Good Morning! - Dan 4:13-14 - Cutting Down the Tree

I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, behold, a watcher and a holy one came down from heaven; He cried aloud, and said thus, Hew down the tree, and cut off his branches, shake off his leaves, and scatter his fruit: let the beasts get away from under it, and the fowls from his branches: (Dan 4:13-14)

Nebuchadnezzar has been having a very upbeat dream… until now. The tree is tall and productive. But suddenly an angel appears out of nowhere from the throne of God and loudly proclaims the destruction of the tree and the scattering of all its admirers. (The tree stump is behind his head in the picture.)

There is no talking it over, no negotiation, and no explanation. It's over! Even for a dream, this is tough. It seems that the hardest thing on earth for us members of the human race is to realize that God did not create us to be in charge of His program and to rob Him of His glory. Man wants to define himself in his own image and take charge of God's creation. There must come a day of reckoning for this bad thinking.

There are ranks of angels who are responsible for different jobs. They never sleep. They watch over their assigned tasks night and day. They protect and pronounce and pour out God's judgment at times. Just one of these created angels slew all the firstborn in Egypt (Ex 12:23). In David's day an angel brought the judgment of pestilence (2 Sam 24:16). One angel killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in one night. Then the angel of the LORD went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses (Isa 37:36).

Shouldn't we shy away from trying to manage ourselves apart from God? David wrote of angels: Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word. Bless ye the LORD, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure (Psa 103:20-21).

God also commissions angels to minister to His heirs of salvation. Are they [angels] not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? (Heb 1:14) If you are a child of God, you may have had the help of an angel more times than you know. God carries out much of His powerful program through the unseen spirits of angels (1Ki 22:19-23).

Nebuchadnezzar both sees and hears the appointed angel in verse 14. This angel is no tissy-pristle product of a Hollywood movie. This is the real thing. He thunders a command to other unseen agents from the throne of God: Cut! Shake! Scatter! Not only so, but attention is given to changing the neuter pronoun: "it" to the personal pronoun: "his." In the first description of the tree we find Nebuchadnezzar's reference to the tree as "it." But the angel of judgment refers to "his branches—his leaves—his fruit." The angel made it clear to Nebuchadnezzar that it was speaking to him personally. His branches were cut off. His leaves were shaken off. His fruit was scattered.

It looks like Nebuchadnezzar's number is up like it someday will be up for his grandson Belshazzar who lost it all in one night and this same prophet Daniel will be called in to read the mysterious handwriting on the wall. But, it's not all over for Nebuchadnezzar. It is he who lived to tell his own story in this chapter and he is willing to tell it like it was.

As I searched various commentaries I found that other nations chose not to enter any of these events in their comments. Nebuchadnezzar, himself who had conquered everybody, was ignored in the subsequent histories of nations he had conquered. In fact, the Greeks are somewhat unreliable in reporting the minor events of other nations that do not interest them. Tradition has it that when Moses left Egypt in haste, his name was removed from public buildings so that no one would ever remember the name of Moses. Well, somehow word got out about Moses.

Men do strange things in trying to manage God. It also leaked out that a man named Nebuchadnezzar had lived and conquered and died. Russia censored from their history books in school that America sent many shiploads of food to save them from certain starvation following the Bolshevik revolution. So, that kind of thing is not hard to find in history.

Don't you just love Bible stories? I do. Have a good day

Good Morning! - Dan 4:10-12 - The Great Tree

Thus were the visions of mine head in my bed; I saw, and behold a tree in the midst of the earth, and the height thereof was great. The tree grew, and was strong, and the height thereof reached unto heaven, and the sight thereof to the end of all the earth: The leaves thereof were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all: the beasts of the field had shadow under it, and the fowls of the heaven dwelt in the boughs thereof, and all flesh was fed of it (Dan 4:10-12).

This tree was in the center of the known world and appears to have been by itself, removed from any forest and unlike any other tree ever seen by man. Reaching to heaven and viewable from the greatest distance, it provided food and shade for animals and birds. In fact it provided food for all flesh. It was evidently an evergreen with fair leaves and edible fruit. A fine shade tree.

Most people like trees! I am reminded of a TV Christmas classic in which an orphan girl ends up in a Catholic home of Nuns. She is lonely and decides to make friends with a nice evergreen tree. They both grow up together and eventually the tree is chosen to be the annual Christmas tree at Rockefeller Centre in New York. A moving story in which the tree is effectively humanized much like a dog or cat and we are treated to the "glorious death" of the tree for a beautiful cause.

In Scripture, a tree may represent a man: And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper (Psa 1:3).

The wicked man of great power is "like a green bay tree" (Psa 37:35). David said "I am like a green Olive tree in the house of God" (Psa 52:8). The Psalmist said: "The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon" (Psa 92:12). The olive tree represents both Israel and the Gentiles (Rom 11:16-24).

A tree can picture a nation (Eze 31:3-14; Mat 24:32-33). The mustard tree in Mat 13:31-32 represents Christendom today (not the true church but Christianity at large). In Dan 4:10-12 the tree primarily represents Nebuchadnezzar and his kingdom.

At first glance, Nebuchadnezzar's dream of a mighty tree might have looked like a permanent state of himself and his kingdom. "Just look at me! I'm that tree!" But his tree and all of its might and majesty was to be short-lived.

Many a person flourishes for a short time like Nebuchadnezzar and a good bit of energy and study is devoted to learning the best way to go about it. In his book Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill (1883-1970) was commissioned to interview the one hundred most successful business men of the world and reduce their success to thirteen principles. It essentially concluded "What the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve." Set your goals and repeat them every morning.

The idea tracks the famous poem, "Invictus", by British poet William Ernest Henley. The title is Latin for "Unconquered". It was first published in 1875 and concludes with: I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul. Along that same line of self-help thinking, in 1936 Dale Carnegie wrote his famous book: How to Win Friends and Influence People. He died in 1955 but left a thriving legacy that continues today as the Dale Carnegie Training public speaking courses.

The idea of "self-help" is a two-edged sword: constructive and destructive. To do our best is good and constructive. But to think that we are self-sufficient is folly.

Nebuchadnezzar's tree and people who follow his train of thinking can perhaps become great for a while. Their tree is great and green. But time waits for no man and drags behind it the dismantling of personal health and fortunes as well as the greatest cities and civilizations. How wise we are to realize that our time on earth is for a season and shall come to an end. We are plainly told … it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: (Heb 9:27).

The greatest tree of all time was foretold by the prophets, displayed in Israel and preserved in the Bible. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: (Gal 3:13)

Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed (1Pe 2:24). Have you been to the Tree?

Christ's redeemed ones will eat from a tree provided by Him: He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. (Rev 2:7) See you at the tree!

Good Morning! 2009.02.18 - Dan 4:8-9 - What's Coming - Part Two

Good Morning!

What's Coming – Part Two

 

But at the last Daniel came in before me, whose name was

 

Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god, and in whom is the

 

spirit of the holy gods: and before him I told the dream, saying, O

 

Belteshazzar, master of the magicians, because I know that the spirit

 

of the holy gods is in thee, and no secret troubleth thee, tell me the visions of my dream that I

 

have seen, and the interpretation thereof (Dan 4:8-9).

 

Nebuchadnezzar was at the top of the ladder, having conquered all the nations and tribes there were to conquer. Here he was meandering around in his palace with nothing to do but look down on all the inferior nations he had conquered and to strut and crow about how great he was. He was at rest in his house and flourishing in his palace. He was a big shot and with pride and arrogance reflected on his bigness.

 

Let's remember that his past had afforded him several outstanding opportunities to turn to God. When he conquered Israel he brought in Jewish youth that included some godly young men such as Daniel and his fellows. He must have wondered why Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah risked their lives to refuse to eat the royal food appointed for them and still they were bright and physically fit. He saw God at work as Daniel interpreted the dream for him in chapter 2 in which Daniel's God laid out the whole course of Gentile history.

 

 

In Chapter 3 Nebuchadnezzar had seen a demonstration of the mighty hand of God in preserving and delivering the three Hebrew young men in the fiery furnace. Didn't he get really religious for a while and decree that anyone who should speak a word amiss against their God would be cut in pieces and their house made into a dunghill? Big speech—no change of heart. Big speeches don't impress God. He was like a lot of people who attend our churches today but refuse to give up their proud, stubborn hearts. "Everybody talk about Heaven ain't goin' there, Heaven."

 

He said in verse one that he was at rest in his palace. But it wasn't much of a rest. It was a shallow rest. A false rest in his nest but God was going to stir up his nest. We're not much on seeking after God. Sometimes He has to shake us like a dog shaking a snake to get our attention, it seems. It had been at least twenty five years since the first dream in chapter two and the dismal failure of his squad of quack prophets on his staff. And now he calls in the same committee to bow and scrape and peep and mutter.

 

There is one other possibility. Twenty five years ago Daniel was elevated to Chief of the Magicians. It could be that in calling in the usual team of magicians that Nebuchadnezzar did it through his chief: Daniel who could have simply sent the others before the king to do their stuff, knowing they could do nothing. This would demonstrate the stark contrast between the false and the true. That is speculation but it is not so far-fetched. We know that Daniel was no dummy and he had been watching palace politics for twenty five years. Daniel knew the others were nothing but fakes and quacks and he was wise enough to set the stage to get things done. It's just a thought.

 

After twenty five years, Nebuchadnezzar was about to learn: It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man (Psa 118:8). And: Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly,…

(Psa 1:1)

 

"History shows that God has chosen holy men guided by the Holy Spirit to reveal and record His message (2 Pet 1:21). But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding

(Job 32:8).  Daniel was such a man and Nebuchadnezzar knew it….After [his] conversion, which resulted from a severe judgment from God, he would not do anything that might grieve God" (Strauss).  Does that make you sort of wonder about a lot of church folks today?

 

 

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Good Morning! 2009.02.17 - Dan 4:8-9 - What's Coming?

Good Morning!

 

But at the last Daniel came in before me, whose name was

 

Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god, and in whom is the

 

spirit of the holy gods: and before him I told the dream, saying, O

 

Belteshazzar, master of the magicians, because I know that the spirit

 

of the holy gods is in thee, and no secret troubleth thee, tell me the visions of my dream that I

 

have seen, and the interpretation thereof (Dan 4:8-9).

 

Daniel enables us to extract meaning from the book of Revelation. They are actually two halves of the same revelation that God gives covering that time until now and far beyond our present time. It is important for us to wallow in Daniel until it is our closest kin. Only then can we understand Revelation and understand where we are now moving. I say "moving" because we are indeed moving at a very fast pace toward a one-world society and the end of this Age. The coming of Christ for the sudden rapture of His church must surely be upon us. Those left behind must then face the music.

What can we expect as we move toward a one-world society? To some, it may seem that I have strayed from the above text, but I have not. Please keep in mind that the subject is bigger than Nebuchadnezzar's personal testimony in chapter 4. There is the rest of the Book of Daniel and the whole book of Revelation that must be faced.

There's no need for us to wring our hands today about our country going to the dogs. It is a time to pray and seek the face of the Lord. It's going to change quickly into a form that will more easily fit into a world structure. Of course it will all be hailed as progress, the elimination of war and poverty and the suppressing of divisive and antiquated religions of which Christianity is chief. Islam will eventually be suppressed when it is no longer useful.

Ideal health care is a two-edged sword for good and for evil. It will only come about when completely controlled by government and then it will be rationed according to government priorities. The more productive end of society, the young, will be favored and the older and less-productive or non-productive will be denied "scare resources" as was done in Germany. Hitler called them "useless bread eaters."

I don't expect death squads as in Hitler's Germany but I do expect the rationing of health care to be allowed to take out the weaker part of the population in the name of efficient use of resources. The NPO signs on hospital beds mean "nothing by mouth." Sometimes a short restricting of food and water is taking place. But sometimes a person is being starved to death. In making hospital rounds for 55 years I have seen those signs;  more-so in recent years. The use of NPO signs on hospital beds could eliminate the need for offensive death squads.

Once a segment of the population, such as the unborn, can be legally expunged as inconvenient life, then other areas of inconvenient life can be identified and eliminated by the same accepted principle. All of that is part of the larger picture of what is coming in the one-world government and one-world economy. Allow me to repeat that all of this will be done under the name of eliminating war and poverty. The Humanist Manifesto of 1933 (which John Dewey, the father of modern American education signed) declared: "No deity will save us. We must save ourselves." So we will be watching the progression of "saving ourselves."

Let us not forget that God gave to this man, Nebuchadnezzar,  information of world history before it happened and the time line runs from him to us and beyond to the end of the age when Christ will sit upon the throne of David in Jerusalem.

"This chapter was written by Nebuchadnezzar himself; and was either taken out of his archives, or given by him to Daniel, who under divine inspiration inserted it into this work of his; and a very useful instruction it contains, showing the sovereignty of God over the greatest kings and potentates of the earth, and this acknowledged by one of the proudest monarchs that ever lived upon it" (Gill).

Seven years of eating grass like an ox brought about the desired effect. I believe we will see Nebuchadnezzar in Heaven. He is telling his personal story. Let us remember that he had little knowledge of the true God, so he spoke of Him in his own terms: "The spirit of the holy gods."  He was not a proper theologian but he was indeed doing business with the living God of Heaven who designs the course of history before it occurs.

Nebuchadnezzar is also a picture of people who are going to see troubling things as this stage of history

unfolds. Today so many preachers in pulpits are as useless as Nebuchadnezzar's "wise men, magicians,

astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers." People today want to be stroked and assured but not told of

impending dangers and upheaval. Therefore there is a great market for preachers who will preach smooth

things. Smooth things pay better. Like Lucy in Peanuts: "I don't want any downs! I just want ups!"

 

Sooner or later, we will have to face the prospect that God is, after all, in charge. Is He in charge of your life?

 

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Good Morning! - 2009.02.16 - Dan 4:6-7 - Interpreting Dreams

Therefore made I a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon

 

before me, that they might make known unto me the interpretation of

 

the dream. Then came in the magicians, the astrologers, the

 

Chaldeans, and the soothsayers: and I told the dream before them;

 

but they did not make known unto me the interpretation thereof. (Dan 4:6-7)

 

 

 

Carving Above: Nebuchadnezzar the King. Once an eye of a statue of the god Marduk, this unique carving on onyx is surrounded by a cuneiform inscription: ´To Marduk his lord, Nebuchadnezzar has given this for his life.´

*Photo: Biblepicturegallery.com/ Babylonian chronicle of Nebuchadnezzar´s reign.

God exercises infinite variety. If you were going to crack the hardened shell of a man like Nebuchadnezzar, how would you do it? Old Neb still didn't get it. He had called in Daniel in Dan 2:24-25, many years before for an especially difficult case, but apparently had not "needed" God since that time. Many men seek God when they have a knotty problem they can't handle. We might conclude that if God didn't allow us to get in over our heads, some of us would never call on Him.

 

King Nebuchadnezzar calls in his standard wizards, the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans and the soothsayers. It's not good to clutter up the palace court with the Hebrew odd balls unless you just have to. It reminds us just how pervasive God's hand is in human matters. God ordains that the usual hocus-pocus crew be allowed to do their thing first and reduce this whole situation to an impasse. Then God  would send His man to interpret His dream for His purpose. Sometimes some very ordinary-looking people and some very ordinary-looking events are from the hand of the Lord. When God gave the dreams, only God could interpret the dreams.

 

No doubt, the family had kept the king's insanity quiet and maybe had a gag order on it so that nobody in the palace could talk about it and keep his head. McGee lists a number of famous rulers as having had some form of insanity.

 

 "Nebuchadnezzar was not insane because he had been dropped on his head as a baby). It manifests itself in somnambulism (sleepwalking) and amnesia (loss of memory), and it is thought to be hereditary. A historian tells us that a number of other world rulers have suffered from some form of mental instability: Antiochus Epiphanes, Charles VI of France, Christian VII of Denmark, George III of England, Otho of Bavaria, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar and Napoleon. It has also been in the Spanish royal line, the Russian line (among the czars), and also in the English line.

 

"Henry VI of England was a real madhatter, and suffered from something similar to hysteria. Hitler also had that problem. And here, the head of gold, Nebuchadnezzar, was a lunatic. He had bats in his belfry. He was not ruling with a full deck in his hands. He was just a little off, if you please. All of this was revealed in his extreme emotionalism—he would move in any direction and to an extreme."

 

The key to this chapter is found here:  …to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men (Dan 4:17).

 

There is a strong suggestion in this verse that God gives us the kind of rulers we deserve and sometimes the rulers we want. We have only to go to McGee's list of wacky rulers above to understand that the elevators of many rulers did not go to the top floor. Why does God do that? I don't know. Maybe we can ask Him when we see Him.  It does seem like a modern progressive nation such as ours would be able to elect rulers who would behave like principled men and women.

I leave it to you as to why we so often are tempted to call our politicians "dipsticks," etc. But, then I'm forced to remember that it's the "dipsticks" in the hamlets and villages that sent them there did we not? The problem is not in Washington. The problem may be looking back at us in the mirror and mowing the yard next door.

 

The problem may also be found standing behind many pulpits on Sunday mornings trying to be smooth and preaching what the paying congregation wants to hear. Fifty million murdered babies is a lot to be swept under a rug. Nebuchadnezzar did not deal with his problem until God called his hand. Most of us are that way, are we not? How long has it been since you talked – really talked – with the Lord?

 

"If my people…" occurs 16 times in the King James concordance. The best known one says: If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land

(2Ch 7:14).

 

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Newsweek: We Are All Socialists Now

Thought you might want to read this Newsweek article. Dan Carr

 

COVER STORY: BUSINESS

We Are All Socialists Now

In many ways our economy already resembles a European one. As boomers age and spending grows, we will become even more French.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/183663

 

Dan Carr

 

God sends no one away empty except those who are full of themselves. Dwight L. Moody