the God who keeps you breathing

Posted on June 29, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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the God who keeps you breathing

Daniel 5:17-23 (JDV)

Daniel 5:17 Then Daniel answered the king, “You may keep your gifts and give your rewards to someone else; however, I will read the inscription for the king and make the interpretation known to him.
Daniel 5:18 King, the Highest God gave sovereignty, greatness, glory, and majesty to your predecessor Nebuchadnezzar.
Daniel 5:19 Because of the greatness he gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages were scared and trembled at him. He killed anyone he wanted and kept alive anyone he wanted; he exalted anyone he wanted and humbled anyone he wanted.
Daniel 5:20 But when his heart was exalted and his breath became arrogant, he was deposed from his royal throne and his glory was taken from him.
Daniel 5:21 He was driven away from mortal humans, his mind was like an animal’s, he lived with the wild donkeys, he was fed grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with dew from the sky until he acknowledged that the Highest God is ruler over mortal human kingdoms and sets anyone he wants over them.
Daniel 5:22 “But you his successor, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this.
Daniel 5:23 Instead, you have exalted yourself against Yahveh of the sky. The receptacles from his house were brought to you, and as you and your nobles, wives, and concubines drank wine from them, you praised the gods made of silver and gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or understand. But you have not glorified the God who keeps you breathing and who has your paths in his hand.

the God who keeps you breathing

Belshazzar’s chief crime was the failure to glorify the God who keeps him breathing. Such is the case with many kings (and paupers) today. Whether in power or in fear, so many are walking to their permanent fate with no regard for the one who will decide it. This scripture serves as a warning for us.

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retrieved from obscurity

Posted on June 28, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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retrieved from obscurity

Daniel 5:13-16 (JDV)

Daniel 5:13 Then Daniel was brought before the king. The king said to him, “Are you Daniel, one of the exiles from Judah that my predecessor the king brought from Judah?
Daniel 5:14 I’ve heard that you have a breath from the gods in you, and that insight, intelligence, and extraordinary wisdom are found in you.
Daniel 5:15 Now the wise men and mediums were brought before me to read this inscription and make its interpretation known to me, but they could not give its interpretation.
Daniel 5:16 However, I have heard about you that you can give interpretations and solve problems. Therefore, if you can read this inscription and give me its interpretation, you will be clothed in purple, have a gold chain around your neck, and have the third ruling position in the kingdom.”

retrieved from obscurity

Daniel was not leading the wise men of Babylon at the time. He had apparently retired to obscurity. But the crisis of the day caused him to be retrieved from obscurity and thrust again into the limelight. We need people who know God and are willing to serve in his name no matter what their age or present status.

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summon Daniel

Posted on June 27, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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summon Daniel

Daniel 5:10-12 (JDV)

Daniel 5:10 Because of the outcry of the king and his nobles, the queen came to the banquet hall. “May the king live permanently,” she said. “Don’t let your thoughts terrify you or your face be pale.
Daniel 5:11 There is a man in your kingdom who has a breath from the holy gods in him. In the days of your predecessor, he was found to have insight, intelligence, and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods. Your predecessor, King Nebuchadnezzar, appointed him chief of the magicians, mediums, Chaldeans, and diviners. Your own predecessor, the king,
Daniel 5:12 did this because Daniel, the one the king named Belteshazzar, was found to have extraordinary breath, knowledge, and intelligence, and the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve problems. Therefore, summon Daniel, and he will give the interpretation.”

summon Daniel

The queen had the answer. To hear the message from God you need to listen to the man of God — the wise man who knows the plan of God. We need men and women today who know God and his word like that.

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none could read the inscription

Posted on June 26, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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none could read the inscription

Daniel 5:5-9 (JDV)

Daniel 5:5 At that same moment the fingers of a mortal human’s hand appeared and began writing on the plaster of the king’s palace wall next to the lampstand. As the king watched the hand that was writing,
Daniel 5:6 his face turned pale, and his thoughts so terrified him that his bowels released and his knees knocked together.
Daniel 5:7 The king shouted to bring in the mediums, Chaldeans, and diviners. He said to these wise men of Babylon, “Any mortal human who reads this inscription and gives me its interpretation will be clothed in purple, have a gold chain around his neck, and have the third highest position in the kingdom.”
Daniel 5:8 Then all the king’s wise men came in, but none could read the inscription or make its interpretation known to him.
Daniel 5:9 Then King Belshazzar became even more terrified, his face turned pale, and his nobles were bewildered.

none could read the inscription

Swindoll writes “Belshazzar must realize deep down that the message spells judgment” (56). But no one can be immediately accessed who is an experet in the things of God — the God through whom the judgment is coming.

Such seems to be the case today in many parts of this planet. The handwriting is on the wall, but the true followers of God have been so marginalized by society that few are present to tell those about to be condemned of their fate.

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party first — pay later

Posted on June 25, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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party first — pay later

Daniel 5:1-4 (JDV)

Daniel 5:1 King Belshazzar held a large feast for a thousand of his nobles – drinking wine in their presence.
Daniel 5:2 Under the influence of the wine, Belshazzar gave orders to bring in the gold and silver receptacles that his predecessor Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, wives, and concubines could drink from them.
Daniel 5:3 Then they brought in the gold receptacles taken from the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, wives, and concubines drank from them.
Daniel 5:4 They drank the wine and praised their gods made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.

party first — pay later

Disaster is about to strike. What are king Belshazzar and his entourage doing? They are partying like there’s no tomorrow. There is no tomorrow. Don’t live like that.

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my sanity returned

Posted on June 24, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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my sanity returned

Daniel 4:34-37 (JDV)

Daniel 4:34 But at the end of those days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to the sky, and my sanity returned to me. Then I praised the Highest and honored and glorified him who lives permanently: You see, his dominion is a permanent dominion, and his kingdom lasts from generation to generation.
Daniel 4:35 All the inhabitants of the land are counted as nothing, and he does what he wants with the army of the sky and the inhabitants of the land. There is no one who can block his hand or say to him, “What have you done?”
Daniel 4:36 At that time my sanity returned to me, and my majesty and splendor returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and my nobles sought me out, I was reestablished over my kingdom, and even more greatness came to me.
Daniel 4:37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt and glorify the King of the sky, because all his works are true and his ways are just. He is able to humble those who walk in pride.

my sanity returned

Morey comments on verse 36: “The various Hebrew and Greek words that are translated as “reason” in our English versions always refer either to sanity or to common sense (Daniel 4:36; Acts 6:2 KJV). Since the abstract concept of “Reason” was not developed until the Renaissance, this is to be expected. Instead of seeking to justify Divine revelation before human reason, the authors of Scripture always demanded that human reason justify itself before revelation! Human reason was correct to the degree it agreed with revelation and not the other way around” (7-8).

Our attitude toward God’s revelation can serve as a sort of barometer to test our pride. Do we believe the Bible only when we find its statement reasonable? What if our reason or sanity is the problem? Only when Nebuchadnezzar stopped living in the arrogance of his own thoughts did his sanity return.

Morey, Robert A. Here Is Your God: A Study in the Nature and Attributes of God. Crowne Publications 1989.

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lesson from the field hay

Posted on June 23, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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lesson from the field hay

Daniel 4:28-33 (JDV)

Daniel 4:28 All this happened to King Nebuchadnezzar.
Daniel 4:29 At the end of twelve months, as he was walking on the roof of the royal palace in Babylon,
Daniel 4:30 the king exclaimed, “Is this not Babylon the Great that I have built to be a royal residence by my vast power and for my majestic honor?”
Daniel 4:31 While the words were still in the king’s mouth, a voice came from the sky: “King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared that the kingdom has departed from you.
Daniel 4:32 You will be driven away from people to live with the wild animals, and you will feed on grass like cattle. Seven times will pass over you until you acknowledge that the Highest is ruler over mortal human kingdoms, and he gives them to anyone he wants.”
Daniel 4:33 At that moment the message against Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. He was driven away from mortal humans. He ate grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with dew from the sky until his hair grew like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws.

lesson from the field hay

Unless we learn the message from the field hay, we are in danger of being reduced to eating grass. Jesus taught us to notice how God takes care of the grass. He said:

Matthew 6:30 But if God so clothes the field hay, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

We need to repent and turn back to God — to stop living under the illusion that we are in control.

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separating ourselves

Posted on June 22, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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separating ourselves

Daniel 4:19-27 (JDV)

Daniel 4:19 Then Daniel, whose name is Belteshazzar, was stunned for a moment, and his thoughts alarmed him. The king said, “Belteshazzar, don’t let the dream or its interpretation alarm you.” Belteshazzar answered, “My lord, may the dream apply to those who hate you, and its interpretation to your enemies!
Daniel 4:20 The tree you saw, which grew large and strong, whose top reached to the sky and was visible to the whole land,
Daniel 4:21 and whose leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant – and on it was food for all, under it the wild animals lived, and in its branches, the birds of the sky lived –
Daniel 4:22 that tree is you, king – who have become great and strong: your greatness has grown and even reaches the sky, and your dominion extends to the ends of the land.
Daniel 4:23 “The king saw an observer, a holy one, coming down from the sky and saying, ‘Cut down the tree and destroy it but leave the stump with its roots in the ground and with a band of iron and bronze around it in the tender grass of the field. Let him be drenched with dew from the sky and share food with the wild animals for seven periods of time.’
Daniel 4:24 This is the interpretation, king, and this is the decree of the Highest that has been issued against my lord the king:
Daniel 4:25 You will be driven away from people to live with the wild animals. You will feed on grass like cattle and be drenched with dew from the sky for seven periods of time until you acknowledge that the Highest is ruler over mortal human kingdoms, and he gives them to anyone he wants.
Daniel 4:26 As for the command to leave the tree’s stump with its roots, your kingdom will be restored to you as soon as you acknowledge that the sky rules.
Daniel 4:27 Therefore, may my advice seem good to you my king. Separate yourself from your sins by doing what is right, and from your injustices by showing mercy to the needy. Perhaps there will be a prolongation of your prosperity.”

separating ourselves

Daniel’s advice is good advice for everyone and every leader. We need to stop identifying with our sins and separate from them, including the injustices they bring to others. The word for leaders today is REPENT!

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the illusion of control

Posted on June 21, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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the illusion of control

Daniel 4:13-18 (JDV)

Daniel 4:13 “As I was lying in my bed, I also saw in the visions of my mind an observer, a holy one, coming down from the sky.
Daniel 4:14 He called out loudly: Cut down the tree and chop off its branches; strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the animals flee from under it, and the birds from its branches.
Daniel 4:15 But leave the stump with its roots in the ground and with a band of iron and bronze around it in the tender grass of the field. Let him be drenched with dew from the sky and share the plants of the land with the animals.
Daniel 4:16 Let his mind be changed from that of a mortal human and let him be given the mind of an animal for seven periods of time.
Daniel 4:17 This word is by decree of the observers, and the decision is by command from the holy ones. This is so that the living will know that the Highest is ruler over mortal human kingdoms. He gives them to anyone he wants and sets the lowliest of people over them.
Daniel 4:18 This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, had. Now, Belteshazzar, tell me the interpretation, because none of the wise men of my kingdom can make the interpretation known to me. But you can, because you have a breath from the holy gods.”

the illusion of control

Nebuchadnezzar was under the illusion that he was the one who gained control over the kingdoms of mortal men. His dream redirected him to the reality that God is in control.

For more information about Daniel and his message: See:

Roller John H. God Is in Control: A Study of the Book of Daniel. Advent Christian General Conference 2002.

Available at:

https://gordonconwell.on.worldcat.org/oclc/53466845

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scary dreams

Posted on June 20, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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scary dreams

Daniel 4:4-12 (JDV)

Daniel 4:4 I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and flourishing in my palace.
Daniel 4:5 I had a dream, and it scared me; while in my bed, the images and visions in my mind alarmed me.
Daniel 4:6 So I issued a decree to bring all the wise men of Babylon to me in order that they might make the dream’s interpretation known to me.
Daniel 4:7 When the magicians, mediums, Chaldeans, and diviners came in, I told them the dream, but they could not make its interpretation known to me.
Daniel 4:8 Finally Daniel, named Belteshazzar after the name of my god– and a breath from the holy gods is in him– came before me. I told him about the dream:
Daniel 4:9 “Belteshazzar, head of the magicians, because I know that you have a breath from the holy gods and that no mystery puzzles you, explain to me the visions of my dream that I saw, and its interpretation.
Daniel 4:10 In the visions of my mind as I was lying in bed, I saw this: There was a tree in the middle of the land, and it was very tall.
Daniel 4:11 The tree grew large and strong; its top reached to the sky, and it was visible to the ends of the land.
Daniel 4:12 Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit was abundant, and on it was food for all. Wild animals found shelter under it, the birds of the sky lived in its branches, and every mortal was fed from it.

scary dreams

I had a dream last night, but it was nothing like Nebuchadnezzar’s. I dreamed about what I suppose was going to be the subject matter of a book I had just started reading. When I woke up, I decided to read a little more of the book and found that it was nothing like the dream.

But Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, although symbolic, did come true, and he discovered that he had a reason to be scared because God was judging him for his pride. A dream can be significant if God is behind it. Seek out someone like Daniel, if you are disturbed by a dream.

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