Outline

«　WEEK 3　DAY 4　»

　　Dan. 4:34-35 …His dominion is an eternal dominion, and His kingdom is from generation to generation;…He does according to His will…; and there is no one who can resist His hand…

　　37 Now I…praise and exalt and honor the King of the heavens, because all His works are truth and His ways justice, and because He is able to abase those who walk in pride.

　　In His economy God administrates the universe in order to fulfill His purpose. His purpose is to give Christ the preeminence in all things…Apart from God’s having a people, there is no way for Christ to be made preeminent.

　　As those who have been chosen by God to be His people for Christ’s preeminence, we are under God’s heavenly rule…Under God’s heavenly rule, everything is working together for our good (Rom. 8:28)…Our [personal] universe includes ourselves, our families, and the church. In our universe many things happen day by day for the purpose of making Christ preeminent. We need to realize this and be submissive to God’s heavenly rule. (Life-study of Daniel, p. 79)

　　The earth is under the rule of a heavenly administration. The heavens rule for us, and Christ is for us. Furthermore, we are under God’s heavenly rule for Christ. The purpose of the heavenly ruling is to complete God’s elect so that Christ may be preeminent, that He may be the first—the centrality— and everything—the universality. Because the heavens rule, Christ is with us in all our situations. When we are sick,…when we are in turmoil, He is with us.

　　In [Daniel 4] Nebuchadnezzar, who continued to walk in pride, was abased by God. God exposed him and showed him that he was not a gentleman but a beast.

　　In his dream Nebuchadnezzar saw a great, strong, tall tree, beautiful in foliage, rich in fruit, and good for food. This tree signified Nebuchadnezzar himself (vv. 20-22). In his interpretation [of verse 23] Daniel explained…that the Most High had decreed that Nebuchadnezzar would be driven out from among mankind, dwell with the beasts of the field, be made to eat grass as bulls do, and lose his reasoning for a period of seven times, until he came to know that the Most High is the Ruler over the kingdom of men (vv. 24-25). Verse 26 goes on to say, “In that it was commanded that the stump of roots of the tree be left, your kingdom will be assured to you after you have come to know that the heavens do rule.”

　　After Daniel exhorted Nebuchadnezzar [v. 27], God gave him twelve months to repent. However, there was no repentance and no change. One day while the king was walking upon the roof of the royal palace in Babylon, he looked at the great city and was filled with pride, saying, “Is this not Babylon the great, which I have built up as a royal house by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?” (v. 30). While the word was still in the king’s mouth, a voice came down from heaven, saying, “To you it is spoken, King Nebuchadnezzar: The kingdom has passed on from you” (v. 31). God would teach him to know that he was nothing and the mighty God, the Ruler over the kingdom of men, the One who gives the kingdom of men to whomever He wills, is everything.

　　According to his nature and his being, Nebuchadnezzar was not a man but a beast. For this reason his heart was changed from that of a man’s, and a beast’s heart was given to him (v. 16)…In that very hour he began to eat grass as bulls do, his body became wet with the dew, his hair grew like eagles’ feathers, and his nails became like birds’ claws (v. 33).

　　As indicated by his praise at the end of chapter 4, Nebuchadnezzar surely had learned the lesson to be abased and know God. In chapter 3 he set up a golden image because he was very proud. Chapter 4 follows to teach him a great lesson. Although he acted like a gentleman, he was a beast. (Life-study of Daniel, pp. 79-80, 35-39)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Daniel, msg. 6