From Pleading to Praise! Daniel 2
Notes
Transcript
We are studying the book of Daniel. In this book, we see how the LORD walks with his children through the trials of life.
We saw it last week, and we are going to see it again this week, as we see Daniel and his friends facing another trial that threatened their lives. We will see them move from pleading for their lives, to praising the Lord.
This is encouraging for us, as we are in the midst of a trial now. It is good to know that the Lord is with us, walking with us through this trial. I hope that we too, will see God with us, and that we will move from pleading with the Lord to praising His name.
Let’s pray as we get started.
Last week, we saw Daniel and his friends begin the trial of being taken to Babylon, having their identities changed, and forced to study and learn Babylonian language and culture.
We saw how Daniel and his friends trusted God who was with them through the trial. They chose to remain faithful to God as far as it depended on them. They chose to not give up on God, but to trust Him, and follow what He commanded.
When they did, they saw the Lord give them success!
Please read about this success with me.
At the end of the time set by the king to bring them into his service, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar.
The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s service.
In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.
The King found Daniel and his friends better than everyone else. And that was not just the other students. They were ten times better than all of the wise men, magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom!
Today, we are in Daniel chapter 2. As I studied this passage, I have come to believe that this chapter actually is giving more detail of what took place when the King found them better than all of the wise men.
Why is that? Let’s study this together.
The Setting
In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his mind was troubled and he could not sleep.
Notice the year. This took place in the second year of Nebudchadnezzar’s reign.
This is an important detail. To help us see what is happening here, pay attention to the timeline.
May-June 605 BC: Babylonians defeat Egyptians @ Carchemish
June-August 605 BC: Jerusalem falls, Daniel captive, begins 3 years of training
September, 7, 605 BC: Nebuchadnezzar made king
Why is this important?
Remember Daniel 1:5? Daniel and his friends were supposed to go through three years of training.
How does the timing of their training line up with Nebuchadnezzar’s years of reign?
Well, the Babylonians considered the remainder of the calendar year as a King’s Ascension year. Then, the beginning of the next calendar year was the king’s first year of reign.
So...
605 to March/April 604 - Nebuchadnezzer Ascension year; Daniel’s first year of training
604-603: Nebuchadnezzar’s 1st Year as king; Daniel’s second year of training
603-602: Nebuchadnezzar’s 2nd year as king; Daniel’s third year of training
Why is this imporant?
I believe Daniel put these clues into his book so we could understand what was happening. He wanted us to understand the context.
Nebuchadnezzar was having these recurring dreams during his second year of reign and wanted to understand it, while Daniel was finishing his training.
Let’s keep going in the chapter.
In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his mind was troubled and he could not sleep.
So the king summoned the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers to tell him what he had dreamed. When they came in and stood before the king,
he said to them, “I have had a dream that troubles me and I want to know what it means.”
Then the astrologers answered the king, “May the king live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will interpret it.”
The king called in his wise men. His wise men were those who were magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers.
These were men who were dedicated to studying and working with the spirits. They were literally working with demons to gain wisdom, insight and understanding.
They were in the habit of consulting the spirits to get answers for the king. So, they told him to tell them the dream.
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.
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.”
The king gives a twist. The magicians and astrologers were used to being told the dream. Then they would consult the spirits to get a meaning.
This time, the king wanted them to tell the dream, and then it’s meaning.
Once more they replied, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will interpret it.”
We’ll tell you the meaning. Just give us the dream.
Then the king answered, “I am certain that you are trying to gain time, because you realize that this is what I have firmly decided:
If you do not tell me the dream, there is only one penalty for you. You have conspired to tell me misleading and wicked things, hoping the situation will change. So then, tell me the dream, and I will know that you can interpret it for me.”
The king knew his dream. He just did not know the meaning. He was determined to know the real meaning. So, to make sure they were giving the real meaning, to be sure they had real insight, he insisted that they tell the dream as well.
And, he was getting hot. He was desperate to know the meaning, and he was beginning to wonder if they had been fooling him into thinking they had answers. He gave them an ultimatum. Tell me, or die!
The astrologers answered the king, “There is no one on earth who can do what the king asks! No king, however great and mighty, has ever asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or astrologer.
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.”
The magicians and astrologers were between a rock and a hard place. The king demanded they tell him the dream, but they could not.
“No king ever asked this before!” “It’s impossible except for the gods themselves to know your dream!”
The king responds...
This made the king so angry and furious that he ordered the execution of all the wise men of Babylon.
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.
The king ordered all of the wise men to be put to death. And, Daniel records that men were sent to put him and his friends to death.
Now, why wasn’t Daniel there with the other wise men, the magicians and astrologers?
Because he was still in training. When the king ordered them all to appear before him, Daniel and his friends were not included because they were just finishing their training. They were not yet appointed to the position.
But, the king’s order to kill all of the wise men extended to even them, the students who were about to graduate.
What are they going to do?
When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, had gone out to put to death the wise men of Babylon, Daniel spoke to him with wisdom and tact.
Daniel did not know what was going on. When faced with the end of his life, he responded well.
What is wisdom? Wisdom is having knowledge, but it is more than knowledge. Wisdom is more than intellect.
One can have knowledge—know a lot of facts—and still not be wise.
Wisdom is knowledge with understanding. Understanding is a grasp of how things work, or the implications of knowledge.
But, wisdom is more than just understanding. Understanding how things work does not make one wise.
Wisdom is knowledge with understanding, that leads to proper/moral action.
Daniel responded with wisdom. He knew there was something big going on for the king to order the execution of all the wise men in Babylon. He understood that the soldier was carrying out his duty, not personally wanting to harm him.
That wisdom kept Daniel from foolishly attacking the soldier. That wisdom directed Daniel’s actions.
Daniel also responded with Tact. What is Tact?
Tact is having good judgment, or prudence.
He judged properly how to respond to this soldier. He didn’t argue about how unfair this was.
Daniel and his friends had nothing to do with the actions of the men who enraged the king. It was not fair that they be put to death for someone else’s actions.
Daniel did not fall to pieces and begin wailing about his impending death.
Daniel did not get angry or defensive.
Daniel did not withdraw and hide.
Daniel responded with wisdom and tact, and he asked.
He asked the king’s officer, “Why did the king issue such a harsh decree?” Arioch then explained the matter to Daniel.
Daniel’s response elicited a good response from the soldier.
What did Daniel do once he heard the story?
At this, Daniel went in to the king and asked for time, so that he might interpret the dream for him.
Daniel does not give us any more detail. However, he must have made it obvious to the king that he was not just stalling. He must have made it evident to the king that he would tell him both the dream and the meaning.
Then, after the king gives him time,
Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah.
He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
Pleading for Mercy
Pleading for Mercy
I liked that Daniel and his friends were pleading for mercy from God.
This is more than a prayer just asking God to show them the dream and interpretation. The word for plead is used to describe water boiling over in Isaiah.
As when fire sets twigs ablaze and causes water to boil, come down to make your name known to your enemies and cause the nations to quake before you!
Picture that if you will. The heat is on. And the water is taking more and more heat. What does it do? Just calmly sit there? No, it is beginning to move. Then as the heat increases the water is boiling more and more until it is in full motion, boiling up and over!
What a picture! I imagine that Daniel and his friends were feeling the heat, don’t you? They were under a death sentence for something they had nothing to do with. They could not stop this on their own. They could do nothing to save themselves. So what did they do?
They asked God for mercy. No. They pleaded with God. I imagine them getting started in prayer, asking God. Telling God what was going on. How they needed him. As they felt the heat of the trial rising within, they began crying out to God. We need you! We cannot do this without you! Until finally, they boiled over with their pleas for God’s mercy! God, without you, we are dead men! Please have mercy!
All of this shows something else, that is spelled out in the context, but we could miss it.
Trusting and Following God
Trusting and Following God
Daniel and his friends were still, after all these years of training, all these years of having the Babylonians trying to change their identity, trusting and following God!
See, they were being trained as wise men by these wise men who failed the king. They were being trained in the culture and ways of the Babylonians.
They had just endured 3 years of being told that the Babylonian gods were greater than the LORD. They were being brainwashed into thinking that the spirits had the answers. They were being taught to consult the spirits to find answers. They were being trained as magicians, enchanters and astrologers.
But did they give into the brainwashing of their schooling for three years? No! They maintained their trust in the One, True God. They did not try to use the methods, the magic, the incantations, the rituals, the stars, the spirits to discern the dream and interpretation. They were continuing to follow the Lord, and turning to Him in the crisis! They were still trusting and following God!
And, because they were faithful to the Lord, the Lord had mercy on them and revealed the dream and its interpretation to Daniel.
During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven
What was the response after their night of pleading with the Lord, and trusting him?
Praising God
Praising God
Daniel and his friends began to praise the Lord, the One they depended upon, who came and provided what they needed when they needed it.
and said: “Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his.
He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.
He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.
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.”
I love this praise that Daniel gave to the Lord. Daniel did not receive and then say, “I have it!” Daniel did not think he received it because he was so smart, or talented. He took it as a gift from the Lord and acknowledged God!
Then, Daniel goes to the King.
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.”
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.”
The king asked Daniel (also called Belteshazzar), “Are you able to tell me what I saw in my dream and interpret it?”
Daniel Informs the King
Daniel replied, “No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about,
but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come. Your dream and the visions that passed through your mind as you were lying in bed are these:
The Dream
“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.
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.
“Your Majesty looked, and there before you stood a large statue—an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance.
The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze,
its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay.
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.
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.
The Interpretation
“This was the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king.
Your Majesty, you are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory;
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.
“After you, another kingdom will arise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth.
Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron—for iron breaks and smashes everything—and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others.
Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay.
As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle.
And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay.
“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.
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.”
The Impact/ The Result
Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate before Daniel and paid him honor and ordered that an offering and incense be presented to him.
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.”
Then the king placed Daniel in a high position and lavished many gifts on him. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men.
Moreover, at Daniel’s request the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego administrators over the province of Babylon, while Daniel himself remained at the royal court.
This is the full explanation of Daniel 1, when the king found Daniel and his friends ten times better than all of the wise me in Babylon.
I love the way God is at work here.
God did not stop the trials that Daniel and his friends were going through. They were living in the midst of people who did not honor or worship God. They lived among people who did evil things. And, that was about to impact them! They were going to lose their lives.
God did not stop the trial. No. God was with them through it all.
He allowed them to feel the pressure of the trial, but it had its desired effect. They turned to God even more. They pleaded with God.
The trial proved that they were truly going to trust and follow God, and not all the garbage they had been taught in their schooling. They were trusting and following God. They were looking to the Lord, and not the tricks and methods of the world. They did not rely on their own strength, knowledge or talents. They looked to the Lord.
I also like thinking about how God did not give the dream to Daniel before the pleading. Otherwise Daniel may have thought he was pretty talented!
God did not take away the trial. He allowed the trial to prove their faith genuine, then He stepped in and provided what they needed, when they needed it.
That is what the trial proved. The trial proved their faith was genuine! And that God was with them through the trial, faithfully providing just what they needed when they needed it.
And, the trial led to Praise!
Daniel and his friends praised the Lord!
But not only them, Nebuchadnezzar praised the Lord:
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.”
God used this trial, and He used His children in the trial to help the others around them see that He is the One True God!
This reminds me of a verse I shared this week on Faithlife with our church family.
I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me,
so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting people may know there is none besides me. I am the Lord, and there is no other.
I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things.
God allows the trials of this life to prove our faith in Him is genuine and real, that we trust Him and ourselves, our abilities, our bank accounts, or anything else. He uses the trials of this life to prove our faith is in Him.
He also uses the trials of this life to let all people around the world, even those who do not acknowledge Him, that He is the LORD, and there is no other!
I hope that this week, you will join with me in pleading with God for mercy as we walk through this trial. Let’s plead for mercy for those who are sick, those who are in danger, those who are losing businesses and jobs, those who are feeling the isolation. Let’s plead with God for mercy that we and everyone around us will know that He alone is God. Let’s plead with God for mercy that people will know that He alone is our Hope and Salvation.
And let’s find His provision for what we need, and Praise Him!
Let’s pray.