Deeper Reflection
The source of Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams in Daniel 2 and Daniel 4 was God. Nebuchadnezzar did not understand the dreams. But God would ensure that he understands them, because when God speaks to us – in whatever form – He wants us to get His message. Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams were divine visitations.The Lord does not visit His church only on Sundays. He “walks among” all His churches all the time (v.1). But the Lord does make special visitations to some of His churches – like His church at Ephesus. It was a divine visitation to remove from God’s presence: “I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand”, unless they repent of their serious sin of leaving their “first love” – wholehearted love for God and people (vv.4-5; cf. Matt 22:37-40). May we not receive such divine visitation!Israel was persistent in their unfaithfulness to God. And for that God would remove them from His presence: “I, even I, will tear [them] to pieces and go away…I will go away and return to My place” (Hos 5:14-15). And God would “go away” from His unfaithful people until “in their affliction they will earnestly seek Me” (Hos 5:15). There is always the redemptive hope of a divine visitation to restore to God’s presence when we “return to the Lord” (Hos 6:1): “He will come to us like the rain watering the earth” to regrow and refresh us (Hos 6:3). God will come to us as the God who has torn and wounded us, but will heal and bandage us, and revive and raise us up (Hos 6:1-2).