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[Daniel Ch.2: Nebuchadnezzar's Image] I.
Royal Insomnia and Revelation (2:1-30)
God does things His way! DAN
2:1 And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar
March/April 602 B.C. Dan
2:1 ...Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams
This king loved to dream, and his dreams usually get people (and himself)
into trouble! He had just
returned from Egypt, conquering that land. And perhaps this proud king was impressive with the massive
stone statues of Egypt. Maybe
he thought of building one to himself in Babylon.
But in this unexpected dream, God showed him a statue made of
metal--not just one kind of metal, but several different kinds! No wonder
the king wanted to know its meaning. DAN
2:2 Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the
astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king
his dreams.
These men were the wisest of the wise at that time. Their calculation of
the length of a year differed from modern science by only 26 minutes and
55 seconds.
Who were the "Chaldeans"? Most
possibly, they were the descendants of Ham by his son Cush (Gen. 10:8).
Cush begat Nimrod, who founded Babylon "in the land of Shinar"
(v.10) or Chaldea. The name
Chaldeans came to mean a special caste or group of men called
"Magi" or wisemen. These were astrologers, scholars, magicians,
and sorcerers. DAN
2:4 Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack,
Or Aramaic language. Aramaic was a common language, used as a diplomatic and
commercial language.
NOTE: From 2:4 to 7:28, Aramaic is used because the following contents
relate directly to the Gentiles, rather than to the Jews. DAN
2:5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is
gone from me:
Nebuchadnezzar possibly
faked his lapse of memory (original: "the decree is gone from
me"). He wanted to see how "wise" his wisemen were. The
Chaldeans had claimed the ability to communicate with the gods. They were
now put to the test. Perhaps this was why Daniel was not included in the
initial call. Dan
2:5 ...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.
This king could be cruel. Before gouging out Zedekiah's eyes,
Nebuchadnezzar forced him to watch his own children being killed-- thus
etching that terrible sight into Zedekiah's memory (cf.II Kings 25:7).
The wisemen's punishment for inability--
(1) Death
(2) Dismemberment -- "cut in pieces"
(3) Digrace -- "houses made a dunghill" DAN
2:10-11 The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There
is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king's matter...except the
gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.
You are unfair to organized religion, they exclaimed. From their own lips
finally came this amazing confession: "We really have no dealings
with the true God!" Apart from God's revelation, it is impossible to know God's
will. DAN
2:16 Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would
give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation.
Daniel did not wait for God first to reveal the dream and its
interpretation before he volunteered such a reply. His faith on God was
complete. He knew God could
do it! Perhaps he remembered the case of Joseph to whom God revealed the
Egyptian Pharoah's dream. DAN
2:17 Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to
Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions: He was humble enough to ask and to count on the prayers of his brethren. An all-night prayer meeting ensured. The battle was won. All answered prayer is a "mercy" from God. We receive answers to prayers not because of our merits or rights. It is all of God's free gift and grace.
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