DANIEL 4:19-27 GOD LOVES WHOM?

Written by , Rector of St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, Richmond, Virginia
 

¹⁹ Then Daniel (also called Belteshazzar) was greatly perplexed for a time, and his thoughts terrified him. So the king said, “Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its meaning alarm you.”
Belteshazzar answered, “My lord, if only the dream applied to your enemies and its meaning to your adversaries!
²⁰ The tree you saw, which grew large and strong, with its top touching the sky, visible to the whole earth, ²¹ with beautiful leaves and abundant fruit, providing food for all, giving shelter to the beasts of the field, and having nesting places in its branches for the birds of the air— ²² you, O king, are that tree! You have become great and strong; your greatness has grown until it reaches the sky, and your dominion extends to distant parts of the earth.

²³ “You, O king, saw a messenger, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Cut down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump, bound with iron and bronze, in the grass of the field, while its roots remain in the ground. Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven; let him live like the wild animals, until seven times pass by for him.’
²⁴ “This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree the Most High has issued against my lord the king: ²⁵ You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like cattle and be drenched with the dew of heaven. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes. ²⁶ The command to leave the stump of the tree with its roots means that your kingdom will be restored to you when you acknowledge that Heaven rules. ²⁷ Therefore, O king, be pleased to accept my advice: Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue.”

As God demonstrated to a reluctant Jonah, his loving concern extends beyond those who are identified as his people to all people. As Jonah was sent to Nineveh to preach God’s message of repentance and belief, so Daniel is brought before Nebuchadnezzar with the same challenge. This was also the theme of Jesus’ preaching (Matthew 4:17). Indeed it is the universal message to all people throughout the Bible and to us today.

This is a great mystery to us. Why would a sovereign God bother with human beings who seem bent on ignoring or even worse denying him? As the psalmist asked, “^8:3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, ⁴ what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? “ (Psalm 8:3-4).

Of course the answer is divine love. It goes back to the mystery of why God created us in the first place, and that he created us with a free will. God by essence is relational. He has revealed himself. He has revealed that he is a Trinity of persons. He has also revealed himself as a God who is active in his creation. Ultimately, he became one of us through the Incarnation and even died for us. And through it all he is calling his prodigal creatures back to himself.

We are never out of the reach of God’s love. As we can shun it through our disobedience, we can also embrace it by responding with repentance and belief.

Thank you, Father, that your love for me transcends human understanding. Thank you, also, that you do not leave me on my own to find you, but that you offer yourself to me in so many ways so that I can find you. Help me to respond to your love daily by turning away from my own way and totally submitting myself to your will. Amen.

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