Episode Transcript
[00:00:01] So if you've been here the last few weeks, we've been slowly working our way through the book of Daniel.
[00:00:09] And let's see, if. If you were here, I know this is usually the time you sit and listen, but I prefer collaboration. So I invite you to think back over some of the stories that we've covered and think back to.
[00:00:26] To what happened in those stories and what. What have we learned about God so far?
[00:00:33] And you don't have to, but if you are.
[00:00:36] Want to share for the benefit of the rest of us, I invite you to.
[00:00:50] What have you learned so far about Daniel?
[00:00:53] Like what do you. What do you remember anything, Krista?
[00:00:58] Because I know, you know, once Sunday passes or once noon comes, it's hard to remember.
[00:01:05] So we started number one. You've got Daniel as part of these captives being pulled from Judah as Judah starts his downfall. And they have to walk really far to Babylon. And it's just this insanely impressive place that they couldn't have imagined before.
[00:01:30] And they have to figure out, what do we do now?
[00:01:35] Did God abandon us? Do we abandon God?
[00:01:40] And they're tempted.
[00:01:44] They're tempted by the king's food, by the king's generosity.
[00:01:52] They're indoctrinated into the world and the culture of Babylon. They're taught the language. They're taught how to think.
[00:02:03] Yet somehow Daniel and his friends remain faithful to God.
[00:02:11] They ex. They. They do. They learn the language and stuff, but they don't let that define who they. Who they are.
[00:02:18] They are committed to the God.
[00:02:23] And then we have Nebuchadnezzar has a dream.
[00:02:26] He's scared, and he pulls all his, like, wise people, all the magicians in. He's like, tell me what this dream means. But first tell me me what the dream was.
[00:02:37] And they're like, that's crazy. That's impossible.
[00:02:44] So, you know, they go back and forth for a while. And then he's like, nope, okay, kill them all. They're useless to me.
[00:02:51] And when somebody shows up to kill Daniel because he was one of these wise men, Daniel's like, wait, wait, wait just a minute.
[00:02:59] Let me go talk to the king. Let me see what's going on, and let's see what we can do about this.
[00:03:04] So he does. The king explains the situation. And Daniel says, okay, give me. Give me a minute. Give me some time. He goes back and he prays with his friends, and he prays for the wisdom, to know the king's dream and to be able to interpret it for the king.
[00:03:20] And he does.
[00:03:23] And Daniel's a part of sparing the lives of all of those magicians and he's setting himself up to yet again, humbly be impressive to the king.
[00:03:40] And then last week we talked about the fiery furnace and the lion's den and those stories.
[00:03:49] You know, there are a lot of famous stories in the Bible.
[00:03:53] Not sure any of them beat the fiery furnace, like David and Goliath, like, okay, that's a big deal. But you know, in the back of our minds, yeah, I could probably do that. Like, you know, I might be hiding undercover, but it's somewhat reasonable.
[00:04:13] But walking into an insanely hot pottery furnace and coming out unsinged, that that can only be attributed to God.
[00:04:29] And so you see these stories of God's people being spared to be witnesses of who, who is in control.
[00:04:42] So one of the things we've talked about, Rakoy has brought up the last few weeks is the idea of a chiasm.
[00:04:49] This is just something that is really all throughout the Hebrew scriptures.
[00:04:55] It can be like a few sentences, it can be entire stories.
[00:05:00] And the idea is it's just a repeated pattern that like draws your attention to something.
[00:05:06] And especially in an oral based culture, the more hits you get back to back like that really help it sink in.
[00:05:14] So the chiasm, you've got like, it kind of, Chloe talked about it as like a bullseye getting closer to center, which is probably, you know, accurate, but I just do better thinking linearly, something like that.
[00:05:32] So you've got this story's happening and then all of a sudden you get to this first foundation part of this chiasm and this thing happens, this is the A.
[00:05:45] And then you get to the next story, and then you get to the next story. And then all of a sudden you're hitting those same stories in a slightly different way back down. And so you can kind of compare and contrast or you can, you know, just be aware of what's repeated a lot. So in Daniel, this is actually a pretty big deal because chapters two through seven of Daniel are one giant chiasm.
[00:06:12] And this is written in Aramaic.
[00:06:16] Most of the Old Testament, for us, the Hebrew scriptures were written in Hebrew. This section was written in Aramaic. And Aramaic is the language of Babylon. It's the language of that empire and many empires to come.
[00:06:31] And it's still a language used in Jesus's day.
[00:06:35] So this tells us a few things. One, it tells us that this is yet another hint that God is the God of the Gentiles too.
[00:06:45] Whether they acknowledge him or not.
[00:06:48] He is not just the local God of Israel, this is the God of the world.
[00:06:54] And this is written in the language of the world so that they might see and hear and know that he is the Holy One.
[00:07:04] So if we look at this chiasm specifically in Daniels 2 to 3, at the base you've got Nebuchadnezzar's dream, which we touched on just a little bit earlier, his first dream. And then eventually when you come out the other end in chapter seven, you get to Daniel's dream. And we actually haven't really talked about these yet. Clay's gonna hit those next week because there's some interesting allusions to Christ in Daniel's dream that'll come up as we prepare for Easter.
[00:07:35] But comparing Nebuchadnezzar's dream and Daniel's dream, one thing that becomes apparent in those is that God has the plan for the future. He knows the future. He holds the future in his hand.
[00:07:49] He's not unaware or taken by surprise, and he's not uncaring.
[00:07:54] He is both the God who is able to humble kings and number the hairs on our each of our heads.
[00:08:04] The next layer of this chiasm has the fiery furnace and the lion's den. So the fiery furnace happens in chapter three to Daniel's friends Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. And then the lion's den in chapter six to Daniel.
[00:08:25] And both of these you're seeing similar things. You're seeing their commitment to faith, God and God intervening in a way that shows that he is capable and he is active in this present world. Not just among the Jews, among the Gentiles as well.
[00:08:48] And then we come to today.
[00:08:55] Today is this very apex of the chiasm. That's sinner, bullseye.
[00:09:01] And this is where we learn that yes, God has all the power.
[00:09:08] You've got King Nebuchadnezzar going against God and King Belshazzar going against God. God chapters four, four with Nebuchadnezzar and five with Belshazzar.
[00:09:21] Now, we know you don't go up against God. That's just not smart.
[00:09:28] It's like playing like we're an ant playing, you know, with the master chess player or something. It just, we know that intellectually, but did we know that in our day to day lives we might not be so different from these kings?
[00:09:49] So let's see. So that's what we're going to get into today, basically. But this, what the outcome of these two stories is the root of this chasm that God Humbles kings and kingdoms. No one escapes his power. And every knee shall bow and confess and tongue confess that he is Lord.
[00:10:12] And each on each side of this truth. We'll see two different responses.
[00:10:19] The Bible is filled with stories of people from all walks of life and their response to the Almighty God of heaven and earth.
[00:10:28] And these stories are littered throughout the Bible for our benefit and for the benefit of the world.
[00:10:35] So Daniel 4 and 5 is special because it puts two of these stories back to back.
[00:10:42] And because they are right back to back, it is very easy for us to pay attention to the outcome so that we can then decide how we want to respond to God.
[00:10:59] So we're going to jump in to Daniel chapter four, and it's actually not going to be on the screen for you.
[00:11:07] So Daniel chapter four starts out, king Nebuchadnezzar, to the nations and peoples of every language who live on the earth, may you prosper greatly.
[00:11:18] It's my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the most high God has performed for me.
[00:11:25] This is Nebuchadnezzar talking.
[00:11:27] How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders. His kingdom is an eternal kingdom. His dominion endures from gener to generation.
[00:11:38] This is a proclamation that would have been written probably in clay, hung somewhere prominently, maybe copied and circulated.
[00:11:50] This is something he wants the world to know.
[00:11:55] And the last time he sent a proclamation in our recent memory is, you need to bow down and worship me.
[00:12:05] He's changed his tune.
[00:12:08] So he continues, he says, I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at home in my palace. I was contented and prosperous.
[00:12:16] Okay, this is usually the end of our stories, right? Happily ever after.
[00:12:21] This is the beginning. So we know something's going to happen.
[00:12:28] And I think in Nebuchadnezzar's former life, he probably would have been like, yes, I was contented and prosperous, and look how benevolent I was to offer you X, Y and Z.
[00:12:43] But that's actually not what we're going to read this time.
[00:12:46] He says, I had a dream that made me afraid.
[00:12:50] This is what he's proclaiming to the people.
[00:12:54] As I was lying in bed, the images and visions that passed through my mind terrified me.
[00:13:00] So I commanded all the wise men of Babylon to be brought before me to interpret the dream for me.
[00:13:06] When the magicians, enchanters, astrologers and diviners came, I told them the dream, but they could not interpret it for me.
[00:13:15] Finally, Daniel came into my presence and I told him the dream.
[00:13:21] And this is what he told him. I looked and there before me stood a tree in the middle of the land.
[00:13:29] Its height was enormous.
[00:13:32] The tree grew large and strong, and its top touched the sky.
[00:13:38] It was visible to the ends of the earth. Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit abundant, and on it was food for all.
[00:13:48] Under it, the wild animals found shelter, and the birds lived in its branches.
[00:13:54] From every creature it was fed.
[00:13:58] I looked down, and there before me was a holy one, a messenger come down from heaven. He called out in a loud voice, cut down the tree, trim off its branches, strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit.
[00:14:13] Let the animals flee from under it and the birds from under its branches, but let the stump and its roots, bound with iron and bronze, remain in the ground, in the grass of the field.
[00:14:26] This tree that seemingly gave life to all is contained by the order of heaven.
[00:14:36] It's stripped of its power for now, but it's not wholly destroyed.
[00:14:43] And this continues, he says, the messenger says, let him be drenched with the dew of heaven and let him live with the animals among the plants of the earth. Let his mind be changed from that of a man, and let him be given the mind of an animal till 7 times pass by him.
[00:15:02] So when I was thinking of, okay, what is the mind of a man versus the mind of an animal?
[00:15:08] You know, one thing I don't know. The thing that stood out to most to me, was hubris.
[00:15:16] I'm pretty sure we are the only ones that start to think, what great thing can I do?
[00:15:27] And that has been taken away from him.
[00:15:30] And then it says, 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 all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets them over the lowliest people.
[00:15:48] Nebuchadnezzar, the height of earthly power and extravagance at that point in time, is only in that position because God has set him there, and he is of the lowliest of people.
[00:16:11] Why, oops, will this happen? So that everyone will know that there is God, the king is in heaven, and he is not Nebuchadnezzar.
[00:16:24] So Nebuchadnezzar says, daniel, tell me what this means. Nobody in my kingdom can interpret it for me, but you can, because the spirit of the holy gods is in you.
[00:16:36] So then Daniel was greatly perplexed for a time, and his thoughts terrified him.
[00:16:43] So the king said, don't let the dreamer its meaning alarm you.
[00:16:49] You know, this. Daniel's probably about 50 years old when this is happening, so he's had a good 30 years to build his relationship with Nebuchadnezzar, to be trusted by Nebuchadnezzar and to want good for Nebuchadnezzar.
[00:17:07] So Daniel answers. He says, my lord, if only the dream applied to your enemies.
[00:17:14] He didn't want this for the king.
[00:17:17] Even the king who tried to take his identity away, this is not what he wanted for him.
[00:17:27] Daniel says, the tree that you saw, which grew large and strong, with its top touching the sky, visible to the whole earth, beautiful leaves, abundant fruit, providing for all, giving shelter to all.
[00:17:42] Your majesty, you are that tree. You have become great and strong. Your greatness has grown until it reaches the sky, and your dominion extends to distant parts of the earth.
[00:17:55] Your majesty, you saw the Holy One, a messenger coming from heaven, saying to cut down the tree and destroy it, but to leave the stump bound with iron and bronze in the grass of the field, while the roots remain in the ground, let him be drenched with the dew of heaven.
[00:18:17] Let him live with the wild animals until seven times pass by for him.
[00:18:22] This is the interpretation.
[00:18:26] And this is the decree that the Most High has issued against you, my lord the king.
[00:18:35] You will be driven away from people. You will live with the wild animals. You will eat grass like the ox and be drenched like the dew of heaven. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms of the earth.
[00:18:58] And he gives them to anyone he wishes.
[00:19:01] The command to leave the stump of the tree with its roots means that your kingdom will be restored to you when you acknowledge that heaven rules.
[00:19:11] Therefore, your majesty, be pleased to accept my advice.
[00:19:16] Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue.
[00:19:28] Daniel is pleading with Nebuchadnezzar. Repent.
[00:19:33] Don't be ignorant any longer of who has the true power.
[00:19:38] And maybe you won't have to learn this lesson the hard way.
[00:19:43] Renounce your sins, change your ways. Live a reformed.
[00:19:52] But the story continues 12 months later, as the king Nebuchadnezzar was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon. He said, is this not the great Babylon that I have built as the royal residence by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?
[00:20:13] This resonance he's describing for his glory is beginning to sound like a temple, right?
[00:20:21] My power did this. I deserve to be worshiped.
[00:20:28] Even as the words were on his lips, a voice came from heaven.
[00:20:35] You know, sometimes voices from heaven are good.
[00:20:38] But if you Set yourself against God. I'm pretty sure that's not he, said the voice. This is the voice from heaven.
[00:20:46] Just as Nebuchadnezzar said this and the words were still on his lips, this voice said, king Nebuchadnezzar, your royal authority has been taken from you.
[00:20:55] You will be driven away from people and live with wild animals.
[00:21:00] You will eat grass like the ox. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on the earth and gives them to anyone who wishes.
[00:21:11] Immediately, what had been said about Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled.
[00:21:16] He was driven away from people. He ate grass like the ox. His body was drenched with the dew of heaven.
[00:21:22] And at the end of that time, coming back, he says, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven and my sanity was restored.
[00:21:33] Then I praised the Most High God. I honored and glorified him who lives forever.
[00:21:39] His dominion is an eternal dominion. His kingdom endures from generation to generation.
[00:21:46] He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth.
[00:21:50] No one can hold back his hand or say to him, what have you done?
[00:21:57] At the same time, my sanity was restored, my honor and splendor were returned to me for the glory of my kingdom.
[00:22:05] He gets it now. And he sent back a changed man for the benefit of his kingdom.
[00:22:11] My advisors and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne and became even greater than before.
[00:22:18] Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the king of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just.
[00:22:26] And those who walk in pride, he is able to humble.
[00:22:34] This is Nebuchadnezzar's battle with God, chapter five.
[00:22:41] Right after this is King Belshazzar.
[00:22:45] So this has probably been another 30 years. Nebuchadnezzar is dead, and this is his grandson on the throne.
[00:22:54] At this point in time, this huge, important empire of Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar, now it's beginning to fall. Babylonian cities are beginning to be conquered by the Persians.
[00:23:08] And this is what King Belshazzar is doing. In that time, says King Belshazzar gave a great blanket for a thousand of his nobles and he drank wine with them.
[00:23:19] So he's toasting the gods.
[00:23:21] They're probably recalling previous victories.
[00:23:26] Babylon was heavily fortified city. They should have been good.
[00:23:30] While Belshazzar was drinking his wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver goblets that Nebuchadnezzar his father, had taken from the temple in Jerusalem so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them.
[00:23:45] So now you've got.
[00:23:47] Back when Daniel was a teen and he was brought from Babylon or, sorry, from Judah.
[00:23:55] Also during those years, they brought back some of the. They plundered the temple and brought back some of the gold and dishes, silver dishes, from there.
[00:24:06] And they would have kept those as a memento, maybe to show their superiority.
[00:24:15] But Belshazzar takes that a step or 300, way farther.
[00:24:22] He's not just like, oh, yeah, we got this.
[00:24:25] He is being as offensive and obscene as he possibly can be to thumb his nose at this God of the exiles.
[00:24:39] He and his wives and his concubines are drinking from these. And it says, as they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood and stone.
[00:24:54] This is aggressively blasphemous.
[00:24:58] And suddenly, the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall.
[00:25:05] The king watched the hand as it wrote.
[00:25:09] His face turned pale, and he was so frightened that his legs became weak and his knees were knocking.
[00:25:17] He went from boasting to unmasked fear in a matter of seconds.
[00:25:24] I don't know if you've ever been that scared.
[00:25:27] When I was, gosh, in middle school, I think. Or maybe I was in high school. My sister was in middle school. Anyway, I got off the bus, I went, you know, whatever, into the kitchen to get a snack. And all of a sudden, I hear this otherworldly voice saying, leslie, whatever. I don't know. It was way scarier than that. I was, like, petrified. I'm like, who is in this house? What is happening? Am I about to die?
[00:25:55] My sister was hiding in the pantry.
[00:25:59] She didn't realize what panic she was ensuing. She was just trying to play a prank. But I still remember. I froze. This is what's happening for this guy.
[00:26:11] Like, he's got nothing. He's scared. So what does he do? He does the same thing they always do. He summons his enchanters, astrologers, diviners. And he says, hey, whoever can read this and tell me what it means, you've got everything I can give you.
[00:26:27] I will. You'll be clothed in purple. You have a gold chain around your neck, and you'll be made number three in this whole kingdom.
[00:26:34] Whatever I can give you money, fame, power is yours. He is desperate for relief.
[00:26:44] And then all the king's wise men came in, but they couldn't read it. They couldn't Tell the king what it meant.
[00:26:51] So the king Belshazzar became even more terrified, and his face grew more pale and his nobles were baffled.
[00:26:59] Sound familiar?
[00:27:01] So then it says, the queen, the queen mother, hearing these voices of panic of the kings and his nobles. And she came in, she comes into the banquet hall and she says, may the king live forever. Don't be alarmed.
[00:27:12] Don't look so pale. There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him.
[00:27:18] In the time of your father, he was found to have insight and intelligence and wisdom like that of the gods.
[00:27:25] Your father, Nebuchadnezzar appointed him chief of those people. He did this because Daniel was found to have a keen mind and knowledge and understanding.
[00:27:35] And also he had the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve difficult problems. So call for Daniel. He'll tell you what this writing means.
[00:27:47] This is reminiscent to me of Joseph and Pharaoh.
[00:27:52] Because Joseph was imprisoned, sold into captivity by his brothers, he.
[00:28:02] He helped out his fellow prisoners with God's wisdom. He interpreted some dreams for them, and then one of them remembered him later. And when Pharaoh had a dream and was freaking out, he said, wait, I know someone who can help.
[00:28:17] Daniel is in this place for such a time as this.
[00:28:24] Daniel has been in this place for such a time as this many times.
[00:28:29] But his past and his experience have prepared him. They've given him credibility.
[00:28:37] And he has built a life of faithfulness to God. And it's shown.
[00:28:44] So this says, Daniel was brought before the king. And the king said to him, are you Daniel, one of the exiles my father the king, brought from Judah?
[00:28:55] I hear that the spirit of God is in you, that you have insight, intelligence, and outstanding wisdom.
[00:29:02] The wise men and enchanters were brought before me to read this writing, but they couldn't.
[00:29:08] And I hear that you can solve difficult problems. If you can read this writing and tell me what it means, you'll be clothed in purple, the gold chain around your neck, and made third highest ruler in the kingdom.
[00:29:22] Belshazzar doesn't exactly give the impression of being super polite, but you will notice that in this point, he's not demanding of Daniel, he's begging.
[00:29:36] He is using the language of honoring Daniel because he's afraid. He's got nowhere else to go.
[00:29:44] So then Daniel answered the king, you may keep your gifts for yourself and give your rewards to someone else.
[00:29:51] Nevertheless, I will read the writing for the king and tell him what it means.
[00:29:57] We have a different relationship here than the one Daniel had with Nebuchadnezzar.
[00:30:08] And Daniel is basically saying, I want no part of you, no part of your kingdom, under your rule.
[00:30:17] I will not be controlled by you or praised by you, but I will tell you what you want to know.
[00:30:24] Daniel is doing what Daniel does, unmoved one way or the other by the king.
[00:30:32] Daniel is following his father.
[00:30:36] So Daniel says, your majesty, the most high God gave your father or your grandfather Nebuchadnezzar sovereignty and greatness and glory and splendor because of the high position he gave him. All the nations and peoples of every language dreaded and feared him. Those the king wanted to put to death, he put to death. Those he wanted to spare, he spared. To those he wanted to promote, he promoted. And those he wanted to humble, he humbled. But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory. He was given driven away from the people and given the mind of an animal until he acknowledged that the most high God is sovereign over all the kingdoms on the earth and sets over them anyone he wishes.
[00:31:23] God gave Nebuchadnezzar all.
[00:31:27] But when Nebuchadnezzar began to think that it was not God, God stripped it away.
[00:31:36] And Belshambar knew this.
[00:31:39] He. He grew up knowing this.
[00:31:43] But you know, like us, he thought he knew better.
[00:31:48] What do our parents know?
[00:31:51] He was so it says. So Daniel says, you have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this. Instead, you have set yourself up against the Lord of Heaven.
[00:32:06] You have had the goblets from his temple brought to you and your nobles and your wives and your concubines drank wine from them. You praised the gods, silver and gold and bronze and iron and wood and stone which cannot see or hear or understand.
[00:32:20] But you did not honor the God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways.
[00:32:27] Therefore he sent the hand that wrote the inscription.
[00:32:34] This is the inscription that was written. Mini, mini, Tekel, Parson.
[00:32:40] And here is what these words mean, meaning God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end.
[00:32:48] Tekel, you have been weighed on the scales by me, by God, that is, and found wanting.
[00:32:56] And Paris, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and the Persians under Nebuchadnezzar, Babylon was at its peak, under you it ends.
[00:33:09] You thought you knew more than Nebuchadnezzar.
[00:33:12] Turns out you know less.
[00:33:16] Then at Belshazzar's command, Daniel was clothed in purple, a gold chain placed around his neck, and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom.
[00:33:26] Belshazzar does for Daniel what he promised, but it turns out to be a worthless promise.
[00:33:33] He didn't have the power he thought he did.
[00:33:36] Because it says that very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom. At the age of 62, the medes and the Persians came in and conquered battle on the city without a fight.
[00:33:53] It was done.
[00:33:59] So when we look back at this top of our chiasm and at King Nebuchadnezzar versus God and King Belshazzar versus God, what do we see?
[00:34:15] How are their responses to God's call to repentance different?
[00:34:22] Nebuchadnezzar allowed himself to be humbled, and because of that, he gained reconciliation with God and reformation of himself and his understanding of reality.
[00:34:39] Belshazzar refused to humble himself before God.
[00:34:43] He refused to submit, and he gained death, destruction, and utter hopelessness.
[00:34:53] God was the same in both of these stories.
[00:34:57] Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar's response to him were different.
[00:35:06] One of the most significant parts of spiritual warfare, I think, is the idea of who is God?
[00:35:19] Who's in control? Is it the God of heaven and earth that created us?
[00:35:26] Or is it this God who is to be trusted, worshiped and submitted to God or myself?
[00:35:39] I think most of us probably want to have a faith like Daniel's, at least in theory.
[00:35:45] But in reality, we settle for a faith like Nebuchadnezzar's.
[00:35:51] When the illusion of our control and our dominion slips, then we run to God and we run honestly.
[00:35:57] But as those good times return, we slowly begin to delude ourselves again as to who really holds the power in this world and the world to come.
[00:36:08] Now, at the end of his life, Nebuchadnezzar got it and he kept it.
[00:36:14] But it took a while.
[00:36:18] Or maybe sometimes we're like Belshazzar, and we continue to spit in God's face, even when it's obvious to us that we have nothing left.
[00:36:27] But we're too scared to let our guard down, to trust that God is good.
[00:36:34] Daniel's faith didn't happen in an instant.
[00:36:37] It happened over a very long lifetime.
[00:36:41] It grew and it changed throughout his life. And it does this for us today. The longer we walk with God, the more like him we become.
[00:36:51] And if we want to walk with God, we can.
[00:36:57] All it takes is a single step followed by another single step, and another, and another, and so on and so on, until before you know it, we have enjoyed a Lifelong friendship with God.
[00:37:17] The first simplest step to take, saying to God, you are in charge, not me.
[00:37:29] And we say it again, and we say it again, and we say it again until it starts to sink in.
[00:37:35] We say it when we're worried or frustrated. We say it when we're happy and light.
[00:37:41] God, you're in charge, not me.
[00:37:46] And then our next step, we add, I trust you.
[00:37:50] I trust you with myself, I trust you with my parents, I trust you with my children, my bosses, my friends, my fears, my successes.
[00:37:58] And on and on and on until it's true.
[00:38:01] One step at a time, over and over, slowly changes us from the inside out.
[00:38:11] And then we find out as we're doing this, who God is.
[00:38:15] We read the scriptures, we discover what it reveals, we lay them on our hearts and we accept God as our daily bread with God.
[00:38:30] Our humbling or humility doesn't have to be humiliating unless we force it. There we can just let go of our fight and submit and enjoy the Lord our God, the maker of heaven and earth, the counter of hairs on our heads, the God who loves us to the earth and back.
[00:38:56] Let's pray, Father. God, thank you that you are patient with us, that you are wise with us, that you are loving with us. God, thank you for the examples that you have given us throughout time, throughout scripture, throughout our own lives of who you are, what you can do and how you love us.
[00:39:33] Help us to carry that with you as we go this week.
[00:39:37] Part with us in Jesus name, Amen.
![Daniel [6]: God Humbles Kings](https://episodes.castos.com/66b3763c055959-54700241/images/2396845/c1a-2x15g-34x0p5qku676-vyqjd9.jpg)
