Daniel 4:1-18 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs!
Today’s passage is Daniel 4:1-18. Let’s go!
Daniel 4:1-18 (NIV)
1 King Nebuchadnezzar, To the peoples, nations and men of every language, who live in all the world: May you prosper greatly!
2 It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me.
3 How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom; his dominion endures from generation to generation.
4 I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at home in my palace, contented and prosperous.
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.
6 So I commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be brought before me to interpret the dream for me.
7 When the magicians, enchanters, astrologers and diviners came, I told them the dream, but they could not interpret it for me.
8 Finally, Daniel came into my presence and I told him the dream. (He is called Belteshazzar, after the name of my god, and the spirit of the holy gods is in him.)
9 I said, “Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you, and no mystery is too difficult for you. Here is my dream; interpret it for me.
10 These are the visions I saw while lying in my bed: I looked, and there before me stood a tree in the middle of the land. Its height was enormous.
11 The tree grew large and strong and its top touched the sky; it was visible to the ends of the earth.
12 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.
13 “In the visions I saw while lying in my bed, I looked, and there before me was a messenger, a holy one, coming down from heaven.
14 He called 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.
15 But let the stump and its roots, bound with iron and bronze, remain in the ground, in the grass of the field. “‘Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let him live with the animals among the plants of the earth.
16 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.
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.’
18 “This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, had. Now, Belteshazzar, tell me what it means, for none of the wise men in my kingdom can interpret it for me. But you can, because the spirit of the holy gods is in you.”
On verses 1-18: We’ll get to the lesson behind King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream when we look at verses 19-37 tomorrow. In the meantime, with my wild imagination I could imagine King Nebuchadnezzar sharing this testimony from the stage of Thrive Church. The fact that this is the second dream that God gave Nebuchadnezzar as recorded in the book of Daniel really highlights for me how much God pursued Nebuchadnezzar. Similarly, when you look back, perhaps you can think of more than one moment when it seemed that God was gently but surely trying to get Your attention. It’s not that we pursue God; God is pursuing us. It’s not that we were reaching for God; God was reaching for us. That’s the incredible love of God for people. As David says in Psalm 23, thank God that His goodness and love follow you all the days of your life.
Take a moment to thank God for the times when He pursued you, when He allowed unexpected circumstances to cause you to draw near to Himself.
Father, thank You for being the God who pursues me. It wasn’t that I was reaching for You, but You were reaching for me. I am amazed at how humble, persistent, patient and passionate is Your love for us. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
