Daniel 2:1-23

The Kingdom of God in a Nightmare: Part One

A sermon by Pastor Joe Haynes

Preached on January 15, 2017 at Beacon Church

In Daniel 1, we met a Jewish teenager named Daniel, whose country was invaded by the armies of Babylon, who was kidnapped and taken to the far away city of Babylon to live for the rest of his life, who was emasculated and made into a eunuch, and who was forced, in an effort by his captors to make him completely Babylonian, to give up his language, his food, even his name, in order to be reprogrammed, assimilated, and educated in this foreign culture. During those first three years as a captive, Daniel found that God alone deserved worship,  that only God was ultimately trustworthy. Daniel discovered that when he lost everything, but found Yahweh God in the process.  Likewise in chapter 2, an event happens that strikes fear in the Babylonian king's heart. He is afraid he might lose everything.  But instead he has his first real encounter with the Living God.  "In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his spirit was troubled, and his sleep left him," (Dan. 2:1 ESV).

The reference to the year (probably meaning 603-602BC) is not so much to say that Daniel and his friends were finished their 3 year training period. The significance of the year is more likely because of the major prophecy later in this chapter about world events, so we can put a date to the beginning of that prophecy's fulfillment. That's likely also the reason why beginning in verse 4, Daniel switched to writing in Aramaic, a gentile language, so that readers would understand these first prophecies are about Gentile world history and not about the Jews.

From the beginning of the book of Daniel the theme of worship begins to develop. King Nebuchadnezzar's scheme was designed to make all the eunuchs depend on him, trust him, revere him. But Daniel and his friends would not. In chapter 3, with the incident in the fiery furnace, this comes to a boiling point (or broiling point?). And in chapter 4 the king is judge by God for his boastful god-complex. But before that judgement was passed, there was a warning shot in chapter 2. Which is kind of incredible when you think about it: that the God of Israel was reaching out in a dream to the King of Babylon! But if we step back a moment to see what the writer is trying to say in this, we can see that chapter 1 answers the question, how did Daniel survive in Babylon? And the full answer is that through prophecy and Providence, God showed Himself to Daniel even in his great suffering. Chapter 2 seems to answer a similar but surprising question: How did God show himself to the king of Babylon?

God created an urgent need to which Daniel was specifically equipped to minister. 

In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his spirit was troubled, and his sleep left him.  2 Then the king commanded that the magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans be summoned to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king.  3 And the king said to them, "I had a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream."  4 Then the Chaldeans said to the king in Aramaic, "O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation."  5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, "The word from me is firm: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you shall be torn limb from limb, and your houses shall be laid in ruins.  6 But if you show the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. Therefore show me the dream and its interpretation."  7 They answered a second time and said, "Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show its interpretation."  8 The king answered and said, "I know with certainty that you are trying to gain time, because you see that the word from me is firm--  9 if you do not make the dream known to me, there is but one sentence for you. You have agreed to speak lying and corrupt words before me till the times change. Therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can show me its interpretation."  10 The Chaldeans answered the king and said, "There is not a man on earth who can meet the king's demand, for no great and powerful king has asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or Chaldean.  11 The thing that the king asks is difficult, and no one can show it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh." (Dan. 2:1-11 ESV)

The “Chaldeans” (a racial term probably because they were famous for their expertise in astrology and so on) are at a loss to do what the king asks. They can’t believe what he’s asking them to do! And they must have been growing more and more alarmed as they realized how serious he was. Like Canada’s Finance Minister: “You want me to keep your election promises AND balance the budget???” And they were telling the truth in verse 10, “there was no man on Earth” who could meet the King’s demands! But God had a man that He had raised up, prepared, and positioned for exactly this moment. That’s why in 1:2, God gave the Jews into Babylon’s hands; in verse 9 God gave Daniel favour with the official in charge; in verse 17, [read 1:17]. Check Mate in 6 moves! If this is the 2nd year of Nebuchadnezzar (we would count it as the third) that means Daniel was probably fresh out of wiseman college. How would God get Daniel in front of the King, ready to do what he asked?

God created a deadly crisis which specifically included Daniel.

12 Because of this the king was angry and very furious, and commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be destroyed.  13 So the decree went out, and the wise men were about to be killed; and they sought Daniel and his companions, to kill them.  14 Then Daniel replied with prudence and discretion to Arioch, the captain of the king's guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon.  15 He declared to Arioch, the king's captain, "Why is the decree of the king so urgent?" Then Arioch made the matter known to Daniel.  16 And Daniel went in and requested the king to appoint him a time, that he might show the interpretation to the king. (Dan. 2:12-16 ESV)

Specifically by making Nebuchadnezzar so panicked by the inability of the wisemen, that in his fear and rage and fury, he orders all of them executed. And not just the wisemen standing in front of them: they had said no one would be able to tell him both the dream and its meaning. So he wanted all wisemen dead, because he realized they were frauds: his whole wiseman college of captive eunuchs was a waste of a lot of time and money since when he really needed the exact skillset they advertised, none of them could deliver. So following orders, Arioch, the captain of the guard, and his soldiers head out to do the king’s dirty work. We aren’t told if they locked all the wisemen they found, and went looking for Daniel and his 3 friends, or if the Jewish boys were the first on their list. The point is they got caught up in the net. But Daniel, wisely, asks a question—not a challenge and not begging for his life—just a question: why is this so urgent for the king? I would beg! But Daniel is almost asking, “Is the King okay? He seems really upset if he’s in such a hurry!” And Captain Arioch tells him all about Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and demands. So Daniel, realizing that God had put him in the right place at exactly the right time, asks for an appointment to see the King. “The purpose for your visit?” someone asks, “To tell the King what he dreamed and what it means,” says Daniel [read v16]. But back to our earlier question: “How did God show Himself to the King of Babylon?”

God created a problem God alone could solve. 

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.  19 Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.  20 Daniel answered and said: "Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might.  21 He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding;  22 he reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him.  23 To you, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, for you have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we asked of you, for you have made known to us the king's matter." (Dan. 2:17-23 ESV)

What Daniel does next shows that he was in absolute agreement with the Chaldeans: no man on Earth could do what King Nebuchadnezzar was asking. And now he had an appointment the next morning to do the impossible. It was time to cram. To hit the library of scrolls and the encyclopedias of dream interpretation. Right? Wrong. He goes home, tells his friends to start praying, and goes to bed. 

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.  (Dan. 2:17-18 ESV)

HOW IRRESPONSIBLE, RIGHT? If our destiny is in our own hands; if tomorrow is up to us, then prayer is, at best a waste of time, and at worst, totally irresponsible. But if God is God, then this is the sanest thing Daniel could have done. Prayer expresses our trust in God no matter what happens to us. Sometimes people think our prayers change God's mind. Or let him know what we need. But Daniel’s God is sovereign and way ahead of us in meeting the needs of his people long before we think to pray. Yet God’s Word shows us that God wants us to pray so that He can show His grace in answer to the faith we express through prayer.

 So Daniel goes to bed, and while he is sleeping God gives him a vision in which he is shown what King Nebuchadnezzar had dreamed, and what that dream meant. One of the most important prophecies in the whole Bible was revealed to Daniel while he slept. A vision of the next two-and-a-half millennia ending with the arrival of the Kingdom of God at the end of this age. No wonder King Nebuchadnezzar was troubled by his dream! It seems he couldn’t remember what he had seen, but like a small man put in his place standing on the shore of a vast ocean, the king’s subconscious mind was confronted with his own littleness, his short-lived rule, and the frailty of the empire he had built, and of all human kingdoms compared to the eternal, universal future Kingdom of God!

Much of the rest of this amazing book is going to prove God's sovereign power over all the nations of the Earth, including the Jews. But in these verses this morning we have already seen all we need to see to make a decision.  God is sovereign and rules over the dreams we dream at night, over the fears in the hearts of all people, and even over our impulse to pray. Will we decide to worship and trust Him? Or will we,  like the foolish Chaldean wise men, fear gods that are not gods, and hope in our own abilities?

 Just like Nebuchadnezzar, God may still give you another chance,  and even more proof that He lives. But like the king and people of Babylon eventually found out, time is running out. God will not put up with our unbelief forever. So what should we discover about God from these events?

The vision of God Daniel shows us in his prayer of blessing and thanks is exalted. It’s as if God is the highest and greatest and most wonderful Being Daniel can dream of! And that’s the point, isn’t it? King Nebuchadnezzar was so troubled by his dreams because the sense he woke up with, as we will see next week, was that there was no room for his own dreams in God’s plans. Because in our dreams, we are the most valuable, wonderful beings, and so we dream of what we imagine we deserve. But reality is about God’s dreams and plans, not our own. And yet, instead of just punishing this king, and shattering his dreams, God stepped in and spoke to him. God created a panic deep in the king’s heart. God pushed him to decree a penalty for the wisemen that drew in the young prophet, Daniel. God caused a problem so impossible that only God could solve it. And in all sorts of ways, God often does that. Not to crush our dreams, but to teach us to dream of Him.

·         God is worthy of blessing, for who He is, forever and ever! (20)

·         All wisdom and strength come from Him as gifts of His grace! (20)

·         One era gives way to the next, and one season of history to another, according to God’s purpose and plan;

·         Kingdoms fall and new kingdoms rise, and among the cultures of the nations of the earth, the wisdom of counselors and wisemen comes from God who gives it, and those who understand many things receive their knowledge from God (21);

·         The deepest things no human understands, God reveals as He wills, because to His omniscience everything is in plain sight and nothing is hidden (22);

And now, standing on the precipice of death by order of the angry and frightened Emperor of Babylon, Daniel is confronted with the greatness and holy majesty of the God who had centuries earlier pledge Himself in a covenant of grace to be God to the insignificant tribes of Israel. He had revealed Himself, His goodness and wisdom, His holiness and power, and His plan of salvation to Daniel’s ancestors. And now He provided a miracle of insight, to know the King’s dream and understand it. He blessed God and praised Him. Because in that gracious revelation, God saved the lives of Daniel and his friends, and of the rest of the wisemen of Babylon who had earned the wrath of their king (verse 18; c.f., 24). Showing that God is able to save. And God did this through answering their prayers. Showing that God is personal and faithful, He hears us, answers us, and gives.

God moves in mysterious ways, his wonders to perform;

He plants his footsteps in the sea, and rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable mines of never-failing skill

He treasures up his bright designs, and works his sovereign will.

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take; the clouds ye so much dread

Are big with mercy, and shall break, in blessings on your head.[i] 

In chapter one, Daniel shows us a God who hands over kingdoms to foreigners, moves the hearts of government officials to have compassion, and gives gifts of wisdom and understanding to the unlikeliest of people. Each of those are specifically stated in verses 2, 9, and 17 of chapter 1. In chapter 2, though Daniel doesn’t explicitly say God was causing these events, the implication can’t be avoided that this is what God does. In the small things like dreams in the night. But far more mysteriously and wonderously, in the big things God was planning for the next 25 centuries of world history.  As we will see next week, Lord willing, what God showed Daniel that night while he slept, touches even our own lives. This means that whatever sins you have committed against God, whatever burden you bear, whatever sorrow is crushing you, and whatever troubles keep you awake at night, you can still pray to the God of Daniel and of his fathers. And because the Messiah they were waiting for has already come, died for our sins, risen in victory, and ascended to sit upon His throne at the right hand of Almighty God, He stands ready to pour out blessing on your head, to be merciful and gracious to you even today. All you need to do is pray.