The God of History

INTRODUCTION

Down through the halls of history...

Kingdoms have come and kingdoms have gone.

New nations start and powerful nations grow.

Old nations change and some nations disappear all together.

But what the Bible shows us this morning is that there is one God who rules and reigns over all.

And the beginning of one kingdom of man and the end of another are not simply the geopolitical happenstance of the world around us.

It is not all just down to trade and commerce and weapons and war.

Instead, there is a God of history who is bringing all things toward a specific conclusion.

And that conclusion is the final destination of all the kingdoms of man.

And we are going to see this morning that our lives are a part of that.

CONTEXT

Just a reminder of where we are in Daniel.

The prophet and his three friends are in Exile.

In chapter 1, we saw them taken away from Judah into Babylon.

We saw orders for them to be totally re-programmed in Babylon, down to their very identity.

But Daniel and his friends draw a line regarding food from the king’s table.

It was offered up to idols in false worship.

It would be spiritually defiling for them to eat this food.

So Daniel held his conviction.

He respectfully addressed the powers at be.

And in the end, not only did Daniel and his friends stay away from the king’s food—they were better off than any of the other youths who were on the full Babylonian program.

When we pick it up this morning, the issue is not Nebuchadnezzar’s table, but his bed.

He has had a disturbing dream and as a result, he has a disturbing demand.

OUTLINE AND DISCLAIMER

Now, let me say that if I read all of Daniel 2, it will take about 12 minutes in real time.

So with that said, I am going to read it in chunks and then stop to explain as we go.

After the explanation of the chapter, our outline will look like this:

One Theological Conclusion

1. The God of history steers all things from beginning to end.

One Conclusion for the Christian Life

1. Seek first the kingdom of the God of history.

TEXT BLOCK 1—these are the very words of God.

The Dream (v. 1-11)

Daniel 2:1–11 ESV

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.” Then the Chaldeans said to the king in Aramaic, “O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.” 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.” 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. 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.”

Nebuchadnezzar has a dream (v. 1) and is troubled his soul to the point that he cannot sleep.

He is so disturbed that he calls the experts of his court together to interpret the dream. (v. 2)

But the catch is that he will not tell them the contents.

He doesn’t just want interpretation, he wants them to be able to explain the dream without even knowing it.

And if they can’t do it, he will see to it that they are torn apart and that their homes and their loves ones are destroyed (v. 5)

If they can do it, he will shower them with gifts and rewards and honor. He will show them favor. (v. 6)

This escalated to life and death quickly.

They see the impossibility of the situation and they ask again for him to give details of the dream (v. 7), but he won’t have it.

He calls them out for time-wasting (v. 8) and he issues a final warning (v. 9).

They finally tell him that this is impossible (v. 10-11).

They say that you would need a divine being to reveal these things.

And they have no clue how true that is.

Let’s keep reading.

TEXT BLOCK 2—these are the very words of God

HUNTED, BUT PRAYING (v. 12-19)

Daniel 2:12–19 ESV

Because of this the king was angry and very furious, and commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be destroyed. So the decree went out, and the wise men were about to be killed; and they sought Daniel and his companions, to kill them. 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. 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.

The wise men of Babylon are to be destroyed and this is a problem for Daniel and his three friends, because they are a part of that group.

They are a part of the generation of Exiles that Nebuchadnezzar was raising up to be wise men.

This decree means death for Daniel (v. 12-13)

Daniel goes to the captain of the king’s guard who had been given the task of slaying all the wise men and he asks why the king is so eager to take this action. (v. 14-15)

After he hears what is happening, he procures a meeting with the King (v. 16)

And then in v. 17, you see that Daniel goes to his friends and he tells them what is going on and then in v. 18, they pray.

We will come back to this later, but clearly, the God of heaven was the only one who could reveal this mystery.

The enchanters of Nebuchadnezzar’s court said this with clarity—you would need divine help to interpret a dream that you don’t know the details about (1:10)

Daniel agrees—he just knows there is only one true God and He is the only One who can help him in this situation.

In v. 19, God answers the prayer and Daniel blessed God for the mystery revealed.

TEXT BLOCK #3—these are the very words of God

PRAISING GOD (v. 20-23)

Daniel 2:20–23 ESV

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.”

Daniel does what we should all do when God answers our prayers.

One of the nastiest habits we can have as believers is praying for things, getting answers to prayer and moving on with our lives, not stopping to praise God for how He responds to our prayers.

Daniel does the opposite. After the mystery is revealed, he praises God for two things:

He praises God for who He is:

Wise and powerful (v. 20)

Governs the governors (v. 21)

He is in charge of the circumstances of every nation at all times

He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding—just as we saw with Daniel in this passage (v. 21).

He reveals things we could never know on our own (v. 22)

Like the way of salvation in His Son, Jesus Christ

Light dwells within Him (v. 22)

He praises God for who He has made Daniel to be:

He gives Him thanks and praise because:

He has given Daniel wisdom and insight (v. 23)

He has given Daniel the knowledge he needs to keep him and his friends alive (v. 23)

TEXT BLOCK 4—these are the very words of God

CREDIT TO GOD (v. 24-30)

Daniel 2:24–30 ESV

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 goes to Arioch and entreats him again.

This time, Daniel is not coming seeking information.

Daniel comes as the guys who has the information.

And on the basis that he had the interpretation, he asks that the wise men not be destroyed (v. 24).

Daniel is then brought before the king and it is his time to speak (v. 25-26).

It is his time to reveal the mystery.

But before he does, Daniel wants all attention on Yahweh, his God.

He reminds Nebuchadnezzar that:

No one from his court could explain or interpret the dream (v. 27)

He tells him that:

There is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries and He has brought revelation to the Babylonian King about what will happen in the latter days (v. 28)

This is God’s doing (v. 29)

And Daniel makes it clear that he does not have this knowledge about the dream and its interpretation because he is wise.

It has been given to him by God so that Nebuchadnezzar can understand the dream (v. 30)

Now the contents of the dream itself is pretty confusing and perplexing without an explanation.

As Daniel explains the dream, you can see why the King was so desperate for an interpretation.

TEXT BLOCK #5—these are the very words of God

THE EXPLANATION OF THE DREAM (v. 31-35)

Daniel 2:31–35 ESV

“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.

The king sees a great image—or a great statue.

It is strong and glimmering and its appearance would shake you up if you had dreamt it too (v. 31)

The head is made of gold. The chest and arms is made of silver. The abdomen and thighs are bronze. The legs are iron. The feet are a mixture of iron and clay. (v. 32-33)

Then the king saw a stone that was cut by no human hand and it hits the statue on the feet and it causes the statue to break in pieces. (v. 34)

The whole thing crumbles and blows away in the wind like chaff—like the husks of grain. (v. 35)

And then the king sees the stone grow into a mountain and fill up the entirety of earth (v. 35)

That is the explanation...but what we want to know is the same thing Nebuchadnezzar wanted to know—what does it all mean?

TEXT BLOCK #6—these are the very words of God

THE INTERPRETATION OF THE DREAM (v. 36-45)

Daniel 2:36–45 ESV

“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.”

We can really get lost in the sauce when it comes to passages like this.

This is the first time we are starting to see apocalyptic elements in Daniel. We will see much more in Daniel 7-12.

But when reading apocalyptic passages, we must keep the genre in mind.

Jewish apocalyptic literature is filled with moving pictures—signs and symbols that point beyond themselves to literal realities past, present and future.

In this case, Nebuchadnezzar’s dream has signs and symbols that tell us about the rest of history.

THE STATUE

First of all, the golden head is Nebuchadnezzar and his empire.

Notice how Daniel speaks about the Babylonian King. It is language that reminds us of Adam in Genesis 1.

Genesis 1:26 ESV

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

Daniel 2:38 ESV

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.

It is Adam-like language because nothing has changed since the beginning.

Men’s authority to subdue and rule the earth on any level, is granted to them by God.

Nebuchadnezzar is the golden head of ancient history—but this is only because God ordained it to be so.

Adam only had dominion because God gave it and the same is true of the Babylonian king.

And what we have in this image with Nebuchadnezzar at the top, is an overview of the history of Ancient Near East from the time of Babylon to what seems to be the time of Rome.

Here is how scholars have typically understood it:

Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylonian Empire is the head of gold (v. 38)

But Babylon is not the final kingdom of man.

The head of gold will give way to the chest and arms of silver. This is the Medo-Persion Empire that will come after Babylon.

We will see this empire before the book of Daniel ends.

This is the empire that lets the Jews return from Exile to Judah. The empire of Cyrus and Darius.

The silver kingdom gives way to the bronze kingdom represented in the statue’s abdomen and thighs.

The bronze kingdom is generally understood as the Grecian Empire established and ruled by Alexander the Great.

And then there is the iron Kingdom. This is in reference to the Roman Empire.

This is the empire that breaks to pieces and shatters all things. (v. 40)

It is stronger and more powerful than the empires that came before it.

For all our young people who play Minecraft—you understand this dream more than most in the room.

Iron is the strongest, right?

And yet, the iron is mixed with something very weak—clay.

This shows that as strong as the Roman Empire will be, it will also be brittle.

For all its power, it will have a hard time holding together.

History showed us this is true.

Some people try to get into whether or not the two legs represent the Eastern and Western sides of Alexander’s empire.

Some people try to argue that the ten toes are the kingdoms that were birthed out of the Roman Empire.

I agree with scholars who think that is getting into the weeds.

We are really starting to speculate on things at that point.

What seems clear and beyond speculation is that Nebuchadnezzar has dreamed about the succession of kingdoms in the Ancient world.

Babylon to Persia.

Persia to Greece.

Greece to Rome.

THE STONE

And then there is this stone that flies in.

It is uncut by human hands and it brings these kingdoms to nothing.

Daniel explains that this uncut stone that grows into a mountain that covers the earth is God’s Kingdom (v. 44).

It is superior because it will spell the end for the kingdoms of man.

It is superior because it isn’t just a statue in one place—it covers the whole earth.

And it is superior because, unlike those kingdoms, it will stand forever.

Now, before we can move on, we have to point out that as New Testament believers, we know which stone is the Cornerstone for the eternal, expansive Kingdom of God.

We know the Stone that is eternal and uncut—the Stone that has always been.

We know the Stone who will bring the Kingdom of Man to its knees in judgment, and who will defeat all that oppose Him.

We know that Stone who will spread His Kingdom out throughout the earth, the way water covers the seas.

This is Jesus Christ.

When Jesus came, He proclaimed that this expanding Kingdom was at hand.

Mark 1:15 ESV

and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

He was the Cornerstone—the capstone—promised by Psalm 118.

Listen to His own words after explaining to the Jews that they were about to reject and kill the Messiah:

Luke 20:17–18 ESV

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.”

Whether it is the rejecting Jewish nation or the pagan Gentile nations—if this stone falls on anyone—it will crush him.

And that goes for all the kingdoms of man.

We see the culmination of this in Revelation 11, when we find out that all the kingdom of this world will become the Kingdom of our God.

Revelation 11:15 ESV

Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.”

This happens at the 7th trumpet.

This happens in the end.

Show how Christ receives ultimately what Nebuchadnezzar received temporarily.

v. 37

But now, in the meantime, the stone is expanding into a mountain, as soul by soul repents and the Kingdom grows.

Jesus spoke of it in agricultural terms in Matthew 13:31-32

Matthew 13:31–32 ESV

He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

The kingdom starts as a seed and then expands into a massive tree that all the people of the nations who trust in Christ can come and find a home and rest in Him.

This is just another way to explain how Christ the Cornerstone will bring down the kingdom of man, His kingdom will grow and one day, His Kingdom will swallow up every other fully and finally.

TEXT BLOCK 6—these are the very words of God

THE CONCLUSION (v. 46-49)

Daniel 2:46–49 ESV

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.

Nebuchadnezzar pays homage to Daniel’s god—a sentiment that will grow in the king throughout Daniel.

Daniel is essentially made the hand of the king—chief advisor to Nebuchadnezzar.

And he gets his three friends appointed to places of authority within Babylon.

In other words, Daniel’s explanation and interpretation saw him receive favor from both God and man.

Now—understanding the narrative of the chapter and the interpretative elements of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, we are ready to observe One Theological Conclusion and One Conclusion for the Christian Life.

ONE THEOLOGICAL CONCLUSION

1. The God of history steers all things from beginning to end.

If you were to go to most schools or universities and take a class on the Ancient Near East, you would learn about the same movers and shakers we have talked about this morning.

Nebuchadnezzar and Cyrus and Alexander and Caesar.

Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome.

And you would hear about wars about land being won by men with more people and weapons.

You would hear about military strategy.

You would hear about empirical expansion in the Ancient World.

But you will not hear that God is the one ordaining it all.

So much of our view of history is Atheistic in the West.

Everything is the result of humanity and happenstance.

But the Bible teaches us a different viewpoint on history.

The Bible teaches us that all of history is in God’s hand and by His ordination.

Here are a few places we see it in the Scriptures:

Psalm 33:11 ESV

The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.

God’s plans are eternal and they are unchanging throughout all the generations of man.

As Isaiah 46 tells us—He has declared the end from the beginning, and that which He has declared will come to pass.

Daniel 4:35 ESV

all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?”

God’s authority, as He acts in history, is absolutely absolute.

In heaven and on earth, He does His will and none can stop His hand or even rightfully question Him.

Acts 17:26 ESV

And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place,

He determines the boundaries of nations.

He determines how long they stand.

This too, is part of His eternal counsel and His will being carried out among the nations.

And so, we can never be the sort of people who capitulate and have an Atheistic view of history.

That view is not just unbiblical—it is hopeless.

If the world is not fully in God’s hands, it is in the hands of man, and we have seen what those hands can do.

What a bleak picture that is.

If anything in this world is the result of chance, then God is not sovereign over all.

Wilson Benton

And if God is not sovereign over all, then we have a world filled with what one popular Atheist author calls, “blind, pitiless indifference.”

Let me illustrate it this way:

When I go to my sink and I get a glass of water, I don’t think about how my water came from a natural source, it was treated at a plant and then it was distributed by York County public works.

I just turn it on and get my water.

Similarly, a lot of people watch the news and see world leaders arguing about tariffs and war money and they think, “Just a bunch of people vying for power.”

They don’t stop to think that this stream of history was begun by God. And He is steering it—down to every detail—according to His great plan.

THE PURPOSE OF THE PLAN

And what is the ultimate purpose of that plan?

Well we have seen it in our text for today.

The purpose of God’s plan for the world is that His Son would rule the nations and that the Kingdom of the beloved Son would swallow up the Kingdom of Man to the glory of God.

So many nations have come along and thought that all of history was about them.

We are probably guilty of that ourselves.

But in truth, every empire, every kingdom and every municipality, and all that goes on within in them, is driving toward the day when the Stone has become a Mountain that spreads throughout the entire world.

When Jesus has saved people from every tribe and every tongue and every nation, the end will come.

Matthew 24:14 ESV

And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

So God steers the stream of history according to His will and His purposes in the nations are supremely about the expansion of the Kingdom of the Son and the glory of Christ as He rules His Kingdom.

That is so clear in the dream of the king.

The statue of man’s kingdom is destroyed by the uncut Cornerstone of God’s Kingdom.

And God’s Kingdom overcomes and becomes the only Kingdom reality on the earth—just as it will be when Christ returns.

ONE CONCLUSION FOR THE CHRISTIAN LIFE

1. Seek first the kingdom of the God of history.

You and I are living between the stone and mountain.

Christ, the Cornerstone has come.

The statue of Daniel 2 has blown away in the wind.

Those empires are gone.

And yet, the kingdom of man carries on, manifesting itself in pagan nations who might pay lip service to God, but do not love Him with their hearts. Many of them don’t even pay lip service.

These are the new statues formed by the hands of man’s kingdoms.

And The driving motivation continues to be the gain of temporal things like money, power, resources and land, just like in the Ancient Near East.

All the Settlers of Catan are still trying to settle.

And just like the empires and nations before them, the kingdom of man continues to oppose the kingdom of God. They have two completely different aims and are at odds.

And that is when things can become difficult for the Christian life.

We seem to be going one way, while the kingdom of man seems bent on going the other way.

“The earthly [city] has made for herself, according to her heart's desire, false gods out of any sources at all, even out of human beings, that she might adore them with sacrifices. The heavenly one, on the other hand, living like a wayfarer in this world, makes no false gods for herself. On the contrary, she herself is made by the true God that she may be herself a true sacrifice to Him.”

Augustine

The kingdom of man, according to the desires of the evil hearts within it, bow down to the gods of power, money, fame, sex and dominion.

They are driven by all that you see under the sun and they make false gods out of everything you see under the sun.

They ignore God and bow down before false ones, offering up sacrifices of worship with their time, their hearts, their money and their passions.

But Augustine is saying that Christians are different. We look above this world and know that there is a God who reigns over all and since He has already done everything we need in order to be saved in Christ, we live our lives as a living sacrifice unto Him.

Romans 12:1–2 ESV

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

We are living sacrifices that refuse to be conformed to the kingdom of this world.

We know it will blow away like chaff.

We seek a kingdom that is eternal.

Matthew 6:33 ESV

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

SEEKING FIRST THE KINGDOM

The question as we close up this morning is How do we do that?

How do we seek first the expanding mountain that is, the kingdom of God? Jesus doesn’t actually tell us in Matthew 6. It is explained by the rest of Scripture.

Daniel Doriani sums it up well when he says:

To seek the kingdom is chiefly to love and seek the King, to pray for his kingdom to come, to submit to his reign in every sphere of life, to declare his reign and gospel widely, and to aim for his righteousness socially as well as personally and to seek it locally, nationally, and internationally.

Daniel Doriani

To seek the Kingdom is to make it first in your life.

And we see Daniel do that all throughout this text:

When he learns of the king’s decree, he doesn’t panic or rely on his intellect

He gets on his knees and prays and demonstrates his trust in God.

When God answers his prayer, he returns to God in praise.

Daniel knows that God alone deserves the credit for what is unfolding

He praises Him for who He is and what He does

When he comes before the king with the interpretation, he proclaims the excellencies of Yahweh, deflecting glory from himself

This shows who Daniel is living for and whose name he cares about the most

This shows his zealousness for God’s Kingdom and His glory

This is what a Kingdom-seeking like looks like.

It is God-focused.

It is not God-reliant.

It is God-exalting.

It is God-proclaiming.

And we must follow Daniel’s model.

As we live between the mountain and the stone, surrounded by the statues built by men, the way we keep our path straight is remembering which kingdom is superior and living for it.

We don’t do this to earn favor with God.

We do this because we HAVE favor with God.

He has provided us with all our souls need for salvation.

He has rescued us from death and Hell through His Cross and Resurrection.

He has won our spot in His Kingdom.

He has brought us from the kingdom of man into the kingdom of God.

And as we wait for the mountain to cover the whole earth, we represent Him here as living stones.

We are people of prayer and praise and proclamation.

And when we seek His Kingdom first like Daniel, it demonstrates our trust in the God of history.

We know all things are in His hand. We seek Him first to bring Him the most possible glory within His plan.