Nebchadnezzar's Troubling Dream (Part 3 - Daniel Interprets the Dream) Daniel 2:30-45
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Recap:
Last week we looked at God’s provision for Daniel!
Remember it was Nebuchadnezzar who was on a bent to kill all the wise men for their lack of ability to not only tell the king what his dream was but not having any hope of interpreting it
Which meant that the faced a death sentence at the edict of the king
This also included Daniel and his friends
But Daniel was bold, and confident in the Lord to ask for an audience!
But what I love about Daniel is he didn’t just assume to know what God was doing, but rather he went to the Lord and prayed
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.
When we seek God, like Daniel, when we pray and ask God by faith, and are doing what is right, then God is going to hear and work in ways we can’t imagine!
and that is what he did for Daniel
19 Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
And shouldn’t our response be the same as Daniel’s?
To Paise God!
For who He is
For what he is capable
For what he has done in our lives
For what he will do!
When it comes to God working in our lives we must realize every single time God works when we ask him to, it is turly a miracle!
Worthy of praise
Worthy of remembering how good and loving our God is
Worthy of shouting His goodness from the mountain tops
I think, and the more I thought about this past Sunday the more this world needs to hear the good news of Jesus at work, in the small thing, the everyday things, as well as the big things
Becase we are blessed to be apart of the things that God is doing, and blessed to have Him working in our lives!
Introduction:
Now as we get started this morning I am not going to be shy about what we are talking about here today and next week.
This is sometimes hard to understand and difficult passages come across our reading and study
But we don’t want to shy away from them
We don’t want to breeze past them
Rather we want to dig in, study hard and find the interpretation and meaning!
Why?
Because we desire to know the full counsel of God’s Word
Because we believe that all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for our livse
Because the more we know about Scripture the greater our knowledge of God is!
Scripture is a gift!
I remember when I was barely 20 and living in San Diego!
It was great!
I lived 4 blocks from the Ocean in Ocean Beach.
There was this amazing sandwich place a block from
In downtown Ocean Beach there was amazing pizza places, wicked good mexican food!
Living that close to the ocean afforded me a lot of opportunities to surf
One day I decided to go to La Jolla beach and do some surfing!
It was warm and sunny
The surf was bewtween 6-10’
And Let me tell you I was never so terrified trying to drop in on a 1 story wave
I was also never in so much pain
You drop in and crash and the wave rolls you over and over again and then your surfboard leash yanks your leg off as it pulls you out the back side of the wave
As you can tell I was no where near pro surfer material.
Near the end of the day I was about a 1/4 mile off shore waiting for the next set when I decided to head back in.
I started paddling towards shore, only to find that after about 10 minutes I was no closer to shore than when I had started to paddle
I was caught in a rip current running parrallel to the beach, and so no matter how hard I tried I was getting pulled down the beach
Then I remembered what my dad taught me that if I was ever caught in a rip current that you have to go slighly with the current while paddling so you can get out of it and back to shore
Obviously I made it out alive! With about a half mile of extra walking up the beach with my board in tow.
But the reason I share that story with you is because when we think of Scripture, a lot of the times we read it we get to a place where we feel trapped, like we cannot understand, that we can’t figure out!
So in that moment you have two choices!
To give up and quit
To endure, put ina bit more work and gain a valuable expereince and new knowledge and understanding as we watch God carry us through it!
Imagine if Daniel didn’t the Lord, and just gave up? Daniel would have robbed himself of a wonderful interaction with God!
Daniel Goes to Arioch:
Daniel Goes to Arioch:
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.”
Once Daniel had the dream and it’s interpretation he immediately wento to find Arioch, the one whom the king had appointed to destroy all the wise men of Babylon for their failures.
Don’t Destory the wise men
Bring me before the king and I wil show the King the interpretation
What I love about these verses is the confidence that Daniel had in what God had revealed to Him!
When God is behind us in what we are doing shouldn’t we have confidence, should we not be bold.
9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
6 Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”
So Arioch take Daniel and enters before the King making a declaration that he had one fro the exiles of Judah who can make known to the king the interpretation of His dream.
Can You Do As You Say?
Can You Do As You Say?
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?”
Remember he is probably pretty sceptacle at best
The other wise men had tried to buy time, so maybe Daniel was just doing the same thing
So the king wanted to know if he could really do what he was saying he could do
Daniel’s Response to the king!
Daniel’s Response to the king!
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.
What man could not do God has done for you!
What man could not do God has done for you!
Isn’t that a truth to rememeber in our lives. We have already said it in our study of Daniel, but we are reminded again that God is able to do what man is not, for nothing is impossible for the God who knows all, is in all, and through all!
Not a wise man could make it know
Not one enchanter could make it known
Not one magician or astrologer coudl make it known
But God, He can!
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:
There is a God in Heaven who reveals mysteries
Daniels response is to first Point the king to the glory and power of God who is able to do what man cannot do!
May we always remember this when we approach God’s Word!
It is His Word
He wants us to know it
But wants us to also seek Him that he may grant to us understanding and application of it!
It is God who has made known to the king was will be in latter days
Daniel also assures the king that God has priviledge Nebuchadnezzar with knowledge of what will happen in the Latter Days.
We know this now to be a reference to Eschtology, the study of things pertaining to the end times
This mystery has been revealed by the grace of God not by my own intellect!
Daniel again points Nebuchadnezzar to God, not seeking to take credit for Himself
Nebuchadnezzars Dream:
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.
So what Nebuchadnezzar’s dream:
It is a dream of a statue:
The Head was made of Solid Gold
The Chest and Arms of Silver
The Middle and thighs are made of bronze
The Legs of Iron
The Feet are a mix of iron and clay
There is another element that is in this dream as well!
The Stone was cut out by no human hand:
This stone strikes the on the feet made of iron and clay
And after striking the feet of iron and clay it breaks them into peieces
This was the catalyst for the destruction of the entire statue
The Gold, Silver, Bronze, and iron are broken and scatterd life chaff of the summer threshing for
To the point that nothing remains
It was then that this stone that struck the image that rose into a great mountain
This mountain then fills the whole earth.
You understand why this dream would be troubling to say the least, and also since it was one that was reoccurring regularlly would lead Nebuchadnezzar to want to know what it meant!
So Daniel is now at the half way point of completing the task Nebuchadneazzar
The Interpretation of the Dream:
The Interpretation of the Dream:
36 “This was the dream. Now we will tell the king its interpretation.
The Head of Gold:
The Head of Gold:
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.
The Soveriegnty of God on Full display:
Yes nebuchadnezzar was king!
But it was God who had given him that kingdom
According to His power
According to His might,
For His Glory
God have given to Nebuchadnezzar dominion over the people of the kingdom he was king over
Over the beasts of the feild, the birds of the sky,
I love they way Daniel is able to point to the glory and power of God over these situations while at the same time letting Nebuchadnezzar know that he was the head of Gold in his dream!
I believe this let Nebuchadnezzar know that God has a purpose and plan for his purposes in allowing Nebuchadnezzar to rule!
I believe it was also to let the king know that his rule was not by his own hand but by the might hand of God who created all and holds all things together!
Side Note: As God had plans for Nebuchanezzar, so God has plans for each one of us, in His plan of redemption! In His work, for His glory!
Subsequent Kingdoms to Follow Babylon:
Subsequent Kingdoms to Follow Babylon:
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.
Kingdom # 2 - The Shoulders and Chest of Silver
This Kingdom would be powerful and rule the known world as Nebuchadnezzar did
Kingdom # 3 - The Middle section and thighs of Bronze
Also a powerful Kingdom what would rule the known world but subsequently less powerful than the one before it
Kingdom # 4 - The legs of Iron
Kingdom # 5 - The Composite kingdom of clay and iron at the feet
Kingdom # 6 - The Stone not cut with human hands
So what does it all mean then?
So what does it all mean then?
First we know that the First kindgom was that of Babylon, led by Nebuchadnezzar!
This was the Head of Gold
The next kingdom to follow Babylon was the kingdom of Medo-Persian empire
The arms and chest of Silver
After that you have the Grecian Empire
The Abdomen of Bronze
Following that was the Roman empire
The Legs of Iron
When we look back historically we can see that these kingdoms followed the Bablyonian empire!
While probably flattered to be the top of the Satue made of Gold
But a little disconcerted to say the least to knos Babylon would fall!
All of this signifies the and points to A Soveriegn God in control of His creation:
He establishes kingdoms and places kings in power
He with the same soveriegnty tears down one kingdom and establishes another
All this according to His plan and his purpose!
God was giving Nebchadnezzar and us through His prophet Daniel a glimps at was was going to happen into the future!
The Toes of Clay and Iron:
The Toes of Clay and Iron:
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.
at the end of this statue we find perhaps what would be labeled and described as the most unstable and weakest kingdom yet.
Daniel descibes it as party stong and partly brittle!
What we know:
Every kingdom has led to another kingdom here in this vision
The Roman Empire was the last kingdom that was solid metal kingdom
Rome was never conquered, it collapsed from the inside out!
It’s moral failures led to it’s collapse as an empire
There is many life lessons that in our modern world we shoudl consider as a cultuer and society.
Morality and puruit of Godliness is the only thing that can bring about the blessing of God on any nation!
But if we look around us there was something special about Rome, and that was the idea of Democracy!
Representative governemnt
Rome wasnt perfect with this and ultimatley failed, but it’s ideals lived on
In short Rome didnt really go away, ence the iron aspect of this compsite governement!
Democracy and language and even the European nations have their heritage in the Roman heritage.
But in the final days this composite governement is going to made up of a Autocratic and democratic rule.
Based on what we know from other places in Scitpure the anti-Christ is goign to estblish his kingdom on the backbone of democracy while establishing and absolute rule in the process.
So I believe this kingdom to be the kingdom just before the rise of the antichrist.
Why? What brings you to that conclusion this morning? The answer is simple. The final kingdom.
The Stone Not Cut By Human Hands:
The Stone Not Cut By Human Hands:
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.”
The final kingdom that is revealed to Nebuchadnezzar is the the Kingdom that God himself will establish, which shall never be destroyed.
In fact this kingdom woudl desimate any remains of the preiviously earthly kingdoms
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.
this stone not cut by human hands then grows and fills the whole earth!
26 I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God, enduring forever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end.
14 And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.
27 And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.’
7 and the lame I will make the remnant, and those who were cast off, a strong nation; and the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion from this time forth and forevermore.
This kingdom is the hope of nations, this kingdom is the hope of the world!
It is what every believer should long to see established
It is what every believer knows to be the very best
God ruling and reigning on earth!
We, the church, ruling and reigning with Joint heirs with Christ.
It will be as it should be
Conclusion:
We can chalk this morning’s passage up to just a passage about the end times, the eschatology of Scripture.
But what I want us to take away from this pasage is a coupel spiritual priniciples that can be used every day!
God is Sovereign over all
God is working all things toward the end which he has set out
We have a task in the mean time!