Facing Challenges

 I am not quite sure what happens between the end of chapter 4 and the start of chapter 5 in Daniel, but it does seem that we jump a number of years. It feels like the Nebuchadnezzar story ends abruptly. We do not hear about the rest of his reign, or about his successor. The narrative just ceases.

As we arrive at chapter 5 we realise that we have been fast-forwarded to the end of the Babylonian empire - the last evening in fact - of the last king of Babylon. So, clearly a significant number of years have passed after the last full stop. It is estimated that this happened about 70 years after Daniel and the other jewish captives were exiled to Babylon. We pick up the story in chapter 5, the very end of this epic empire that has reigned for so many years, conquered so many nations, and now itself is waiting to be conquered;

King Belshazzar made a great feast for a thousand of his lords and drank wine in front of the thousand. 

*2*Belshazzar, when he tasted the wine, commanded that the vessels of gold and of silver that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem be brought, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. *3*Then they brought in the golden vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. *4*They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. 

Daniel 5:1–4.

Now this sounds like a night to remember, a party of parties doesn’t it? The king has over a thousand people celebrating, eating and drinking. They are getting carried away with themselves - using the holy vessels for unholy tasks. Not that Belshazzar thinks there’s anything significant about these items. He is just having a great big party at his place in Babylon……..at the same time that the city was under siege. 

Don’t you find that crazy?

The city of Babylon is under siege and has been for some time, and what is the king doing? Hosting a lavish party!

Not fighting. Not protecting his kingdom. Not leading the army but eating, drinking, celebrating.

The king is having a big celebration when there’s a battle raging outside the walls of the city. Capture is imminent and he is hosting a bounteous banquet. I wonder if he invited so many people just to drown out the sound at the attacking enemy.

Perhaps the king realised the futility of fighting. Or maybe he felt secure behind the walls, or he might just have been ignoring the fact that there was a real problem that needs dealing with and he was ‘burying his head in the sand’. Whatever the thought process behind it, it is not how we would expect a king to respond. Belshazzar shows no regard for the wider state of affairs, he is only concerned about what he is experiencing right now, so he is levelling up the ‘fun’ factor at his party. He has put aside the wider, national issues to immerse himself in celebration. 

We can look at this situation and shake our heads, or even feel aghast at Belshazzar’s response, but don’t we sometimes do the same? 

Do you ever feel like something is too big or scary to handle? Do you sometimes want to escape the battles of life and have a bit of fun?

It is not a shameful thing to admit that you feel like that - everyone gets fed up sometimes, but don’t forget the revelation of chapter 4 - that there is a Most High God that intervenes in lives, who is right and just. If you live our life with Him at the centre, and focusing on Him throughout challenges then you’ll make it through. Trust in God and take responsibility. You may not be a king, leading a nation, but you are responsible for leading your own life. You will make mistakes, you will face challenges -  are you facing up to them? 

God is right and just

 37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble. 

Daniel 4:37.

‘His works are right’ - we may not understand the workings of God’s plans, they way situations unfold or resolve, but that doesn’t mean that God has got it wrong. What it does mean is that we have not seen things the way God does. 

It is good for us to remember that we do not see the whole creation view that God does, that we do not have His mind, or the ability to appreciate the time frame He is working with. We only see, and are only really concerned with, the little part we have to play. We do not like it when things do not go how we expect or how want them to go, what we think is the best outcome. It is then that we can question God, question whether He is good, or if He even exists. That is because we lose sight of who He is and who we are. We become overwhelmed with circumstances and begin to mistakenly believe that we, in fact, know best, and are in control. We forget that He is the Most High, He is the King of heaven, He is right. 

It does us good to remind ourselves that we are not whom the world revolves around. We are not the most important, nor the know-it-alls that we think we are. We are created creatures of grace. God is looking, He is in control and ‘His works are right’ even when it seems to us the worst. 

‘His ways are just’ - This means that God is fair to all, and is morally right. Whatever God is doing, it is just. It may not seem so to us at the time, but it will come to pass that justice will be done. Not according to our standards, but according to His.  

There are many historical events that may seem unjust, and horrific, yet this statement tells us that God’s ways are just - so who has had influence at those times? Sometimes we can attribute some of the tragic circumstances to God, forgetting that there is an enemy that is working and moving around us just as God is. Yet, even at those times, you can see and hear stories of hope, of goodness, of the miraculous, of righteousness and justice. One thing to remember is that our time frame and expectations for justice are wildly different to God’s. We see and know in part (1 Corinthians 13), so we cannot rightly judge as we do not see the innermost being, nor the eternal consequences of each action or decision. God can. One day every person will give an account of himself before God - do you trust God to be just then? If you believe in Him and accept Jesus as your saviour, then justice has already been served over your own life. God is so concerned with being just that all our wrongs deserve death as they separate us from our holy God. So Jesus died, cruelly, in agony. It may not seems just to you, right or fait, but don’t you rely on it for your salvation?

‘Those who walk in pride he is able to humble’ - I think that there is a fine line between confidence and pride. Particularly in the society where we are trained from our young years that we can do anything. This builds confidence, but can also build pride, so it is important that we can distinguish between them, as clearly, pride is something to avoid if you do not want to be humiliated. 

Confidence is an assurance we have in our capability. Pride is also a confidence in yourself, and having a deep satisfaction in who you are that leads to feeling dignified, arrogant and superior. That is why it is dangerous. Pride results in thoughts of being better than others. Confidence accepts abilities, doesn’t brag about them and is not afraid to give credit where it is due. The confident will admit that things took time, are gifts from God, are taught well by others, that they have limits. Pride displays that everything they can do is because of them, because of how great they are and all that they have done. 

Be warned -  ‘those who walk in pride he is able to humble’. 

That is the worst punishment for someone who is proud, consider Nebuchadnezzar. He once was full of pride, boastful of ‘great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power’. A confident, but pride-filled man until everything was stripped from him; power, majesty, his role, his sanity. Nebuchadnezzar had the attitude that he had all he did because of his character and works; his kingdom, his riches, his authority. Then he was humbled. Once he acknowledged that he can just as easily have; riches or poverty, weakness or strength, reason or insanity and that none of it was according to his will, effort or influence, but all according to the will of God, his reason returned and he honoured God. 

Are you in a position where, like Nebuchadnezzar, you are waiting to be humbled? If so, ask God and trust Him to help you out now.

Nebuchadnezzar learnt about God's righteousness, justice and power through different experiences, but predominantly through the last recorded event. It was a journey that took many years, but he eventually had this revelation that there is a Most Hight God with these qualities. Which of these do you need to hold onto today?

Forgiveness and Restoration

As we have been reading through Daniel, we have seen how Nebuchadnezzar (the king of Babylon) has; conquered nations, acted in anger, been disturbed by dreams and had a period of mental illness. A lot has happened. A lot that he has been in control of, even the orchestrator of, and for the latter part, a significant period where he was not in control, not even of himself. 

That period of time has been reviewed in Chapter 4, and the consequences of that time are recorded at the end of the passage:

34*At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honoured him who lives forever, 

    for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, 

            and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; 

    35*all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, 

            and he does according to his will among the host of heaven 

            and among the inhabitants of the earth; 

    and none can stay his hand 

            or say to him, “What have you done?” 

*36*At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and splendour returned to me. My counsellors and my lords sought me, and I was established in my kingdom, and still more greatness was added to me. *37*Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble. 

Daniel 4:34–37.

These verses talk about the restoration of both Nebuchadnezzar, and the kingdom. Both have returned to their previous state with him as king, but clearly he is fundamentally changed. He now knows there's a king greater than himself, he now sees that he was walking in pride and self-sufficiency, and now realises that life isn't all about him.

Yet, as we read, we see that the scripture seems to have skipped over the, ‘seven periods of time’ that Nebuchadnezzar was without ‘reason’. It is mentioned, but there is no detail about what occurred for the nation during that period - it must have been quite a scary and unsettling time for a secure, conquering nation such as Babylon. Prior to this they were triumphant, capable and strong with a leader whom they held in high esteem. Then one day, this king became incapable of leading the nation, even leading himself, he started to act in strange ways, living with the beasts and without reason. That must have really rocked the stability of the leaders, the nation - the shock of seeing their king incapacitated for an undeterminable period of time. 

Then, it seems as suddenly as he lost his reason, Nebuchadnezzar is found to be in his right mind. His ‘reason returned’, so his leaders invite him back into his kingly role. This surprises me. It would have been known what had happened with Nebuchadnezzar, surely. The leaders and counsellors would certainly have been aware of the insanity of the king - fallen from glory, humbled to the level of the ‘beasts'. Yet, once they see he is returned to his right mind, they seek him to become leader again, they want him elevated again to his kingly role. What a demonstration of forgiveness and restoration! 

Not something the Babylonians are famous for, but the people give Nebuchadnezzar another chance. The lords and counsellors clearly still trusted in him and wanted him to lead even though they had experienced his downfall. 

What a lovely picture of hope that can give us - When we mess up, when we make mistakes, even when ignore what we know we should do, and turn our backs to God - there is hope of restoration. There is hope of forgiveness and purpose, even of regaining what we have lost through our own fault, our own ignorance, our own disobedience. If we, like Nebuchadnezzar, lift our eyes to heaven, bless, praise and honour the Most High, then we too can experience that hope, that forgiveness and restoration. 

God loves to give us a second chance, even a third or fourth …etc... maybe you need to hear that today, and give yourself another chance to get it right. Or, maybe there’s someone else or some others you need to give another chance. Like the people did for Nebuchadnezzar - they even sought to give him another opportunity. It must have been difficult when they had been hurt and let down, but they demonstrated forgiveness and restored him to his original status. 

It is an example of how God forgives and restores us too. When we lift our eyes to see Jesus on that cross, dying for all that we have ever done to turn our backs on God, we can know complete forgiveness, restoration and hope. 

Loving your enemies

 

18*This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, saw. And you, O Belteshazzar, tell me the interpretation, because all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation, but you are able, for the spirit of the holy gods is in you.” 

19*Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was dismayed for a while, and his thoughts alarmed him. The king answered and said, “Belteshazzar, let not the dream or the interpretation alarm you.” Belteshazzar answered and said, “My lord, may the dream be for those who hate you and its interpretation for your enemies! 

Daniel 4:18–19.

Do you notice how Daniel here is very respectful and kind? 

He demonstrates care and honour towards Nebuchadnezzar. I think this is interesting knowing their history. Daniel has been living as one of the king’s leaders in the city of Babylon for quite some time. His formative years were disrupted by battle, and he was conscripted into the Babylonian leadership program in his youth, not much choice in the matter. He has also been hunted down by the kings soldiers to be killed, and watched his friends face the furnace. Nebuchadnezzar was the orchestrator of all these things, and Daniel still treats him with respect and honour. When Daniel is given the understanding of this dream by God, he isn’t smug or pleased, or looking for revenge. Daniel instead, demonstrates care. We see this in the hesitance in verse 19, where Daniel is ‘dismayed for a while’, he does not want to reveal the meaning of this dream, and he wishes out loud that the dream was not for Nebuchadnezzar, but for his enemy because it makes Daniel sad that the outcome is for this man. 

Does that make you wonder how Daniel has not built resentment but affection for this king? How has Daniel managed to extend forgiveness to this foreign king who had tried to kill him in the past, and has even now used him as a last resort? 

I wonder how any of us would have responded in that situation.

How has Daniel extended kindness, respect and loyalty to one who has shown him none?

I am sure that many of us, if we were in the same circumstance, may well have seen Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians as everyday enemies, and some may even be waiting for a chance to bring the whole lot down. Having cultured resentment in their hearts, even praying for a time of comeuppance. Not Daniel. He has learnt, grown and served in this kingdom, all the while keeping hold of God with his friends. He must have forgiven and accepted his life and the opportunities it has raised for him despite the circumstances. He has been a willing and loyal leader and respects the leadership of the king. He has spent years serving the country, and has probably focussed on the good things, looking for qualities in the king that are admirable and likeable. So that, now, we can see genuine disappointment and sadness when Daniel has bad news for this Nebuchadnezzar.

Are there people in your life that you have learnt to love when they were once enemies? 

Who do you need to be praying for, and seeing the best in in your life? 

Is there an awkward boss, colleague or neighbour that has made your life difficult? 

My advice is pray for these people, and ask God to show you how you can help them. Ask God to show you the good in them and, if you dare, ask God to help you like them, even love them. 

We can do it. Daniel did. Jesus did. Look at the impact they had - how different could your life, and the lives of those around you be if you trust God in the most tricky relationships you have?

Are you the last resort?

After the great introduction to the letter Nebuchadnezzar has written to his  whole nation, he tells us the events that have led to him acknowledging the “Most High God’, we shall start by looking at the beginning of this story in Daniel 4:4-9;

Nebuchadnezzar’s Second Dream

4 I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and prospering in my palace. *5*I saw a dream that made me afraid. As I lay in bed the fancies and the visions of my head alarmed me. *6*So I made a decree that all the wise men of Babylon should be brought before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. *7*Then the magicians, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers came in, and I told them the dream, but they could not make known to me its interpretation. *8*At last Daniel came in before me—he who was named Belteshazzar after the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods - and I told him the dream, saying, *9*“O Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you and that no mystery is too difficult for you, tell me the visions of my dream that I saw and their interpretation.

So, beforehand, Nebuchadnezzar was relaxed, comfortable, enjoying his extravagant lifestyle and his kingdom, not a trouble in the world really. Then, he is disturbed by another unfathomable dream.  Nebuchadnezzar realised that this dream was no ordinary fancy of the mind, but was relevant and of purpose. There was something about this dream, like the first that he had, that would not leave him and concerned him even though the meaning was not obvious to him. Therefore, as occurred after the first troubling dream, Nebuchadnezzar calls all of the ‘wise’ people of his time. 

They could not help.

So it seems rather reluctantly, the king calls Daniel. I say reluctantly because surely, after the first success, you would have called the same person in to help as first port of call, wouldn’t you? But Nebuchadnezzar doesn’t. The LAST thought is to enquire of Daniel. i expect that this is because Nebuchadnezzar knows that by asking Daniel, he is relying on the god he serves for the solution, and Nebuchadnezzar, like most other people, comes to God last. Preferring to; try their own methods, call upon their friend’s or even expert knowledge, seek natural understanding from other sources for the situations and difficulties in life. 

God is the last resort. 

Don’t we experience that when we speak to others? That often God is the last resort after having tried other things? After having exhausted ones own resources, and the problem remains, what next?

Have you noticed that people do not really want your help because they know where you’ll go with it (to God)? They do not ask willingly for prayer, even those who we see are desperate? Even if we do offer help or prayer, it is sometimes rebuffed. That's ok.

It is only when all other options have run out and people have nothing left that they may cry out to a God that they are not sure even exists to help them, and that is when they might come to you. Nebuchadnezzar is a great example of this. He had reached this desperation point. He was unsettled, confused and without any answers. So, even though it was his last resort, he ‘at last’ called upon Daniel to help. 

(You may think I am being a bit harsh with Nebuchadnezzar by saying that Daniel was a last resort when he speaks so kindly about him - well, wouldn’t  you speak nicely of someone, after the event, if that person has actually helped out with the solution? It doesn’t stop the fact that approaching Daniel and his god was the last resort, the only available option after all others have failed.)

When he does come to Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar talks of him as one ‘in whom is the spirit of the holy gods’, or as we may understand; a spiritual or religious man. He clearly has the gift of the Holy Spirit, but Nebuchadnezzar would not know what this is, he just knows that there’s something significant and godly about Daniel, different to everyone else he has approached and trusted for solutions. Yet, Nebuchadnezzar was still reluctant to rely on him.

I guess that is one of the encouragements for us as we read through these verses - When we are overlooked by friends/family/colleagues for advice, we should not be disheartened, but expect it. Many people do not want to admit that they cannot sort their lives out, that they need external help, and certainly not that they need a ‘god’ - some kind of overarching entity they are unsure exists to help them. They would rather rely on natural solutions than supernatural ones. They would rather seek advice and explanation from scientists, psychics and the like than those who worship the One God. So, do not be surprised when your advice is shunned or considered last.  Nothing has changed since the times of Nebuchadnezzar! 

People do not want to admit that there may be more to life than they can see or have control over. They do not want to admit that they cannot do it alone, and if you are someone who relies in God yourself, then you are a scary person because people do not understand the faith you have. That does not mean that we should hide what God does in our lives, in fact the opposite is true. We should demonstrate our reliance, the hope and wonders that we experience with those around us. We should share with others how God has changed and challenged us, healed us, broken through for us. Otherwise, where are the people going to go when they really are really desperate and there is no other hope? 

Daniel was a last resort, he was the final hope. You might be that for someone too, but how will they know unless you share the good news of living with God?