The overall message of the book of Daniel is that God is sovereign over all the universe,1 and that
all of history is in His hands. I chose the narrative text of Daniel 4 and the apocalyptic passage of Daniel 7
because when you put them together, God’s sovereignty becomes more pronounced. Moreover, every
book in the Bible shows that God does not hide Himself from mankind but rather is extremely open to
letting all people know that He is in complete control. “The Lord does whatever pleases Him, in the
heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths,” (Psalm 135:6). This is the truth that God
revealed to king Nebuchadnezzar—a man who is said to have had absolute power in the world and who
boasted of himself as a god-like king above all others; “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the
royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?,” (Daniel 4:30). God humbled
Nebuchadnezzar and showed the world that the king had always been at the mercy of the Most High and
that his power on earth was only given to him that it might one day glorify God; “Nebuchadnezzar was a
monument of the power of Divine grace, and of the riches of Divine mercy.”2
In chapter 7, God made known to Daniel the fullness of His reach by giving the prophet a vision
of the end times. Here, God’s promises are made manifest to Daniel, that Christ’s kingdom will come, “a
kingdom of light, holiness, and love; a kingdom of grace, the privileges and comforts of which shall be
the earnest and first-fruits of the kingdom of glory.”3 It is in this passage that the fullness of the
knowledge that God gave Nebuchadnezzar through many sufferings is made known, for in his opening
soliloquy the king no longer boasted of himself but praised God, saying, “His kingdom is an eternal
kingdom; His dominion endures from generation to generation,” (4:3).
1 Stephen B. Miller, Daniel: The New American Commentary. (Nashville: Broadman and Holman
Publishers, 1994). Introduction.
2 Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1961) p. 1088.
3 Ibid. p. 1094.
Often, we need to hear form God Himself that He is still in control; the Word of God has the
power to transform us, save us, and give us immense courage. One can only imagine the tears that must
have filled the eyes of both Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel as the God of all the universe granted them
clear visions of His wonder and might.
