Stephen
Terry, Director
"Comfort My People"
Commentary
for the February 20, 2021 Sabbath School Lesson
"He brings princes to naught
and reduces the rulers of this world to
nothing.
No sooner are they
planted,
no sooner are they sown,
no sooner do they take root in the ground,
than he blows on them
and they wither,
and a whirlwind sweeps them away like
chaff."
Isaiah 40:23-24, NIV
Approximately two and
a half millennia ago events unfolded in the Middle East that continue to
resonate today. The city state of Jerusalem was in an uneasy relationship with the
more powerful city state of Babylon, ruled by King Nebuchadnezzar. To assure
Jerusalem's faithfulness to Babylon's rule, several young men from the royal
household were taken as hostages to Babylon. They were well treated, and those who
were more capable were educated in the Babylonian language, laws, and customs
of the nation that was now their new home. Among these were Daniel, Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego. They were not long in distinguishing themselves and
receiving royal favor.
One night, Nebuchadnezzar had a troubling dream, but as sometimes happens even
to us today, he could not remember the dream after he woke up. He only
remembered it was concerning. He called for his astrologers to help him recall
the dream and explain it, but they could not. Frustrated, he felt they had been
misleading him and ordered their deaths. But Daniel came forward and offered to
seek an answer for the king from God if he would hold off on the executions.
The king agreed, and Daniel went to join his three friends in prayer for an
answer.
Whether the king expected
Daniel to succeed or not, the young man did return with the dream and its interpretation.
The dream was of a statue with layers of different metals, a head of gold and
on down through the body with silver, bronze, and iron. Daniel revealed that
these were kingdoms to come on the earth. Babylon was the head of Gold, and
three other lesser kingdoms would follow until the iron of the feet mixed with
clay could not hold together and would be overcome by the Kingdom of God.
Nebuchadnezzar recognized that this was indeed his dream and rewarded Daniel
for the interpretation.
But later,
Nebuchadnezzar, as is typical of narcissistic world rulers decided he could not
accept the idea of Babylon falling to other, less glorious kingdoms that would
succeed his. He decided to construct an image completely of gold in real life
that would deny the possibility of that ever happening. After it was
constructed and set up on the Plain of Dura outside the city, Nebuchadnezzar not
only presented this contrary vision for Babylon's future, but he also summoned
everyone of importance in the realm to attend the dedication and to bow down in
acceptance of this royal vision as loyal subjects. But when he looked out
across the plain at the thousands bowed before the image. Three individuals remained
standing, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Nearby friends may have tried to encourage
them to bow, but they would not. The king summoned them to his presence.
These three were
familiar with the real image from Nebuchadnezzar's dream and its interpretation
for they had joined with Daniel in prayer for it to be revealed. They likely
recognized the greater implications of the statue of gold. Not only did it deny
that other kingdoms would replace Babylon, but it also denied that the Kingdom
of God would rule over all. After God had favored them with the answer to the
king's dream, they could not now betray God. Even though the king threatened
them with a horrible flaming death in a brick kiln, they would not give in.
While they believed God could save them from that fate, even if he did not,
they would remain faithful. Furious, Nebuchadnezzar had them tossed into the
kiln. But to his astonishment, they were unharmed. Calling them forth from the
kiln, he could not even smell smoke on their clothing. Forced to recognize the
power of God, the king issued an edict for all people to honor and respect the
God of these three young Hebrews. These stories can be found in the first three
chapters of the Book of Daniel along with several other details not mentioned
here. I have always found it an exciting account of faithfulness and God's love,
not only for the three faithful Hebrews but also for the foreign king as he patiently
led him to a greater understanding of who ruled from heaven and overruled the
plans of men for divine purposes.
Sadly, we too often
lose sight of the lessons of Daniel, letting it fade into the past, overcome by
the anxieties of the present. Narcissistic leaders are no less common today.
They look to assert their will without regard to what moral issues may be at play.
If they do not win their will, they will use any means at their disposal to
overcome opposition. While brick kilns may not be as common as they were in
Nebuchadnezzar's day, other more surreptitious means are readily resorted to,
such as poisons, assassinations, armed, unofficial militias blindly loyal to
the ruler, and rubber-stamp legislative assemblies that allow a leader with a
bent toward tyranny to impose their will. We expect these things from countries
that already have well established dictatorships, but as the transition from
the Roman Republic to the Roman Empire revealed shortly before the birth of
Christ, democratic republics are not immune to tyranny. The corruption of the
Roman Senators, willing to make bargains with the devil and betray one another
for nothing more than a chance to gain power made it possible for the Roman Caesars
to gain power and hold on to it by manipulating those opposing factions. We see
the same things playing out today in the Untied States as Senators and
Congressmen willingly betray moral principles for political advantage. A
narcissistic pied piper then can cruise into power by playing the tune they
want to hear with stanzas about the power they all will gain if they only follow
the piper.
Ironically, it was the sound of pipes that played when all were commanded to
bow down to Nebuchadnezzar's image. But some, now as then, are not beguiled by
the sound of the pipes calling them to simply fall in line behind the one who
is making promises of prosperity. They know history and realize that the kingdoms
of man come and go just as Nebuchadnezzar's dream revealed. As the dream also
revealed, the only kingdom that would endure would be the Kingdom of God.
Too many today live
lives of fear and anxiety. They have lost touch with God and the security that
a relationship with God provides. They may have a sense of right and wrong, but
it is based on what man is able to do, either legislatively or coercively. I
have little doubt that Nebuchadnezzar thought that what he was doing was best
for the Babylonian Empire. Many today feel the same about their nation. But any
movement that relies on laws to change hearts instead of recognition of the
need for a relationship with God is doomed to ultimately fail as did the king's
plans for his statue on the Plains of Dura. Nebuchadnezzar eventually, through
several trials, came to recognize that it is God who rules over the affairs of
men, and any feeling that we are in ultimate control is illusory. Pretty much
every narcissistic ruler who managed to come to power, found out that
ultimately, they controlled little. They may succeed through force of arms to temporarily
bend bodies to their will, but they cannot subdue a single heart knit with God.
This is the secret of the comfort Isaiah speaks of. God is eternal and cannot
be destroyed, and in that lies our assurance of a future that transcends the
devices of evil. In that relationship is the power to stand faithful as those
three Hebrews did long ago. A heart shaped by God replaces a lust for power and
can replace a fear that power already gained might be lost with a heart of
humble service. When that transition takes place, we will be aligned with all
the power we need, God's power. That power is not used to destroy but to
sustain life and hope. It does not create cringing fear in those that encounter
it, but comfort and peace. Whether Senator, Congressman, President, or judge,
that peace is available to all. It may be hard to turn these things over to
God, but in thousands of years, anything else has only provided apparent
solutions that turned out to be temporary at best. If we are truly to find comfort,
like Peter on the troubled Sea of Galilee, we need to take our eyes off the
raging waters and focus only on the hand Jesus is stretching out in our
direction. That is where the comfort is.