The Ultimate Dream:  Lift Him Up!

Text:  Daniel 4:1-3¹ ‍Nebuchadnezzar the king, unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you.‍ ² ‍I thought‍^a‍ it good to shew the signs and wonders that the high God hath wrought toward me. ‍ ³ ‍How great are his signs! and how mighty are his wonders! his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation.‍ ^[1]

When the Frog Opens Its Mouth

In a certain pond on one of the farms in the East were two ducks and frog. Now these neighbors were the best of friends; all day long they used to play together. But as the hot summer days came, the pond began to dry up and soon there was such a little bit of water that they all realized that they would have to move. Now the ducks could easily fly to another place, but what about their friend the frog?

Finally it was decided that they would put a stick in the bill of each duck, and then the frog would hang onto the stick with his mouth and they would fly him to another pond. And so they did.

As they were flying, a farmer out in his field looked up and saw them and said, “Well, isn’t that a clever idea! I wonder who thought of it!”

The frog said, “I did and of course since he was hanging on by his mouth, you can easily guess what happened to him.

^[2]

Daniel chapter 4 is actually an official Babylonian document, written by King Nebuchadnezzar himself.   This is the story of the king’s conversion.

It was a during a time of peace and prosperity that God sent a most unusual dream to the king.  It was a warning to him that his sins were going to catch up with him.

Nebuchadnezzar was living under a false security of earthly peace and safety orchestrated by the hand of man. He failed to realize who God is.

This dream was most unusual.  The king saw a huge tree that overshadowed the entire earth.  Within this tree there were birds and animals taking refuge within.

THEN THE KING HEARD THIS VOICE SAYING, “CUT DOWN THE TREE!”

The tree was cut down, but the stump was left in the wet grass with a band of iron and brass around it.  7 times was to pass over him, which probably meant that it would last for 7 seasons.

The king brought in the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and the soothsayers, but none of these people had any answers, in spite of the fact that they had promised they would.  Then God revealed Daniel.  He was the man for the job because he was plugged into God.  Daniel had the goods.

Nebuchadnezzar had power, riches, and glory, but he was unable to unlock the future.  The poorest Christian is far richer than Nebuchadnezzar because God’s word gives us His awesome plan for our future.  On the other hand, multi-billionaires will perish without Jesus!

God used Daniel as a light in the darkness to reveal the dream.  The revelation was so heavy that the king was unable to speak for 1 hour. It was a sobering wake up call for the king.  Daniel did not take it lightly.  A true prophet is always in sympathy with his message.  Daniel felt the passion for the kings deliverance.

We must understand that God’s revelation does not always lead to joy and witness 100% of the time, but sometimes it leads to sorrow and silence. 

The tree represented Nebuchadnezzar and his great kingdom ^[3]  A tree is a good symbol of an earthly kingdom because it is rooted in the earth and depends on the earth for its food and stability.^[4]

Since Babylon had become a great and powerful nation, many surrounding nations all around looked to Babylon for safety, protection, and provision.  Babylon was a hub of affluence and influence.

But it was not for Nebuchadnezzar to boast, because God had given him his throne and his kingdom. That was the lesson the monarch was to learn the hard way.^[5]  This was to be a humbling lesson in the removal of pride.  If we don’t remove pride out of our lives, God will see to it that it gets removed somehow.  The angel announced, “Cut down the tree—get King Nebuchadnezzar off the throne.” ^[6]

The King would actually cease to live like a man and would live like a beast for seven years, grazing in the field like an ox.  The tree would be cut down, and the iron band would restrain its growth.

The judgment would not be permanent. After seven years, Nebuchadnezzar would become human again, his reason would return, and he would ascend his throne in great glory.^[7]

What was the result:  Nebuchadnezzar now had a whole new outlook from brand new eyes.

Everything that happened would teach the king humility.  There was no way that the king could stay the same.  He would radically humble him.  Why?  Because the king had made an image of gold for himself so the people could worship the king.  Everything was about the earthly king instead of about Heaven’s King.

It happened as Daniel said. God gave Nebuchadnezzar a whole year to consider the warning and turn from his sins, but the king paid no heed. In fact, he became more and more proud of his achievements. See Ecc. 8:11 and Prov. 29:1. But there came a day when judgment fell and the true beastly nature of the king was revealed for all to see. Men drove him from his palace and he lived for seven years like a beast of the field, eating grass like the oxen. When God wants to humble a proud king, He can do it quickly and thoroughly.^[8]

This intense humbling experience did not last forever, but after 7 years the king was converted.  The first step (the king tells us) was, “I lifted my eyes to heaven”^[9]

If you want to change, the first thing you must do is to look and think upon God.  Acknowledge Him!

#2:  “I blessed God—I praised God.” That certainly sounds like a man whose life has been changed by faith in the Lord. The king had learned his lesson: he was nothing and God was everything.^[10]

#3:  What did he learn:   “The Most High rules in the kingdom of men….”

#4 What did He do?  He expressed the changed man he had become:  before he was a cruel man of war, but now he was expressing peace to all the people:

Just seven years before he had been saying, “Is not this great Babylon that I have built?” He was boasting about his power and his majesty, with not a syllable of praise or gratitude to God. All that is changed now; the king writes an official document giving personal witness to what God has done for him. Verse 37 is the ultimate: “I praise and extol and honor”—not Nebuchadnezzar—but rather “the King of heaven” and “those that walk in pride He is able to abase.”^[11]

The ultimate thing we can do when God has brought us through a great experience of humility it to extol Him, lift Him Up!  This will throw the devil for a loop because he does not want to see you get back up, but there is nothing that he can do to stop it from happening!

The Ultimate Dream is to Lift Him Up!

I want us to begin lifting Him up right now.  Let’s Just lift Jesus up and see what He does!

I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if somebody gets healed, saved, and delivered!