Daniel 2:46-49 The Marks of True Conversion ~ 20210711 ~ Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org
07/11_Daniel 02:46-49; The Marks of True Conversion; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20210711_dan02_46-49.mp3
Daniel 2 shows the bankruptcy of the wise men of Babylon. The king had a dream, and he summoned his magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and Chaldeans and demanded they not only give him the interpretation to his dream, but also tell him the dream that he dreamed. They responded…
Daniel 2:10 ...“There is not a man on earth who can meet the king's demand, for no great and powerful king has asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or Chaldean. 11 The thing that the king asks is difficult, and no one can show it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.”
But when the executioner came to inform Daniel of his impending doom, Daniel approached the king requesting time to seek an interpretation, and he called on his three friends “to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions might not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon” (2:18).
God answered their prayers and revealed the mystery to Daniel, who responded with worship, a song of praise to the God who “changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings” (2:21). So Daniel was brought before the king.
Daniel 2:26 The king declared to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream that I have seen and its interpretation?” 27 Daniel answered the king and said, “No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, 28 but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these: 29 To you, O king, as you lay in bed came thoughts of what would be after this, and he who reveals mysteries made known to you what is to be. 30 But as for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because of any wisdom that I have more than all the living, but in order that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your mind.
Daniel was careful to deflect attention from himself to God. The king asked ‘are you able?’ and Daniel responded ‘no, nobody can; there is nothing in me, but there is a God in heaven.’ He stood in humility before the king and gave all glory to God.
He told the king that God had made known to the king what will be in the latter days. Starting with king Nebuchadnezzar, there would be four kingdoms of Gentile dominion, kingdoms descending in value, but increasing in strength, but the final form of the final kingdom would be a divided kingdom, a marriage of the strength of iron with the fragility of potter’s clay. And a stone of supernatural origin would impact the kingdoms of this world and obliterate them so no trace is left.
Daniel 2:44 And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever,
Nebuchadnezzar was thinking of what would be after this, how long his kingdom would last, what would come next, and God gave him a comprehensive vision extending to the end of all human kingdoms and the establishment of the messianic kingdom that will endure forever.
Nebuchadnezzar ruled for 43 years, and after he died, the Babylonian empire declined, changing hands through assassinations, only lasting another 23 years, when it fell to the Medo-Persians. The Medo-Persian empire fell to the Greeks in 331 BC, and the Greeks were conquered by the Romans in 146 BC.
It almost seems that Nebuchadnezzar stopped listening after Daniel said ‘you are the head of gold’. ‘Oh yes I am! The head, the top, the pinnacle, the greatest of all. Gold, most precious, most valuable, most glorious. I’m really pretty great, aren’t I? Wait, is Daniel still talking? Blah blah blah…’
Today we are going to look at king Nebuchadnezzar’s response to the obviously supernatural revelation of his dream and the interpretation, both given to Daniel and his three friends who prayed.
Response; Worship?
Daniel 2:46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face and paid homage to Daniel, and commanded that an offering and incense be offered up to him.
This is immediately troubling. We could think of Peter at the Gentile Cornelius’ house,
Acts 10:25 When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. 26 But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am a man.”
Or we could think of Paul and Barnabas in Acts 14, when the people of Lystra thought they were Zeus and Hermes and tried to make sacrifices to them,
Acts 14:14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their garments and rushed out into the crowd, crying out, 15 “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them.
We are quick to ask the question ‘why did Daniel not object to these acts of worship by Nebuchadnezzar?’
But we are not told how Daniel responded. The silence of the narrative could be interpreted to mean that Daniel did not raise any objection, or it could be that Daniel did object, but this was left out because it didn’t contribute to the main point of the narrative. If Daniel did not object, it could have been because he understood that what Nebuchadnezzar was doing was intended to honor the God that Daniel represented. What is already abundantly clear from the passage is that Daniel was humble and eager to deflect any glory from himself to God.
Acknowledging God
And if we read on, we see that Nebuchadnezzar is acknowledging Daniel’s God, not worshiping Daniel.
Daniel 2:47 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.”
Through the buildup of the utter failure of his magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and Chaldeans; all the wise men of Babylon; through their declaration that ‘There is not a man on earth who can meet the king's demand’ and that ‘no one can show it to the king except the gods’; through Daniel’s own admission that ‘No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked’, Nebuchadnezzar becomes aware that ‘there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries.’ And the head of gold falls prostrate, on his face before the kingdom crushing stone.
Your God is God of gods
Nebuchadnezzar acknowledges Daniel’s God. He has witnessed the evidence, the failure of his own gods, and the faithfulness of Daniel’s God. He acknowledges ‘Truly your God is God of gods.’ My gods Bel, Nebo, Aku have failed to do anything. Daniel, your God is supreme over my gods. Nebuchadnezzar doesn’t yet own Daniel’s God as his own God, but he has been confronted with the evidence, and is forced to bow his knees to a God who is supreme over any other god that he has known.
This is an important step. To realize that there is a God in heaven, a God above and outside of the gods that he had known, that he was brought up to honor. To acknowledge that there is a difference, a distinction. Daniel’s God is not merely the same god under a different name. No, Daniel’s God is above and superior to and sovereign over the gods of Babylon. Daniel’s God is powerful.
We said earlier that this exile, this captivity was no accident, no tragedy out of the control of the all sovereign God. Daniel and his three friends were sent by God on mission to the nations, to infiltrate the highest offices of the most powerful nation, to be a blessing, to seek the good of the nations, to point them to the one true God. And here we see this happening. The head of gold on his face before the Rock of Ages!
Lord of Kings
Nebuchadnezzar acknowledges Daniel’s God as God of gods, and also as Lord of kings. Back in verse 37-38, Daniel addressed the king as:
Daniel 2:37 You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory, 38 and into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the children of man, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens, making you rule over them all—you are the head of gold.
Nebuchadnezzar had conquered Assyria, Egypt, Israel. The kings of other kingdoms had become subject to him. He exercised authority as king over the kings of other nations. But Daniel plainly confronted him with the fact that this was a given authority. God had entrusted this authority to him. And here the king of kings bows to the Lord of kings. Even the highest of human authorities, even the king of kings is subject to the Lord of kings. There is a God in heaven who is sovereign over all who hold any authority on this earth. And the kings of the nations would do well to bow to the Lord of kings.
Revealer of Mysteries
Daniel’s God is sovereign over every other so-called god, he is Master over every other position of authority, and he is a revealer of secrets.
This is what got Nebuchadnezzar’s attention. God gave supernatural evidence of his reality. God revealed a secret that no man could know, that not even the false gods could see into and reveal to their followers. Supernatural evidence of God’s reality got Nebuchadnezzar’s attention, and he responded in a dramatic display of worship, falling on his face, offering incense, and as we see in the next verses, giving financially, promoting Daniel and his friends to positions of high honor.
Marks of True Conversion?
But here’s the question; is this true conversion? Is worship of the one true God evidence of genuine conversion? Is acknowledging the fact that God is sovereign over other gods and over every authority the mark of a transformed heart? Is giving generously and honoring believers evidence of true faith? Is responding to supernatural signs in outwardly dramatic ways a sure sign of a believing heart?
I would argue no. In the next chapter, Nebuchadnezzar erects an image and demands that all his officials of every nationality fall down and worship this image. No true believer in the one true God would demand worship of any image. We know that chapter 3 follows chapter 2 chronologically, not only by its placement in the book, but by the fact that in chapter 3, the king had previously appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego ‘over the affairs of the province of Babylon’ (3:12; cf 2:49).
We must exercise caution in drawing conclusions about someone’s heart. Just because we see someone listen to the word of God, confess belief in the existence of God, perceive the supernatural presence of God, sing praises, even raise hands in worship to the one true God and give generously to God, we must not jump to the conclusion that they have become genuine followers of God. Many people go to church, sing songs of worship, experience genuine emotions of awe and worship, and are unconverted. Many people are impressed by God’s works, by the miraculous and the supernatural, and respond in some way with an expression of worship, but it falls short of true conversion.
Nebuchadnezzar responded in some of these ways, but his heart wasn’t changed. In a rage he throws genuine believers into a furnace of fire because they refused to bow down to his image or serve his gods. He may have bowed his knees to the one true God in response to supernatural evidence, but he had not yet turned away from serving his own gods. He was willing to add another Deity to his pantheon of gods, but he was not yet willing to repent, to turn from his gods, to renounce them as false and turn exclusively to the one true God.
He was willing to be inclusive, to include and even participate in worship of the God of Daniel, he even acknowledged that this God was superior to his gods, but he did not turn from his gods to serve the true God alone. He was willing to embrace everything without discrimination, and that is not a good thing.
Exclusivity of Jesus
Jesus made exclusive claims. “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (Jn.14:6).
Acts 4:12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Jesus is not one piece to the puzzle, making a necessary contribution to our salvation but requiring other pieces, other contributions; he is all-sufficient. Jesus is not one path among many that lead to God; he grants exclusive access to those who turn from all other hopes and trust him alone.
Repent and Believe
Mark 1:14 ...Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
To repent is to turn, to have a change of mind; to turn from what you were trusting in, whether it be other gods or your own good works, righteous deeds; filthy rags. Let go of every other hope, turn and cling alone to Christ.
Luke 24:46 ...“Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
Repent. Turn from what you had trusted in. Recognize by your wandering heart you have sinned against God and need to be forgiven. Jesus suffered and died to pay your price. Will you turn to him?
Paul taught:
Acts 17:29 ...we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. 30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,
Do you want to be truly changed, truly converted? Acknowledge you are a rebel against a good God, that your good deeds are an offense to him; that there is nothing, nothing you can do, nothing outside of Jesus that can change you. Turn to him, cry out to him for mercy, ask him to give you a new heart.
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2021.07.11 Sermon Notes
Daniel 2:46-49 – The Marks of True Conversion
Worship of a mere man?
Daniel 2:46; Acts 10:25-26; 14:14-15
Acknowledging God as God of gods
Daniel 2:47
Acknowledging God as Lord of kings
Daniel 1:2; 2:37-38
God the Supernatural Revealer of Mysteries
Daniel 2:10-11, 27-28
Are these the marks of genuine conversion? NO!
Daniel 3:14; 4:30
-Hearing and responding to the word of God
-Belief in the existence of God
-Worship of the one true God
-Generous giving
-Honoring true believers
-Responding outwardly to supernatural signs
The exclusivity of Jesus
John 14:6; Acts 4:12
The marks of true conversion: Repent and believe
Mark 1:14-15; Luke 24:46-47; Acts 17:29-30
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Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org