The King's Dream

As we approach the dream in Daniel 2, we are experiencing a gripping story: Nebuchadnezzar has had a dream, and none of the wisest men of Babylon can provide an interpretation. Normally, this would have been right in their wheelhouse - time after time they were told dreams, and each time they always had the answers (and, if the money was right, they’d be “good” answers, too!).

But this time is different. This time, there is no leeway for error. This time, the king expects them to recount the dream itself. Talk about a conundrum! How are they supposed to know what only the king himself knows? They’d have to be a god to do that! But the king’s order is clear: either they reveal the dream, or they’re doomed.

Last week, you saw how Daniel approached the problem - he got God involved. He and his three friends asked God for wisdom, and God provided it. Now we will see just what dream Nebuchadnezzar had, and it’s significance.

The Dream

Daniel 2:31–35 ESV

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.

Before we talk about the meaning of the dream, let’s make sure we have a good picture. The image Nebuchadnezzar sees is a statue of a man made of different materials. The head is gold, the chest and arms are silver, the belly and thighs are bronze, the lower legs are iron, and the feet are iron mixed with clay. Then a stone is cut, but not by a person, and it strikes the image, breaking it into pieces that blow away in the wind. Then the stone grows into a mountain that fills the earth. Do you see the imagery Daniel describes?

A couple of brief notes here: 1) notice how long it has taken to get to this point. Rather than revealing the dream early, the king keeps it to himself. The narrative focuses on a couple of key points: the fact that men cannot reveal the dream, the danger Daniel faces due to the failure of the wise guys of Babylon, the fact that Daniel and his friends rely on God to reveal the dream, God in fact reveals the dream to Daniel, and Daniel’s praise of God’s wisdom and might to reveal the dream. All of this narrative happens before we find out what is in the dream. The author is stringing us along - he wants us on the edge of our seats, captivated by the unfolding drama. He’s building our anticipation to hear the mystery revealed. It must be important if he is taking this much effort to pique our interest.

Also note 2) that the materials change from most rare (gold) to least (clay), but each has its own advantages. Gold is obviously prized the most, but silver is easier to work with, bronze is more durable for frequent use, iron is strong, and clay is most easily acquired. But all of these materials comprise this one image.

Further note 3) that the stone is not cut by a human hand. That detail matters, and we’ll see how shortly.