Daniel Chapter 2

Background and Intro

The overriding theology of the Book of Daniel is the sovereignty of God and His continuing care for his people.

says “14 For God does speak—now one way, now another— though no one perceives it. 15 In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they slumber in their beds, 16 he may speak in their ears and terrify them with warnings, 17 to turn them from wrongdoing and keep them from pride, 18 to preserve them from the pit, their lives from perishing by the sword.”

The three main themes of Chapter 2

The three main themes of Chapter 2

though no one perceives it. 15 In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they slumber in their beds, 16 he may speak in their ears and terrify them with warnings, 17 to turn them from wrongdoing and keep them from pride, 18 to preserve them from the pit, their lives from perishing by the sword.

Understanding Chapter 2 and its correlation in Chapter 7 will help with the study of Revelation and other Bible prophecies.

The sovereignty of God

15 In a dream, in a vision of the night,

The pride of human rulers

when deep sleep falls on people

The challenge this tension creates for God’s faithful

as they slumber in their beds,

16 he may speak in their ears

In Chapter 2 there are five scenes.

In Chapter 2 there are five scenes.

and terrify them with warnings,

Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and the the crisis for the wise men in verses 1-13

Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and the the crisis for the wise men in verses 1-13

Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and then the crisis for the wise men in verses 1-13

17 to turn them from wrongdoing

Daniel’s intervention and God’s intervention in verses 14-23

Daniel’s description of the dream’s contents in verses 24-35

31-35 - the dream

Daniel’s interpretation of the dream in verses 36-45

and keep them from pride, 18 to preserve them from the pit, their lives from perishing by the sword.

Nebuchadnezzar’s response in verses 46-49

We will walk through each of these scenes

18 to preserve them from the pit,

Lets start with scene 1 - Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and the crisis for the wise men

Read verses 1-13 - Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and the crisis for the wise men.

their lives from perishing by the sword.

Right off in verse 1 we are told this is the second year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign.

This would have been 603 BC. There is a chronological problem here. In Chapter 1, Billy told us last week that in 605 BC Daniel entered his three years of training, and we are told at the end of Chapter 1 that Daniel is one of the royal advisors.

There are at least three possible explanations.

The “In the second year of his reign” may mean early in his reign. The Hebrew word used here is shet-tah-yim (sh-ttayim) and can mean the literal number 2 or can mean a couple. So Daniel could be using literary license to simply say “Early in the reign of Nebuchadnezzar.

The three years may have included partial years and he may not have completed his full three years by the time Nebuchadnezzar had the dream.

The counting of years for the reign of a king uses a system called the regnal system. In the Judean regnal system the first year is the first year. However in the Babylonian regnal system the first year is the year of accession, the second year is the first regnal year and the third year is the second regnal year.

I don’t know which explanation is the right answer, but I like either the first (early in his reign) or the last - Babylonian regnal system.

Now the story begins to unfold and we are told that Nebuchadnezzar had dreams and his mind was troubled. vs 1.

Dreams played an important role in the ancient Near East - especially if you were a king. Remember the dreams of Pharoah in Genesis that meant the 7 years of plenty and the 7 years of famine. There are also other references of God using dreams to give messages in the OT: the dreams of Joseph; dream about God giving the Midianite camp into the hands of Gideon; to Solomon where God told Solomon to ask for what he wanted and Solomon replied asking for a discerning heart to be able to govern God’s people. And there are other mentions about God communicating through dreams.

says “14 For God does speak—now one way, now another— though no one perceives it. 15 In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they slumber in their beds, 16 he may speak in their ears and terrify them with warnings, 17 to turn them from wrongdoing and keep them from pride, 18 to preserve them from the pit, their lives from perishing by the sword.”

All who could help were called and present with the king. vs 2 - 3

Nebuchadnezzar has all the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers called to him. Then he gets a little tricky. He not only wants his dream interpreted, he wants them to tell him his dream. And if they can’t, they will be killed and their property destroyed.

Has anyone ever used a psychic or fortune teller? Maybe before you were saved?

Has anyone ever thought about if fortune tellers are able to tell the future, why aren’t they rich? Or better yet, why aren’t they a believer in Jesus Christ?

The enchanters are in trouble vs 4 - 11

A side note here - In verse 4, the words “O King, live forever” were the first words in the book written in Aramaic. The Aramaic writing continues through chapter 7.

The enchanters push back. They know they cannot know the dream. Yet Nebuchadnezzar stands firm. He is suspicious of this group and is giving them the hardest test of their lives. He thinks they are a bunch of fakes and that they are intentionally leading him astray. He again tells them they must not only interpret the dream but tell him what he dreamed.

They pleaded for some sense of sanity and point to all of history - no king, however great and mighty, has ever asked such a thing...

The king is mad and ordered the execution of all the wise men of Babylon. vs 12 -13

The king is mad and ordered the execution of all the wise men of Babylon. vs 12 -13

The plot thickens… This includes Daniel and his three friends...

Read 14 - 23 - Daniel’s intervention and God’s intervention

Daniel stays calm and shows wisdom and tact. vs 14 - 16

Daniel is not present in the first group of interpreters. He is too new to the team and not experienced enough.

Daniel asks the commander why Nebuchadnezzar had issued such a harsh judgement.

The commander explains it to Daniel. And Daniel goes in the talk to the king.

He asks for time, so that he might interpret the dream. Apparently the king gives him the night.

Daniel needs help! He turns to his friends and he turns to God. vs 17 - 19

Daniel explains the situation to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. He urged them to plead to God for mercy. That they might not be executed with the rest of the wise men.

During the night - God reveals Nebuchadnezzar’s dream to Daniel as well as the interpretation.

Daniel praises God. vs 19-23

Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. 21 He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. 22 He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him. 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.

He owns times and seasons (vs 21)

wisdom and power are his.

He raises kings and takes them down ( vs 21)

God shares this wisdom and power to the wise and discerning people (vs 21)

God reveals things to the wise and discerning people (vs 21)

He knows the deep and dark things (vs 22)

21 He changes times and seasons;

he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. 22 He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him. 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.

Daniel knows the dream. Daniel knows the interpretation. It was revealed by the God of heaven - not the Babylonian gods.

He gives wisdom to the wise

This doxology and prayer of thanksgiving captures again an important message of the Book of Daniel which began in Chapter 1 verse 2 “God gave…”

and knowledge to the discerning.

Throughout the Bible, God will raise up and take down.

He will confound the wise, but give wisdom and discernment to the faithful.

He raises kings and takes them down ( vs 21)

He will share His wisdom and power and dominion and glory with humans, but then He will call them to account for what they do with it.

His kingdom alone is eternal and to Him alone belong all power, dominion and glory.

22 He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him. 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.

Daniel’s description of the dream’s contents

Read 24-35 - Daniel’s description of the dream’s contents

he knows what lies in darkness,

and light dwells with him.

23 I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors:

The primary focus of Chapter 2 happens in these verses.

You have given me wisdom and power,

you have made known to me what we asked of you,

He bestows power on human kings and also takes it away

Daniel goes to Arioch and Arioch takes him to the king (vs 24-25)

you have made known to us the dream of the king.

Notice that Arioch takes credit for finding a man that can tell the dream and interpret it… The sin of man just keeps on coming...

The king asks Daniel if he can tell him the dream and interpret it (vs 26)

Daniel backs up the wise men. There is no man that can do such a thing (vs 27)

But there is a God who can. He gives the king a hint of the dream (vs 28)

Daniel appears to be ready to tell the king and says “As Your Majesty was lying there, your mind turned to things to come, and the revealer of mysteries showed you what is going to happen”

He is ready to tell the king what it all is and what it all means - but no.

in verse 30 Daniel says “As for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because I have greater wisdom than anyone else alive, but so that Your Majesty may know the interpretation and that you may understand what went through your mind.”

Why does it take so long for Daniel to reveal the dream? Isn’t the dream and its interpretation the main point? I submit that it is because the main point of the chapter is pointing out to Nebuchadnezzar where true wisdom is found. It is not in the best of the Babylonian experts. It is not found among the Babylonian gods . It is ONLY found in the God of heaven who shared it with Daniel. The God of heaven is the true source of wisdom.

Why does it take so long for Daniel to reveal the dream? Isn’t the dream and its interpretation the main point? I submit that it is because the main point of the chapter is pointing out to Nebuchadnezzar where true wisdom is found. It is not in the best of the Babylonian experts. It is not found among the Babylonian gods . It is ONLY found in the God of heaven who shared it with Daniel. The God of heaven is the true source of wisdom.

Daniel tells the dream in verses 31-35

Nebuchadnezzar sees a massive and impressive statue. It is huge! It is dazzling!! It is awesome!!!

It is multi-layered with different materials - mostly metals

It has a gold head, a sliver chest and arms, a bronze midsection, iron legs, and feet made of iron and clay mixed.

From head to toe the materials decrease in value. But as long as you stop at the ankles, they increase in strength.

Then there is a rock cut out, but not by human hands

It strikes the statue at its most vulnerable place - the iron and clay feet. It smashes them and the whole statue falls to pieces and disintegrates into dust and blows away in the breeze.

Then the rock becomes a huge mountain that fills the whole earth.

Read 36-45 - Daniel’s interpretation of the dream.

The head of gold is Nebuchadnezzar and his kingdom

But first what the Bible actually says:

The head of gold is Nebuchadnezzar and his kingdom

The silver chest and arms are another kingdom inferior to Nebuchadnezzars

The bronze midsection is a third kingdom ruling the whole earth

The iron legs a fourth kingdom. And as iron is strong and smashes everything, so this kingdom will crush and break all the others

The divided kingdom - the feet and toes - are party strong and partly brittle. The ESV says in verse 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.”

The stone represents the kingdom of God that will endure forever and destroy all human kingdoms.

Note that Daniel only mentions the names of two kingdoms - Nebuchadnezzar - the first kingdom and God’s kingdom - the last and final. This doesn’t mean they aren’t important, but Daniel doesn’t identify them.

There are two general interpretations.

The first traditional interpretation the Roman view has been around a long time. It is sometimes referred to the evangelical interpretation. The NASB even includes subheadings identifying each kingdom. It is the Roman view because it considers Rome as the forth kingdom.

The first traditional interpretation is the Roman view and has been around a long time. It is sometimes referred to the evangelical interpretation. The NASB even includes subheadings identifying each kingdom. It is the Roman view because it considers Rome as the forth kingdom.

The head of gold is Babylon

The silver chest and arms are the Medo-Persian empire

The bronze midsection refers to Greece and its empire

The iron legs are the Roman empire

The iron and clay feet are of some future empire - some say an extension of the Roman empire that includes the democracies and nations of today. Some say a revived Roman empire of the future yet to come.

The Rock cut out by supernatural hands and becomes a mountain - the forever kingdom of God

The second interpretation is the Greek view because Greece is the fourth kingdom.

The head is again Babylon or specifically Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon

The silver is the Median empire

The bronze is the Persian empire

The iron legs are Greece - beginning with Alexander the Great and ending with the feet that are the convoluted political history of intermarriages between the dynasties that succeeded Alexander the Great.

The Rock that becomes a mountain - the forever kingdom of God

Read 46-49 Nebuchadnezzar’s response.

Nebuchadnezzar falls before Daniel and worships him.

He gives Daniel rewards.

He declares Daniel’s God to be the God of gods.

he is not converted here. He has a polytheistic view and there is always room for another god. He is just recognizing that Daniel’s God and Daniel’s relationship with God is especially gifted in revealing mysteries.

He promotes Daniel to be the ruler over the providence of Babylon.

Daniel requests, and the king grants, the promotion of his friends as administrators.

Thus ends Chapter 2

The theology of

The God of Israel is the true source of wisdom

God shares his wisdom and power and his dominion

God will establish his kingdom and it is, and will always be, sovereign over all human kingdoms

The truth about God offers comfort for his people in exile and when they returned to Judah. They serve the God who is sovereign over all the world.

Other verses

This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem: 2 In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it.

1-24

21 His eyes are on the ways of mortals; he sees their every step.

he sees their every step.

22 There is no deep shadow, no utter darkness,

22 There is no deep shadow, no utter darkness, where evildoers can hide.

where evildoers can hide.

and sets up others in their place.

23 God has no need to examine people further, that they should come before him for judgment.

that they should come before him for judgment.

24 Without inquiry he shatters the mighty and sets up others in their place.

and sets up others in their place.

2 In the last days

the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established

as the highest of the mountains;

7 I will proclaim the Lord’s decree: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your father.

He said to me, “You are my son;

it will be exalted above the hills,

today I have become your father.

and all nations will stream to it.

8 Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.

and I will make the nations your inheritance,

the ends of the earth your possession.

9 You will break them with a rod of iron; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”

you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”

This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem: 2 In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it.

In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and peoples will stream to it. 2 Many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established

The three main themes of Chapter 2

The sovereignty of God

The pride of human rulers

The challenge this tension creates for God’s faithful

The primary message of Chapter 2 - God alone has the wisdom and power, and both are His to give and to take.

The primary message of Chapter 2 - God alone has the wisdom and power, and both are His to give and to take.

Divine sovereignty refers to God’s all-encompassing rule over the entire universe.

as the highest of the mountains;

it will be exalted above the hills,

Concept Summary

The divine sovereignty of God is a central theme throughout the Bible. God delegates authority, establishes kings and kingdoms, and brings to ruin any king or kingdom that fail to submit to his authority. The Bible presents Yahweh as the Creator God, with a sovereign right to rule over all creation ().

and peoples will stream to it.

( ). Yahweh is the “great king (מֶלֶךְ, melek) over all the earth” ( ) who “reigns (מָלַךְ, mālak) over nations” ( ). In , as God creates all things, he also delegates authority, such as by making greater and lesser lights to rule (מֶמְשַָׁלָה, memšālâ) night and day and by giving man dominion (רָדָה, rādâ) over creation ( , 18 , 26 , 28 ).

Yahweh is the “great king (מֶלֶךְ, melek) over all the earth” () who “reigns (מָלַךְ, mālak) over nations” ().

In , as God creates all things, he also delegates authority, such as by making greater and lesser lights to rule (מֶמְשַָׁלָה, memšālâ) night and day and by giving man dominion (רָדָה, rādâ) over creation (Genesis, , , ).

Divine sovereignty is viewed both in the OT and NT as God’s all-encompassing rule (מָשַׁל, māšal; Psalm ; βασιλεύς, basileus; ). God’s sovereignty is displayed in his divine kingship over Israel. He rules over them (memšālâ; ), but he will also judge all nations (; ) for rejecting him and worshiping idols (; ). Even foreign kings confess the ultimate sovereignty of the God of Israel. In the book of Daniel, both Nebuchadnezzar and Darius proclaim the enduring dominion (שָׁלְטָן, šālṭān) of the God of Israel (; 6:26).

2 Many nations will come and say,

In the NT, God’s sovereignty is revealed through the presence of Christ who ushers in the kingdom (βασιλεία, basileia; ; ; 12:28; ) and exercises his divine authority over all realms of creation.

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,

to the temple of the God of Jacob.

He will teach us his ways,

so that we may walk in his paths.”

The law will go out from Zion,

the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.