Daniel: With God the Impossible is Possible
Daniel • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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I have a recurring dream that I have played out many a restless night over the years. The storyline may change, but the theme remains. There is someplace I need to get to, but try as I might, I can’t seem to get there. Obstacle after obstacle keeps getting in my way. Sometimes I am trying to run forward, but it seems I’m just running in place. It is a frustrating dream and when I finally wake up, I’m mentally exhausted.
What is happening in these dreams? Are they just random thoughts that have no meaning? Or is there some message or meaning that needs to be uncovered?
Often, I will share the details with Krista as we walk the dog in the morning, and she will help interpret the dream for me. We will talk about some of the setbacks or challenges that I am facing in the moment and how it is probably my mind processing the frustration I am dealing with in some area of my life. What do I need to do differently that will move me forward?
I imagine some, if not all of you, have had dreams that unsettled you and when you woke up - you felt that the dream had meaning. I’m not talking about dreams of unicorns or flying through the sky like Superman or winning the lottery - I’m talking about dreams of significance.
In the ancient world, such dreams were often understood to be a means of divine communication. In his commentary on Daniel, John Goldingay explains that for the OT, NT and other ancient documents, some dreams “bring a straightforward, verbal message, while in others, the message comes in symbols that require interpretation.” The role of interpretation was assigned to diviners - people who served as priest/magicians, those trained to interpret dreams, omens, ways in which the gods were sending a warning or command. Whereas today, we would turn to the sciences, maybe psychology, to look for meaning within ourselves, at that time, it was the wise men (magi), sorcerers, enchanters who were trained to read the stars, interpret the dreams, use incantations to ward of bad omens. That was who advised the king. It was the king responsibility to find out what the gods were communicating so they could lead accordingly.
King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream of significance. A haunting dream that greatly disturbed him. He knew he needed to understand what was communicated to him. The problem was he didn’t trust those who advised him. We don’t know why, but it seems that the wise men, the magicians, the enchanters, at least in the king’s mind, where not speaking truth, only what would benefit themselves. So he puts forth and impossible command. Tell me what I dreamed and and interpret it for me - or die.
His advisors rightly respond, there is no one who can do such a thing. Give us the symbols, share with us the dream, and we will interpret - but we can’t know what you actually dreamt.
And so the king blows a gasket and he sends his captain of the guard out to round up all the wise men and kill them. He was going to clean house. Last week, we read about the Jewish boys who were exiled from Jerusalem, brought into the king’s court, trained in the royal academy. Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. They stayed faithful to the Lord.
As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.
They were considered wise men, and now their lives are in danger, but as we make our way into Daniel’s story, we can already surmise that God is setting the stage for the four of them to rise to prominence. The Lord had given the king a dream that demanded interpretation - and he had given Daniel the ability to do so.
The story of Daniel is primarily the story of God using the machinations of man to advance His redemptive plan for all nations and, in the process, demonstrate that He is indeed the Lord of all.
The captain of the guard, Arioch, shows up to carry out the king’s orders, and instead of finding a frightened, panicked wise man, he finds a cool and collected Daniel. Scripture tells us that Daniel replied to Arioch with “prudence and discretion.” Why has this decree gone out and what has happened to make it so urgent? The captain, probably realizing how crazy the order is that he had to carry out, shared what had happened. Daniel convinced him to give him some time to try to resolve this situation. He made an appointment to see the king, then he and his boys went to the Lord in prayer and sought mercy.
We read:
Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. Daniel answered and said: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding; he reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him. To you, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, for you have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we asked of you, for you have made known to us the king’s matter.”
The king had demanded the impossible. Every wise man was doomed - their ability to interpret omens, read the stars, summon incantations, appease the gods, amounted to nothing. The wisdom of the day was powerless to prevent their own destruction.
Daniel turned to the only one who knows all things, the Creator of Heaven and Earth. Daniel sought the Lord and the Lord responded.
Where do you turn when you face the impossible?
When all the experts are scrambling to make sense of what is happening - are you on your knees, seeking and praising the Lord?
Everything Daniel does is for one purpose - to give God glory. We will see this over and over again in the book.
Daniel is brought before the King and it is best to just listen to his telling of what happened.
Daniel 2:27–45 (ESV)
Daniel answered the king and said, “No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these: To you, O king, as you lay in bed came thoughts of what would be after this, and he who reveals mysteries made known to you what is to be. But as for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because of any wisdom that I have more than all the living, but in order that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your mind. [Daniel never presents himself as anything other than a faithful servant of Yahweh - his God] “You saw, O king, and behold, a great image. This image, mighty and of exceeding brightness, stood before you, and its appearance was frightening. The head of this image was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its middle and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. As you looked, a stone was cut out by no human hand, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. “This was the dream. Now we will tell the king its interpretation. You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory, and into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the children of man, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens, making you rule over them all—you are the head of gold. Another kingdom inferior to you shall arise after you, and yet a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. And there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron breaks to pieces and shatters all things. And like iron that crushes, it shall break and crush all these. And as you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom, but some of the firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the soft clay. And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle. As you saw the iron mixed with soft clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage, but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay. And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever, just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.”
Theologians, going all the way back to the early church fathers, for the most part, understand this succession of empires that Daniel saw to be Babylonia, Media-Persia, Greece, and Rome.
Babylonia is pretty clear, Daniel tells Nebuchadnezzar that he is the head of gold - the most powerful of all the empires.
The second kingdom is either the Medes or the Medes and the Persians together. History tells us that Babylon fell to Persia in 539 BC - but the two empires, Persia and Medes, ruled at the same time and eventually came together.
The third empire, the one “which shall rule over the earth” - is most likely Greece. The Medo-Persians fell to Greece in 331 BC. Alexander the Great led the Greeks, starting at the young age of 23, and in 13 short years, amassed the largest empire in the ancient world. From Egypt to India.
The fourth empire, the one of iron, would then be Rome. Makes sense, Rome was said to rule with an iron fist. While Rome was strong, it was not invincible. Daniel saw in the image clay mixed with iron in the toes - a weak foundation.
God showed the king’s dream to Daniel and Daniel interpreted it. History would go on to affirm what Daniel saw - what God said would happen.
And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever,
Daniel describes this kingdom separate from four earthly kingdoms. This one is a “stone cut from a mountain by no human hand”. One that breaks all kingdoms of man to pieces and will stand forever.
What Daniel saw was the coming of Jesus Christ, in the time of the fourth kingdom.
In Luke 20:17-18 Jesus identifies himself as the stone.
But he looked directly at them and said, “What then is this that is written: “ ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone’? Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”
You may have heard the phrase before:
History is HIStory. With God, the impossible is possible. He showed Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar what is to come - and now we can look back at what His Word proclaimed and see that it happened just as it was revealed.
Is there anything that is beyond his knowledge? Is there anything that surprises the Lord? No.
Therefore, when you look at our world today - don’t think for a minute that it is out of control. It is in His control.
Our response should be that of Nebuchadnezzar...
Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face and paid homage to Daniel, and commanded that an offering and incense be offered up to him. The king answered and said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.”
Amen.
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