Nebuchadnezzar's Second Dream

 

 

Daniel 4:4-18

 

March 14, 2024

 

Nebuchadnezzar's Second Dream

 I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and prospering in my palace.  I saw a dream that made me afraid. As I lay in bed, the fancies and the visions of my head alarmed me.  So, I made a decree that all the wise men of Babylon should be brought before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream.  Then the magicians, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers came in, and I told them the dream, but they could not make known to me its interpretation.  At last, Daniel came in before me—he who was named Belteshazzar after the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods—and I told him the dream, saying, “O Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you and that no mystery is too difficult for you, tell me the visions of my dream that I saw and their interpretation.  The visions of my head as I lay in bed were these: I saw, and behold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great.  The tree grew and became strong, and its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth.  Its leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, and the birds of the heavens lived in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it.

“I saw in the visions of my head as I lay in bed, and behold, a watcher, a holy one, came down from heaven.  He proclaimed aloud and said thus: ‘Chop down the tree and lop off its branches, strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts flee from under it and the birds from its branches.  But leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, amid the tender grass of the field. Let him be wet with the dew of heaven. Let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth.  Let his mind be changed from a man, and let a beast's mind be given to him, and let seven periods of time pass over him.  The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, the decision by the word of the holy ones, to the end that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men.’^, This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, saw. And you, O Belteshazzar, tell me the interpretation, because all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation, but you are able, for the spirit of the holy gods is in you.

 

The magicians, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers came in, and he told them the dream, but they could not make known to him its interpretation.   These men are a metaphor for a world system filled with educated, ignorant people who have no understanding of the ways of God.

 

Daniel feared, trusted, and listened to the voice of God, and that was the man the King needed to be calling on for wise counsel.  Our world will always run to the men who are well-educated and wise in business or other fields.  Our current president, who holds the title, has a lot of very ignorant educated people around him, and he or someone is listening to them, as they attempt to destroy the foundation our nation was built on.

 

We, the Church, were called to let others see Jesus in us, to talk with God, to listen to God's Spirit that lives in us, and to go and tell about all that Jesus has done for us.

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Nebuchadnezzar Praises God

  

Daniel 4:1-2

 

March 13, 2026

 

Nebuchadnezzar Praises God

King Nebuchadnezzar to all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you! It has seemed good to me to show the signs and wonders that the Highest God has done for me.  How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion endures from generation to generation.

 

A pagan king to whom the Highest God calls His servant, and is it necessary to define servant? A servant is someone who carries out the will of the master.  We do understand that King Nebuchadnezzar had no understanding that it was God who was allowing him to be so successful.  

 

The king put three men in a burning fiery furnace; a heat seven times hotter than normal, and yet he witnessed 4 men, and the fourth looked like a son of the gods, his words.  He called the three young Jewish men who refused to bow to serve his god, and they came out untouched.

 

He had witnessed God's power that was unknown to him, and like him, many who go by the name Christian are in that same place.

 

Jan and I have been blessed to know Bob & Carmen Pate.  Jan volunteered as a counselor at the Pregnancy Assistance Center, where Carmen was the director.  They also went to the same church as us, and Bob is a very quiet and godly businessman with a degree in theology.  Carmen has been a voice on Christian radio for a number of years and is currently the Host for Saving Grace, a broadcast ministry for Grace School of Theology.  

 

Carmen was diagnosed with leukemia, and she battled it for six years. We saw both her faith and trust in God grow, even down to the wire of just weeks to live without a bone marrow transplant.  What Jan and I witnessed was just like that fiery furnace of King Nebuchadnezzar when God showed up. Carmen and Bob witnessed a young man from somewhere in the world giving his bone marrow that was a perfect match, and he, like the king, did not know why he did so.

 

When you witness something like this, it changes your understanding of how mighty our God is.  It also humbles you to better understand your role as a servant and His as a Master.

 

From our Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Acknowledgment is not Worship

 

Daniel 3:18-30

 

March 12, 2024

 

 Acknowledgment is not Worship 

 

Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury, and the expression of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was usually heated.  And he ordered some of the mighty men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their cloaks, their tunics, their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace.  Because the king's order was urgent and the furnace overheated, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell bound into the burning fiery furnace.

 

One must wonder if Nebuchadnezzar, in his rage at the Jewish young men telling him they would not worship or bow down to his god, made him think that a hotter furnace would be too much for God.

 

Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.”

 

I can only imagine what is going on in the king’s head as he thinks he is going to see a barbecue of these three men, and instead, he witnesses four, and his words are, the fourth looks like a son of the gods.  We do not know if it was Michael, the Prince of Israel, or some other angel; the important thing is that God showed up, and a fire that killed the ones who threw them in the furnace did not have power over them.  It is never the question God can, but is it His will to do so?  And like these three, knowing our God is mighty to save.

 

Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace; he declared, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king's counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them.  Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him and set aside the king's command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God. Therefore, I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way.”  Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.

 

They were moved by what their eyes saw, and they acknowledged the Most High God of these three men, but nowhere do we read that at this moment the king bowed a knee to God.  Many who go by the name of Christian also have gone through the religious steps of walking down an aisle in a church building, getting baptized, acknowledging the need for Jesus, but are not willing to have Him be the authority over them.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice 

`Who am I

 

 

 

 

 

`Who am I

 

As I explored my Identity, I had to begin with who I was and why I am the person I am today.  I was a liar, a thief, a person of little value to the community.  Something changed all of that; it happened long before I was born, and I am not unique, no, not extraordinary; it has happened to millions of people since that one event took place.

 

Often, as I look into the mirror of my true identity, I understand how blessed I am, for who I am today is a gift that cost me nothing; I could not acquire it, it was not for sale, and it could not be earned, and I did not earn or deserve the gift.

 

It was a gift designed in heaven before the foundation of the world came into being.  God saw before creation, and the Creator saw me long before I was.  As I said, I’m not unique, but this is my story, and it must be told.

 

Before I was, God the Father saw me and loved me, and His Son, His only Son, was asked to come to earth and die on the cross and shed His blood to cover my sins that were many.  On that day in history, Jesus Christ not only conquered sin but death and the grave!  In three days, the Godman arose in victory, and the gift was mine for the taking.  At the age of 27, in a hotel room in Victoria, Texas, I bowed my knee to a Holy God and asked for His forgiveness for wanting to be in control of my life.  That night, around 10:30 p.m. I received my new identity.

 

I am free from the control of sin; it has no hold on me, no authority over my choices.  Am I sinless? No, but it is a choice, and each time I choose to sin, I break fellowship with my Father, but I never break our relationship.  I’ve been sealed, I’ve been adopted into the family of God, I am His, and He is mine. ​ To restore our fellowship, I must confess my sin with a broken and contrite heart.

 

As I stated, I’m not exceptional, just forgiven, and it is a grace gift that has eternal value.  My friend Bill worked up a list of Scriptures; this is just one of many, Gal. 4:7, “So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”

 

What does that verse mean to me?

WOW!  I’m family

 

 

From our Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

http://fromourbackporch.blogspot.com/

The Fiery Furnace

 

 

Daniel 3:8-18

 

March 11, 2024

 

The Fiery Furnace

Therefore, at that time, certain Chaldeans came forward and maliciously accused the Jews.  They declared to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever!  You, O king, have made a decree that every man who hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music shall fall down and worship the golden image.  And whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into a burning fiery furnace. There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, pay no attention to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

Then Nebuchadnezzar, in furious rage, commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. So, they brought these men before the king.  Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up?  Now, if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?”

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.  If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king.  But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

 

A foolish king who wants all the people to bow to his rule, and when confronted with three young men who know who the True God is, and have no doubt He has the power to save them, and that He loves them.  We see Faith in action, and not fear in control.   They stood, and have we not been taught to stand and look to God?  Ephesians 6 gives this command: "Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil." "Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." 

 

We also see God being confronted by this foolish king, and it comes to my mind when we see Fear rule in the hearts of so many whose actions were not an act of Faith in a God who has the power to keep COVID-19 from harming you.  For me and my house, we believe our God was bigger, and so did so many others who were fired because they did not bow to the little liar who told us he was science, or the pharmaceutical companies.  It was our government's golden image, and it was a dark time for our nation and God’s Church.

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Nebuchadnezzar's Golden Image

 

Daniel 3:1-7

 

March 9, 2023

 

Nebuchadnezzar's Golden Image

King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its breadth six cubits. He set it up on the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.  Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent to gather the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.  Then the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces gathered for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. And they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.  And the herald proclaimed aloud, “You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up.  And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace.”  Therefore, as soon as all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, all the peoples, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

That golden has long been gone, but the God of heaven and earth and everything that is still reigns over the affairs of man.  A very powerful man with great wealth is often the easiest person to think is great and the maker of their power and wealth.  Nebuchadnezzar was full of himself and wanted to force others to worship him.  

The Creator of everything that is or will be is Jesus Christ. He is referred to as the Word that was with God, in that he was God. You will find Him referred to in John, chapter 1:1-3.  The enemy of our soul hates our Lord, and he has this has his goals, to kill, steal, and destroy, whereas the Word, our Lord and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, came to bring life in the full.

It is one thing to be liked, but only God is to be worshiped.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Daniel Is Promoted

 

Daniel 2:46-49

 

March 7, 2024

 

Daniel Is Promoted

Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face and paid homage to Daniel, and commanded that an offering and incense be offered up to him.  The king answered and said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.” Then the king gave Daniel high honors and many great gifts and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. Daniel made a request of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of the province of Babylon. But Daniel remained at the king's court.

 

Only God can humble a mighty man of power and wealth like this, to fall on his face and pay homage to another.  One must remember that this confession was from a pagan king who worshiped the Babylonian gods Nabu and Marduk. But one also should recall that God refers to him as “my servant” three times in the book of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 25:9; 27:6; 43:10. Was Nebuchadnezzar saved? Ultimately, this is not a question that can be answered dogmatically. Whatever the case, the story of Nebuchadnezzar is an example of God’s sovereignty over all men and the truth that “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He will” (Proverbs 21:1).”  (Taken from “Got Questions.”)

 

Now put yourself in a young Daniel's shoes. Do you understand how the enemy was setting him up, the king was worshiping him, and most men, no matter their age, would get excited to be a buddy with the king?  Not Daniel, he made it clear that only God, who made everything that has been or will be, is the only one who can do so.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice