Live Dependently

Introduction

My wife knows there are two things that frustrate me more than almost all else — one is hangers. The other is impossible situations.

King N had unusual dreams that had him ask an unreasonable request of his advisors which led to an impossible situation to which Daniel had an atypical response because he had an extraordinary God who revealed an unbelievable prophecy and moved Daniel to a place of unexpected influence.

Daniel Original Meaning

the Joseph narrative in Genesis 41, which closely parallels this chapter, quickly comes to mind. In Genesis a pagan king, the Egyptian pharaoh, has an anxiety-producing dream (concerning seven lean and seven fat cows). When the wise men of Egypt cannot interpret the dream for him, his cupbearer (paralleling the role of Arioch in Dan. 2) helps him discover a dream-interpreter, who turns out to be the imprisoned Joseph. Through God’s help, Joseph reveals the interpretation of the dream to the pharaoh, resulting in his rise in status in the foreign court.

Only Daniel is better than Joseph in that Daniel not only interprets the dream but reveals the nature of the dream as well.

Truth From History: Daniel 2

Daniel 2:1–49 (ESV)

**1 In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his spirit was troubled, and his sleep left him.

— dreams - multiple dreams - ever have a dream that leaves you with a feeling - sometimes you don’t even remember the dream

— Dreams in ANE were very important — understood to be communication of the gods to men.

— Already we see that this is going to be more than a story about dreams and a contest between court officials, it is (and would have been understood to any reader in the ANE) a story about the One True God and a contest between Him and every false god.

**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, (from here to end of chapter 7 - probably to show the universality of the message) “O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.”

— I can picture them standing and waiting with paper and pencil in hand.

— magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, Chaldeans(NIV Comm)In ANE, they would communicate with the gods by divination.

— They would pray to a god and ask it a question — sacrifice the animal and “read” its entrails — usually liver or heart. The lines on the liver would give the response of the god.

before you laugh, recognize people do this all the time — read palms, tea leaves, horoscopes, alignment of stars, etc.

This shows that universally mankind is looking for answers — answers to life, answers from God. That’s what this story is all about — THE God who speaks.

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.”

ILLUST — Anyone who has ever played Pictionary with me knows that I would always start the round by shouting, “Cow!” Since none of us knew what our teammate was going to draw, my hope was that if I shouted “cow” before they even started drawing that, chances were, eventually the item my teammate was to draw would be a cow, and I would look like a hero — prophetic even! (happened once!)

— Essentially, the king wants to see if they are just shouting “cow” to whatever dream he describes for them.

— Because dreams are seen as communication from the gods, the king wants to be sure they are actually able to hear from the gods rather than make up their own 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.”

— This is an impossible situation for the king’s advisors.They react in fear and act with excuses.

— “no one can show it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.”

— What a deep statement — true in one sense and not true in another.

— Jesus is THE God who specifically came to make his dwelling with flesh. (John 1:1)

— And Jesus came not to reveal some dreams of God to us, but to fully reveal God to us.

**12 Because of this the king was angry and very furious, and commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be destroyed.

— Uh oh. This is an impossible situation for Daniel. Let’s see how he RESPONDS.

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 (NIV - “wisdom and tact) 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.

- There is a big difference between reacting and responding.

Reactions are revealed through our emotions

Response is born out of wisdom

* What is the first thing you do when faced with an impossible situation? Could it be described as being done “with prudence and discretion?”

**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.

— What did Daniel do? He PRAYED

— Actually, he threw the situation on the Babylonian prayer chain.

— This is why Life Groups and ROOTED are so important - Real Faith and Real Life meet.

— Instead of using divination to reach some false god, instead of trying to work the problem out with fanciful logic or intelligence, HE PRAYED. Daniel was different.

A true relationship with God is more important than the appearance of religion.

Or (for those who grew up in the Christian church) knowing God is better than knowing about God.The king’s advisors had the appearance.

19 Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. 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.”

24-25 - Daniel went to the captain of the king’s guard asked to be brought in before the king to give the dream and it’s 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.

29-30 Daniel says it is not because he is any better than all the other advisors; rather it is God who is greater than all the other gods.

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.

32-43

— Head of GOLD

— Chest and arms of SILVER

— Middle and thighs of BRONZE

— Legs of IRON

— Feet of IRON / CLAY

Gold = Babylonian Empire (625 -539 BC)

Silver = Medo-Persian Empire (539-331 BC)

Bronze = Greek Empire (331 - 63 BC)

Iron = Roman Empire (63 BC - AD 476)

** 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.

-Broke all the rest to pieces - like chaff, blown away - not a trace could be found But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

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.”

— Two characteristics:

stone not cut by human hands - divine

became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth - activity is universal

— Only one kingdom will last. Jesus’ Kingdom

Daniel 4:3 (ESV)

3 His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion endures from generation to generation.

Luke 1:31–33 (ESV)

31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

— YOUR kingdom will not last.

— At the end of the day it’s you and Jesus.

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.

- Daniel directs his problem to God then redirects the praise to God.

— If you are anything like me you are quick to ask God about your problems and slower to attribute to Him your successes.

— Daniel recognized God was the source of his success and so God placed him in a place of greater influence.

Truth for Today: 2020

In spite of current appearances, the God of history controls the future.

We live in a world filled with enchanters, sorcerers, diviners, all searching for answers to life’s biggest questions — Looking for ways to know and control destinies.

If the stocks are good this week I can relax

If I make it into this school I know I’ll have a good life.

If my spouse gets this job we can be happy.

We believe we can control the outcome or at least determine which outcome is best.

Daniel Bridging Contexts

Only God’s wisdom, according to Daniel 2, can reveal the mysteries of life. Human wisdom falls short.

Just like the magicians fell short. Daniel understood all they understood but he also knew God.

God can move the most powerful person in the world -

We have the mind of Christ. We have a relationship with Jesus Christ, God’s own divine Son, in whom “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col. 2:3). Jesus is wisdom himself (1 Cor. 1:30). For us to be wise, we must be united with him.

Tremper Longman III, Daniel, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1999), 88.

God knows your tomorrows today.

You will not last forever. Whatever you do for the kingdom of God will.

How much time do you spend on things that won’t matter once you’re dead? Can you name something you did today that will outlast you? (we prayed — worshipped)

No one will remember what you had for breakfast 10 years from now

You could make the biggest changes this world has ever seen and it will still only be temporary.

Matthew 6:19–21 (ESV)

19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Make Jesus your treasure.

What if we became a people committed to making an eternal impact that we were willing to sacrifice some temporary comforts?

Praying for someone - neighbors

Sharing the gospel

OCC

If the first point is true (and it is) than God has placed you where he has for the purpose of making eternal impact. You are vital for the rock to grow!

There will come point when you will realize there is nothing this world can offer anymore.

You can face impossible situations with an extraordinary God:

Don’t react. . . RESPOND.

- There is a big difference between reacting and responding.

Reactions are revealed through our emotions

Response is born out of wisdom

Reactions reveal a lot about us

- both are actions but one is born from emotion and the other wisdom.

Reactions are born from our emotions (fear, anger, even happiness) and are expressed through out words and actions.Didn’t think before I spoke. I acted before I thought. more often than not, our reactions are self-focused and can cause harm to others.

Don’t panic . . . PRAY.

- Go to the extraordinary God for impossible situations

- Go to the God of wisdom when you don’t have a clue

Matthew 7:7–9 (ESV)

7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?

Allow God’s work to be GOD’S witness.

- Perhaps God created an impossible situation with you so it might reveal the extraordinary God through you.

in order to share about God’s work in your life you first need to recognize God’s work in your life.

Focus on your extraordinary God more than your impossible situation.

What if Daniel had prayed and God said “No?” Would God have been LESS extraordinary?

Pastor, I’ve been praying for my spouse or my child to know Jesus and it still seems quite impossible.

I’m not panicking about my relationship but it’s just not changing.

I would love for God to heal me — to make me whole — I would certainly praise Him for it, but it still looks impossible.

The main character of this story is NOT the impossible situation — it’s the extraordinary GOD!

the impossible situation was only used to reveal the impossible situation. Daniel prayed for mercy — he didn’t demand an answer.

God has already fixed the MOST IMPOSSIBLE situation of all, our broken relationship with God.

In Christ we have a relationship with God.

It is only in Christ that our impossibilities can be possible at all.

The reality of what Daniel’s impossible situation revealed is still true today — God will eventually rule.

You can face impossible situations with our extraordinary God

**PRAY**