Every week in worship we are reminded of what is at the core of following Christ: to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. To love our neighbor as ourself.

Daniel 4 is the test of love for not just “the neighbor.” It is the neighbor in context: the enemy. The conqueror. The captor. If we are to understanding living in Babylon, we are to live in the deep freedom of the Christian. This is to love without fear of manipulation or retaliation. It is the heart set free.

Daniel is once again the one who interprets the dream of Nebuchadnezzar. The response of Daniel is what I’ve been captivated with for years. There is no doubt we can read this and think, “Daniel was in distress because he had bad news for the king and kings don’t like bad news. They tend to kill the messenger!”

Walter Brueggemann, Old Testament scholar, spoke on this passage several years ago at my former seminary and it’s been stamped in my mind since that time. Daniel may have been in distress because he cared for the king. He also offers Nebuchadnezzar a way out: repentance.

There is a care to how Daniel treated this message of doom. He had come to the place where he felt deeply over what could happen and wanted to warn even his enemy away from the danger.

This is the heart set free.

We speak the truth in love. We don’t gloat over the demise of our perceived enemy. We mourn when others don’t listen to counsel or refuse the way of the Lord.

Our hearts need to be free to live in Babylon. Enough of creating enemies! Enough of living in perceive fear! Enough of needing to “own” your political opponents! ENOUGH!

The way of the Kingdom is always blessing. It is to look to bring the blessing of the Kingdom to others. Our neighbors. And when our neighbors are “enemies,” YES, to them as well.

Dwell in Daniel 2-4 for a few days. Soak in what true Kingdom living can be in a place where YOU aren’t “the majority” any longer. It is the way of blessing and true freedom.