Dream Weaver
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Handout
Last week we talked about Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah and their initial time in Babylonian Captivity. Babylon had conquered the Southern Kingdom of Judea and taken the best of Judea back to Babylon to make them live in a land they did not know, under customs they didn’t know, and speak a language they didn’t know. We talked about these four young men, who, despite the oppressive circumstances they were under and the threat of a tyrant king looming over them, they stood firm in their faith and held fast to their convictions to the Lord. In remaining obedient, God provided in a big way. While the others ate the kings food, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah abstained from eating the kings food and were blessed with physical wellness but also intellect that made them crucial within the courts of Babylon. Today we are going to read a story of Daniel’s influence within the King’s court, and how God used Daniel again in a mighty way.
The King’s Decree
The King’s Decree
1 In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his spirit was troubled, and his sleep left him. 2 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. 3 And the king said to them, “I had a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream.” 4 Then the Chaldeans said to the king in Aramaic, “O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.” 5 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. 6 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.” 7 They answered a second time and said, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show its interpretation.” 8 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— 9 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.” 10 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. 11 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.” 12 Because of this the king was angry and very furious, and commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be destroyed. 13 So the decree went out, and the wise men were about to be killed; and they sought Daniel and his companions, to kill them.
The story begins with the king, Nebuchadnezzar looking for someone to help him interpret his dream. He couldn’t sleep until someone could tell him what it was that his dream meant. He called all of his wise men together and believing that they were lying to him and feeding him a bunch of bologna, he ordered them to interpret his dream without ever even hearing his dream. The wise men who were there grew scared, much like how we would given the same task. They say, it is an impossible demand. Only a god could do that, but there are no gods who dwell in the flesh.
This isn’t the first story of someone interpreting a king’s dream. All the way back in the back half of Genesis, there is a story about a man named Joseph who interpreted the dream of Pharoah. I think there is an interesting echo we see in these two stories. Joseph is sold into slavery by his brothers, he is taken off to Egypt where he is a stranger in a foreign land. He is thrown in prison and then is brought into the throne room of the Pharaoh to interpret his dream. Daniel in the same way is taken from his home in captivity, brought into a land where he is a stranger, and called upon to interpret a dream for the king. If you are Daniel, you have studied the Scriptures, you know this story well. How might this encourage your faith in this situation. God has proven Himself to be faithful in all kinds of difficult circumstances even the one Daniel finds himself being confronted by.
There is something so beautiful about the truths we have in Scripture. It is a living and active text. How can an ancient text like the Bible find itself to be so applicable to our lives today thousands of years after it has been written? It is because this text isn’t a collection of human wisdom and fairytales. This book is God’s inspired Word. It is a work of the Holy Spirit through the pens of ordinary men. In every circumstance, whether we find ourselves in a place of peace and prosperity or under the oppressive fist of a tyrant king, God has revealed truth to us in His Word.
2 May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
The promises of God revealed to us in Scripture contain everything we need for life and godliness. Through His Word He has shown us how we can be saved from our sin and how we can live a life that honors the Lord.
We call this,
The Sufficiency of Scripture
“Scripture contained all the words of God He intended His people to have at each stage of redemptive history, and that it now contains all the words of God we need for salvation, for trusting Him perfectly, and for obeying Him perfectly. “
There is no book other than the Bible needed to understand salvation. There are no secret texts, additional books like the book of Mormon or Quran, and no books of the Bible yet to be written. Even classics like C.S. Lewis or A.W. Tozer. There are books that can be helpful in our spiritual development but there is only one book that contains the words of God, and that is the Bible.
16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
Jesus affirms and teaches the Old Testament (Law, Writings, and Prophets)
27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
44 Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”
Jesus promises the Holy Spirit will inspire and recall
26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
Paul claims his teaching is of the Holy Spirit
13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.
Paul quotes the Gospel of Luke as Scripture of equal worth to Deuteronomy
17 Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. 18 For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.”
7 “Stay in that house, eating and drinking what they give you; for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not keep moving from house to house.
Peter refers to Paul’s writings as Scripture
15 and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, 16 as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.
Our confidence in the Bible is this, the Old Testament, which consisted of the Law, the Writings, and the Prophets, Genesis through Malachi, were affirmed by the Jewish people in the first century as God inspired Scripture, and affirmed by Jesus Christ Himself.
And every book of the New Testament was written by an Apostle or someone closely associated with an Apostle within 60 years of Jesus’ resurrection when people would be able to either refute or affirm the texts as God inspired authoritative texts. The decision as to what we have in the New Testament was not decided by men in a room hundreds of years after the fact but was a product of the early church, inspired by the Holy Spirit written and affirmed by the Apostles, received and spread through the early church.
Back to our story! In verse 12 the wise men say that interpreting this matter is impossible. Only the gods could answer the kings request but the gods dwelling is not with flesh. This phrase hooked itself in my brain. They faced an impossible task, but we also faced an impossible task. The wrath of God measured against us because of our sin was insurmountable. There was no amount of good works that we could do to pay the penalty of our sin. The wages of our sin was death. Unlike these wisemen, we have an living hope and an eternal joy, because the God of the universe became flesh and dwelt among us. He was born in the likeness of man, fully God and fully man, and He lived a sinless life and died the death we deserved on the cross and rose again on the third day to accomplish the impossible task. In Jesus we now have forgiveness for our sins and new life in Him by grace through faith in Christ.
Daniel’s Response
Daniel’s Response
12 Because of this the king was angry and very furious, and commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be destroyed. 13 So the decree went out, and the wise men were about to be killed; and they sought Daniel and his companions, to kill them. 14 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. 15 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. 16 And Daniel went in and requested the king to appoint him a time, that he might show the interpretation to the king. 17 Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, 18 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. 19 Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
Daniel is confronted with this impossible task and what does he do? He gathered up his buddies and they prayed together seeking mercy from the God of heaven, that He might reveal to them the truth of these things.
Is your first response in difficult circumstances prayer?
How important is prayer to your daily life?
Do you have friends around you who will pray for you?
12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.
13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.
Daniel seeks the Lord’s mercy and the truth is revealed to him.
Daniel’s Song of Worship
Daniel’s Song of Worship
20 Daniel answered and said:
“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
to whom belong wisdom and might.
21 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;
22 he reveals deep and hidden things;
he knows what is in the darkness,
and the light dwells with him.
23 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 praises the Lord for His wisdom. Declaring blessing to the Lord forever and ever. Daniel affirms the Lord’s sovereignty over all things. The Lord is king over all time and seasons. He controls kings and kingdoms. Here in a couple verses as we see Daniel interpret the kings dream we are going to see exactly that. The Lord rules over all other authorities. It is the Lord who bestows knowledge and wisdom. This sounds reminiscent of a song Paul writes at the end of Romans 11.
33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord,
or who has been his counselor?”
35 “Or who has given a gift to him
that he might be repaid?”
36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
He calls God the light in the midst of darkness who reveals hidden things. We see this all throughout Scripture where God is light, the light and life of men, the light of the world, the light who shines in the darkness and darkness has not overcome it, a light in that even darkness is not dark to Him. Daniel recognizes this truth that is revealed could have only come from God alone who knows all things. Daniel gives praise to the Lord and thanks Him for his wisdom and might, and for answering Daniel’s prayer. This is such a beautiful moment. Daniel seeks the Lord in prayer, and the Lord answers Daniel. Remember the stakes of the circumstance. If this dream went uninterpreted it would cost Daniel and his friends their lives. The Lord came through at the right time. The Lord in His wisdom knows exactly how and when to act in our circumstances.
6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
His timing is better than our timing and His ways are better than our ways. That is why we walk in faith. In trust.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
7 Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
8 It will be healing to your flesh
and refreshment to your bones.
Daniel Interprets the King’s Dream
Daniel Interprets the King’s Dream
24 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.” 25 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.” 26 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?” 27 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, 28 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: 29 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. 30 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 all the glory and credit to the Lord who, Daniel says, reveals mysteries.
The God who revealed this mystery to Daniel 2500 years ago is still revealing mysteries today.
24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, 25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.
Paul speaks of the mystery of the Gospel, that God’s salvation is for all people. Regardless of color, culture, country, or climate, Jesus’ body has been broken and His blood has been shed for you.
31 “You saw, O king, and behold, a great image. This image, mighty and of exceeding brightness, stood before you, and its appearance was frightening. 32 The head of this image was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its middle and thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. 34 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. 35 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.
36 “This was the dream. Now we will tell the king its interpretation. 37 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, 38 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. 39 Another kingdom inferior to you shall arise after you, and yet a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. 40 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. 41 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. 42 And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle. 43 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. 44 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, 45 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 lays out a prophecy for Jesus to be born. First it will be Babylon, the head of gold, then Persia, the chest of silver, the middle and thighs of bronze are Alexander the Great who would conquer the known world, then the legs of iron are the Roman Empire who conquered the four divided empires after Alexander the Great’s death. The fifth kingdom that conquers all other kingdoms is the kingdom of God built on Christ the cornerstone. The foundation for these earthly empires of fine metals is broken weak clay. God is moving kings and kingdoms in His sovereignty to bring about the birth of His Son Jesus, the fulfillment of God’s covenant to David, who sits on the throne forever. Jesus who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords who ushers in His Kingdom of love through His life, death, and resurrection, now displayed in His Church who endures through generation after generation of persecution, until the day when Christ returns to do away with this old world and restore and to glorify His redeemed in a new Heaven and new Earth. Nebuchadnezzar’s dream doesn’t serve as a timeline for overspeculation, but as a word of hope for salvation that was to come.
4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 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. 6 For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” 7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” 8 and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face and paid homage to Daniel, and commanded that an offering and incense be offered up to him. 47 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.” 48 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. 49 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.
In the same way God provided for Joseph, God provided for Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Nebuchadnezzar falls on his face, this proud and boastful king, humbled by the wisdom of God. The chapter ends with Nebuchadnezzar worshipping the Lord and honoring Daniel and his friends.
