𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗠-𝗨𝗣
• What do you think is the value in recording history? What is the value in studying it?
• Who is the most honest or upfront person you know? Recall an instance explaining this.
• Do you consider yourself to be upfront? On a scale of 1–10, how difficult is it for you to tell a loved one what you think or feel? Explain your answer.


𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗
𝘈𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘐, 𝘕𝘦𝘣𝘶𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘻𝘻𝘢𝘳, 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘏𝘪𝘨𝘩, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯; 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘩𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘩𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩; 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮, “𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦?” 𝗗𝗔𝗡𝗜𝗘𝗟 𝟰:𝟯𝟰–𝟯𝟱

(Read also 𝗗𝗔𝗡𝗜𝗘𝗟 𝟰:𝟭–𝟯𝟯, 𝟯𝟲–𝟯𝟳.)

The perspective of Daniel 4 is an interesting departure from the rest of the book. This chapter tells a story from the point of view of King Nebuchadnezzar—ruler of the Babylonian empire and probably the most powerful man alive at that time. He had a dream, he received a horrifying interpretation from Daniel, and the dream was fulfilled to the detail. This dream and the humbling that followed were caused by Nebuchadnezzar’s pride in himself and his kingdom. God reminded him that ultimately God is in control and all-powerful, no one else. Though Daniel was dismayed and alarmed by the dream (Daniel 4:19), he humbly declared the interpretation, hoping the king would respond in repentance. In this lesson, we will glean three lessons from Nebuchadnezzar’s story.

𝟭. 𝗚𝗼𝗱’𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗱.
“‘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.’” 𝗗𝗔𝗡𝗜𝗘𝗟 𝟰:𝟭𝟳

Nebuchadnezzar’s dream was about his own downfall. It was brought about because of his pride. God was holding him accountable by humbling and disciplining him. The goal was not mere punishment; rather, that people would know God rules over all and He sets and appoints rulers. God did not step back and allow Nebuchadnezzar to continue his pride, unrighteousness, and oppression (Daniel 4:27). What do you think will happen if we don’t recognize and heed God’s sovereignty and instead trust in others or ourselves? What does Proverbs 16:18 say comes when we are proud or have a 𝘩𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘺 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵?

𝟮. 𝗚𝗼𝗱’𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀.
𝘐𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘕𝘦𝘣𝘶𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘻𝘻𝘢𝘳. 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘹, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘸 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘸 𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘢𝘨𝘭𝘦𝘴’ 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘥𝘴’ 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘸𝘴. 𝗗𝗔𝗡𝗜𝗘𝗟 𝟰:𝟯𝟯

No matter how horrifying the dream, Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar what would happen: The king would lose his power, his mind, and his ability to relate as a human. Daniel was hoping the king would repent and the dream would not come to pass. But when the king spoke of his own glory and majesty (Daniel 4:28–32), the dream was 𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 fulfilled, exactly as Daniel said. God’s truth is validated as it is fulfilled. What God says, He does. This was true for Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel, and it remains true for us. How does this give you assurance, humility, and hope?

𝟯. 𝗚𝗼𝗱’𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹.
𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘐, 𝘕𝘦𝘣𝘶𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘻𝘻𝘢𝘳, 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘰𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵; 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘦. 𝗗𝗔𝗡𝗜𝗘𝗟 𝟰:𝟯𝟳

After experiencing God’s judgment, Nebuchadnezzar recognized that God (and no one else) is above all. Even the most powerful man at that time heeded to God, who is most powerful of all. Nebuchadnezzar praised the King of heaven for His righteousness, justice, and power, and in doing so, he was restored back to his kingdom. Whether or not people respond to God’s word with a repentant heart, God’s word always accomplishes the purpose for which it was sent (Isaiah 55:10–11). And when people respond with repentance, God acts accordingly and He is glorified. Why do you think such extreme measures had to be taken for Nebuchadnezzar to acknowledge God? What can we learn about humility and accountability here?


𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡
• Why do you think this story had to be told from Nebuchadnezzar’s perspective? How did his experiences change him?
• What could Daniel have been thinking or feeling at this time? What do you think enabled him to speak to the king and interpret the dream—at the risk of his own life? How can you be like Daniel to those you encounter?
• What did you learn from this story about God? What is your response to this revelation and how will it affect your life?


𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥
• Thank God for His sovereignty. Declare who He is and acknowledge His presence and goodness in your life.
• Ask God for wisdom and courage to proclaim the truth, as Daniel did. Pray that through your words and example, people will have opportunities to recognize God’s truth and turn to Him.
• Pray for the rulers and leaders of your nation. Pray that they will trust God’s sovereignty, that they would be held accountable, and that they would humble themselves before God.