CHAPTER 2

2:1 And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him. 2 Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king. 3 And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream. 4 Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation. 5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill. 6 But if ye shew the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honour: therefore shew me the dream, and the interpretation thereof. 7 They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation of it. 8 The king answered and said, I know of certainty that ye would gain the time, because ye see the thing is gone from me. 9 But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is but one decree for you: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be changed: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can shew me the interpretation thereof. 10 The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king's matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean. 11 And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh. 12 For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.

Nebuchadnezzar had what the Bible says were "dreams." Perhaps this was more than one dream. Perhaps it was one dream in significant parts.
The dream(s) "troubled" his spirit. Not only was his sleep "troubled," but he was awakened from sleep by the significance of the dream. The Bible says (Psalm 127:2) that God "giveth His beloved sleep." But God sometimes "troubles" the sleep of others.

One thing we notice about this dream. Nebuchadnezzar was "troubled" by it, but he couldn't REMEMBER it (verses 8-9). While God can certainly use the unsaved, He will not do anything in the world without His people being made aware of it (Amos 3:7).

Therefore, the dream was given to Nebuchadnezzar, but God, by providential guiding, gave the interpretation to His servant Daniel.

Magicians and astrologers may be interesting and fun, but they have no real gift to see the future. There was a group of psychics in California that formed a network. You could call their "hotline," and for $10 per minute they would tell your future. But they went bankrupt. I guess they didn't SEE IT COMING!

The dream "troubled" Nebuchadnezzar so much that when none of the magicians and astrologers could state the dream and interpret it, he became very angry! He ordered all the "wise men" of the kingdom to be slain. However, Nebuchadnezzar gave what is an IMPOSSIBLE TASK to NATURAL man.

13 And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain. 14 Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom to Arioch the captain of the king's guard, which was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon: 15 He answered and said to Arioch the king's captain, Why is the decree so hasty from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel. 16 Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation. 17 Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions: 18 That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

Daniel was not in the king's court when the request was made for interepretation of the dream. But Daniel WAS considered, even at that time, to be one of the "wise men" of the kingdom.

When Daniel found out about the problem, he approached the king asking for a little time, and promising the interpretation of the dream.

Then Daniel went to his three friends (Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah) asking that they would PRAY!

OH! That we would only ASK! God says, "..you have not because you ask not" (James 4:2). And God also says "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, Who giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him" (James 1:5).

Genuinely asking from God is a thing NATURAL men don't do. It is a thing that SAVED men do.

19 Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. 20 Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: 21 And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: 22 He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him. 23 I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king's matter.

Daniel gave God the credit for the dream and the interpretation of it. That is a thing that NATURAL men don't do; but SAVED men automatically do. He was seeking no self-glory or praise. Notice that Daniel says "wisdom and might" belong to the Lord (verse 20). They are His and His to give.

Daniel also acknowledges that God controls history, even to the point of determining leaders of history (verse 21).

Though God reigns and lives in the "light" of holiness and righteousness, He KNOWS what is in the darkness of man's sinful heart! (see verse 22)

24 Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king had ordained to destroy the wise men of Babylon: he went and said thus unto him; Destroy not the wise men of Babylon: bring me in before the king, and I will shew unto the king the interpretation. 25 Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste and said thus unto him, I have found a man of the captives of Judah, that will make known unto the king the interpretation.

Daniel was not afraid for his life even though the king had threatened death to anyone who didn't interpret the dream. Friend, it's hard to threaten a saved man with HEAVEN!!

26 The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof? 27 Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king; 28 But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these; 29 As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass. 30 But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart.

Daniel made it plain that NATURAL men cannot explain SPIRITUAL things even though they may claim false spiritual gifts.

ONLY GOD reveals spiritual things, and only a SAVED man can receive them. Nebuchadnezzar was a natural man, and therefore could not even remember the dream, let alone interpret it.

God had revealed to Daniel that Nebuchadnezzar's dream was concerning the future (Vs. 29). And Daniel admitted the revelation wasn't given to him because of any wisdom he had above other people. He was simply a SAVED man to who God had revealed a truth.

31 Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. 32 This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, 33 His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. 34 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. 35 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. 36 This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.

First Daniel tells Nebuchadnezzar his dream because the king couldn't even remember what the dream was, even though it "troubled" him very much.

What Nebuchadnezzar had seen was a big statue. The statue had:
A head of gold,
breast and arms of silver,
belly and thighs of brass,
legs of iron,
and feet of iron mixed with clay.

Then Nebuchadnezzar saw a large "stone" cut out of the earth "without hands!" The stone smote the image on the feet and broke it to pieces.

The "stone" was Jesus Christ! He is the "stone the builders rejected" (Matthew 21:42). Jesus controls kingdoms and the future.

When God broke the statue, it became easily blown away. We'll see why in a moment.

37 Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. 38 And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold. 39 And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. 40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. 41 And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. 42 And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. 43 And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. 44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. 45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.

Now Daniel tells Nebuchadnezzar the INTERPRETATION of the dream.

Nebuchadnezzar already has been given a great kingdom. He is the "head of gold" (Verse 38)

Out of Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom will come 5 kingdoms, each growing weaker in world domination. And finally, the kingdom will be divided (verse 41) even though it will still have a little strength.

When this kingdom is divided, God will set up a kingdom "which shall never be destroyed!" (See verse 44). That kingdom will break up ALL kingdoms and will endure forever!

That kingdom is of God. It will be established by the Lord, Jesus Christ.

After Daniel finished with the retelling of the dream and the interpretation, an astonishing thing happened!

46 Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odours unto him.

Nebuchadnezzar worshipped DANIEL! You see, ole Neb believed that only the "gods" could reveal and interpret his dreams (see vs 11 above).

But Nebuchadnezzar did clarify the situation a little.

47 The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret.

One cannot help but notice that Nebuchadnezzar recognized that the God of Daniel's faith had revealed the secret of his dream. And he made a point of clarifying that the God of Daniel's faith was "God of gods!"

One cannot also help but notice that Nebuchadnezzar didn't claim the God of Daniel's faith as HIS God!

Many people will recognize Jesus Christ as Lord, but few will CLAIM Him as Lord of their lives!

48 Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon. 49 Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon: but Daniel sat in the gate of the king.

Nebuchadnezzar made Daniel the governor of all Babylon, and chief counselor in his kingdom. This was a very influential position because the king would seek counsel from Daniel before any decisions were made.

Nebuchadnezzar wanted Daniel near him at all times (verse 49), so he put Daniel "in the GATE of the king."

Daniel recognized that he couldn't govern the affairs of the province without good men to help. So he requested that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be given authority over the affairs of the province, and they would report to him. The king respected Daniel's advice and authorized that placement of the three godly friends of Daniel.

God is making a change in the Babylonian empire! He is using His believers to make that change.

Friends, God WANTS His people involved in governmental affairs! Voting is important! And being godly counselors to men of government is important!

PLEASE CONTINUE WITH US IN BIBLE STUDY TOMORROW.