Dreams and Destiny

Comparison between real and inferior?

Foods, furniture, fields and friends. Maybe we here in Amish country do those things in a really excellent way.

AI generated artwork vs. real photos.

How can you tell the difference between the real, authentic photo-or item— and the knock-off or imitation one?

Today we are going to continue our study in the book of Daniel— this awesome record of Daniel and several other Israelite captives, working as “insiders” under King Nebuchenezzar.

The Big idea for today is the fact that :

God distinguishes His kingdom from inferior imitations.

Remember, this book is about how to live wisely and faithfully in a place where God is not respected or acknowledged. It’s a culture where everyone around Daniel lives by a different value system— and they don’t just see him as ODD, but also sometimes they see Daniel as an actual threat to the current regime.

I want you to quickly connect with this situation. We live in a time and culture that is largely selfish, self-centered, greedy, cold, and unforgiving. The times we live in today are more divided and hostile than probably any time else in history it seems! Yeah— an election year...

This book is not just about how to survive— but how to witness and shine like stars in the night, and lead others to God— to lead others to a righteous life. (That’s actually a quote from a later part of the book)

Daniel 12:3 NIV

3 Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.

Our faith is dangerous in this world. We live in what many would call a “Post-Christian” era. It’s not common to walk and talk authentically centered on the teachings of Jesus.

One opening point that I want us to consider is that often when Christians are faced with difficult decisions within their lives:

We are often challenged to choose between integration and isolation.

Think about it— we feel we either need to “join in” and become more like the people around us—You’re going to slowly compromise or erode to become more and more like everybody else…Your life becomes like theirs, how you talk, how you dress, even maybe the way they believe about certain things--- OR we feel the world is so evil--we need to separate and completely retreat from interaction at all.

This was actually a common tension even in Daniel’s time.

Will you become just like everyone else? Or will you use discernment and wisdom to “choose this Day Whom You will serve”?

Today’s story from chapter 2 will have three main parts, or three elements:

A Vision, A Voice, and a Verse.

Lets begin in Daniel chapter 2.

Daniel 2:1–2 (NIV)

1 In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his mind was troubled and he could not sleep. 2 So the king summoned the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers to tell him what he had dreamed.

Daniel 2:5–6 NIV

5 The king replied to the astrologers, “This is what I have firmly decided: If you do not tell me what my dream was and interpret it, I will have you cut into pieces and your houses turned into piles of rubble. 6 But if you tell me the dream and explain it, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. So tell me the dream and interpret it for me.”

Daniel and his fellow Israelites are all a part of this group.

Daniel 2:11 NIV

11 What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods, and they do not live among humans.”

King Neb is furious. He probably has very little use for these guys in the first place, that’s why he placed such a demand on them.

Daniel 2:13 NIV

13 So the decree was issued to put the wise men to death, and men were sent to look for Daniel and his friends to put them to death.

Daniel 2:16 NIV

16 At this, Daniel went in to the king and asked for time, so that he might interpret the dream for him.

Daniel then approaches his fellow Israelites and asks them to pray with him. Asking God to reveal the dream and it’s interpretation— they basically ask that they wouldn’t be killed!

These types of crisis should NEVER be taken on alone. What we will see is that this mystery was actually revealed IN COMMUNITY! The gathered group of faithful people praying for God to intervene. That’s a lesson we can learn today. Because they are given the answer! God does reveal the mystery to this little band of brothers. Maybe bit by bit, piece by piece— they assemble to discover not only what dream was troubling the most powerful king in the world, but also what that dream held as a message for him!

They have reason to praise!

Here’s the end of that prayer:

Daniel 2:23 NIV

23 I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors: You have given me wisdom and power, you have made known to me what we asked of you, you have made known to us the dream of the king.”

The stage is set. Daniel approaches the chief executioner, Arioch:

Daniel 2:24–25 NIV

24 Then Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to execute the wise men of Babylon, and said to him, “Do not execute the wise men of Babylon. Take me to the king, and I will interpret his dream for him.” 25 Arioch took Daniel to the king at once and said, “I have found a man among the exiles from Judah who can tell the king what his dream means.”

Of all the places the message could come from! From among the exiles from Judah— God intervenes. This interaction is fascinating- I want you to watch carefully how Daniel, in Godly wisdom, handles the situation.

Where everyone in the kingdom has declared that NO ONE could ever do what King is asking— Daniel is taken to deliver the message to the king— it is a message that indeed there IS a God of the universe who CAN— and in fact that God, Daniel’s God, has purposely given this message to the king (and all of us) for a very important reason.

I. A vision of various kingdoms. (vs. 31)

A. The dream reveals a statue representing kingdoms on earth.

Daniel 2:31 NIV

31 “Your Majesty looked, and there before you stood a large statue—an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance.

Daniel 2:32–33 NIV

32 The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay.

[Photo of statue with golden head, etc]

These kingdoms, as we will see in a moment, represent several kingdoms that come in succession through history.

B. The dream also identifies a rock cut from a mountain. (vs.34)

Daniel 2:34 NIV

34 While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them.

Daniel 2:35 NIV

35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were all broken to pieces and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth.

C. The rock smashes through all the parts of the statue.

A glaring observation, that was probably most disturbing to Nebuchadnezzar, was the fact that this beautiful and magnificent statue was completely and most decisively destroyed by the rock!

Everyone still with me? :-)

II. A voice of interpretation (vs. 36)

It’s very important to note that Daniel give all the credit to God:

Daniel 2:27–28 (NIV)

27 Daniel replied, “No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, 28 but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come.

He never took credit for himself. He gives all the praise and glory to God.

Daniel reinforces the point that the other wise men were making. No one could give you this dream or the message but the God of Gods. The Hebrew God. Is that our posture where we’ve been used to do something positive for the world? How about the accolades that an athlete may receive— but then they defer to the Lord as an acknowledgement of WHO gave them the gift. That is a primary way we are different in this world we live in. There is a temptation to take God’s credit. Daniel does not do that. He is faithful to be used by God to deliver the message that God has given— that’s all. Watch for this phrase “has given”— it’s the Hebrew word “natan”— translated into “has given” from Aramaic to English.

Daniel 2:36 NIV

36 “This was the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king.

Daniel 2:37–38 NIV

37 Your Majesty, you are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory; 38 in your hands he has placed all mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds in the sky. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold.

in essence: Listen Neb, you have been given

A. Daniel identifies Babylon as the golden head, with various kingdoms following behind.

Daniel also acknowledges that God gave Babylon it’s power and it’s glory. God is the source of everything good.

B. The description of the statue names several kingdoms after Babylon (Vs. 36-43)

Daniel identifies what historians can now line up as the most powerful kingdoms on earth:

There are several different opinions on which kingdoms these could be referring to— and we will actually get to further unpack this image in a later sermon over in chapter 7.

[photo of statue with kingdom names]

C. The destruction of the statue points us to God’s eternal Kingdom! (vs. 45)

The point for us today, is that Neb is being given a glimpse into the future— and should take note that the kingdom he runs right now is temporary— and established only by God’s hand, not his own.

III. A verse of expectation (vs. 44-45)

Daniel 2:44 NIV

44 “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.

Daniel 2:45 NIV

45 This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces. “The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy.”

Daniel points us all to a Rock that will come and bring a kingdom that will overcome all other kingdoms.

A. Jesus is the Rock that announces God’s kingdom.

It’s an everlasting Kingdom.

Daniel 7:27 NIV

27 Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.’

B. Nebuchadnezzar seems charmed, but probably not changed by this vision. (v. 46)

Daniel 2:46–47 NIV

46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate before Daniel and paid him honor and ordered that an offering and incense be presented to him. 47 The king said to Daniel, “Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery.”

As we will see, Neb is momentarily in awe of the experience— but in the very next scene, we will see that he really didn’t get it.

There are three powerful take-a-ways I believe we should consider in understanding this passage:

God is sovereign over all nations, including our own.

We can trust God’s wisdom, and we should seek it in prayer together.

God reveals himself to the world through faithful people.