Daniel 4 records King Nebuchadnezzar praising the God of heaven for who He is and all He does. Then it moves to a second dream of the king. He told the contents of this dream to his advisors, but none could interpret it. He called Daniel once again, and Daniel interpreted the dream. The news wasn’t good for the king. The dream was about a tree that grew majestically but was then cut down and bound with iron. The tree represented Nebuchadnezzar. He had grown great, but also proud. The LORD’s plan was to humiliate him for seven years. He would go mad and eat grass like a cow. The dream came true a year later as Nebuchadnezzar was bragging about the majesty of the kingdom he had built. He became like an animal immediately, and the madness lasted for seven years. When the seven years were up, he looked up to heaven, and immediately the LORD restored him. This meant he was able to retake his throne, and for the time being He once again praised the LORD of heaven.
As we move to Daniel 5, we also move decades ahead in time. Belshazzar has become the king. We’re told he threw a party for all the nobles, and he used the sacred cups from the Temple in Jerusalem that Nebuchadnezzar had brought to Babylon when he destroyed the Temple. As the party was continuing, a hand appeared and wrote on the wall. The message was indecipherable to the king, and to his wisemen. Once again, Daniel was called, and he interpreted the message. He started by telling the king that his father (more likely his grandfather, or great grandfather), Nebuchadnezzar, had suffered seven years for his great pride, and now because he had not learned, he, too would suffer. The suffering was more immediate as the king was killed that night, and King Darius of the Medes took over the kingdom.
In Daniel 6, we find King Darius falling for a trap set for him by his advisors who were jealous of Daniel. They convinced Darius to pronounce that for the next thirty days if anyone bowed down before any god except the king himself, that person would be thrown into a den of lions. The other advisors knew Daniel would not obey the edict, as he prayed to his God several times each day. Once the trap was set, the advisors went and found Daniel praying to the LORD. They brought him to the king and asked the king what had to be done. The king couldn’t change the edict, or make an exception, so Daniel was thrown in the lions’ den. The king stayed up all night and refused his usual “entertainment.” He went to the lions’ den at daybreak and shouted to Daniel to see whether his God had protected him. Daniel responded immediately, that yes, the LORD had protected him. The king had Daniel taken out of the den, and the advisors who had set the trap and their families thrown into it. Before they hit the floor of the den, the lions lunged, attacked, and killed them. Once again, we see the LORD’s protection of Daniel as He upheld his integrity rather than bow down to false gods.
As we return to Mark 5, we come to an account of Jesus performing three miraculous healings. First, He healed a demon-possessed man in the land of the Gerasenes. Second, he healed a woman who had suffered from a bleeding disorder for many years. She touched His robe as He was on His way to heal a little girl. Because of her faith Jesus healed her. He even called her “daughter.” This was the only time in the gospels Jesus used such a term of endearment. Finally, Jesus raised the little girl from the dead. One detail I never knew about the first miracle, the healing of the demon-possessed man, whose name was “Legion,” because he had many demons: when Jesus got to that side of the lake, only He got out of the boat. The reason is the land was Gentile land, and by getting out of the boat there, He became ceremonially unclean. He didn’t subject the disciples to that, but He was willing to go there to bring healing to the man, and His message of Good News to the people. The people rejected Jesus and asked Him to leave. When Legion asked Jesus if he could go with Him, Jesus told him to go back to his home and the surrounding towns and tell everyone what the LORD had done for him. He responded, and the people who heard His testimony were amazed. These events show us that no human condition or situation, even death could stop Jesus from bringing the impact of the Kingdom of God to earth!