II. God’s Sovereignty
seen in His Control over World Empires (chs. 2-7).
1. Various themes & emphases of the
narrative.
a. The culmination of the unfolding story of God’s personal spiritual dealings with King Nebuchadnezzar.
b. A lesson in the folly of pride,
the mother of sins.
c. A study in God’s gracious, redemptive correction—as opposed to chapter 5, where
Divine punishment is purely punitive.
d. As the representative
Gentile world power, symbolizing the Kingdom of Man in all of its sinful
manifestations, judgment upon Babylon’s ruler (and upon the Neo-Babylonian Empire
itself in ch. 5) foreshadows, in the typical-sense, the termination of
the Times of the Gentiles with final downfall of the End-Time Antichrist.
e. Chapters 4 & 5 together—through the experiences of the first (Nebuchadnezzar) and last (Belshazzar) kings of the first world-empire associated with the Times of the Gentiles—serve as a reminder that ultimately one day Gentile rulers will acknowledge that ultimate sovereignty belongs to the Most High (Phil. 2:10-11)!
2. Various literary characteristics &
distinctives of the narrative.
a. One of the lengthiest chapters in
the Book of Daniel.
b. Unusual authorship: for the most part, essentially an extended first-person autobiographical narrative & edict coming from the mouth of King Nebuchadnezzar himself (!)—with perhaps some degree of editing by Daniel in passages where the King is referred to in the third-person (vv. 28-33).
o It is possible that the
King employed the aid of Daniel and/or others in its composition; note, for
example, similarities to Ps. 145:13.
o In antiquity, royal
officials were sometimes authorized to write official decrees in the ruler’s
name (e.g., Esther 3:12, 8:8-10).
o Inspiration demands
that this official and universally broadcast edict from Babylon’s King has been
faithfully & accurately recorded by Daniel (cf., Ezra 1:2-4, Acts 23:26-30).
Its inclusion here is God’s will!
o It must be remembered
that God can speak through whatever vessel He sovereignly appoints! (Num. 22:28,
30; John 11:49-52).
c. Chapter 4’s
relationship to Daniel’s literary pattern of employing chiasm.
i. A Chiastic structure, or pattern, is a literary
device employing symmetrically
arranged, corresponding narrative patterns (i.e.,
a mirror image). For example:
A:
Idea “A”
B: Idea “B”
C: Idea “C”
C: Idea “C”
B: Idea “B”
A:
Idea “A”
Gen. 9:6a is an example of a
chiasm found within a single verse:
“Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man
shall his blood be shed…”
A: Whoever sheds
B: the blood
C:
of
man
C:
by
man shall
B: his blood
A: be shed
The chiastic structure underscores the central
point: i.e., the law of retributive justice is to be upheld (“blood”-“blood”),
in that the Divinely-prescribed corrective for the chaos of human violence
is the orderly administration of justice—which is to be administered by human
government (“man”-“man”), in harmony with Rom. 13.
ii. Chiasm is involved in Daniel’s overall
literary construction: chs. 1-7 & 8-12.
o
There
are varying approaches to organizing the outline of Daniel, including:
1) Literary Content/Genre: the Historical
Narrative sections (chs. 1-6) vs. the Prophetic/Visionary portions (chs.
7-12);
2) Linguistic: the Aramaic
sections (chs. 2-7) vs. the Hebrew (chs. 1, 8-12).
o
Many,
focusing upon the Linguistic approach, have detected a chiasm in
Daniel’s overall structure.
o The thematic chiasm of
the Aramaic portions (chs. 2-7) is quite self-evident.
o Some would suggest that
Daniel’s entire structure is based upon a sort of double-chiasm.
o In this organizational
pattern the Aramaic portions (chs. 2-7) would form a chiasm, and Hebrew
sections (chs. 8-11) would also form a second chiasm. Both sections are generally
viewed as being connected and bracketed by a Hebrew Prologue & Epilogue
(chs. 1 & 12).
o The Hebrew portions
(chs. 8-12) might be outlined with different variations and with more-or-less
detail, depending upon the student, but the chart below provides the reader
with the basic and general idea:
iii. Within
the context of the Aramaic-chiasm (chs. 2-7), Dan. 4 parallels Dan. 5.
Dr. John Walvoord, Daniel:
Structurally, chapter 4 is parallel to
chapter 5 and sits at the center of the chiasm formed in the Aramaic section of
the book. Chapters 2 and 7 highlight the certain coming of God’s kingdom
following the rise of four successive Gentile powers. Chapters 3 and 6 focus on
the need for God’s people to remain faithful despite opposition and persecution
as they await His kingdom.
Thus, God’s humbling of proud Nebuchadnezzar
stands as a parallel to the humbling of his grandson, the proud
Belshazzar—though with greatly differing personal outcomes!
iv. Literary analysis has also detected various
other chiasms within Daniel
(e.g., The Seventy Weeks Prophecy of Dan.
9:25-27, Dan. 6).
v. Daniel 4 is, in-and-of-itself a chiasm.
Dr. John Constable, Expository Notes on
Daniel:
The structure of the chapter is
essentially ABBA, chiastic. It begins and ends with praise of God (Dan. 4:1-3;
Dan. 4:34-37), and in the middle there is the narration of Nebuchadnezzar's
dream (Dan. 4:4-18), and its interpretation and fulfillment (Dan. 4:19-33).
Thus, in accordance with the above:
A: King
Nebuchadnezzar praises God (4:1-3)
B: Nebuchadnezzar’s
dream: its substance (4:4-18)
B: Nebuchadnezzar’s
dream: its interpretation and fulfillment (4:19-33)
A: King
Nebuchadnezzar praises God (4:34-37)
Some would offer a more detailed chiasm:
A: Prologue: The King
praises God (4:1-3)
B: The RECEPTION of
the Dream (4:4-7)
C: DIALOGUE with
Daniel (4:8-9)
D: The Dream RELATED (4:10-17)
E: DIALOGUE: The King
to Daniel (4:18-19a)
E: DIALOGUE: Daniel
to the King (4:19b)
D: The Dream
INTERPRETED (4:20-26)
C: DIALOGUE with the King
(4:27)
B: The FULFILLMENT of
the Dream (4:28-33)
A: Epilogue: The King
Praises God (4:34-37)
3. The Prologue: the King Praises God (v. 1-3).
v.1a:
“Nebuchadnezzar the king…”
o The King’s testimony is
probably to be dated circa 562 BC. This proclamation represents our final word
from what may have been the greatest Gentile sovereign of antiquity—possibly delivered
shortly before the end of his long reign of 43 years (605-562 BC) at the age of
80.
o Accordingly, the dream
itself probably occurred a decade or less before the King’s death (c. 572 BC),
allowing for the year graciously allotted to him to heed Daniel’s call for
repentance (4:26, 29), and for the seven years of madness (4:16, 25, 32).
v.
1b: “to all the peoples, nations, and men…”
o Written in the style
and form of an official public document—a royal proclamation.
o The previously
vainglorious monarch places the story of his disgrace and humiliation into the open
public record—speaking with the sense of urgency and missionary zeal that
characterizes a new convert!
o An analogy: imagine a powerful Head
of State of our own day repenting of his sins and then calling an internationally
televised press conference to testify as to his own native foolishness and to
the saving-power of Jesus Christ!
o David Jeremiah, in his
commentary The Handwriting on the Wall, labels this chapter “The Gospel
according to Nebuchadnezzar.”
o “to all the
peoples…”
Customarily, hyperbolic universal language was commonly used by rulers
of great empires—even though they did not literally enjoy universal
dominion (Dan. 3:29, Luke 2:1).
o Ancient Mesopotamian tradition—extending
back to Sumerian times & pre-dating Nebuchadnezzar by many centuries—commonly
defined the perimeters of meaningful civilization to the general proximities of
the ancient near east.
o However, the
Neo-Babylonian empire was in fact ethnically diverse, representing many
different races, tribes, kindreds, and tongues.
o Furthermore, King
Nebuchadnezzar was in fact granted a hypothetical & potential universal sovereignty
at the Hands of God! His sovereignty is spoken of in Jer. 27:5-8 & 11
in terms that recall the dominion of Adam exercised in the early Earth. Apparently,
it was only his own pride that limited him and kept him from achieving &
realizing worldwide dominion.
Jer. 27:5-8: "I have
made the earth, the men and the beasts which are on the face of the earth by My
great power and by My outstretched arm, and I will give it to the one who is
pleasing in My sight. Now I have given all these lands into the hand of
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, My servant, and I have given him also the wild
animals of the field to serve him. All the nations shall serve him and his son
and his grandson until the time of his own land comes; then many nations and
great kings will make him their servant. It will be, that the nation or the
kingdom which will not serve him, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and which
will not put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, I will punish that
nation with the sword, with famine and with pestilence," declares the
LORD, "until I have destroyed it by his hand.”
Jer. 27:11: "But the nation which will
bring its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will let
remain on its land," declares the LORD, "and they will till it and
dwell in it."
o The address to a
universal audience, however, may represent something more than a
hyperbolic expression. The King may be proclaiming the Good News of his
redemption even unto those members of the human race who were not directly
under the immediate auspices of his scepter (cf., Matt. 28:19).
v.
1c: "May your peace abound!”
o A common oriental
salutation
(cf., Ezra 4:17), corresponding to the Hebrew “Shalom!” The idea is expressed that
the person addressed might be preserved from all that may potentially disturb him
and experience well-being.
o However, coming from
the mouth of the Elect, it suggests a more meaningful usage, as when it
was adopted by the early Christian community (Titus 1:4, 1 Pet. 1:2, 2 Pet.
1:2) in which the ultimate Shalom is to be found in experiencing peace and reconciliation
with God (Luke 2:14, Rom. 5:1).
v.
2a: "It has seemed good to me…”
o It was deemed seemly, highly
becoming, morally decent, and a matter of ethical responsibility, to publicly
relate all of God’s acts of graciousness and benevolence unto him.
o Question: Do WE, as
Christians, feel the same evangelistic burden?
Matt. 5:14-16: “You are
the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people
light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to
all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that
they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
v.
2b: “…to declare the signs and wonders…”
Also v. 3. Common Biblical terminology with
regard to the miraculous (Ex. 7:3; Deut. 6:22, 7:19, 13:1-2, 26:8; Neh. 9:10;
Ps. 135:9; Jer. 32:20; Acts 2:43, 4:30, 5:12, 8:13, 14:3).
Nebuchadnezzar had previously been the object
of God’s special interest, having been the recipient of various signs (chapters
2 & 3), which would now culminate in the totality of the particular
experience of chapter 4 (i.e., the dream, its interpretation, and its
subsequent fulfillment).
o “Signs.” Serving
as meaningful ensigns, they pointed to and signified God’s Presence and Power,
and furnished evident testimony of Divine activity.
o “Wonders:” so
referenced because of their awe-inspiring impact.
“Signs and wonders” were employed by God in
both the Days of the Old & New Testament to confirm and authenticate both
the Divine Message and its appointed messengers.
Deut. 7:17-19: “If you say in
your heart, ‘These nations are greater than I. How can I dispossess them?’ you
shall not be afraid of them but you shall remember what the LORD your God did
to Pharaoh and to all Egypt, the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs,
the wonders, the mighty hand, and the outstretched arm, by which the LORD your
God brought you out. So will the LORD your God do to all the peoples of whom
you are afraid.”
Acts 2:22: “Men of Israel,
hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty
works and wonders and signs that God did through Him in your midst, as you
yourselves know—”
Acts 2:43: And awe came
upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the
apostles.
The Messianic Identity of Christ would be
confirmed by the Sign of Jonah—yet it was no credit to His blind contemporaries
that they failed to recognize Him and demanded a sign!
Matt. 12:38-42: Then some of the
scribes and Pharisees said to Him, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from
You." But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous
generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign
of Jonah the prophet; for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the
belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights
in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will stand up with this
generation at the judgment, and will condemn it because they repented at the
preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. The Queen
of the South will rise up with this generation at the judgment and will condemn
it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon;
and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.”
Matt. 16:4: "An evil
and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and a sign will not be given it,
except the sign of Jonah."
Due to the astonishing depravity of the human
heart, signs and wonders are, in and of themselves, insufficient to lead
men to a redemptive acknowledgment of Divine Truth!
o Signs and wonders only
had a momentary impact upon Pharaoh, whose heart progressively continued
to harden.
Ex. 7:3-4: “But I will
harden Pharaoh's heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land
of Egypt, Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and
bring my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by
great acts of judgment.”
Ex. 11:9-10: Then the LORD
said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, that my wonders may be
multiplied in the land of Egypt.” Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before
Pharaoh, and the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the people
of Israel go out of his land.
o Signs and wonders did
not impact the wicked generation of Jewish leaders who bore witness to the resurrection
of Lazarus of Bethany from the dead (John 11:47-53). The sad aftermath of
this great miracle:
John 11:53: So from that day
on they planned together to kill Him [Jesus].
John 12:10-11: But the chief
priests planned to put Lazarus to death also; because on account of him many of
the Jews were going away and were believing in Jesus.
o Signs and wonders (Acts
8:13) could not make the heart of Simon Magus right before God (Acts
8:21).
o The extraordinary sign
of a witness returned from the dead would be insufficient to lead the five
brethren of the Rich Man to repentance:
Luke 16:30-31: But he said, “No,
father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!” But
he said to him, “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not
be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.”
o Thus, even the
indisputable Sign of Jonah was insufficient to bring about the mass-conversion
of the Jewish Nation!
The miracle-centered and experienced-based
“Power Evangelism” of the “Third Wave” of the Charismatic Movement
(a.k.a, the “Signs & Wonders Movement,” or “New Apostolic Reformation”)
that arose in the 1980’s with John Wimber, C. Peter Wagner, and others, fails
to recognize the above, affirming that the Gospel Message must be accompanied
by sensational and visible signs and miracles if men are to believe. Some
points to note:
o It is the preaching
of the Gospel which is “the power of God unto salvation to every one
that believeth” (Rom. 1:16).
o Rom. 10:17: “So
faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”
o We live in an age of
FAITH! John 20:29: "Because you have seen Me, have you believed?
Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed."
o
Our
textbook definition of FAITH: Heb. 11:1. “Now faith is the assurance of
things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
o
The
instrumental agent of Divine regeneration is the Word of God—not sign-miracles
(1 Pet. 1:23, Luke 8:11).
o
The
efficacious saving grace of the Holy Spirit is required to quicken and renew
the heart of the spiritually dead (John 6:37, 44; 10:16); sensory experiences
and logical arguments are, by themselves, insufficient.
I Cor. 1:18-24:
“For the word of the
cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved
it is the power of God. For it is written,
‘I will destroy
the wisdom of the wise,
And the
cleverness of the clever I will set aside.’
Where is the wise man?
Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish
the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its
wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness
of the message preached to save those who believe. For indeed Jews ask for
signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a
stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called,
both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”
Our conclusion is that it is only due
to the special regenerative and efficacious grace of God that Nebuchadnezzar was
able to draw lasting personal benefit from the sign-miracle events that he
experienced. This example stands in marked contrast to that of the unnamed
Exodus Pharaoh (probably Amenhotep II), as well as to that of Nebuchadnezzar’s
own grandson Belshazzar (Dan. 5)—both of whom remained unrepentant and in their
sins, despite having borne witness to extraordinary miraculous phenomena.
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