god”s sovereignty – Rev. Tim Ehrhardt

*Daniel Interprets King Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream, by Mattia Preti (1613-1699)*

In the second year of Nebuchadnezzar’s rule, he had many dreams. The dreams made him anxious, but he kept sleeping. The king summoned the dream interpreters, enchanters, diviners, and Chaldeans to explain his dreams to him. They came and stood before the king.

Then the king said to them: “I had a dream, and I’m anxious to know its meaning.”

The Chaldeans answered the king in Aramaic: “Long live the king! Tell your servants the dream, and we will explain its meaning.”

The king answered the Chaldeans: “My decision is final: If you can’t tell me the dream and its meaning, you will be torn limb from limb, and your houses will be turned into trash dumps. But if you do explain the dream and its meaning, you’ll receive generous gifts and glorious honor from me. So explain to me the dream as well as its meaning.”

They answered him again: “The king must tell his servants the dream. We will then explain the meaning.”

The king replied: “Now I definitely know you are stalling for time, because you see that my decision is final and that if you can’t tell me the dream, your fate is certain. You’ve conspired to make false and lying speeches before me until the situation changes. Tell me the dream now! Then I’ll know you can explain its meaning to me.”

The Chaldeans answered the king: “No one on earth can do what the king is asking! No king or ruler, no matter how great, has ever asked such a thing of any dream interpreter, enchanter, or Chaldean. What the king is asking is impossible! No one could declare the dream to the king but the gods, who don’t live among mere humans.”

At this, the king exploded in a furious rage and ordered that all Babylon’s sages be wiped out. So the command went out: The sages were to be killed. Daniel and his friends too were hunted down; they were to be killed as well.

Then Daniel, with wisdom and sound judgment, responded to Arioch the king’s chief executioner, who had gone out to kill Babylon’s sages. He said to Arioch the king’s royal officer, “Why is the king’s command so unreasonable?” After Arioch explained the situation to Daniel, Daniel went and asked the king to give him some time so he could explain the dream’s meaning to him. Then Daniel went to his house and explained the situation to his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah so that they would ask the God of heaven for help about this mystery, in hopes that Daniel and his friends wouldn’t die with the rest of Babylon’s sages. Then, in a vision by night, the mystery was revealed to Daniel! Daniel praised the God of heaven:

God’s name be praised
    from age to eternal age!
        Wisdom and might are his!
God is the one who changes times and eras,
    who dethrones one king, only to establish another,
        who grants wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those with insight.
God is the one who uncovers what lies deeply hidden;
    he knows what hides in darkness;
I acknowledge and praise you, my fathers’ God!
    You’ve given me wisdom and might,
        and now you’ve made known to me what we asked of you:
            you’ve made known to us the king’s demand. (Common English Bible)

*Daniel Interprets Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream, 1917*

The King’s Trouble

Nebuchadnezzar was quite the guy – a stereotypical ancient king, in many ways. In our story for today, he certainly comes across as a demanding sovereign, expecting his wishes and commands to be done, no matter how difficult or unreasonable they seem to others.

The king was bothered by a troubling dream. So, in expected kingly fashion, Nebuchadnezzar called for his court appointed sages to explain it to him. And in an over-the-top expectation, even for an arrogant king, Nebuchadnezzar had no intention of telling them what it is he had dreamt.

The sages, of course, had no idea what to do with this exaggerated command. The king’s wise men replied that no one – except the gods – can reveal such secrets as what was dreamt. But in King Nebuchadnezzar’s line of thinking, since the gods of the sages cannot reveal the dream – and thus an interpretation of the dream – then those gods must be weak, ineffective, and useless.

The King’s Anger

In reading and listening to the story, we can feel the response of Nebuchadnezzar coming, and know that it isn’t going to be good. Indeed, the king flew into a rage. The wise men’s failure to provide the contents of the dream, and so, a solid interpretation for the dream, led King Nebuchadnezzar to order them all killed. In issuing such a command, this meant that Daniel and his wise friends were to be killed, as well.

Daniel was a Jewish exile, brought to Babylon after Nebuchadnezzar’s conquest of Jerusalem. He was wise, godly, and even-keeled. Daniel calmly intervened and offered to do exactly what the king requested in the first place. All he asked was for some time. Then, Daniel immediately went to his godly and wise friends, and together they looked to the Lord in prayer.

Sure enough, just as God had come to Nebuchadnezzar in a dream, so God came to Daniel and revealed the mystery to him. Daniel’s prayer of thanksgiving makes it clear that the source of the wisdom is the God of heaven, and not Daniel himself. Thus, we are meant to make the connection that Daniel’s God is vastly superior than the gods of the court sages.

The King’s Limits

King Nebuchadnezzar’s sovereignty and control was not universal. It is God who grants wisdom. Yes, we do our part in gaining knowledge and understanding as best we can. We look into Holy Scripture for guidance and seek to obey biblical commands and live into divine promises. Yet, there is also an aspect of wisdom that is given by God.

Ultimate insight comes as a result of both human observation and learning, and divine revelation and response to prayer. Throughout the book of Daniel, a prominent theme is the importance of prayer as the prerequisite to receiving wisdom. Daniel and his three friends joined in prayer together, immediately after hearing of the king’s situation and command.

An even greater theme in the book of Daniel is that God can give wisdom because there is nothing hidden from the Lord; God understands everything. And it is this theological conviction which underlies prayer. Daniel and his companions were supported and emboldened by their knowledge of God.

Believers in every historical age have the privilege of beseeching God for wisdom when circumstances are rough and dire. As the Apostle James says in the New Testament:

My friends, be glad, even if you have a lot of trouble. You know you learn to endure by having your faith tested. But you must learn to endure everything, so you will be completely mature and not lacking in anything. If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given to you. God is generous and won’t correct you for asking. (James 1:2-5, CEV)

Whenever facing opposition and suffering, it is important to know that God is in control, and that divine enablement and insight is only a prayer away.

Blessed God, Light of the world, shine upon us and disperse the clouds of our selfishness and stubbornness, so that we may reflect the power of the resurrection in our life together. Amen.

It was also at that same time that I begged the Lord: Please, Lord God! You have only begun to show your servant your greatness and your mighty hand. What god in heaven or on earth can act as you do or can perform your deeds and powerful acts? Please let me cross over the Jordan River so I can see the wonderful land that lies beyond it: those beautiful highlands, even the Lebanon region.

But the Lord was angry with me because of you! He wouldn’t listen to me. He said to me: That’s enough from you! Don’t ever ask me about this again! Go up to the top of Mount Pisgah. Look west, north, south, and east. Have a good look, but you will not cross the Jordan River. Instead, command Joshua, strengthen him, and encourage him because he’s the one who will cross the river before this people. He’s the one who will make sure they inherit the land you will see.

After that, we stayed in the valley across from Beth-peor. (Common English Bible)

I wonder if God ever feels like the parents of elementary aged children. “Please, please, puh-leeeze let me have it!” It’s a good thing God is spirit, because there may be some divine eye rolling happening with certain people’s requests.

When Moses pleaded God to allow him to cross the Jordan River into the Promised Land, the Lord forbade him to do so. The reason God gave is that Moses had to bear the brunt of the Lord’s anger on behalf of the community.

But you [Israel] had no faith in the Lord your God about this matter, even though he went ahead of you, scouting places where you should camp, in fire by night, so you could see the road you were taking, and in cloud during the daytime.

The Lord heard what you said. He was angry and he swore: Not even one of these people—this wicked generation!—will see the wonderful land that I promised to give to your ancestors… (The Lord was even angry with me [Moses] because of what you did. “You won’t enter the land either,” God said. “But Nun’s son Joshua, your assistant, will enter it. Strengthen him because he’s the one who will help Israel inherit the land.”) (Deuteronomy 1:32-38, CEB)

Not allowing Moses to enter the land may seem strange to us whose culture prizes individualism and self-reliance. But that was not the culture of ancient Israel. There was a common core belief in corporate responsibility. The leader acted as the representative of the people, and so, Moses was answerable for the community’s sins.

*Fresco of Moses and water from the rock, by Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (Raphael), 1519*

Lest we still don’t like what’s going on here, elsewhere in scripture we get a perspective that it was also the lack of faith by Moses that caused him to lose privilege in entering the land:

Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock. He said to them, “Listen, you rebels! Should we produce water from the rock for you?” Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice. Out flooded water so that the community and their animals could drink.

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you didn’t trust me to show my holiness before the Israelites, you will not bring this assembly into the land that I am giving them.” These were the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites confronted the Lord with controversy and he showed his holiness to them. (Numbers 20:10-13, CEB)

The fact of the matter is that we are responsible for both our personal selves and the entire community of people we are a part of. Indeed, we truly are our brother’s and sister’s keeper.

It’s important that everyone considers what the Lord’s will is – not only personally – but for the common good of all the people. Perhaps this idea is captured best in the fictitious Star Trek adage of the alien Vulcans who would logically examine a decision and say, “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few (or the one).”

What’s more, believers in God are meant to consider what is pleasing to the Lord, and not only to one’s personal or communal pleasure. The Lord is God and we are not. Sovereignty belongs to God. Servanthood belongs to us; and our ultimate service is to the Lord.

The bottom line for me is believing that the Lord God is good, all the time, and truly has our best interests at mind and at heart. Since God did not allow Moses into the land, I reason that it was for a greater good that transcended the individual request of Moses to enter.

Maybe that’s a difficult perspective to find whenever we are in the middle of strong desires for something, but it is one that we must struggle to find. Since the Lord is high and holy above everyone and everything, God is able to see the big picture and every angle of a situation.

We, however, only see a very small slice of the total view. So, it only makes sound spiritual sense that we learn to entrust ourselves to the One who sees all and acts according to what is right, just, and good.

Gracious and generous God, Creator and Giver of all that is good, we thank you for our many blessings. We acknowledge that all that we have is from you. We offer you thanks and praise for the beauty of the earth, our work, our family, our loved ones, and all the gifts we have been given.

You are with us always. In each dark hour, you are here. In each bright hour, you are here. Blessed by your grace, may we show gratitude by sharing what we have been given. For by serving our brothers and sisters, we serve you.

We remain ever grateful for your constant love, the gift of your Son Jesus, and the presence of your Holy Spirit with us. Protect and guide us on our personal and collective journeys, as we seek to be your faithful stewards. Amen.

Rev. Tim Ehrhardt

Tag: god”s sovereignty