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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introducing your conclusion

Posted on June 19, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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introducing your conclusion

Daniel 4:1-3 (JDV)

Daniel 4:1 King Nebuchadnezzar, To those of every people, nation, and language, who live on the whole land: May your prosperity become great.
Daniel 4:2 I am pleased to tell you about the miracles and wonders the Highest God has done for me.
Daniel 4:3 How great are his signs, and how mighty his miracles! His kingdom is a permanent kingdom, and his dominion lasts from generation to generation.

introducing your conclusion

Campbell writes about these three verses:

“The introduction is actually a conclusion! Chronologically, these opening words belong at the end of the chapter because they grow out of Nebuchadnezzar’s experiences which are recorded in the following paragraphs. But the king was so overwhelmed by God’s dealings with him that, humiliating though it was, he wanted the world to know about it. Perhaps he reasoned that there were many others who needed the same truth he had learned. He, therefore, issued a universal proclamation telling his story, the story no doubt of his own conversion to the worship of the true God of Israel. The first three verses of Daniel 4 contain the superscription of this edict or decree” (44).

We are all heading to a point in our lives where we can introduce our story. What is the message you want the world to know?

Campbell Donald K. Daniel Decoder of Dreams. Victor Books 1977.

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able to deliver

Posted on June 18, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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able to deliver

Daniel 3:26-30 (JDV)

Daniel 3:26 Nebuchadnezzar then stepped up to the door of the furnace of blazing fire and called: “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, you servants of the Highest God – come out!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the fire.
Daniel 3:27 When the satraps, prefects, governors, and the king’s advisers gathered around, they saw that the fire had no effect on the bodies of these men: not a hair of their heads was singed, their robes were unaffected, and there was no smell of fire on them.
Daniel 3:28 Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed, “Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his agent and rescued his servants who trusted in him. They changed the king’s word and risked their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.
Daniel 3:29 Therefore I issue a decree that anyone of any people, nation, or language who says anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego will be torn limb from limb and his house made a garbage dump. For there is no other god who is able to deliver like this.”
Daniel 3:30 Then the king rewarded Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.

able to deliver

For three stories in a row, a pattern is developing. God’s people are put in danger because of their commitment to him, and he rescues them out of that danger. One moral that can be deduced from this pattern is that times of testing will come to us. But it is important to realize that we are not really the ones who are being tested. The conclusion of the matter, as Nebuchadnezzar found, is “there is no other god who is able to deliver.” Babylon was filled with deported peoples from numerous “peoples, nations and languages.” They had served many gods. Yet only the LORD proved faithful to his people.

LORD, when the fiery furnace comes, we will trust in you. Only you are able to deliver.

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son of the gods

Posted on June 17, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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son of the gods

Daniel 3:24-25 (JDV)

Daniel 3:24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar jumped up amazed. He said to his advisers, “Didn’t we throw three men, tied up, into the fire?” “Yes, of course, King,” they replied to the king.
Daniel 3:25 He answered, “Notice! I see four men, untied, walking around in the fire unharmed; and the fourth looks like a son of gods.”

son of the gods

Nebuchadnezzar’s description of the rescuer that he saw in the fire is not informed by our biblical understanding of who Jesus is. But you have to admit, his description of what he saw fits quite well into our Christology.

Barnes said, “The word does not refer to anything special or peculiar in his form or figure, but it may be supposed to denote something that was noble or majestic in his mien; something in countenance and demeanor that declared him to be of heavenly origin” (191-192).

He said the language “is in the plural number, and in the mouth of a heathen would properly be used to denote the gods that he worshipped” (192).

The Hebrew readers throughout the age and Christian readers after them would recognize the significance of what Nebuchadnezzar saw. In a similar way, things are happening to your neighbors that they will find hard to understand. Only those who know Jesus can trace his face in the peculiar happenings of life. Speak to your neighbors about the “son of the gods” they do not know.

Barnes Albert. Notes Critical Illustrative and Practical on the Book of Daniel with an Introductory Dissertation. Leavitt & Allen 1861.

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not prepared

Posted on June 16, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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not prepared

Daniel 3:19-23 (JDV)

Daniel 3:19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He gave orders to heat the furnace seven times more than was customary,
Daniel 3:20 and he commanded some of the best soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the furnace of blazing fire.
Daniel 3:21 Then these men, in their trousers, robes, head coverings, and other clothes, were tied up and thrown into the furnace of blazing fire.
Daniel 3:22 Since the king’s command was so urgent and the furnace extremely hot, the raging flames killed those men who carried Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego up.
Daniel 3:23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego fell, tied up, into the furnace of blazing fire.

not prepared

These three protesters were not prepared for the wrath of the king. That momentous day of testing had arrived, and they were dressed usually. There was nothing they could do to prepare for it. The time came, and only God could make a difference.

I am comforted by that fact. On those days when I feel most prepared for what is coming next, I experience a humbling. But when I choose to trust God in spite of being overwhelmed, I am blessed with an awareness of his presence.

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even if he does not rescue us

Posted on June 15, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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even if he does not rescue us

Daniel 3:16-18 (JDV)

Daniel 3:16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king, “Nebuchadnezzar, we don’t need to give you an answer to this question.
Daniel 3:17 If the God we serve exists, then he can rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and he can rescue us from the power of you, the king.
Daniel 3:18 But even if he does not rescue us, we want you as king to know that we will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up.”

even if he does not rescue us

“In spite of the threat that (the three protesters) would be thrown into a fiery furnace, they remained true to their God. They told the king that they were sure their God would save them from the fiery furnace, “but if not” (Daniel 3: 18) they would still keep their faith. “But if not,” these three words are sublime and mighty words in the Bible. They denote an unswerving faith. Faith in God does not mean an insurance against calamity. There may come a time to every one of us when nothing but unquestioning fidelity will keep us with God. Like a bolt from the blue, a calamity may strike us and we may find ourselves dismayed. God does not always deliver us from the fiery furnace of pain and suffering. But He does give us courage to stand the “fire,” and to win spiritual victory” (Osumi, 17).

Osumi Paul S. God in the Desert: One Minute Sermons for Devotional Reading. Publisher Not Identified. 1940.

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the second question

Posted on June 14, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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the second question

Daniel 3:13-15 (JDV)

Daniel 3:13 Then in a furious rage Nebuchadnezzar gave orders to bring in Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king.
Daniel 3:14 Nebuchadnezzar asked them, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, is it true that you don’t serve my gods or worship the gold statue I have set up?
Daniel 3:15 Now if you’re ready, when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, drum, and every kind of music, fall down and worship the statue I made. But if you don’t worship it, you will immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire – and who is the god who can rescue you from my power?”

the second question

I want to pause and consider the two questions that Nebuchadnezzar asked as he interrogated these three criminals. Yes, they were criminals in that context, because the king’s edict was law. They deliberately refused to serve Nebuchadnezzar’s gods and worship his statue. They were practicing civil disobedience. They could not lie their way out of trouble, and would not consider it. Now was the time for them to confess allegiance to Yahveh, the God of the Hebrews. The answer to the first question was YES.

The second question would also be unavoidable, although the three criminals would not ultimately answer it. God himself would be the one to show that he could rescue them from the sentence of death decreed.

At some point in history, some followers of God might read this as they prepare to face a similar fate. They should know that they are responsible to answer the first question and leave it to their Savior to answer the second.

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the big seats

Posted on June 13, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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the big seats

Daniel 3:8-12 (JDV)

Daniel 3:8 Some Chaldeans took this occasion to step up and maliciously accuse the Jews.
Daniel 3:9 They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “May the king live permanently.
Daniel 3:10 You as king have issued a decree that every mortal human who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, drum, and every kind of music must fall down and worship the gold statue.
Daniel 3:11 Whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire.
Daniel 3:12 There are some Jews you have appointed to manage the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men have ignored you, the king; they do not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”

the big seats

When I was a teenager, I was a member of the 4-H club. One year, I participated in a mock session of the State congress. I remember what a thrill it was for me to sit in the seat of my cousin, who was a State representative at the time. Going through the process of holding that session, debating bills, and having meetings with lobbyists, I got a glimpse of how that job was done. It gave me an appreciation for those who sit in the big seats.

Daniel’s three friends got a taste of the danger of high office. The jealousy of those who were passed over turned into malicious accusations and treachery.

We should be regularly praying for those who serve in politics, no matter which party they represent. Our prayers should go beyond asking for them to vote on our side. They should also have the strength to withstand attacks from their enemies.

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