Courage in the Midst of Captivity (2)

Daniel 2

If you weren’t here last week, let me give you a brief overview of Daniel chapter 1. In 605 B.C., Judah, the southern kingdom (Israel was divided into two kingdoms-the nothern kingdom was Israel, and the southern kingdom was Judah.) was sieged and taken over by the Babylonians, led by King Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel and his three friends were chosen, and God highly favored them because of their strong convictions and faith in God.

Last wee, I briefly told you about the 4 major life events of Daniel. The first is the fiery furnace, which we will cover next week, the king’s madness, which comes in King Neb’s next dream, King Belshazzar’s judgment and the handwriting on the wall, and finally Daniel in the lion’s den. In the second year of the reign of King Neb., he has a terrible nightmare, and he is deeply troubled by it. He is determined to know what the meaning behind his dream is. The NASB says in verse 1, “the king’s spirit was troubled.” Have you ever had a dream that deeply troubled your spirit? The king was so determined to find out the dream’s meaning that he called in all the magicians, conjurers, sorcerers, and Chaldeans to tell the king his dream, and it’s interpretation. (This happens to be one of the chapters of Daniel written in Aramaic. Chapters 2-7) They all wanted the king to tell them his dream first so they could give him an interpretation, but the king wasn’t having any of that. The king wanted the wise men to read his mind and tell him what he dreamed and the meaning behind it. In verse 5, the king said if they did not tell the king his dream and it’s interpretation, he would rip them limb from limb and turn their houses into a heap of rubble. He wasn’t playing around. He repeated this two or three times. But on the other hand, if they were able to tell the king his dream and its interpretation, they would receive rewards and gifts, and great honor. Finally, they declared that there was not a man alive who could do as the king wished. Because of this, the king made a decree that all the wise men be killed-this included Daniel and his three friends. In verse 16, Daniel requested more time to tell the king his dream and its meaning. So Daniel and his friends did the only thing you can do when faced with certain death, they prayed. They prayed that God would reveal the king’s dream and interpretation so their lives could be spared. So the mystery of the dream and its interpretation was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. In verse 24, Daniel went to Arioch, the king’s servant in charge of killing all the wise men and told him he could tell the king his dream and its interpretation. He then escorted Daniel to King Neb., Verse 27 says that no man can interpret this dream. But I love what he says next in verse 28. ‘However, there is a God in Heaven.’ Daniel tells the king a summary of his dream starting in verse 31-35. Keep in mind, this dream is the basis of the entire book of Daniel, and we will refer back to this statue many times throughout our study of Daniel.

The head was of fine gold- Babylon

Breast and arms of sliver- Medo-Persia

Belly and thighs of bronze- Greece

Legs of Iron-(iron crushes all things) Rome

Feet partly of Iron and partly of clay- Israel Israel was intermarrying

Stone was cut out of a mountain- Kingdom of God

There was a stone that was cut out of a mountain that was cast down at the feet of the statue and destroyed it, and carried away the dust to the four corners of the Earth. What he means by this in verse 35 is that there will never be another world power. We know from secular history that Rome was the last world power. Verse 44 says that God will establish the final kingdom which will never be destroyed. After all of this, King Neb. fell on his face and gave orders to present Daniel an offering and fragrant incense. The king then promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts. The king made Daniel ruler over the whole providence of Babylon, and the chief prefect over all the wise men. At the request of Daniel, the king appointed Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego over the administration of the providence of Babylon, while Daniel remained in the king’s court.