take some time in coming from our point of view the norm is for them to be immediately answered.

2. Important specific insights. Gabriel then goes on to reveal something new to Daniel. Therefore, consider the message and understand the vision: he says (24) Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city (Jerusalem). Now we cannot be sure about how to take these sevens but it would seem most likely that each seven stands for approximately seven years and so we are talking about a period of around 490 years. If we take that as starting from the decree of Cyrus in about 535 it brings us to a period just over 40 years before the birth of Christ. There would be a shortfall then but we must take these figures as very round numbers. That it must be the events concerning Christ’s coming that are referred to here is clear.

Gabriel talks about a series of things that are going to happen in this period. These years are decreed

1 To finish transgression and to put an end to sin. There was a day coming Daniel is told when God would deal with transgression and sin. He would bring them to an end. And that is what he has done in the Lord Jesus Christ. He has finished with transgression, he has brought sin to an end. We do not see the completion of the task yet by any means but it is under way. From the cross the words It is finished! have sounded out.

2 To atone for wickedness. More specifically there is a reference to the work of Christ in dying on the cross to atone for the wickedness of men. He has paid the price of atonement by dying as a substitute.

3 To bring in everlasting righteousness. Here is the positive side. He has brought in an eternal righteousness that can be yours through trust in him.

4 To seal up vision and prophecy. When Christ comes then all the visions and prophecies of the Old Testament era will find their fulfilment in him. Revelation will come to an end. It will be sealed up. And that is what happened. Within the first century of Christ’s coming the Scriptures were complete as we have them today, Old and New Testaments. They are not to be subtracted from or added to. They are sufficient for us.

5 To anoint the most holy {one}. How was all this possible? As we’ve been saying, it was through the anointing of the Most Holy One. It was through the Messiah or Christ, who we know is Jesus of Nazareth.

In verses 25-27 Gabriel goes into some more detail about the coming 490 years by dividing it into three unequal sections. There will be three periods

• One of seven ‘sevens’. 25 Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens’, (49 years) and (then) 62 ‘sevens’ (434 years). It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. So the first period will be one of some 49 years. During that period Cyrus would issue his decree for the return of the Jews to the Promised Land. God would raise up Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi to encourage the people. Jerusalem would be rebuilt.
• One of 62 ‘sevens’ 26 After the 62 ‘sevens’ (434 years) – this period is passed over in silence and that is just what it was, a period of silence, what we often call the inter-testamental period when there was no revelation from God until John the Baptist.
• Another ‘seven’ (7 years). The final seven is when
• (26) the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing … The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. 27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘7’. The Lord Jesus would bear the wrath of God and be rejected by men. He would set up the new covenant at that time.
• Also (26) The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. 27 … In the middle of the ‘7’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him {it}. The end of the sacrificial system came because he died on the cross – the once for all sacrifice fulfilling the types. With Jerusalem’s overthrow in 70 AD by the Romans under Titus it became impossible. The Romans again set up idols there. It is difficult to be sure about detail but once again we see the accuracy with which Daniel half a millennium before the coming of Messiah is able to see the future so clearly by the grace of God. What a comfort to him to know that sin was going to be dealt with. We are looking, of course, not to the first coming but the second. Sin has been dealt with in part, praise God and there is more to come. It is right that we meditate on God’s Word as we also look to the future which is entirely his hands.

A warning message for hardened sinners (Sermon 8)

Date 13 01 02 Text Daniel 5 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church

What I have for you this morning I have entitled ‘A warning message for hardened sinners’. We are all sinners, of course, we have all sinned and fallen short of God’s glory and need to repentant. From the moment we know that we ought to repent and yet do not do that, we are hardened sinners, sinners who have resisted the gospel. When I say ‘This is a message for hardened sinners’ you may think to yourself ‘Does that mean me?’ If you know you ought to repent and trust in Jesus Christ but you haven’t done that then you are a hardened sinner. There is such a thing as being more or less hardened. The case we have here of Belshazzar is an example of someone far gone in hardening his heart. He stands as a warning to all who have hardened their hearts or are tempted to harden their hearts.

Daniel Chapter 5 is a famous chapter of the Bible. Perhaps you know it well. You may have seen pictures of the fingers writing their message of judgement on the wall. In English we have that saying don’t we ‘The writing is on the wall’? It means as here ‘A disaster is about to happen’. I want us to look both at Belshazzar, a hardened sinner who we must not follow and Daniel the preacher whose message we must all heed if we are to avoid the disaster that came to Belshazzar.

As we have said before, Daniel’s service under four kings is covered in this book. We have looked at his service under King Nebuchadnezzar in Chapters 1-4 and then the two visions he had (Chapters 7 and 8) in the early years of Belshazzar. Now we come to the last year of Belshazzar, some 50 years after Daniel arrived in Babylon as a young boy. We know from elsewhere that Belshazzar was the son of Nabonidus who was the king who succeeded Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar reigned c 605-562 and Nabonidus 556-539, the last six years involving a co-regency. For the last 10 years of his reign Nabonidus was away fighting in central Arabia. It would seem that Belshazzar, the crown prince, reigned in that period. Much of the power was with the Queen Mother who appears to feature in this chapter.

It is clear that by this time Daniel is a forgotten man. Since Nebuchadnezzar’s time he has been marginalised, sidelined, forgotten. God still remembers him, of course, but to Belshazzar he is a nobody, until suddenly the king sees he is the most important man in the kingdom – but it is too late. It’s like doctors and nurses. Who worries about where to find one when they are well. But when you are sick and in need – that’s a different situation. Who needs preachers? The hardened sinner comes to a sermon like this and he thinks ‘May be I’ll listen; may be I won’t. It doesn’t really matter.’ Such an attitude could cost you your life.

Let’s look at Belshazzar and at Daniel then, Belshazzar the hardened sinner and Daniel the faithful preacher, and at what happened in far away Babylon so long ago.

1. Hardened sinners

1. Their character

1 They ignore the truth. It is staggering to think that although Belshazzar had grown up in Daniel’s life time and must have at least heard about what happened to his grandfather – the dreams and Daniel’s interpretations and the period of madness and the decree to worship the true God, etc, yet he did nothing about all that. He just ignored it. He forgot about it. Are you the same? Beware.

2 They live for pleasure. The very first thing we read about Belshazzar is in verse 1 King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine with them. I suppose it could be taken as a note of the generosity of Belshazzar or his conviviality but bearing in mind everything else that we read here about him it points to a sensuality, a lust for pleasure, that was allowed to dominate everything else. At this very time the Persians and the Medes were drawing ever closer yet Beklshazzar was intent on having his feast, the very last thing he ever did. Are you like that? Are you impelled by the desire for enjoyment? Are you driven by the pleasure principle? Is having a good time all that matters to you? Beware.

3 They blaspheme against God. We are told in verses 2 and 3 that While Belshazzar was drinking his wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver goblets that Nebuchadnezzar his father (ie grandfather) had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them. So they brought in the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them. Nebuchadnezzar was a sinful man. It was wrong for him to have destroyed the Temple as he did. How much worse was Belshazzar to act as he did, however. Yet this is the tendency of the hardened sinner. He shows no reverence. He jokes about holy things. He makes light of them and uses them as if they were his to do as he likes with. Another warning, especially to those so familiar with these things.

4 They worship idols. Verse 4 adds that As they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone. It is clear that what ever noises Nebuchadnezzar had made in favour of the true God, his kingdom had not changed. Indeed, we have evidence from elsewhere of him engaging in promoting idolatry on several fronts throughout his reign. Belshazzar and those with him were enslaved to the same empty and ridiculous system of idolatry that existed before Daniel came to Babylon. The idols are different today. Some are run by big business and the sports industry and others but it abounds. Do you worship idols? Is there a secret shrine in your heart to some idol? It will destroy you if you do not repent.

2. What it is like when God speaks directly to them

1 It is a supernatural and amazing thing. So you can imagine the scene. There is Belshazzar sat on his throne on a little platform at one end of the palace. All around him are a thousand nobles and their wives and concubines. They are laughing and singing and no doubt engaging in various sorts of lewd behaviour as they blasphemously drink form the holy cups and worship their idols. What a noise rises from the palace. Then suddenly everything stops. Why? Verse 5 tells us how Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared (just fingers not a hand) and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote. This is the finger of God suddenly speaking directly to Belshazzar. It is a supernatural thing. How amazing it is. How often God speaks like this we do not know but he certainly spoke to Belshazzar like it and left him with no excuse for his sin.

2 It is a frightening experience. Certainly all we know of God’s interaction with men leads us to see that such an encounter is a frightening thing indeed. We read of Belshazzar that His face turned pale and he was so frightened that his knees knocked together and his legs gave way. He could not have been more frightened.

3 It is incomprehensible to the sinner. Of course, although the writing was very plain and could easily be read by the king and all his nobles, what it meant was not nearly so clear. It is like the Bible. The Bible is clear but few who read it get to its heart. And so Belshazzar does just what his father did (7) The king called out for the enchanters, astrologers and diviners to be brought and said to these wise men of Babylon, Whoever reads this writing and tells me what it means will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around his neck, and he will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom. And exactly the same thing happened Then all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or tell the king what it meant. It is the same today. Here is a person who wants to understand the Bible. He sees an advert. It’s for the Reader’s Digest Book of the Bible or something like that. He sends for it. He looks at the lovely pictures and diagrams. May be he even reads it. Does he understand the Bible? No. Such books won’t help him. It just makes him less sure that the Bible has the answer anyway. So he goes to a church and he has the same experience because the preacher is a false teacher.

4 Its incomprehensibility increases their fear. In verse 9 it says So King Belshazzar became even more terrified and his face grew more pale. His nobles were baffled. We can sympathise I’m sure. Maybe you know just how he felt. Judgement is obviously coming but how, from where? We are bewildered and in fear.

2. Faithful preachers

1. Their character

It is at this point that Daniel comes back into the story. Here comes a faithful preacher of the Word. Here is Belshazzar’s one last hope, the last opportunity to hear God’s message. Daniel has the character of a faithful preacher of God’s Word.

1 They are the only ones who can help sinners but the last ones they turn to. It is the queen or probably the Queen Mother who remembers Daniel and commends him to Belshazzar. She remembers what happened in Nebuchadnezzar’s reign. It’s alright she says to the king Daniel will sort it out Don’t be alarmed! Don’t look so pale! There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. In the time of your father he was found to have insight and intelligence and wisdom like that of the gods. King Nebuchadnezzar your father - your father the king, I say - appointed him chief of the magicians, enchanters, astrologers and diviners. There are various providences that lead us in the right direction. Despite our natural reluctance to listen to faithful preaching, God sometimes shuts us up so that we have to listen.

2 They are marked by wisdom and insight. In describing Daniel the queen majors on his intelligence and his ability to interpret. Verse 12 This man Daniel, whom the king called Belteshazzar, was found to have a keen mind and knowledge and understanding, and also the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles and solve difficult problems. Call for Daniel, she says, therefore, and he will tell you what the writing means. Faithful preachers need a certain amount of intellectual ability, not necessarily academic, but they need to know the Bible well. They need to have an insight into its message. Otherwise, they can do no good. Daniel was such a man. We need more like him today. Pray that God will raise up more preachers. There is a desperate need for more and more such people.

3 They are men who know something about suffering. When Belshazzar meets Daniel he says (13) Are you Daniel, one of the exiles my father the king brought from Judah? This is a little reminder of the painful background that was Daniel’s. It brings back to mind what we learned in Chapter 1. It was long ago now but it had shaped who Daniel was – an exile, a man who had reluctantly left behind his homeland and been taken to Babylon and forced to learn its language and culture. I would venture to say that in the case of every faithful preacher there is an element of suffering. It is one of the things that God uses to prepare them for future ministry. In suffering, one thing we ought to keep in mind is how it may prepare us for future ministry.

4 They are not ambitious for worldly advantage. In verse 16 the king says If you can read this writing and tell me what it means, you will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around your neck, and you will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom (ie after Nablus and himself). This is the typical ‘money can fix everything’ sort of attitude so common in this world. Daniel is not interested in such things. His reply shows that he has not changed from the boy of 14 or 15 who chose to eat vegetables rather than defile himself with the king’s food. Verse 17 Then Daniel answered the king, You may keep your gifts for yourself and give your rewards to someone else. Nevertheless, I will read the writing for the king and tell him what it means. Daniel is willing to do all he can for the king but as for worldly reward, he is not interested. That is another mark of the faithful preacher, one to be cultivated by those who preach or aspire to preach and another way of telling if a man can be trusted or not. If he is after money or worldly fame then give him a wide berth.

2. What they have to say when they preach

Here is the most important thing.

1 They preach the sovereignty of God. Verse 18 O king, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar sovereignty and greatness and glory and splendour. Daniel makes quite clear to Belshazzar where greatness comes from – from God alone. This is a mark of all faithful preaching – it points us to God. Look to him.

2 They preach against pride. Daniel then goes on to remind Belshazzar of things he well knew but had conveniently forgotten – of how powerful his grandfather Nebuchadnezzar had been, But (20) when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory. He was driven away from people and given the mind of an animal; he lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like cattle; and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and sets over them anyone he wishes. Despite this incredibly graphic lesson Belshazzar had done nothing at all to humble himself before God. Verse 22 But you his son, O Belshazzar, have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this. Is that the situation with some of you this morning? You know that God hates pride. You know how he humbles sinners like Nebuchadnezzar and Herod and Belshazzar too. But have you humbled yourself before him? Have you bowed down in reverence to God? God resists the proud. What hope is there for you if you go on in arrogance and pride as you are?

3 They preach against ungodliness. In verse 23 Daniel describes how instead of humbling himself the king had Instead, set himself up against the Lord of heaven. You had the goblets from his temple brought to you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand. But you did not honour the God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways. Don’t you realise that God holds your life in his hands? He will soon judge you. Yet you live regardless of him. You do not worship him or serve him as you should. Your idols are far more precious to you.

4 They preach what God’s Word means. One of the most important things that preachers do is to explain the meaning of God’s Word. That is what we need – to know what God’s Word actually says. This is the heart of what we preach here. Obviously there is more than that involved but that is the heart of it, as here. If a preacher doesn’t explain to you what God’s Word says then he can do you little good.

3. The final message faithful preachers have for sinners

1 Your days are numbered and will soon end. Here Mene comes first. Daniel says God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end. A mina is a peace of money and can mean numbered too. None of us lives forever. Soon we will be judged. Belshazzar had no time at all. Perhaps you only have a short time too. None of us has long.

2 You’ve been weighed and found wanting. Next comes Tekel. Daniel says You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting. A tekel is like a shekel, another unit of money or weight. It here means weighed. All our lives God is weighing us, sizing us up. He knows what we are really worth. All you have ever done has been assessed by God and you are being assessed now. You know you lack the weight. You know you cannot make it up. Christ alone can do that.

3 What you thought you had will be given to others. Peres{singular of Parsin} refers both to Persia, the nation that was about to take the kingdom, and means divided. It is also a half mina or a half shekel. Daniel says Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians. Belshazzar was about to lose all he held dear, even his very life. Death awaits us all and if we are not in Christ even what we think we have will be irreparably lost. Wake up to your situation before it is too late.

3. What happens when hardened sinners ignore faithful preachers and do not repent

Daniel was faithful but Belshazzar obviously did not listen. Verse 29 Then at Belshazzar’s command, Daniel was clothed in purple, a gold chain was placed around his neck, and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom. Yet (30, 31) That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain, and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom, at the age of 62. We know that is what happened. What about you? Are you repenting?

Learning from Daniel's Second Vision (Sermon 7)

Date 06 01 02 01 Text Daniel 8 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church

We’ve begun to study the Book of Daniel. As I’ve said before, one of the problems with it is that while the first six chapters are fairly straightforward the second six are much more difficult to follow. That is because the first half of the book is all about Daniel and his friends and what happened to them in far away Babylon, while the second half mainly features a series of visions that are quite difficult to follow in some places and sometimes hard to understand. Rather than keeping all that material to the end I’m following my father-in-law’s lead in his little book Daniel – Servant of God under four kings. There he groups the material from Daniel in respect to the four different kings who were reigning when the visions or events occurred. The first four chapters of Daniel, which we have looked at, relate events that all took place during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon. When we come to Chapter 5 we find that a new king is in the palace – Belshazzar. We know from elsewhere that he was the son of Nabonidus, the king who succeeded Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar reigned c 605-562 and Nabonidus 556-539, the last six years involving a co-regency. For the last ten years of his reign Nabonidus was away fighting in central Arabia. It would seem that Belshazzar, the crown prince, reigned in that period. Much of the power was with the Queen Mother who is mentioned in Chapter 5.

Chapter 5 concerns the final hours of Belshazzar’s reign and the fall of Babylon. Chapter 7 relates a vision given to Daniel In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon. We have looked at that chapter. Chapter 8 begins similarly In the third year of King Belshazzar’s reign, I, Daniel, had a vision, after the one that had already appeared to me. So, chronologically, Chapters 7 and 8 come before Chapter 5. That’s why we are following this order. The vision of Chapter 8 overlaps with the previous two – the one in Chapter 7 and the one back in Chapter 2 that Nebuchadnezzar received. This one focuses in on part of what is covered in the others. Verse 1 gives the time of Daniel’s vision (In the third year of King Belshazzar). Daniel would have been in his sixties by this time. Babylon is still standing but its days are clearly numbered. Three things seem to emphasise this.

1. Unlike the other visions this one is described in Hebrew not Aramaic, the language of God’s people not that of their oppressors.

2. Also, unlike the previous night visions, this dream took place during the daytime. The day was coming.

3. In verse 2 we are told where the vision took place - In my vision I saw myself in the citadel of Susa in the province of Elam; in the vision I was beside the Ulai Canal. After Babylon’s collapse, this city was to become the capital of the Persian Empire that succeeded it. The Ulai was an artificially constructed canal some 900 feet wide linking two great rivers.

Let’s consider the vision then

1. Learn from Daniel’s vision that history is the unfolding of God’s plan and purpose

There are four features in particular that we need to note.

1. Ram. In verses 3 and 4 Daniel describes a two-horned ram charging about and doing as he pleased. One horn is longer than the other though it grows up later. This is a clear reference to the Medo-Persian Empire that would in just a few years overthrow the Babylonians. They were led by Darius the Mede at first but then Cyrus the Persian came to power. One of their symbols was a ram. See verse 20 The two-horned ram that you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia. As predicted here the Medes and Persians made gains towards the west and the north and the south though not the east. As verse 4 puts it No animal could stand against him, and none could rescue from his power. He did as he pleased and became great.

2. Goat. Then in verses 5-7 a one-horned goat appears flying in from the west. See verse 21 The shaggy goat is the king of Greece, and the large horn between his eyes is the first king. He defeats the ram by knocking him down and trampling him. This is a very vivid way of describing what happened in BC 336-323 following the death of Philip of Macedon and the rise of his son, Alexander the Great. First he defeated the Persians. See verses 6 and 7 He came towards the two-horned ram I had seen standing beside the canal and charged at him in great rage. I saw him attack the ram furiously, striking the ram and shattering his two horns. The ram was powerless to stand against him; the goat knocked him to the ground and trampled on him, and none could rescue the ram from his power. Before his early death at the age of 32 Alexander also rapidly carved out an empire stretching from Greece to India. See verse 5 As I was thinking about this, suddenly a goat with a prominent horn between his eyes came from the west, crossing the whole earth without touching the ground. Verse 8 The goat became very great ….

3. Four horns. Verse 8 goes on to tell how after the goat became great its long horn was broken off only to be replaced by four others. The goat became very great, but at the height of his power his large horn was broken off, and in its place four prominent horns grew up towards the four winds of heaven. This refers to the way, after Alexander’s death, his empire was shared out among four generals – Cassander (Macedonia), Lysimachus (Asia Minor, Thrace), Seleucius (Syria) and Ptolemy (Egypt). See verse 22 The four horns that replaced the one that was broken off represent four kingdoms that will emerge from his nation but will not have the same power. As quickly as they come so they go – the powers of this world.

4. Little horn. Then we come to the real focus of this chapter. From one of these horns another grows and in verses 9-12 his activities are described. He starts small but grew in power to the south and to the east and towards the Beautiful Land, that is Canaan. There can be no doubt that this is a reference to the Syrian ruler Antiochus Epiphanes IV. In fact, this is so clear that there have been people who wanted unfairly to deny that Daniel is prophecy at all. Antiochus arose out of humble obscurity in the Seleucid quarter. His single minded ruthlessness brought him to power in 175 BC. He saw victories over Egypt to the south and Armenia to the east before turning his attention to the Promised Land. Verse 10 says It grew until it reached the host of the heavens, and it threw some of the starry host down to the earth and trampled on them. This refers to how Antiochus persecuted not angels but God’s people (cf Exodus 7:4, 12:41). In verse 11 we are told that It set itself up to be as great as the Prince of the host; (ie God himself) it took away the daily sacrifice from him, and the place of his sanctuary was brought low. This refers to the Temple in Jerusalem which he desecrated. Verse 12 Because of rebellion, the host of the saints and the daily sacrifice were given over to it. It prospered in everything it did, and truth was thrown to the ground. What dark, dark days those were. He banned the Sabbath and circumcision, replaced Temple sacrifice with pagan prostitution and bitterly persecuted the Jews. God’s people suffered every kind of humiliation and brutality.

In verses 13 and 14 a holy one (an angel) appears and Daniel asks how long it would be until that part of the vision was fulfilled. How long would Antiochus go on with his persecution and blasphemy? Daniel is told It will take 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be reconsecrated. If we take a year as being 360 days (probably the length of a biblical year) that adds up to six years and four months, just about the length of time that Antiochus’s outrages continued, ie 171-165 BC. When he went as far as replacing the Temple altar with a pagan one he precipitated the Maccabaean revolt that led to the recapture of the Temple. The sudden death of the stern-faced king and master of intrigue followed shortly after.

5. Applications. A number of lessons come to mind.

1 God knows the end from the beginning. What a comfort it was in the days of Antiochus for God’s people to have this prophecy. It’s a comfort to us today to know the future is in God’s hands. He knows all about it

2 He is in control. Not only does he know the future but he controls it too. Yes, he does allow evil men to grow in strength at times but he is also able to stop them just when he chooses.

3 He raises up tyrants and brings them down. It is important to remember that when an Antiochus, a Hitler, a Saddam rises to power then it is God who allows it. He also brings such people down. Ossamer bin Laden appears still to be at liberty but in the time of God’s choosing, not man’s, he will be brought to justice. [As has happened since this sermon was preached]

4. Some tyrants are worse than others. Antiochus was clearly far worse than any Babylonian or Persian ruler. There are some tyrants like that – evil men like Hitler and Stalin, Pol Pot and Mao Tse Tung who go very far indeed in their evil. We must recognise that fact.

5. When God allows his servants to suffer it is always for a limited time. This is one other word of comfort for all believers. The suffering does not go on incessantly.

2. Learn from the explanation of Daniel’s vision to look to God for revelation and victory

In verses 15-25 the vision is explained to Daniel. We’ve already drawn on some of these verses to confirm what we’ve said.

1. Look to God for revelation though you are weak and sinful

Daniel tells us that While he was watching the vision and trying to understand it, there before him stood one who looked like a man. This was Gabriel, an angel or heavenly messenger. He and Michael, named later in the book, are the only angels whose names we know. In verse 16 Daniel says And I heard a man’s voice from the Ulai calling, Gabriel, tell this man the meaning of the vision. Calvin is right when he suggests that this can be none other than the Second Person of the Trinity, the pre-incarnate Christ. So in obedience to Christ, Gabriel comes near to Daniel. Daniel says (17a) As he came near the place where I was standing, I was terrified and fell prostrate. This is what it is like when an angel draws near. What does Gabriel say? 17b Son of man, he said to me, understand that the vision concerns the time of the end – not the end of the world but the end of the troubles prophesied here. The presence of the angel is too much for Daniel and he becomes unconscious (18 While he was speaking to me, I was in a deep sleep, with my face to the ground. Then he touched me and raised me to my feet.) Gabriel then says (19) I am going to tell you what will happen later in the time of wrath, because the vision concerns the appointed time of the end. Or the end will be at the appointed time. Again we are thinking of the end of this present period of suffering for the Jews.

Daniel is clearly a weak and sinful man just like us but God speaks to him. Through this message he speaks to us this morning as well. Listen to the message.

2. Wicked men can do much harm but God will destroy them

In verses 20-22 follow the identifications we have already mentioned of the ram, goat and horns. Verses 23-35 concentrate on Antiochus, In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become completely wicked, a stern-faced king, a master of intrigue, will arise. This well describes what we know from elsewhere about this evil and deceitful man. It seems that he would befriend influential and unscrupulous men to gain power and then drop them when he had achieved his aims. He was like a gangster with no redeeming features. It says He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy the mighty men and the holy people. He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes - God himself. In his victories over others and his persecution of the holy people of God, in his blasphemies, deceit and pride, Antiochus did all this. His very title Epiphanes was a claim to be a manifestation of God himself.

But then note the end of verse 25 Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power (Lit human hand). Remember how in Nebuchadnezzar’s vision it was without hands that the little rock that struck the statue was formed. In 5:5 it is fingers without a hand that write Belshazzar’s doom. So the hand of God would destroy even this wicked antichrist Antiochus Epiphanes. And he did die – suddenly from an unknown disease. Yes, we must expect antichrists. Many evil men have arisen and will arise, as hard as it is for us to imagine sometimes. However, as easily as they come so they also go. God removes them. We must believe both that evil men arise and that God removes them. We must be wise and cautious but we must also rejoice for God reigns.

3. God cares for his people and even the strongest foe is as nothing before him

I’m sure you’ve heard of Alexander and perhaps the Persian Empire but may be not Antiochus. That is partly because in terms of world history he usually merits few comments. However, there is a good deal about him here precisely because of the effect he had on God’s own people. This gives us a clue to how God looks at history. He sees it all in terms of his kingdom and his unfolding purposes. This should give us who believe encouragement and stands as a warning to those who dare to oppose him and his people.

To God Antiochus is just a little horn. What is the Persian Empire? A lopsided ram! As for Alexander the Great – just a goat charging about! This puts it all in perspective. A Hitler, a Stalin, an Osama Bin Laden, what can they do before God? Nothing!

3. Learn from the circumstances of Daniel’s vision about revelation and life

In verses 26 and 27 the vision is concluded and Daniel tells us what followed. There are lessons here too.

1. See that what God reveals is true. 26a The vision of the evenings and mornings that has been given you is true. This is not some story but history given before its time. Daniel was assured that it was true and so it proved. One of the reasons such prophecies are given in Scripture is to assure us that this Word is absolutely true and reliable. Believe every word.

2. See the need to safeguard revelation. 26b but seal up the vision, for it concerns the distant future. The Word had to be kept safe until the needed time. There is evidence that it was taken care of and other Scriptures similarly. Down the years God’s people have taken great care to preserve the Scriptures and to keep them separate and distinct from other literature. We also must have the same attitude to the Bible. Are you giving it pride of place in your life?

3. Recognise the overwhelming nature of such revelations. 27a I, Daniel, was exhausted and lay ill for several days. Receiving such a revelation was no picnic. Daniel was severely debilitated by the whole experience. He didn’t come from it jumping and joking. This is typical of what happens when people experience a genuine encounter with God. It is important for us to realise the affect such encounters are likely to produce.

4. The need to go on living faithfully. But note verse 27b Then I got up and went about the king’s business. Daniel did not give up his job or spend his days anxiously waiting for another such experience. He got on with the work in hand. Again, he is an example to us of how to live. He saw no immediate unfolding of the vision but he waited for God’s time.

5. The mysterious nature of God’s revelations. Finally we read, verse 27c, I was appalled by the vision; it was beyond understanding. Daniel did not think ‘Ah now I know everything’. Even with this revelation, he still remained ignorant of many things. It was also clear that times of persecution were ahead for God’s people – he himself had not faced his biggest test in the lions’ den. We too know only in part. Many mysteries remain and who knows what lies ahead for us as individuals. Let’s be sober minded and serious.

4. One final lesson

We think of Gabriel mostly in connection with the birth of Jesus and John the Baptist. He is the one who announced that these births were to take place. Interestingly, as Stuart Olyott points out in his Welwyn commentary, when John was born his father Zechariah spoke these words – Luke 1:68, 69 Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David. There are several horns in Daniel 8. They stand for various princely powers. It is good that we remember, as we close, that God has his horn of power too. In the rest of the New Testament he is described not as a charging ram or a shaggy goat but the Lamb of God. When all the rams and goats of history are gone, the Lamb will remain. See Revelation 5:12, 13 In a loud voice they sang: Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and praise! Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honour and glory and power, for ever and ever! All other power is passing. In everything look only and always to him.

Important things to understand & consider about the world's kingdoms & God's kingdom (Sermon 6)

Date 25 11 01 Text Daniel 7 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church

I first studied the Book of Daniel when I was a young teenager. One of the problems I noticed with it then was that although the first six chapters are fairly straightforward, the next six are much more difficult to follow. That is because whereas the first six chapters are all about Daniel and his friends and what happened to them in far away Babylon, the second six mostly feature a series of visions that are quite difficult to follow in some places and often hard to understand.

Rather than keeping all that material to the end I thought I would follow the lead of my father-in-law Geoff Thomas who has a little book called Daniel – Servant of God under four kings. What he does is to group the material from Daniel in respect to the four different kings who were reigning when the visions or events occurred. The first four chapters of Daniel relate events that all took place during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon. When we come to Chapter 5 we find that a new king is in the palace – Belshazzar. We know from elsewhere that Belshazzar was the son of Nabonidus who was the king who succeeded Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar reigned c 605-562 and Nabonidus 556-539, the last 6 years involving a co-regency. For the last 10 years of his reign Nabonidus was away fighting in central Arabia. It would seem that Belshazzar, the crown prince, reigned in that period. Much of the power was with the Queen Mother who is mentioned in Daniel 5.

Daniel 5 is about the final hours of Belshazzar’s reign and the fall of Babylon. Chapter 7 begins In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and visions passed through his mind as he was lying on his bed. He wrote down the substance of his dream. Chronologically then Chapter 7 (and 8) comes before Chapter 5 and so we will look at it first.

Chapter 7 is the last chapter in Aramaic, the language of the Babylonians. The rest of the Book is in Hebrew. We do not know for sure but probably after this point in time the coming end of Babylon’s time of superiority was obvious to Daniel. Also despite his centrality during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel was very much marginalised by this time – a forgotten man. By the first year of Belshazzar, Daniel was in his early sixties. Perhaps he thought his life’s work was pretty much at an end but that was not the case. In earlier chapters we read of Daniel interpreting Nebuchadnezzar’s dream but here it is Daniel himself who has a vision. Although it is similar in some ways to what we read in Chapter 2, it is markedly different and there is a good deal for us to learn from what Daniel wrote down of the substance of his dream. It is good from time to time to focus on the bigger picture like this. We were forced to do that on September 11 this year but memories of that are fading and as we approach Christmas, a rather self-centred and certainly a more home centred time of the year, it is good to remind ourselves of the big picture.

1. Understand and consider six important things about the kingdoms of this world

1. The kingdoms of this world are in a constant state of flux

When I was a student in Aberystwyth I lived right by the seaside. It was wonderful to look out on the that vast expanse and especially at night during the winter months to see the incredible storms that could sometimes brew up. The sea would throw huge rocks up so that most of the halls of residence would board up their fronts and use the back entrances for a few months. Of course, if you go far out to sea storms can be even worse. There is constant flux, constant change. Right at the beginning of his dream, Daniel tells us, that is what he saw. He was far from any sea at the time but he says (2) In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea. Imagine it. Now it is out of this sea that the beasts that are mentioned come and there is clearly a symbolism here. The sea points to the constant change, the turmoil that characterises the kingdoms or nations of this world. One rises, another falls; one is thrown done, another begins to surface. This way and that way there is constant shifting, incessant variation. Some of you remember when Britain had a great empire – all that is almost gone. You can remember when Germany and Italy were world powers, or potentially so at least. Some of us can remember when we spoke of two world powers – Russia as well as America. It isn’t so long ago that the Ottoman Empire came to an end and before that there have been other rises and falls. There is nothing fixed about the nations’ power. It comes and goes. The same thing can be said not only about political power but financial and economic power too. Only this week the third largest company in America collapsed. Even just in the last few years there have been any number of fluctuations and changes so that fortunes have been won and lost. There is only constant change. That is why it is foolish to put your trust in princes or in any worldly leader. Such power cannot last.

2. The kingdoms of this world are often brutal in their ways. Back in Chapter 2 we read of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of a splendid statue representing the world’s succeeding empires, the same ones as are represented here. Here the imagery used is that of great beasts rather than magnificent statuary in precious metal. There the emphasis was on the fading glory of the world’s kingdoms. Here it is on their brutality, their harshness and animal menace. Empires and nations like to use beasts in their symbols and are often spoken of in such terms to this day – American Eagle, British Lion, Russian Bear, Chinese Dragon, etc. A book came out a few years ago on the re-emergence of fascism. It was called The beast re-awakens. The Bible does not suggest that there is nothing noble, nothing attractive about the kingdoms of this world but here (and again in Revelation 13) it uses this beast imagery to remind us that when such kingdoms get going they can be like huge almost unstoppable beasts with a life of their own.

3. Different kingdoms have differing characteristics. Daniel says that there were (3) Four great beasts, each different from the others, that came up out of the sea. He then describes them. We can be quite sure about which kingdoms he has in mind.

1 Babylon. (4) The first was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle. I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted from the ground so that it stood on two feet like a man, and the heart of a man was given to it. If you go down to the British Museum you can see representations of winged lions from Babylon. They would have been a familiar sight to Daniel. The lion is king of beasts and the eagle of birds and so for the first superpower, which is what Babylon was, this is an appropriate image. Of course, we have read of the experiences of Nebuchadnezzar in Chapters 1-4 and the humanising process that went on in his own life no doubt came into play in the life of his empire too. This reminds us that humanising tendencies can begin to dominate in even the most pagan and atheistic empires.

2 Medo-Persia. In Daniel’s own life time Babylon was taken by the Persians and the Medes. They are represented second again. Verse 5 And there before me was a second beast, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, Get up and eat your fill of flesh! When we are thinking of rapacious and dangerous animals the bear probably comes to mind. The choice is appropriate here as the bear is a slower, more lumbering sort of creature. This empire was a combined one of Medes and Persians and so it is not surprising that a distinction is made - It was raised up on one of its sides, perhaps pointing to the difference between the Medes and the more aggressive Persians. There was a voraciousness about the Persian empire well pictured by the image of a bear with its mouth full being urged to eat its full. The humanising tendency of the Babylonian situation is not here. Humanising tendencies are not to be assumed then. Some empires never lose their desire for more and more conquests.

3 Greece. Verse 6 After that, I looked, and there before me was another beast, one that looked like a leopard. And on its back it had four wings like those of a bird. This beast had four heads, and it was given authority to rule. The amazingly swift series of conquests that Alexander the Great was able to accomplish are almost legendary. It was an amazing feat of skill and speed. The appropriateness of the leopard as a symbol of his swift success is obvious to anyone who knows the amazing story. The double pair of wings only adds to the vision of speed. The four heads point to the early splitting of the kingdom among Alexander’s generals. Four also points to the four points of the compass – a spreading out in every direction. Again, empires can grow up very swiftly. They may be divided up and yet spread far and wide. Each one is different.

4 Rome. Verse 7 After that, in my vision at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast - terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns. Later, in verse 19, Daniel amplifies that the fourth beast, which was different from all the others and most terrifying had not only iron teeth but also bronze claws - the beast that crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. Here is a beast that is quite different to the others. Daniel does not even know what to call it. It is more like a machine than a beast as such, crushing underfoot and devouring its victims with large iron teeth. This well epitomises the character of the Roman Empire. Then just as the legs of Nebuchadnezzar’s statue had 10 toes so here we read of ten horns on this beast. Verse 8 While I was thinking about the horns, says Daniel there before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth that spoke boastfully. It is this fourth beast that Daniel most wants to know about when he asks later for an explanation of the vision. We too would like to know just what the 10 horns and the little horn stand for. For the moment, let us simply note that some evil regimes turn into indescribable monsters, half-beast half-machine in their fury.

4. As time goes on, the more evil the kingdoms of this world become. We have seen how these beasts get worse as we go along. What about these 10 horns on the last of them? In verses 24, 25 Daniel is told The 10 horns are 10 kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings. He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time. This is not an easy passage but it is doubtful if the answer will be found by identifying the horns with particular individuals or nations. We are talking rather about a number of powers with their roots, in some sense, in the Roman Empire. From their own midst another leader will arise, subduing some of those other kings in the process. The fact that he will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints reminds us that the Bible speaks of Antichrist, the personification of opposition to Christ. Some identify the anti-Christ with the Pope and one can see how that make sense from this passage. I think that, as John suggests, it is more the spirit of antichrist that we need to be on the look out for because even if there is one final Antichrist at the every end of time, before then there will be many antichrists. Here he is said to be one who will be (verses 20 and 24, 25)

A proud subduer of those whoa re weaker. The horn that looked more imposing than the others and that had eyes and a mouth that spoke boastfully.

A blasphemer of God. He will speak against the Most High.

A persecutor of Christians. And oppress his saints

An interfering meddler with creation and law. And try to change the set times and the laws.

Thus wherever we see this sort of behaviour, we know we are facing antichrist. Many have blasphemed the name of the most high. The Roman emperors increasingly demanded to be worshiped as gods. Some of them were fierce persecutors, as others have been in more recent times. In the French Revolution, efforts were made to get rid of the seven day week and attempts to draft legislation contrary to God’s Word have been common in many regimes.

What this passage teaches us is that we will increasingly see such things in this world. Succeeding powers are progressively less humane; increasingly more rapacious; increasingly swift to advance its own interests; increasingly well ordered and machine like in its conduct. With this comes increasing blasphemy, persecution and high-handedness. It is important that we are aware of this process so that we are not taken by surprise. This is all foretold in the Scriptures.

5. The kingdoms of this world are often and increasingly active in persecuting believers.

It is the persecution of believers, no doubt, that particularly strikes Daniel and causes him to be troubled in spirit (15) and, as he says (28) deeply troubled by my thoughts, so that his face turned pale. In verse 21 he says how As I watched, this horn was waging war against the saints and defeating them. We live in a time and place that in some ways is more free of persecution than any other. There is till persecution, however. And wherever Antichrist or the spirit of antichrist is found, persecution follows. Again, this is something that we must be aware of and act accordingly.

6. However strong they may be, the kingdoms of this world will not last, for God will judge them

Despite Daniel’s concerns, the other thing that comes out here is the fact that this world’s kingdoms cannot continue unchecked. Daniel tells us (9) As I looked, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. This Ancient of days is, of course, God himself. Daniel describes him - His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. These words speak of holiness and purity, of blazing glory, wrath and unapproachable uniqueness. We are told (10) A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. Then we are told The court was seated, and the books were opened. It is the Day of Judgement. Daniel says (11, 12) Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking. I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire. (The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period of time.). Later on in verses 21, 22 we read that the war against the saints went on until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgement in favour of the saints of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom. Always remember the judgement. No matter how strong a nation may grow, it will be judged in the end. There is no escape. There is no escape for anyone. Even before that great day God’s judgements come on nations that transgress his laws.

2. Understand and consider six important things about the kingdom of God

In the midst of all this information on the kingdoms of this world, it is clear that Daniel is being taught to focus his mind on the kingdom of God whose characteristics are also revealed here to some extent. This is the answer to the feelings of distress and anxiety that some of this material inevitably provokes.

1. God’s kingdom is ruled over by his own Son.

Verse 13 In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. Quite rightly, the focus is on the Son of Man. Although at its most basic this merely means a human being, do note that this is one like a son of man and he comes with the clouds of heaven. It is a messianic title – the one that Jesus most used to refer to himself. So next comes not a beast but a man, and yet more than a man. No doubt Nebuchadnezzar and Darius and Alexander and the Caesars had admirable qualities as have other emperors, yet so often it is the beastly element that predominates. Certainly in men like Alexander, Genghis Khan, Ivan the Terrible, Napoleon, that is the element that stands out. How different the Saviour, the Prince over God’s own kingdom. He alone has the divine qualities that are altogether admirable. He alone is worthy to stand in the presence of the Ancient of Days. Worship him.

2. God’s kingdom is a universal kingdom.

In verse 14a we read that He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshipped him. The great kingdoms of this world are certainly marked by their conquering of other peoples but here is one who has power over all sorts of peoples and nations. The kingdom of God is a universal kingdom.

3. God’s kingdom is an eternal kingdom.

Verse 14b His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. How different to the passing kingdoms of this world. They cannot last, this one cannot fail. That is why we must enter this kingdom by being born again.

4. God’s kingdom is an eternal inheritance of the saints. 18 But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it for ever - yes, for ever and ever. What a wonderful word of encouragement for every believer.

5. The power of all the kingdoms of this world will eventually be handed over to God’s people. Verses 26, 27 But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed for ever. Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints, the people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.

6. We have to pass through many troubles before the kingdom of God eventually comes.

We have to end on this sobering note. Verse 15 I, Daniel, was troubled in spirit, and the visions that passed through my mind disturbed me. 28 This is the end of the matter. I, Daniel, was deeply troubled by my thoughts, and my face turned pale, but I kept the matter to myself. Daniel’s silence is understandable in that he now knew that Babylon’s days were definitely numbered. His consternation is not a lack of faith but a sober realisation of the many troubles that have to be faced before glory and judgement. We ought to do the same. Nevertheless, if we can only see it, there is much to encourage here too, especially when so much more has now been fulfilled

God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble (Sermon 5)

Date 18 11 01 Text Daniel 4 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church

Daniel 4 is a letter, an open letter from King Nebuchadnezzar, To the peoples, nations and men of every language, who live in all the world: ie the people of his great empire. It begins 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. And that’s what he does. He tells the story of his greatness and power, of his pomp and pride and of how he was warned not to go on in arrogance and self-confidence. Then how, refusing to listen, he came under God’s judgement and yet also knew God’s mercy as he was restored gy him to his former glory. There is some debate about whether Nebuchadnezzar became a true believer. Of that we cannot be certain but he was certainly not the man at the end of his reign that he was at the beginning. However deep or shallow his conversion was, he was certainly changed and that change pictures the sort of change that needs to come in our lives so that we are humbled before God and turn from pride and begin to honour God as we should.

1. Realise today what it took a proud man a long time to discover

Nebuchadnezzar begins his letter by declaring the greatness of Almighty God. This is something that we all need to accept.

1. Realise that God does great things. Verse 3 How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! All the way through the Bible we read of the wonderful things that God has done and is going to do. He is a great God of wonders whose ways are all ‘matchless godlike and divine’. This chapter gives another amazing example of this.

2. Realise that God rules forever. Nebuchadnezzar adds His kingdom is an eternal kingdom; his dominion endures from generation to generation. This was the lesson of the dream that Nebuchadnezzar had had back in Chapter 2. The great statue had been struck down by a small rock not cut with human hands. The rock destroyed the statue which stands for the kingdoms of this world and replaced it by growing into a mountain that fills the earth. The latter stands for the kingdom of God.

Do you realise these things? You ought to, but sadly, like Nebuchadnezzar before his amazing turn around you may have difficulty in believing it is so. You are so full of yourself that the idea of bowing down before God is alien to you. Learn from Nebuchadnezzar and humble yourself now, before it is too late.

2. Learn from the way that this proud man discovered these truths

1. Are you contented and prosperous? Do not presume on it.

In verse 4 Nebuchadnezzar sets the scene for us. He tells us how before the events of this chapter all occurred I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at home in my palace, contented and prosperous. That is how he describes his position:

Contented – At rest, at ease. ‘Without a care in the world’ we might say.

Prosperous – Successful, flourishing. ‘Everything just right’.

Is that you? Are things just right? Well, do not presume that it will be like that forever. That was Nebuchadnezzar’s mistake. He presumed that it would go on like that, but it didn’t.

2. Listen to God’s providential warnings against pride.

The first inkling that Nebuchadnezzar had that there was any likelihood of things changing was one night when, he says, (5) I had a dream that made me afraid. As I was lying in my bed, the images and visions that passed through my mind terrified me. Perhaps that has happened to you – a sense of uneasiness has come on you. Perhaps it was due to a dream or may be you heard about someone else running into trouble. May be you just got to thinking ‘I could lose all this in a moment.’ God has various ways of making us uneasy. We don’t always understand quite what is going on. Nebuchadnezzar certainly didn’t understand what this dream was about nor did his magicians, enchanters, astrologers and diviners.

The dream is described in verses 10-17. There are three parts to it.

1 The tall tree that Nebuchadnezzar sees (10-12). The King describes how he saw 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. Also 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. So here is a massive tree, resplendent and a source of blessing to many.

2 A message of doom is declared against it (13-16). Next the King sees a messenger, a holy one, coming down from heaven. The messenger calls 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. He adds But let the stump and its roots, bound with iron and bronze, remain in the ground, in the grass of the field. Then the metaphor is dropped and the angel says 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, till seven times pass by for him.

3 The reason why this announcement has been made (17). 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.

Nebuchadnezzar professed not to understand what the dream meant. We can only say, therefore, that pride blinds men to their situation. That final declaration of God’s power to take kingdoms and give kingdoms as he pleases should have alerted the King to what was being taught but in his blindness he simply could not see it. Are you blinded by pride? Do you simply shake off those fears you have? Are you trying to ignore the clear warnings that God is giving you of a fall ahead? If you were told that just up ahead there was a gang singling people out and hitting them down with hammers, would you just go ahead regardless? Surely that would be madness. I’m saying to you ‘Sit up’, ‘Take notice’, ‘Don’t go blithely on’.

3. Listen to God’s messengers and the warnings they give

Then in verse 8 we read that Finally, Daniel came into my presence and I told him the dream. The note in brackets - He is called Belteshazzar, after the name of my god, and the spirit of the holy gods is in him - suggests that even after all this Nebuchadnezzar had a great deal to learn and unlearn. He told Daniel his problem but he knew that the spirit of the holy gods was in him and no mystery was too difficult for him, and so he told him the dream.

1 What it is like to declare the wrath of God. Verse 19 is very interesting it reveals to us that declaring the Word of God to sinners is no picnic. It is a perplexing and horrifying thing. Then Daniel (also called Belteshazzar) was greatly perplexed for a time, and his thoughts terrified him. The king tried to reassure him Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its meaning alarm you. But Daniel answers My lord, if only the dream applied to your enemies and its meaning to your adversaries! I would say something similar this morning. How I wish what I had to say, in many ways, didn’t apply to any of you. If only it was for someone else. But it isn’t - it’s for you! Do believe me and do act on what I say.

2 God’s message to you today – repent or suffer. My message is the same as Daniel’s or very similar certainly.

• A warning of impending doom.
• How you are now. The tree in the story began (20, 21) large and strong, with its top touching the sky, visible to the whole earth, with beautiful leaves and abundant fruit, providing food for all, giving shelter to the beasts of the field, and having nesting places in its branches for the birds of the air – now this particularly appropriate for Nebuchadnezzar but in many ways that may be how it is for you today. Things could hardly be better. Like Nebuchadnezzar in some ways You have become great and strong; it may not be that your greatness has grown until it reaches the sky, or that your dominion extends to distant parts of the earth but all is well, you feel. God has been very good to you.
• What will happen next if you do not repent. God has been good to you and he expects you to acknowledge it. Next there is this messenger from heaven who says Cut down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump, bound with iron and bronze, in the grass of the field, while its roots remain in the ground. Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven; let him live like the wild animals, until seven times pass by for him. It might be being pronounced even now as we speak. Daniel spells out plainly what this means for the King (24, 25) This is the decree the Most High has issued against my lord the king: 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. Now, of course, I don’t have an insight into your future of the sort that Daniel had here. I don’t know if you will be struck down with some illness or some other disaster in the next 12 months. Nor do you. It is certainly possible though and without a doubt no-one here will go on forever. We will be struck down one by one or altogether by diseases and disasters. And even before the day of death there will no doubt be troubles enough for all of us. Do take this seriously. All may be well now but it cannot last indefinitely.
• A conditional word of hope. Don’t miss verse 26 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. It is not automatic. It depends on an acknowledgement of God’s sovereign rule. Often God humbles a man for this very reason.
• A call to repent. Especially note verse 27. Daniel says earnestly Therefore, O king, be pleased to accept my advice: Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue. Daniel doesn’t say ‘You’re doomed there’s nothing you can do.’ That sort of fatalism is never found in the Bible. It speaks often enough of God’s sovereignty – yes he is control but there is no idea of fate, of karma or kismet. The idea of God as it were ‘changing his mind’ is always before us. He has decided against Nebuchadnezzar but Daniel knows about God and so he says Renounce your sins now before it is too late. Renounce your wickedness. It may be that then your prosperity will continue. That’s what I would say to you this morning – Repent now while there is time. Don’t wait for some disaster. Don’t keep putting things off. Turn to the Lord.
• Do not make the mistake of being proud and refusing to listen. Don’t make the fatal mistake that Nebuchadnezzar made and put it off. It is clear that God did not act against the king immediately. For a whole 12 months nothing happened. This was surely God’s mercy yet the king, like so many others took no advantage of it. We don’t know exactly what happened – whether he forgot about the dream or whether he began to think there was nothing to it. He felt fine there seemed to be no problem. That is one of the problems with human nature - we forget so easily. Politicians rely on it. We get used to things. They say that people living next to waterfalls get so used to the sound that they are hardly aware of it. When Robin moves to Cranford he might find the planes keep him awake but not for long. People near Heathrow are used toit. How easy to make such a mistake. It would be so easy to go out of a meeting like this, even if you were very moved by it, and then to forget about it or to begin to think it doesn’t mean anything. Some of you have heard many messages like this – you’re used to it. Don’t be complacent. You may have good intentions but unless you actually do something about it what good will it be? 28-30 All this happened to King Nebuchadnezzar. Twelve months later, as the king was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, he said, Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty? And it was at that very moment God struck. Nebuchadnezzar had learned nothing it seems. He was as proud and self-confident as ever. It was as if there had been no warning. We know that he was a great builder (cf the hanging gardens), a great achiever but that was no reason to think he was invincible. We must not make the same mistake. We must repent now. We may have 12 months; we may have more; it may be less. It’s like when someone who has cancer asks how long have I got? The doctor may say six months but he cannot guarantee anything – it may be longer, it may be shorter. Cf Jesus’s parable of the fig tree where the gardener persuades the master to give the fruitless tree 12 more months.
• If you do God may strike you and humble you. 31-33 The words were still on his lips when a voice came from heaven, 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. It seems that the king was struck with what is now called lycanthropy. This where the individual basically thinks he is an animal, although not completely losing all sense of self-identity. Many cases have been recorded of one form (boanthropy) where the sufferer believes he or she is a cow. Why would God let such a thing happen? As one writer puts it, God had knocked and knocked but Nebuchadnezzar had made no real response and so this time God knocks so hard that he knocks the door of its hinges. C S Lewis talked about suffering as God’s megaphone. Sometimes God shout, as it were. We will not listen to anything else.
• God is merciful - if you’ve been humbled he can lift you up. Don’t miss this word of encouragement. Verse 34 At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes towards heaven, and my sanity was restored. There is a happy ending. By the grace of God this was not the end of Nebuchadnezzar’s story. God had mercy on him and restored him. What a word of hope this is. Event he most hopeless cases leave room for hope. God can humble and convert anyone. Yes, even you! I was talking to someone the other day about conversion and he said to me, as many do, ‘I have prayed. I have asked God to save me’ but it hasn’t happened. What should we say to such people? It’s difficult. It’s no good saying ‘You haven’t asked sincerely enough’. I usually try and say something like ‘Keep on asking because when you seek God with all your heart he will answer’. Perhaps I should say, ‘The problem is you’re not low enough yet.’ I remember when I was a teenager I agreed to bury some rubble in our back garden. Digging is hard work and I wasn’t used to it. More than once I thought I’d dug a hole deep enough. I think I even started burying the rubble at one point but it wasn’t deep enough. It was only after a lot of work that I had a hole deep enough to properly bury all that rubble. That perhaps is your problem – you’ve gone low, as low as you think you can but not low enough. You’re not at the top of the flats any more for sure – you’ve got down to street level. But you need to get down into the basement and then you need dig and dig some more. God says that he resists the proud but he gives grace to the humble and so we must humble ourselves and go as low as we can.

3. More of what a proud man discovered

Nebuchadnezzar ends his letter by sharing something of what he had discovered. How he praised God for his undeserved deliverance. Here he emphasises four things. It is by contemplating such truths that we will learn to be humble.

1. God rules forever

Then I praised the Most High; I honoured and glorified him who lives forever. His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation. The King saw his kingdom was temporal. It could not last forever. God’s kingdom goes on forever.

2. God is Almighty

35 All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No-one can hold back his hand or say to him: What have you done? Have you seen how powerful God is?

3. God is merciful

36 At the same time that my sanity was restored, my honour and splendour were returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne and became even greater than before. That should give you hope.

4. God is just

37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble. That is the final note. God is not only merciful but just also. That is why we must all repent.

A Call to refuse to conform to the idol worshipping ways of this world (Sermon 4)

Date 11 11 01 Text Daniel 3 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church

We come this week to one of the most famous stories in the Bible – the story of Daniel’s three friends in Nebuchadnezzar’s fiery furnace. It is a wonderful story of great faith and a miraculous escape. There are many stories of great martyrdoms in the Bible – think of the first, when Abel was killed by Cain because of his religion, or of Stephen, the first in the New Testament. There are many in church history too – think of the martyrs under Bloody Mary in the 16th Century and missionaries who died in China and the Congo and elsewhere in the 20th Century.

The Bible also contains examples of miraculous escapes such as when Peter was led out of prison at dead of night by an angel. In the Old Testament, the incident here and that of Daniel in the lions’ den are the most famous. Again, there are similar stories in subsequent church history such as the man in France who hid from his pursuers in an unused oven. No sooner had he closed the door than a spider wove a web over the entrance. When the soldiers came by they saw the web and guessed (wrongly) that it could not have been touched for some time.

Perhaps the most important verses in this chapter are 17, 18 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up. In a sense, whether the Hebrew friends survived or not was immaterial, what really matters is their great example of faith and the revelation of Christ that they received. Let’s learn from this passage then.

1. Realise believer that the world wants you to conform to its idol worshipping ways

Here in verses 1-7 we have a straightforward even crass example of idol worship. King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, 90 feet high and nine feet wide {27 by 2.7 metres}, and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. Here we see how Nebuchadnezzar used various elements to make idol worship attractive:

• A magnificent structure – it was huge, it was made of gold and was no doubt a well-crafted piece too.
• A grand inauguration – he made sure the idol was dedicated on a specific day and invited the top brass of the empire to be present. He then summoned the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials to come to the dedication of the image he had set up. So the satraps, prefects, governors, etc and all the other provincial officials assembled for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up, and they stood before it.
• An attractive presentation - he used a herald and musicians to call on people to worship the idol. Then the herald loudly proclaimed, This is what you are commanded to do, O peoples, nations and men of every language: As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up.
• A coercive decree – it was determined that anyone who failed to join in with this idol worship would suffer a harsh and severe penalty for their singularity. Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.
• An influential example – of course, once the majority were won over, it was the easiest thing in the world simply to join in with the crowd and very difficult to stand aside. Therefore, as soon as they heard the sound of the horn, flute, etc and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations and men of every language fell down and worshipped the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

Today an approach exactly like Nebuchadnezzar’s would probably not work in many places but the same elements are used again and again to promote the worship of various idols. You know that all manner of things can be made an idol of. Think today of the way sportsmen and musicians and various other celebrities are idolised. I can think of at least two cases where fans have got to the point of actually calling their heroes ‘God’ – ie Eric Cantona and Eric Clapton. The phrase ‘walks on water’ has become an accepted form of praise for the elite in this world. I remember an emotional teenage girl being interviewed at the time of the death of Princess Diana and saying with innocent honesty ‘She was my idol’. You can make a god of a sports or music hero; of the TV or your car; your job or your hobby; of fame or fortune; of science or technology; of a political party or your country; even of your family or your church or a Christian organisation. Most often it is magnificence and grandeur that lures us, the attractive nature of it, the numbers that it draws. Sometimes coercion is a factor too. Magnificent structures, plenty of money, big numbers, attractive presentation and lots of music are typical features. The worldly is given to idol worship and it wants as many involved as possible.

2. You must expect opposition if you resolve not to conform to its idol worshipping ways

Now if you are a Christian you cannot have anything to do with idolatry. With William Cowper you must daily pray

The dearest idol I have known, What e’er that idol be,

Help me to tear it from thy throne And worship only thee.

However, we must go into this with our eyes open. If we determine to be non-conformists, the world won’t like it. They profess to admire rebels and people who refuse to toe the line but you try it and you will see what they really think, just as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego did. Conformity, uniformity, compliance – they are the watchwords of the world. If we refuse to play ball it will be met with stiff opposition and strong resistance.

1. Expect denunciation for your non-conformity

In verses 8-12 we read that At this time some astrologers {Chaldeans} came forward and denounced the Jews. They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever! You have issued a decree, O king, that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, etc and all kinds of music must fall down and worship the image of gold, and that whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a blazing furnace. But there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon - Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego - who pay no attention to you, O king. They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up.

No doubt these enemies of the Jews were already jealous of Daniel and his friends and their success. Now they saw a chance to denounce them – or at least three of them. Why Daniel is not mentioned at all in this chapter we have no way of knowing. Perhaps he was away on business for the king or perhaps his high position in government had enabled him to escape this particular test. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego faced it, however, as Daniel would one day, and all of us who are believers can expect such things. If we are unwilling to toe the line we will be denounced on every side.

2. Expect pressure to get you to conform

When Nebuchadnezzar heard about this he was Furious with rage, he summoned the three friends who were brought before him. He said to them (14, 15) Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand? As far as Nebuchadnezzar was concerned, they had no choice. Either conform and bow down to the idol I have made or refuse to conform and get ready to die. His utter contempt for the very idea that there was any choice comes out in the line Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand? In other words ‘All this stuff about a supreme God that I have heard from Daniel is all very well but if you don’t serve my idol I’m going to have you killed – and what will your god, however great he is, be able to do about that? This is again typical of the world’s attitude. ‘Yes, it is fine for you to believe what you want to believe. We won’t stand in your way. But you have to face reality and if you don’t join in with what we want you to do then there can be no hope for you.’ And so great pressure is put on Christians to conform to worldly ways. Dress like unbelievers, listen to the same sorts of music, enjoy the same entertainment, have the same attitudes towards life. If you refuse to conform then they will make sure that there is trouble for you in one shape or another. The trouble with some of us is that we want to avoid trouble. We want an easy life. We keep quiet about certain things when we shouldn’t. We refuse to make a fuss when we should. We compromise, we make concessions where we ought not to.

3. Nevertheless be determined not to conform to its idol worshipping ways

In verses 16-18 we have this wonderful reply to the king from Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. It is a model of firmness without rudeness, confidence without presumption and resolution without animosity. It models for us the way that we ought to deal with such situations. Note

1. Do not attempt to defend yourself by pretending that you are not a non-conformist

O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. How quick we are to defend ourselves and often there is a temptation to deny the Lord for the sake of ease. We must be uncompromising.

2. Be resolutely confident in God but do not presume on him

If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up. We must never forget the power of God to rescue us from the most unpromising situations. What miraculous escapes God’s people have known over the years. However, we must not rely on this. Like these three, we must be determined that whether God grants us an immediate rescue or not we will, nevertheless, be devoted to him without compromise. Is that your resolution? It ought to be.

4. What to expect if you resolutely determine not to conform to its idol worshipping ways

Now it is easy to be brave in theory but out in the field it is a different matter and it is my duty to warn you that, on one hand, if you do stand resolute then you can expect harsh treatment and affliction.

1. If you refuse to conform expect harsh treatment

Verses 19-23 Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude towards them changed. He ordered the furnace to be heated seven times hotter than usual and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie them up and throw them into the blazing furnace. So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took them up and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace. Now, of course, a fiery furnace is unlikely for us. Even being held by the Taliban or some equally wicked group is unlikely but if we are faithful there are bound to be times when we are harshly treated by the unbelieving. That is the reality we must face.

On the other hand

2. If you refuse to conform you can nevertheless expect God’s blessing even in affliction

The closing verses of the chapter record an amazing turn around. The blessings come in three stages. If we are true to the Lord we can expect such blessings.

1 Christ’s protection in trouble

In verses 24, 25 we read that shortly after the friends were put in the furnace Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire? They replied, Certainly, O king. He said, Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods. This is one of those mysterious happenings in the Old Testament most often known as a theophany – an appearing of God incarnate before Messiah’s birth in Bethlehem. We can best understand these as early appearances of the Second Person of the Trinity. It is the Christ who was with these three. A later generation experienced the very physical presence of Christ in their crises (such as the storm on the lake). To this day we can know his presence too through the Holy Spirit.

2 Due deliverance from trouble

Next we read (26, 27) how Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here! So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, and the satraps, prefects, etc crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them. It was a truly amazing deliverance, a miracle of high order. It was a rare thing then, perhaps even rarer today. Such deliverances are recorded for our encouragement. Sometimes deliverances do come before death. Yet even if we have to die that itself will mean release from suffering and entrance into Paradise. If we are faithful, we cannot lose.

3. Success in this world or in the one to come

Nebuchadnezzar was amazed. Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, he said who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. How impressed he was. The world will sit up and notice when we begin to take our religion seriously. Nebuchadnezzar made a decree (29) Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way. This was a typically worldly approach but it meant that there was a measure of protection for believers in Babylon for a while. Finally, we are told (30) Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon. We cannot guarantee success in this world for faithfulness although it is often rewarded even in this life. What ever happens it will be rewarded in the world to come.