Daniel 2:1-49

The way of advancement often requires retreat.  God gives Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, a dream that ends up bringing a threat of death to Daniel, his friends and all the wise men of Babylon.  God chooses to use this crisis as a means of demonstrating His own power and giving Daniel a promotion in the kingdom.  This vision is also a prophecy of future events concerning the shifts of power from nation to nation.  If there were ever a demonstration of God’s sovereignty; this vision is it.  God has determined the rise and fall of nations according to His will.  He chooses to make these plans known in order to bring glory to Himself and place His servants in positions of influence. 

A VISION RECEIVED: Nebuchadnezzar receives a vision from God.  The vision troubles the king because he cannot figure out the meaning of it.  He calls in his advisors and asks them to tell him what his dream was as well as the interpretation.  The advisers insist that they will be glad interpret the dream if the king will tell them the vision.  Apparently Nebuchadnezzar suspects his advisers have been making things up for some time as he decides to require they reveal both the vision and the interpretation.  When the wise men admit they are powerless to comply with the king’s request he knows they have no access to the gods and decides to kill all of these people because they are not worthy of his trust.  They have been pretending to represent god before him and it now became very clear he had been deceived.  There are no other gods.  Those who claim to represent gods are lying.  There is only one God and He is in control of the events of this earth.

A VISION RETOLD: When Daniel get the word that he has been given a sentence of death, he asks why.  It is clear he had not been summoned to the original meetings but he was condemned to die just like all the other advisers.  Daniel’s response is to request for time and to seek the Lord in prayer.  In response to Daniel and his friend’s prayers; the content and interpretation are given to Daniel.  He requests an audience with the king.  When the king asks if Daniel can make known the dream and interpretation; Daniel is quick to answer “no.”  Daniel makes use of the opportunity to testify to the power and glory of God.  He makes sure Nebuchadnezzar knows that there is only one true God and that the glory for all that will happen belongs to God and God alone.  Too often we are tempted to take credit for that which God does.  It is only by God’s grace that any of us are able to do anything; so when God chooses to use us, we must be quick to give all glory to Him!

A VISION REVEALED: The vision is revealed to have been of a strange statue of a metallic man.  The head of gold represents Nebuchadnezzar and the kingdom of Babylon.  The arms and chest of silver represent the Medo-Persian Empire.  The waist of bronze represents the Greek Empire.  The legs of iron represent the Roman Empire.  The feet of iron and clay represent a reestablished Roman Empire that seems to refer to a future reign of anti-Christ on the earth.  The stone that is cut without hands that destroys the statute represents the coming of God and His eternal kingdom on the earth.  Nebuchadnezzar confirms that this is the vision he had and so be believes the interpretation and promotes Daniel to the top position in the kingdom and Daniel’s first act of duty is to place His friends in charge of the affairs of the nation.  God not only is sovereign over the rise and fall of kings and kingdoms; He is also planning to interrupt the course of history and establish His kingdom and His reign on this earth.  No matter how powerful men may become and how perverse a nation and its leaders may act; God will bring it all to an end in His time.  He must be the only object of our worship and we must live in fear of Him.