Faithful in Exile

Background information

Somewhere from 603-602 B.C. which would have been Daniel’s third year of training.

Would have occurred during Nisan in the Jewish calendar (Mar.-Apr.) around the same time as Passover.

Many question how Daniel would have completed his training if he was captured during the first year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign.

S.R. Driver explains that Nebuchadnezzar was in his accession year in 605-604 B.C. which would have not been the true first year of his reign as it would count upward from 0.

Daniel was still quite young during this time ~17-18 y/o at this time.

Exposition of Daniel 2:1

So we notice that this is the second year of his reign and he began having dreams that troubled him.

It is typically understood that Nebuchadnezzar was having several dreams; however, it was likely just one.

This dream was deeply disturbing to him.

His anxiety caused sleeplessness and dread. An interesting note is that the Hebrew used here would indicate that the anxiety he had from this dream would have interrupted his sleeping patterns.

The phrasing here also matches the phrasing used in Gen. 41:8, where Pharaoh is troubled by a dream.

Exposition of Daniel 2:2-4

Just like Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar seeks out the council of magicians and sorcerers.

The term Chaldean is used to describe the Babylonian people, but was later used as a way to describe astrologers and diviners in translations.

An important note is that Daniel starts in Hebrew and from verse 4 until Chapter 7 verse 28 is in Aramaic.

These conjurers and sorcerers would have been in the priestly class of the Babylonian gods, and would have been those who interpreted omens.

They ask the king to share his dream and they will confer to arrive at an interpretation per the standard in Babylon at the time.

Exposition of Daniel 2:5-16

Nebuchadnezzar was in search of answers separate from God, he wanted the men to interpret his dream without knowledge of what it was.

When the wise men could not provide him answers, he threatened their lives, signifying that he was very disturbed by the dreams content.

He told them that if they could do this task, they would be lauded and praised throughout the land.

In a moment of clarity, Nebuchadnezzar seems to catch on to the scheme of the wise men and made it known that he was not joking with his threat, and they better interpret it for him.

The question must be asked though, why was he so willing to get rid of his wise men?

The obvious answer was that if they could not answer him, then they must not be in touch with the gods as they claim to be; however, he probably was fearful as we will learn that in this dream he sees the statue of a man falling which he likely associated with himself.

Out of fear the wise men admit that the gods are not among them because only they would know, but they could not complete this task that he was asking of them.

Infuriated at their lack of touch to the Babylonian gods Nebuchadnezzar orders all of the wise men in Babylon killed.

At this point we see Daniel step up in boldness, because he knew that the true God would assist in completing the king’s task, something that we will learn will save his life along with his friends.

Exposition of Daniel 2:17-30

Instead of panic, Daniel returns home and asks for his friends to pray alongside him for wisdom and clarity in this trial.

Because of his faithfulness and willingness to seek prayer, God gives him the clarity in a vision.

Instead of just jumping up and running to the king, Daniel stops and thanks God for giving him this wisdom.

The praise that Daniel offers to God identifies where Daniel’s loyalties lie. This is similar to when he refused the king’s choice food, and the phrasing here connects him to the worship of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob which demonstrates a resistance to the religious pluralism and idol worship of the Babylonians.

Pay attention to the wording in vv. 27, Daniel says that there is no man who can make known the information that the king wanted to know, and we can all imagine Nebuchadnezzar facepalming at the thought that he was going to receive the same treatment.

But Daniel continued saying “but there is a God in heaven” and now Nebuchadnezzar is probably really confused.

Daniel could have taken all the credit, but instead, we see him say that as the king wondered about what was to come God revealed it to him, and the mystery of what he saw was given to Daniel by “the One who reveals mysteries.”

Exposition of Daniel 2:31-45

Daniel shares the intimate details of this dream with Nebuchadnezzar.

The statue begins with gold, something of great and mighty value and ends with clay which represents a decline in value.

Most scholars agree that the head of gold represents Babylon, the chest and arms of silver represent Media-Persia, the middle and thighs of bronze represent Greece, and the legs of iron and clay represent Rome.

This statue represents the empires that were to come, and Daniel tells Nebuchadnezzar that eventually God would set up a kingdom that no one could touch.

God’s kingdom is represented by the stone from the mountain that destroyed each of these empires.

Daniel ends with confidence that the interpretation he received from God was true and certain.

Exposition of Daniel 2:46-49

We witness Nebuchadnezzar go from skeptical to astonished as he falls down on his face before a Jewish captive.

The text says that he paid Daniel honor, but the Aramaic here would be better translated as worship.

Nebuchadnezzar knew that Daniel himself was not divine because he immediately gave glory to Daniel’s God, not Daniel. He only used Daniel as a conduit for giving the offerings to his God.

Daniel ensured to always give credit where it was due.

While we notice here that Nebuchadnezzar gives glory and praise to God, it is important to realize that he did not convert.

He continued to worship false gods even after this encounter, as we will read in later chapters, but he was impressed by Daniel’s God.

Daniel was promoted and did not forget his friends as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego were all given high positions in the court of the king.

Application

We should never weary in our prayers. Daniel sought the face of the Lord in this difficult task, and did not weary because he knew that God would hear their cries for help and answer them. We should never forget the importance of collective prayer, Daniel could have just prayed by himself, but instead we see him call upon his friends to pray with him. Special power seems to be granted when believers worship and pray together in a group.

We should understand that God’s kingdom is coming. In a world filled with injustice, wars, and crime, it is a comforting thought to know that Christ is coming; and when that day occurs, all evil will come to an end. There will be a day when the whole earth is filled with the knowledge of the Lord Habakkuk 2:14 “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” . Jesus’ reign of righteousness will extend to the furthest reaches of the earth.

We should always give God His proper praise and glory. He never fails, He never faulters, and He always provides, even when times are tough. We just need to approach Him with faith, and He will ensure that our faith is never wasted. God is present with us during trials, and He ensures that you will have the words to say and His power to back you up. But we should never forget to always point to Him for the credit, because there is nothing that we can do apart from Him.

We need to realize three important theological truths as well, God is sovereign over all the affairs of the earth, God is omniscient, and empires will rise and fall until the end, but God’s kingdom will come, and all wickedness that we see today will perish, and all will be peace.

Gospel Presentation

If you want to be a part of God’s kingdom, there is a very simple way to do it. Just as we saw in today’s scripture, Daniel in his time of trouble cried out to God. He asked God to grant him wisdom in this situation and He did. Call out to God and He will answer and show up. If you don’t know how, or you feel that you can’t possibly be loved by Daniel’s God, let me tell you that God is ready and waiting for you to run to His loving arms. Jesus shared a wonderful and powerful parable of a son who lived with his father. The son was given a large sum of wealth and went and squandered it all. He ended up working with swine. He was so hungry that he wanted to eat the food that he was feeding to the pigs. Eventually he figured out that his father could treat him better if he would go and become like a slave to him. When he came near to his house he expected to see a crowd waiting to mock him, but instead his father ran to him and threw him a party in his honor. This is what God would like to do for you, He doesn’t care about what you look like, or what you have done. He just wants you to come to Him. Don’t delay, pray with me now for your salvation. ***PRAY***

Ending

Thank you for watching today, and I look forward to next time when we will be going through Daniel Chapter 3 together! May God bless you, and may we all keep Living the Commission!