Daniel 2 - The Lord of mysteries
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Big Idea:
Big Idea:
The Lord of hope is sovereign over our story.
Intro:
Intro:
Good morning.
I want to start with a joke I heard on the way to the gym. One Sunday, a long time ago, in a church far-far-away [that’s not the joke], people gathered in the sanctuary as usual. However, something was very different . On the stage, near the keyboard (oh wait, I said a long time ago - near the organ) stood the devil.
People started freaking out. Many ran out of the sanctuary. He laughed. But then noticed an older man sitting calmly in the front row. Satan approached him.
“Excuse me. You know who I am, right?” The man replied, “Yes.” “Are you not scared?” “No.” “Why not?” “Because I’ve been married to your sister for 30 years!”
Okay, okay… chill out all you church people. I’m not making a theological statement or teaching about marriage. It’s a joke. But, it’s a joke with a point.
This old man was so desensitized to evil, his hardened heart no longer reacted to anything… not even the devil.
You know, sometimes we can be like this. We get so desensitized that we’re no longer affected by the evil in the world. Or, how about this? We get so used to showing up to church (or youth group) that it just becomes “something we do.” Our hearts are hardened in a different way.
In church, we tune out. We stop listening. We forget the Living God is here and desires to spend time with us and speak to our hearts.
So, as we get started, let me encourage you to open your ears and heart today. I believe God has something for us. Because here’s the truth… one day, something in this life is gonna demand our attention. It’ll rock our world. It’ll demand an immediate response - with life or death in the balance.
When that moment comes, will you be ready? Will you have the wisdom to make the right decision? Will you have hope when your world falls apart? This is something King Nebuchadnezzar faced in today’s passage out of Daniel 2.
A quick recap before we begin:
This year, our church’s vision is that “Jesus is Lord in 2024.” As a church, we want to focus on both living out and proclaiming this truth.
One thing that will help us do that (I believe) is by going verse-by-verse through the book of Daniel. And last Sunday, we did Daniel chapter 1.
In that chapter, Jerusalem is destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. In the process, he captures all the best Jewish men and attempts to brainwash them for Babylon… including Daniel and his 3 friends.
But Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are not having it. They resolve to serve the Lord even in Babylon. And God greatly blesses them. And that’s where we pick up today…
In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his spirit was troubled, and his sleep left him. Then the king commanded that the magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans be summoned to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king. And the king said to them, “I had a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream.”
Exegesis:
Exegesis:
King Nebuchadnezzar had everything. He was ruler of the most powerful empire in the world. But one night, he has a dream that rocks his world. It’s so powerful, so real, that he can’t let it go. So, he calls in Babylon’s professional dream interpreters.
Then the Chaldeans said to the king in Aramaic, “O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.”
Two important things to notice before we move on:
Notice they reply in Aramaic. Now, they may have been speaking Aramaic the entire time, but the author seems to have an intentional purpose in communicating this. Because chapter 1 is written in Hebrew - the language of the Jewish people. But from this verse until the end of chapter 7, he writes in Aramaic. We’ll talk about why later, but hang onto this detail!
The Chaldeans (the professional wisemen) make a reasonable ask, “Tell us the dream and then we will interpret.” That’s usually how the process worked. But not this time…
The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, “The word from me is firm: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you shall be torn limb from limb, and your houses shall be laid in ruins. But if you show the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. Therefore show me the dream and its interpretation.”
That escalated quickly! The king says, “If you don’t tell me the dream AND the interpretation, everyone dies.” Pretty harsh.
They answered a second time and said, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show its interpretation.” The king answered and said, “I know with certainty that you are trying to gain time, because you see that the word from me is firm— if you do not make the dream known to me, there is but one sentence for you. You have agreed to speak lying and corrupt words before me till the times change. Therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can show me its interpretation.” The Chaldeans answered the king and said, “There is not a man on earth who can meet the king’s demand, for no great and powerful king has asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or Chaldean.
What the king is asking is abnormal. And we aren’t told why. Maybe in the past, he went along with the system. He’s smart. He knew some of this magic-stuff didn’t make sense. Nevertheless, he asked for advice. The wisemen made stuff up (they lied). But he took their counsel because that’s how they always did it. If you will, he had a hard heart.
But today, the king is serious. This dream has him freaked out. And he needs a REAL answer. He needs the TRUTH. And he ain’t playin. Therefore, if these guys are legit, then they should be able to discern the dream AND the interpretation!
The thing that the king asks is difficult, and no one can show it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.”
The wisemen tell the king, “What you ask is impossible. It’s never done this way! Only the gods know dreams and they aren’t here to help us.”
Because of this the king was angry and very furious, and commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be destroyed.
I don’t always do 3-point messages, but in preparing this week’s sermon, it seemed helpful. So, point 1 is…
1) There’s big trouble in little Chaldea (vv. 1-12).
1) There’s big trouble in little Chaldea (vv. 1-12).
Some of you are like, “What the heck?” Others are like, “That sounds familiar.”
Growing up, especially in a martial arts family, one of my favorite movies was “Big trouble in Little China.” I’m not recommending that movie, but it was a part of my childhood. So much so that my brother and I still do this “hand signal” when we see each other.
And sometimes I say weird stuff in sermons to get your attention and help truths stick. So today, point number 1 is “Big trouble in little Chaldea” (instead of China). And maybe that’ll help you remember that in Daniel 2, things are falling apart in Babylon (in Chaldea).
King Nebuchadnezzar needs help because nothing is working.
And the wisemen need help too. They are sentenced to death because they can’t do the impossible. Additionally, their gods can’t help.
There’s big trouble, but no help. And since there’s no help, there’s no hope.
The world’s most powerful nation, with the best resources and greatest opportunities, is falling apart. And there appears to be no hope for change. Sounds kinda like our world at times…
Then Daniel replied with prudence and discretion to Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon. He declared to Arioch, the king’s captain, “Why is the decree of the king so urgent?” Then Arioch made the matter known to Daniel. And Daniel went in and requested the king to appoint him a time, that he might show the interpretation to the king.
Apparently, Daniel wasn’t initially invited to help interpret the dream. So, when the executioner comes knocking on his door, he has no idea what’s happening. Arioch tells him. And Daniel asks if the king will give him a chance to interpret.
Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, and told them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions might not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
This might be the most powerful passage in the chapter:
First off, notice we’re given the Hebrew names instead of the Babylonian ones they received last chapter. Yet, the author is writing in Aramaic. So why use their Hebrew names? Well, consider what their names mean in Hebrew:
Daniel means “God is my judge (in control).”
Hananiah means “God is gracious.”
Mishael means “Who is like our God?”
Azariah means “God had helped.”
Why use the Hebrew names? I think it’s connected to what is also written in verse 18, “so that Daniel and his companions might not be destroyed with the rest of the wisemen of Babylon.”
Then Abraham drew near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?
Of course not.
The Lord rescues the godly;
he is their fortress in times of trouble.
So why use their Hebrew names? Because the author is making a distinction. Consider the following mixture of the meaning of their Hebrew names, “The gracious, sovereign Lord, who is unlike any other god, will help His people!”
You see, although they lived in Babylon, they are not of Babylon. They are different. They belong to the Lord - the God of the Hebrews. Babylon’s gods may not help, but Daniel’s God does. And He gives both the dream and the interpretation. Therefore, point number 2 is…
There IS hope in Chaldea / Babylon (vv. 13-30).
There IS hope in Chaldea / Babylon (vv. 13-30).
And because there is hope, Daniel does not despair like the wisemen. He’s different. Instead, he shouts a prayer of praise…
He said,
“Praise the name of God forever and ever,
for he has all wisdom and power.
He controls the course of world events;
he removes kings and sets up other kings.
He gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to the scholars.
He reveals deep and mysterious things
and knows what lies hidden in darkness,
though he is surrounded by light.
I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors,
for you have given me wisdom and strength.
You have told me what we asked of you
and revealed to us what the king demanded.”
There’s a lot of good stuff in this prayer, but there’s one specific thing I want to focus on. Notice that although the mystery has been revealed, Daniel still doesn’t know how the king will react. The death sentence may still stand firm! Yet, Daniel praises God by faith anyways. And verse 23 is the key reason why, “I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors…”
This is not the first time God has helped His servant with a dream. Remember Joseph? Joseph and Daniel are actually pretty similar:
Both are sent as slaves to a pagan kingdom (Egypt/Babylon).
Both interpret the king’s dream.
And we’re getting a little ahead of Daniel’s story, but both bring the joy of God’s salvation.
How could Daniel praise by faith, even if he didn’t know the outcome? Because the same God who saved Joseph would save Him! What do we need to learn from this? I wonder, do we know God’s word enough to allow His stories to build our faith in impossible or unknown situations too?
Therefore Daniel went in to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said thus to him: “Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon; bring me in before the king, and I will show the king the interpretation.”
Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste and said thus to him: “I have found among the exiles from Judah a man who will make known to the king the interpretation.” The king declared to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream that I have seen and its interpretation?” 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 gives the king hope. And now, he will give us the dream…
“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.
Say “Jesus.” Hang onto that!
“This was the dream. Now we will tell the king its interpretation.
So, this is what he dreamed about… [statue]. As you can see, there’s no way anyone could’ve guessed this. It was a genuine mystery - something beyond human comprehension! But the God of mysteries revealed it to Daniel.
And now, Daniel will give the 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.”
Daniel tells the king his dream is about the future.
The head of gold is Nebuchadnezzar and his glorious Babylonian empire. But eventually it will end.
The body of silver represents the Medo-Persian empire, which follow sBabylon.
The bronze kingdom is the Greek empire.
And the fourth is the iron empire of Rome, who crushed opposition by their military strength.
By the way, this is all actual history: Babylon was followed Persia, then Greece, then Rome. God gave future facts to Nebuchadnezzar.
Now, some (even Christian scholars) will say Daniel was written after the fact because they don’t believe in this kind of prophecy. I don’t agree. I mean, we’re talking about God Almighty! My God can knows the beginning and the end!
But remember, the dream didn’t end with Rome. There’s another kingdom mixed with iron and clay. And then a stone that crushes all the kingdoms and fills the earth.
It’s likely that this part of the dream is still future - even to us! And this is where we could potentially make this a really long sermon. But we won’t. [Some of you just said “praise God” in your spirit. You spiritual Babylonians!]
We’re going to bypass discussing the end times (for now) because I believe there are two more important purposes to this passage:
Notice the progression of the future kingdoms goes from strong to weak - from gold to clay. This is backwards to our modern thinking. We assume things get better with time. There’s truth to that. Things have certainly gotten easier and more comfortable with the advancement of human technology.
But there’s another truth at play… time also reveals the world is spinning out of control. Men are getting weaker. Community is getting weaker. Morality is getting weaker. And spiritually, our heart for God is getting weaker. The truth is our world is falling just as the dream predicted!
As that happens, God tells us that in the future, His kingdom - represented by the stone made without human hands - will increase! It’ll become a mountain that will fill the earth.
As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
[Say “Jesus”] Jesus is that stone. On the cross, Jesus defeated sin and death. And now, He is the victorious King of kings and Lord of lords. And the church (His spiritual house/kingdom/people) will be all that remains.
The Bible says…
Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe,
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Ultimately, Nebuchadnezzar’s dream is about Jesus and the Kingdom of God. But why reveal this to a pagan king? Let’s read the rest of the chapter…
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.” Then the king gave Daniel high honors and many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. Daniel made a request of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of the province of Babylon. But Daniel remained at the king’s court.
Look at Nebuchadnezzar’s response. Look at how the “world” is impacted.
Nebuchadnezzar worships God!
And everyone in Babylon is saved (Nebuchadnezzar, the wisemen, Daniel and his friends)!
Why reveal this dream to Nebuchadnezzar? Our final point for today is… (there’s not only hope in Babylon)…
There’s [also] hope for the world (vv. 31-49).
There’s [also] hope for the world (vv. 31-49).
Why allow righteous people like Daniel to face such trials in a pagan environment? Why write this chapter in Aramaic (a language used - at the time - by the pagan world)? Why give a pagan king this dream? Because it preaches the gospel!
Response:
Response:
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Daniel 2 preaches the same message. In this chapter, we learn that the world offers no answers or hope. But God gives you both. And regardless of what human kingdom you belong to, eventually it will perish. Only the Kingdom of God is eternal. And just as this dream is an invitation to Babylon to surrender to the Lord, so is this also offered to the whole world: Turn from your sin, put your faith in Daniel’s Lord - surrender to Jesus. Do you need to do that today?
And if you already belong to Jesus, consider responding this way:
Be a person of prayer. Praying gives God’s wisdom. God’s wisdom activates the gospel! Someone’s salvation may depend on your prayer. I’m convinced that if Daniel and his friends don’t pray, the story changes - and maybe not for the good. Do you pray? Do you pray with other people. Daniel didn’t pray alone. Therefore, maybe your next step is joining us for prayer on Thursday or Sunday morning.
But maybe you don’t know how or what to pray. Here’s a tip: [Stole this from Pastor Jon’s dad] Just say “Jesus” whenever you need help. That’s a powerful prayer because there’s no more powerful name!
Be different. God’s people are different. Hebrew names stand out in an Aramaic paragraph. Hopeful people respond differently than their hopeless community. Let’s be different. Show people there is a God in Heaven who does dwell with people. Show them Jesus!
Jesus is the hope we all need. Bring people to Jesus. Who does God want you to invite to church next week? [Write their name down, share it with your neighbor, then do it].
Let’s pray…