Episode Transcript
All right.
So uh we'll be in Daniel chapter 4, verses 20 through 25.
Daniel chapter 4 verses 20 through 25.
The title of the message this morning is Till You Know.
Till You Know.
In our verses last week, Daniel was petrified to learn the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's second dream.
Nebuchadnezzar, sensing that it wasn't going to go good for him, it wasn't going to be good news for him when this dream was interpreted, he showed compassion on Daniel and he told him, Don't be afraid to tell me the interpretation.
In those verses last week, we learned that we, like Daniel, have an obligation to speak God's word to people even when it's not popular, even when it's not easy.
And we also learn that we, like Nebuchadnezzar, have an obligation to hear God's word given to us, even when it's not pleasant for us to hear.
And now in our text today, both men are going to do just that.
They will speak and hear the undiluted truth of God's word concerning this dream.
That Nebuchadnezzar had, and in verse 20, Daniel begins the interpretation by describing the first part of Nebuchadnezzar's dream, which we will call the tree flourishing.
The tree flourishing.
In one of the Psalms, King David spoke about the wicked And how they were like a palm tree, just flourishing.
And it seems like that palm tree is going to flourish like that forever.
And then the next thing you know, the wicked are cut off.
And so we have to understand, and this dream helps reiterate this truth for us, that the wicked have two stages in their existence on this earth. a time of flourishing and a time of falling.
So don't ever think, number one, that the wicked won't flourish.
Because they will.
They will flourish in this wicked people flourish in a wicked world because this wicked world is conducive to their wickedness So don't ever think the wicked won't flourish.
If you do, you're going to be disappointed and wonder why God's letting them apparently succeed.
But at the same time, don't ever think the wicked won't fall.
No matter how great they grow, how big and tall they spread their limbs, the wicked will have a time of falling.
So right now we're going to look at the tree flourishing.
Daniel said in verse 20.
The tree that thou sawst, now he's talking to Nebuchadnezzar, which grew and was strong, whose height reached unto heaven, and the sight thereof to all the earth whose leaves were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat that is food for all, under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and upon whose branches the fowls of the heaven had their habitation.
That's the time of flourishing.
He just rehearsed that part of Nebuchadnezzar's dream.
This was a time when When this tree that you saw in your dream, it flourished in the earth.
It provided food and lodging to all the inhabitants of the world.
It was taller than any other tree.
The question the king wanted to know was, what did this tree represent that was flourishing so greatly?
And in verse 22, Daniel told him, It is thou, O king.
You're the flourishing tree.
The tree that flourished is you.
You're that tree, and thus you, King Nebuchadnezzar, are the subject. of this dream.
Now the moment you identify Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, As this tree in the dream, then you have to understand whatever happens to the tree happens to Nebuchadnezzar.
Whatever happens to the tree happens to Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom in a sense, since he's ruling it.
And so he says, it is thou, O King, you are the subject of this dream, and whatever happens to the tree in your dream, it happens to you.
It is you, King, look back in your text that art grown and become strong, like the tree in your dream.
You have grown up tall and become the strongest king in the world.
The great empire of Babylon is what you rule, King.
You're that tree.
And that tree represents the magnificence of your power and the magnificence of the kingdom that you rule.
Look back in your text, for thy greatness is grown and reacheth unto heaven. in thy dominion to the end of the earth, a world empire.
Your greatness, King Nebuchadnezzar, has grown taller than all the other kingdoms of this earth.
But you've also caused your greatness to reach unto heaven in the sense that you have given yourself credit. for what God has done in your life.
You have grown too big for your britches.
You should have given God the glory for it.
And for that reason, the tree that he saw flourishing would now be the tree that he had seen falling.
Which brings us to the second part. the second part of the wicked's existence in this earth.
They not only flourish, but they also fall.
The tree falling.
Daniel said, look in verse 23.
And whereas the king saw a watcher, and an holy one coming down from heaven, and saying, Hew the tree down and destroy it, yet leave the stump of the roots thereof in the earth. even with a band of iron and brass in the tender grass of the field, and let it be wet with the dew of heaven and let his portion be with the beast of the field till seven times pass over him.
That's the hard part to swallow.
People love it when the tree flourishes, but they don't like it when their tree gets cut down.
And as far as that portion of the dream that you saw, King Nebuchadnezzar, when this watcher came down from heaven and commanded to cut you down like a tree.
But leave the stump and the roots in the field?
Well, that's the bad part of the dream, King.
And verse 24, this is the interpretation, O King.
I'm going to tell you what that means.
I will now give you the details of your soon-coming fall to the ground.
This is now the interpretation.
Look in your text.
And this is the decree of the Most High.
Not only the interpretation of the dream, but that interpretation as well as the dream is the decree of the most high.
In other words, the interpretation that I'm about to give you, King, it's not up for debate.
It's not just simply some story or some opinion.
The events that I'm going to declare to you will happen.
And there is nothing that you, the most powerful man on earth, can do to stop it.
Because it's given by the Most High.
He says, you can't overrule this dream with a decree from your throne For this is the decree of the Most High.
There's nobody higher than the Most High, but there is somebody higher than you, King.
And he has issued this decree.
And what he determines, no man can overturn.
And that's some strong words to tell a man who's used to getting his way That's some hard words for a man to hear.
He's used to giving the orders and not taking orders.
But you know what?
It's a good do dose of reality for the king.
Because he's about to face the fact that God rules the world and not him.
He's about to face the fact that all men are the servants and subjects of God.
And listen, that's a good dose of reality for us.
When you're a young man, especially, especially if you're healthy, maybe you're an alpha male.
And you're a young man and you got a family and you're used to making money and earning your way and solving problems when they come up.
Every young man usually starts off that way, and they're feeling pretty good about themselves.
And then at some time in your life as a man, You run into a problem that you finally can't solve.
Maybe your child is ill.
Maybe your wife is ill.
Maybe there's a domestic problem.
Maybe there's a financial problem.
But there's something that you run into as a man And you're absolutely helpless to fix that problem.
And as a man, the first time you run into that, It's a tough pill to swallow.
Y'all remember that as a man?
I do.
I remember it.
I see hands going up, you're like, ah.
I'm so used to just taking the bull by the horns and making it happen and fixing it and overcoming.
And sometimes as a man, you've just got to sit there and watch your loved ones suffer.
And you don't know the answer.
Your children hurt.
You don't have the solution.
You can't fix it or you hurt.
And you become weak or sick or lose your job or your wealth or something happens to you that is the divine decree of the Most High God And no matter how hard you try, you can't overturn that decree.
Every one of us, not as great as Nebuchadnezzar, not as great as what he went through.
I don't see any of us becoming a ruler of the whole world anytime soon.
So not as great as Nebuchadnezzar went through, perhaps.
But every one of us will come to a time in life where we face the decree of the Most High and the decree that the Most High issues upon us. is uncomfortable to bear.
Difficult to bear.
Daniel said, this decree is that, look back in your text, which has come upon my Lord the King.
Now what do we learn from that?
We learn that God's decrees are not limited to certain types of people.
God is no respecter of persons, the Bible says.
And if God can issue one of his decrees upon the most powerful man on earth, he certainly can upon the weakest.
Nobody's exempt from the painful lessons of the Most High.
And every man needs to learn those lessons.
Last week a co-worker of mine received a summons to appear for jury duty.
And it would have been much easier for him to have come on to work and not have to get screened through the other courthouse and uh uh the county courthouse and and uh stay up there all day long for questioning.
And uh trying to see if someone wanted him for one of the trials they would have.
He finally got out around five or so.
All day long up there and nobody picked him.
All day long But you know what?
That decree was issued by someone higher than him, an authority higher than him, and he had to submit to it.
And Nebuchadnezzar was issued a legal order from the highest power of all.
He could not re I mean he could try to resist it.
But he couldn't resist it.
There are some things that come upon us like they came upon Nebuchadnezzar.
They're given to us by the decree of the Most High God, and there's nothing we can do to escape it.
One of them for sure is the summons we'll all receive one day, the summons of death.
And we can't escape that.
Or the summons of fiery trials such as Job, who Brother Andy is uh teaching through the book of Job right now.
What a wonderful book that is.
Job Had fiery trials.
Job was a godly man.
He wasn't given these fiery trials.
He wasn't issued the summons because of some sin he committed.
But for the glory of God and that he might end up learning some lessons that even he didn't know, as righteous of a man as he was.
And we'll receive summons from God.
You will receive a divine decree from the Most High. and probably several of them over your lifetime, that you won't be able to escape.
And when those decrees come upon us like they came upon Nebuchadnezzar, it will be very wise for you to remember this thing.
As with this decree for Nebuchadnezzar and the decrees that came upon Job, the things we cannot control are divine decrees from a God who loves us.
And who wants us to be corrected and to learn and to grow from the decrees that come upon us.
That's what God was doing with this decree that he issued at Nebuchadnezzar.
God loved Nebuchadnezzar, and as difficult of a trial as this was going to be for him to experience, the temporary suffering that he would endure would lead to eternal life eternal peace and eternal joy.
And I believe that we would all agree that we would rather suffer for a moment if it means that we'll rejoice forever.
I'd rather suffer for a short period of time that I may rejoice for a longer period of time.
When Daniel realized what was about to happen to Nebuchadnezzar, he was astonished.
And when we encounter terrifying and inescapable times of our lives, we are often astonished too.
I'm glad Daniel responded that way.
Do you know what that tells us?
This was a godly man hearing the truth from God himself. about someone he cared about, Nebuchadnezzar.
And when he saw the truth of what was about to happen to him, he's dumbfounded.
Mouth open.
Just stunned.
And isn't it good to know that a godly man like Daniel. didn't do something like this when God revealed to him the dream.
Isn't it good that he just didn't put a big old smile on his face?
Now I'm sorry I'm wearing tennis shoes with a suit.
I don't normally do that, but I broke my toe and I just wouldn't go in a boot.
Just couldn't do it.
But I didn't want you to think I was trying to dress sloppy coming to church as your pastor.
But aren't you glad that Daniel didn't do this?
Aren't you glad he didn't say, praise God, King, here's what's going to happen.
You're gonna get out here in this field.
You're gonna have your your heart changed like an ox.
You're gonna be kicked out of your throne.
But here's the good thing, King.
We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.
Amen.
Aren't you glad he didn't do something so silly like that?
You know, if someone you love is going through something very difficult, don't quote Romans 8.
28.
That's just not the time.
It's good to know that in the back of your head.
But you know what?
Sometimes it's okay as a godly person.
To be dumbfounded.
It's okay to go, oh, what a sock in the gut.
And if the devil comes to you and the devil says, you just don't have faith.
You should always be able to rejoice evermore and pray without ceasing and in everything give thanks.
There's a time for the sock and the gut.
There's a time to be dumbfounded.
There's a time to say, oh dear God.
What do I do?
Why is this happening to me?
That's normal.
And if you didn't respond that way, you would not be normal.
And so God put everything in this book so we could see the response of a godly man to a godly message.
Sometimes the proper response is, oh, God help us.
Daniel didn't lose faith in God But Daniel was socked in the gut because of it, and I'm sure Nebuchadnezzar was too The God who ordered this tree to be cut down is what we have to learn.
Is the same God who ordered the stump and the roots to remain as well.
When God cut down Job, it was for no fault of his own.
It was for the glory of God.
And as God left a stump for the king, so he left one for Job, too, didn't he?
Are they good, Brother Doug?
God's consistent throughout the Bible.
If you're one of God's own.
Here's what we learn.
Nebuchadnezzar was cut down for the wrong he did.
Job was cut down for the right he did.
So if you get cut down and your whole life tends to crumble down to the ground, you may not know right off the bat which reason it's for It's not up for you to decide, now, is God doing this to me because of something bad I did or something good I did.
It's not up to you to figure that out.
I believe that if if your life crumbles, I believe if you've done something wrong that's brought that on, I believe you'll know it.
What I do know is this.
I know the devil is more than happy to come alongside you as he did for Job.
And to try to blame you and say this is because of something wrong you did.
And then Job's up there going, what did I do?
What did I do?
Don't try to figure out why the tree falls.
Just remember who cut the tree down and remember that because of Christ in your belief in him, the stump and the root will remain and be raised up again.
Yield to that divine decree.
And whether you were bad like Nebuchadnezzar or good like Job, both of you will grow because of it.
No matter what your circumstance is, God will help you learn the lesson and he'll raise you back up In every case, if we'll yield to the God who cuts down the tree, then we will experience the God who raises the stumps again And that's the promise you can take home with you every time.
Not all things work together for good.
Let's just praise Jesus.
That I got cancer right now.
Let's just praise Jesus that my child just got hit by a pickup truck No.
We praise him.
We thank God.
We understand that these things happen in life because we live in a fallen world.
But when those divine decrees come upon us, we have to trust.
God, that if we will yield to that, don't.
I had a man tell me today about co-workers at work who were cursing God because of losing a loved one.
Man don't resist the divine decrees.
It's appointed a man once to die, and after this the judgment, that's because of man's sin.
And when God issues that decree is God's timing.
The fault belongs to man, the timing belongs to God.
But when God issues that decree, yield to it and trust that the stump in root remains.
But for now Nebuchadnezzar had a fiery trial to go through, namely Daniel said in verse 25, that they shall drive thee from men.
The watcher by the divine decree of God would ensure that Nebuchadnezzar would be driven from men.
Those angels would, not driven down the social ladder.
But driven from humanity altogether is what's going to happen in Nebuchadnezzar.
And you can't get any lower as a man than that.
If you can't get any lower than that, then that's pretty low.
And you can't get a better example. of God's grace than that.
You see, what we have in this story is a picture of the highest man on earth falling beneath the lowest man on earth for the high-handed sins that he committed.
And this is the opposite picture Of what Jesus would do when he came.
For Jesus would be the most high, falling even below Nebuchadnezzar, that he may experience the guilt and the punishment of Nebuchadnezzar's sin.
This is an incredible picture here.
Nebuchadnezzar would be driven from men.
He would become like a beast instead of a man.
And Psalm 22 is a prophetic psalm.
Psalm 22 is a psalm that prophesies of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
And in Psalm 22, 6, listen to what Jesus said prophetically.
Jesus said, but I am a worm and no man.
I a reproach of men and despised of the people.
You see, when Jesus went to the cross, he was driven from men.
He says, I'm a worm and no man, a reproach of men and despise of the people.
The king would become like a beast, but Jesus would become like a worm. that he might ransom that beast from his sins.
Why would he become lower than Nebuchadnezzar?
Because he took on the sin of Nebuchadnezzar.
That is the mighty grace of God.
When hard times come upon you, remember Job And if you feel like your situation is worse than his, then remember Nebuchadnezzar.
What happened to Nebuchadnezzar is a great encouragement for us.
If God can raise Job again, and God can raise Nebuchadnezzar again, God can raise you Again.
So when hard times come upon you, remember Job.
And if you feel like your situation is worse than Job, then remember Nebuchadnezzar.
And if you feel like your situation is worse than his, it's okay.
Just remember Jesus.
And you will never get any higher than Jesus nor any lower than Jesus.
And that should comfort your heart.
You know what God did with Jesus?
After he crucified him on the cross, he left the stump and the root, the stump and the root of his covenant that he made with man in eternity past.
And he raised Jesus Christ again from the dead, thus doing so for each person who believes in him.
Daniel said, they'll drive you from men.
If you have someone who loves you.
In your affliction?
If you have someone who cares for you in the midst of your tri fiery tribulation If you have someone who can come alongside of you and hold you and say, I'm so sorry, and I'm praying for you, and they're there with you, then you're better off than Nebuchadnezzar.
At least you're not driven from men.
Nebuchadnezzar would not be driven from men metaphorically, but literally.
Daniel said, look back in the text, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field.
That's where you're going to live, out in the plains, the prairies, with the beasts of the field.
He was going to be driven out of his palace because his heart would be changed to that of a beast.
I would assume that they would think that Nebuchadnezzar had gone mad.
But God would take his human reasoning from him and give him the reasoning of a beast, a cow.
He would no longer be the dignified world leader he once was.
And in one of the old Rawhide uh episodes, Gil Favor said that cattle were some of the dumbest, lowest life forms that God made.
And now Nebuchadnezzar's mind would become like one of those lowly beasts.
As a cow desires to dwell in the field and feed on the grass, so would Nebuchadnezzar.
And can you imagine?
The shock, I was trying to think of the shock of seeing Donald Trump.
I mean, think about it.
Donald Trump, not at Mar-Lago, not at the White House, not in his Air Force One, not in his big, beautiful Oval Office.
Or his uh whatever what's he building?
That huh?
Ballroom.
Could you imagine Donald Trump Naked in a field with hair all over him, eating grass like an ox Living out there day and night.
Can you imagine the spectacle that that would become in the shame That would come upon him.
Could you imagine the awe of the world beholding that?
That's not a pretty sight.
That's heartbreaking.
Absolutely heartbreaking.
But this would be God's way of showing everyone.
That any skill or intellect that a leader possesses is not their own.
It's a gift from God and it can be taken away at any time.
Even from us.
How many times have we seen people who are once so intelligent, now they can't even remember who their family members are God would show them that he could have just as easily made Nebuchadnezzar a cow instead of a king.
God raised that man up to where he was, and God was about to take him down, Lord, then The lowest man on earth, Daniel said, look back to text, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen.
I have a couple of cats that come by to get fed.
My wife and I say they're Democrat cats.
Democ Democats.
They they don't provide anything, just come by to get fed with their paws out.
And I'll take some uh some feed sometimes for my chickens.
And I'll throw that chicken feed out and there's one cat. that will run to get that feed, real excited like, and then when the cat runs over there, like, oh, it's corn and sunflower seeds and things like that.
And the cat will turn its nose up and walk away.
Nebuchadnezzar would turn his nose up at a stake, at human food.
He would now desire to eat grass like a cow.
Isn't that amazing?
It's he won't have the nature of man.
The angels would turn his heart into that of a beast, but Daniel said, look back at your text.
He said, And they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven?
These watchers would have you out in the field, and you won't even have the nature to come inside.
Like an animal, like a dog or a cat trying to escape the elements at night.
You're going to stay out like the beast of the field.
You'll be under the stars like a cow with no shelter at all.
And when you wake up, your body's going to be wet with dew.
And this would last for seven seasons of time, for Daniel said, back in your text, and seven times shall pass over thee.
And we believe these periods of times to be seven years.
But regardless of the length of time, we understand, this is the important part, it's going to be seven periods of time.
Whether they're weeks or months or years, it represents the seven consecutive periods of time which means a complete trial.
And when the trial ends, it will be eight that comes after, which means there'll be a new beginning for Nebuchadnezzar.
You see this in the last days in the book of the Revelation.
You'll see things like times, times, and half a time.
And then you have those added together.
They become seven times.
And so what happens is after that period of time that the earth experiences then the earth will issue into a new age.
There'll be a new beginning for the earth And that's what we're seeing here.
There's going to be a new beginning for Nebuchadnezzar, and there's going to be a new beginning, praise God, for this world one day.
And after these seven times have ended, Nebuchadnezzar would come to realize who God was to him.
Daniel said, this trial would last, look back in your text, till thou know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of man.
That's going to be the end of the trial.
He's going to endure this trial until he learns the lesson of who God was to him.
Nebuchadnezzar wasn't king because his daddy was.
He wasn't the king b because of any uh uh particular qualifications of his own.
He was king because God had put him on the throne.
And that means the king was a servant to God and should reign accordingly.
And listen to what God said concerning the fall of Babylon that he would accomplish through Cyrus the Great in about 539 BC.
This is God through the prophet Isaiah.
Speaking about the fall of Babylon, and Sash the Great would be the one who caused it to fall.
Isaiah 46, 10.
Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times of things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand.
And I will do all my pleasure.
God's counsel will stand.
In other words, what God plans to do, he's going to do.
And he's going to accomplish all his pleasure.
So it would be God's pleasure to defeat Babylon in the future after Nebuchadnezzar was gone.
And he would do that through Cyrus the Great.
But it's also God's pleasure to use us to do his will today as well.
Whether we're Cyrus, whether we're Nebuchadnezzar.
Whether we're Doug or Brother Shepherd or Brother Richard, and that's why everything that we should do should be done unto the Lord.
Whatever position God puts us in, we should understand that we are God's servants occupying that place for his glory. and for his pleasure to be done in our lives.
He put us where we are for a reason, and like Nebuchadnezzar, and like Cyrus the Great, the Bible says in Philippians 2 13, for it is God which worketh in you.
In you, everyone out here, both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
The important thing to remember is this, when you can't overcome the trials that God brings you into, then you yield to the trials God brings you into You submit to the summons and yield to God's divine authority that you might learn the lessons he has to teach you.
God told Nebuchadnezzar that he would endure this affliction till you know.
Till you know.
Had Nebuchadnezzar never uh uh learned that lesson, then uh he would have continued the trial.
And had he learned the lesson in the first dream, he would have never experienced the trial of the second dream.
Because that was the reason.
And had the world learned its lessons through all the trials of God dealing with men and dealing with kingdoms in history past?
then this world would never have to experience the great tribulation in history future.
God is going to continue to deal with the kingdom of men.
Until one thing happens, till this world knows, the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, gives it to whomsoever he will, and the man he's going to give it to, finally, is his Son Jesus Christ.
That's what the great tribulation is going to be all about.
It's going to be the greatest fall of the biggest tree.
And finally, by the grace of God, after that seven years is over, the whole world will know That Jesus Christ is Lord.
And he will literally rule in the kingdom of men Because that's who God's going to give it to.
And all this is pictured right here for us in the book of Daniel.
Such an amazing, powerful Old Testament book.
Father, we thank you so much for your precious word.
Thank you, Lord, for these amazing lessons that you've given us, Father, in your word.
We love you so much.
And I pray, Father, that we'll learn to yield to the divine summons that comes into our lives. to trust the all-powerful, loving God that sends us those summons and to learn the great and valuable lessons, Father, that come from every one of us.
Help us to remember, dear God, that even in the summons of death, dear Lord God, for the believer in Christ, no matter how low we fall to the ground, No matter how hard it hurts, even in our time of death on our deathbed, that because of the gospel, Lord, our stump remains.
Our roots, Father, still take hold of the promise of Jesus Christ.
And he will raise us again.
We thank you in Jesus' name.
Amen.
