God is Involved in Politics | The Book of Daniel | Week 3
Series: The Book of Daniel | Week 3
Text: Daniel 2:24-49
Knowing that God is in charge makes all the difference in the world.
Kings rise and fall, but none of them sit where God sits. Daniel reminds us that the Lord sets up rulers and removes them, shaping history in ways we often only see in hindsight. That perspective tempers both our thrill and our frustration with the headlines. So we pray, vote, serve, and speak with humility—trusting the King of kings.
Here’s a thought: David Livingstone declared, “I will place no value on
anything I have or may possess except in relation to the kingdom of Christ.”
I have a love/hate relationship with politics. We have many freedoms and opportunities in a democratic country, with municipal, provincial and federal governments. While we tend to think of the government as an organization distinct and distant from us, the reality is that we are the government. We have the opportunity to vote in those who govern us, but sadly most Canadians do not bother to vote. Complaining about the government - particularly if someone does not vote - is unfruitful and just increases frustration.
I pray, I try to educate myself on the candidates and the issues and I vote, but I struggle with the question, “Where is God in all of this?” Does He simply sit back and watch the election results on His big screen TV or is He involved in politics?
We gain some insight in Daniel 2:24-49:
24 Then Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to execute the wise men of Babylon, and said to him, “Do not execute the wise men of Babylon. Take me to the king, and I will interpret his dream for him.” 25 Arioch took Daniel to the king at once and said, “I have found a man among the exiles from Judah who can tell the king what his dream means.” 26 The king asked Daniel (also called Belteshazzar), “Are you able to tell me what I saw in my dream and interpret it?” 27 Daniel replied, “No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, 28 but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come. Your dream and the visions that passed through your mind as you lay on your bed are these: 29 “As you were lying there, O king, your mind turned to things to come, and the revealer of mysteries showed you what is going to happen. 30 As for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because I have greater wisdom than other living men, but so that you, O king, may know the interpretation and that you may understand what went through your mind. 31 “You looked, O king, and there before you stood a large statue - an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance. 32 The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay. 34 While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were broken to pieces at the same time and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth. 36 “This was the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king. 37 You, O king, are the king of kings.
The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory; 38 in your hands he has placed mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds of the air. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold. 39 “After you, another kingdom will rise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth. 40 Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron
- for iron breaks and smashes everything - and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others. 41 Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay. 42 As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. 43 And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay.
44 “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. 45 This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands - a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces. “The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and the interpretation is trustworthy.” 46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate before Daniel and paid him honor and ordered that an offering and incense be presented to him. 47 The king said to Daniel, “Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery.” 48 Then the king placed Daniel in a high position and lavished many gifts on him. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men. 49 Moreover, at Daniel's request the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego administrators over the province of Babylon, while Daniel himself remained at the royal court. NIV
God establishes:
Kingdoms
The kingdoms are not identified in the text except for the explanation that Nebuchadnezzar is the head of gold. The Wiersbe Bible Commentary describes a popular interpretation of what this statue means. The large image represented four Gentile kingdoms:
The head of gold - Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian kingdom (verses 37-38). It lasted from 636 B.C. to 539 B.C. Jeremiah called Babylon “a gold cup in the Lord's hand” (Jeremiah 51:7).
The breast and arms of silver - the Medo-Persian kingdom (539 to 330 B.C.). Darius the Mede conquered Babylon (Daniel 5:30-31).
The belly and thighs of bronze - the Grecian kingdom (330 to 63 B.C.). Alexander the Great established what was probably the largest empire in ancient times. He died in 323 B.C.
The legs of iron and feet of iron and clay - the Roman Empire (63 B.C. to about A.D. 475). Iron represents strength but clay represents weakness. Rome was strong in law, organization, and military might; but the empire included so many different peoples that this created weakness. “The people will be a mixture and will not remain united” (Daniel 2:43 NIV).
The destruction of the image - the coming of Jesus Christ, the Stone, to judge His enemies and establish His universal kingdom.
As magnificent and widespread as the Second or Neo-Babylonian kingdom was, it lasted less than a hundred years. Even though the three empires that
followed lasted longer, the statue in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream portrays each kingdom as inferior to the previous one. We see through the generations that humans are enamoured with impressive governments with beautiful buildings and prominent monuments.
Tommy Douglas was premier of Saskatchewan from 1944 to 1961 and the first leader of the federal New Democratic Party from 1961 to 1971. He remarked, "I don’t mind being a symbol, but I don’t want to become a monument. There are monuments all over the Parliament Buildings, and I’ve seen what the pigeons do to them."
Listen to this conversation with Jesus in Mark 13:1-2:
1 As he was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!” 2 “Do you see all these great buildings?” replied Jesus. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.” NIV
Jesus called it, and about 40 years later the temple was destroyed with Jerusalem by the Romans. We can look with awe at nations and buildings today and forget they will come to an end sooner or later. Humans and what is made by human hands are short-lived in comparison to eternity.
The great missionary David Livingstone (1813-1873) declared, “I will place no value on anything I have or may possess except in relation to the kingdom of Christ.”
Beware of distractions. Some Christians in the Thessalonian church believed that Jesus would return so soon that they quit their jobs, stopped living and simply waited. The Apostle Paul had to rebuke them for idleness and urge them to get on with what the Lord had asked them to do. Some people saw Adolph Hitler as the Antichrist. Some people today see certain world leaders as the Beast and the COVID vaccine as the Mark of the Beast. These speculations and discussions can be interesting, but they should not occupy much of our time and energy.
I have spent my whole life in the church and I have seen many trends blow through. For example, I grew up during a time when the church was fascinated with Bible prophecy. We would call this eschatology or the study of the end times. Theories were promoted as fact, charts were drawn up, books were written, movies were made and conferences were held to propagate these theories. Edgar C. Whisenant was a former NASA engineer and Bible student who predicted the Rapture would occur in 1988, sometime between September 11th and September 13th. He published two books about this, “88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988” and “On Borrowed Time.” American evangelist Hal Lindsey made millions on a series of books suggesting that the Rapture, where followers of Jesus would be taken to heaven, was likely to occur very soon. We were sidetracked from what is important. Similarly, we can focus so much on how to interpret the details of this dream about the future in Daniel chapter 2 that we lose sight of the rock that smashes the statue and establishes God’s kingdom on the earth.
Human kingdoms are built on power and wealth. The kingdom of God is built on very different values with a very different vision. The books of Matthew through Revelation go on to explain how Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah foretold in the books of Genesis through Malachi. His life, death and resurrection ushered in the spiritual manifestation of God’s kingdom. Through humility, service and sacrifice Jesus demonstrated how the kingdom of heaven is radically different from the kingdoms of this world. His return or second coming will usher in the physical manifestation of God’s kingdom. We aren’t called to place our hope in human kingdoms and kings but in the King of kings and His kingdom that will endure forever.
Hebrews 12:28-29 concludes:
28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29 for our “God is a consuming fire.” NIV
Despite people’s futile attempts to predict the day and the hour, we don’t know when Jesus will return. Instead of sitting back and waiting or hanging on with gritted teeth and white knuckles, we need to be prepared for it to happen by obeying God and doing His will. Jesus teaches us to pray in Matthew 6:10, “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Jesus
promises in Matthew 16:18, “I will build my church, and the gates of Hades [or hell] will not overcome it.” Jesus is busy and He calls us to be about His business. We are to know Him and make Him known.
Do you think more about the kingdoms of this world or the kingdom of heaven? How do your priorities reflect your love for the kingdom of heaven?
God establishes: Kingdoms and Kings
Daniel said of the Lord in Daniel 2:21, “He sets up kings and deposes them.” If I were God I would put “my people” in charge and I would remove those who are not “my people” from office. Sovereignly and mysteriously, the Lord establishes and removes world leaders.
King Solomon goes so far as to write in Proverbs 21:1, “The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases.” NIV
God raises kings to establish peace or to bring judgment. He did not lead the children of Israel into the Promised Land because they were more righteous and deserving than the Canaanites who inhabited the land. The Lord established a covenant with Abraham and promised the land to his descendants. He used Joshua and those who followed to bring judgment on great sin that included child sacrifices. Whether it is within nations or on other nations, God raises kings to accomplish His will on the earth. God guides the hearts of kings, of elected officials and of voters in ways that I do not understand.
Brenda and I visited Mount Rushmore in 2018 where we saw the majestic figures of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln, surrounded by the beauty of the Black Hills of South Dakota. Have you ever seen the other side of Mount Rushmore?
Sadly, this dream had little to no impact on King Nebuchadnezzar, but he liked how it ended. All he cared about was that he was the head of gold. He had faith in Daniel’s God but it was a very shallow faith based upon his ego being stroked. He confessed, “Your God is the best option of many.” He didn’t care about future generations. Instead of wanting those who followed to be better off, he seems to be glad that future kings would be inferior to him. The king would not and could not empty himself because he was full of himself. He demonstrated how highly he valued wealth and power by how he rewarded Daniel. This king and his kingdom were very materialistic. As a result, he and his inner circle were preoccupied with the things of this world while Daniel and his three friends had their hearts and minds set on things above.
While Nebuchadnezzar sees this dream as all about him, Daniel demonstrates a very different attitude. When Daniel received the interpretation of the dream, he immediately asked Arioch not to kill his three friends and the other wise men of Babylon. He seems to be more concerned about others than himself.
Politicians can be just concerned about their career advancement rather than serving those around them. We should all follow Daniel’s example here.
Arioch, the commander of the king's guard, had gone out to put to death the wise men of Babylon. Then Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had
appointed to execute the wise men of Babylon, and said to him, “Do not execute the wise men of Babylon. Take me to the king, and I will interpret his dream for him.” Arioch took Daniel to the king at once and said, “I have found a man among the exiles from Judah who can tell the king what his dream means.” Arioch claimed to find Daniel but it appears that Daniel found him. I get the feeling that Arioch wanted to take credit for finding Daniel, but Daniel kept quiet and honoured Arioch in front of the king. Daniel’s pure heart helped him to keep his mouth shut.
Nebuchadnezzar and those around him were consumed with position and power while Daniel and his three friends were not. This is shown further by how Daniel immediately gave God the credit for the interpretation. He wanted to make it clear that he was not like the other wise men, enchanters, magicians or diviners. He drew His wisdom and insight from the God of heaven who reveals mysteries. Daniel and his three friends were more useful to King Nebuchadnezzar because they were not motivated by selfish ambition. Out of all the king’s wise men, Daniel emerges as a truly wise man because he knew his abilities came from the Lord. Daniel was humble and confident, but his confidence was not in himself but God.
This was not the first time the Lord’s servant outshone the king’s magicians. I think of Joseph who interpreted dreams in Genesis 40 and 41, Moses with the ten plagues in Exodus 7 to 11 and Elijah who confronted the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel in 1 Kings 18. Angels and demons are real, but there is no one like the God of heaven!
Let’s not miss what Daniel did when the king made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men. He asked the king to appoint Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego as administrators over the province of Babylon. What a friend! “Lookin' Out for #1” is a 1975 song written by Randy Bachman and first recorded by Canadian rock group Bachman Turner Overdrive (BTO). Some might overlook or forget those who helped them along the way while they’re lookin’ out for #1, but Daniel expressed his gratitude by asking the king to promote his three friends. We read later in the book of Daniel that they too were faithful to the Lord and wise like Daniel.
God is ultimately in control of the rise and fall of kingdoms and kings. While these come and go over time, He and His kingdom surpass and outlast them all. This heavenly perspective shapes the way we view, pray, vote, follow and interact with those in government. This helps us to temper our political hopes, expectations, exhilaration when things go the way we want and frustrations when they do not. Whether we live under dictatorship or in a democracy, God is involved in politics.
God is involved in politics. How are you to be involved in politics? What adjustments would the Lord have you make in how you look at, listen to, pray for, speak to and speak about leaders?
God establishes:
Kingdoms
and
Kings
Knowing that God is in charge makes all the difference in the world.