Daniel 2 - The Mystery of the Dream

Daniel 2 - Interpretation of the king's dream

v1-13 - The failure of Chaldeans and their gods

Daniel chapter 2 tells the story of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, who had a dream that troubled him greatly. In those days they dreams are considered as symbolic signs of what will happen in real life. 

The king called on his magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, astrologers and the Chaldeans to not only interpret the dream, but also tell him what the dream was. The reason the king ask them to tell him the dream was to ensure that they are not false sorcerers. However, they were unable to tell what was the dream and kept asking the king to reveal the dream. The king became angry and he ordered all of the wise men of Babylon to be executed.

The Chaldeans represents the power and wisdom of the Babylonian empire but were unable to tell and interpret the dream. They even admitted that no one can do what the king wants, except only the gods.

"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.” (v11) 

The words "whose dwelling in not with flesh" could mean two different alternatives. One alternative meant that the gods are not humans, and that they were not bound by the limits of humans in flesh. Another alternative is that they were not accessible by humans to help them to know what the dream was.

This highlighting that Daniel's God was accessible and the superiority of God's wisdom and knowledge over human understanding. God is with us even during our crisis. 

The king sent out a decree to kill all the wise men, including Daniel and his friends. 

v14-30 - Daniel sought the Lord

When the soldiers came, Daniel ask Arioch, the king’s captain, what had happened. Apparently, Daniel were not with the Chaldeans. After Arioch explained, Daniel asked to meet the king and told him to give him sometime to interpret the dream. 

Daniel left the crisis room to the throne room. (Pastor Ann, CEFC) 

The first thing Daniel did was to tell his friends and to pray to God and ask for mercy and to give them the solution. "and told them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery,"  v18. Daniel did not depend on his gifts in understanding dreams (1:17) but went to God instead. 

God revealed the dream and its meaning to Daniel in a vision, probably in the same night.  Daniel immediately praised God: "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.”  (v23) 

The next thing Daniel did was to ask Arioch not to kill the wise men, as he can interpret the dream to the king. Daniel showed concerns for the Chaldeans even though they are sorcerers and spirit worshippers and do not believe in the true God. 

Arioch brought Daniel to the king. While Arioch boasts that he was the one who found the person who can intrepet the dream, but David took no credit and honored God by saying: "but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days.... But as for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because of any wisdom that I have more than all the living, but in order that the interpretation may be made known to the king.." (v28,30)

In all this, Daniel kept calm and even went to sleep after he prayed. He trusted God to do His part and he had no worries at all. 

V31-45 - Interpretation of the dream

The dream was of a giant statue made of different materials: the head was made of gold, the chest and arms were of silver, the belly and thighs were of bronze, the legs were of iron, and the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay. A stone then struck the statue on its feet, causing it to crumble into dust and be blown away by the wind. The stone grew into a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

Daniel explained that the different parts of the statue represented different kingdoms that will rise and fall one after another.

The head of the statue was made of fine gold, representing the Babylonian Empire, which was ruled by King Nebuchadnezzar himself. The chest and arms of silver represent the Medo-Persian Empire, which conquered Babylon in 539 BC and ruled over a vast territory stretching from India to Egypt. Cyprus was the king that conquered Babylon and released the Jews, fulfilling the prophecy of the 70 year exile. 

The belly and thighs of bronze represent the Greek Empire, which was established by Alexander the Great and conquered much of the known world in the 4th century BC. The legs of iron, with feet partly of iron and partly of clay, represent the Roman Empire, which rose to power in the 1st century BC and became the dominant power in the Mediterranean world.

According to the interpretation of the dream, the statue's feet represented a final kingdom that would be partly strong and partly weak, and that would ultimately be destroyed by a stone cut out of a mountain without human hands, representing the kingdom of God. 

"And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people... It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever,  just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand," (v43-45)

Amazingly, God did not a diamond or titanium to destroy the metal statue, but rather just a mere stone. In 1 Peter 2:4 it said "As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious,"

In Daniel's time the kingdom of God had not been set-up yet. He gave a time by saying said it will be set-up during the time of these kingdoms, that means before the Roman empire ended.  The kingdom of God was realized when Jesus gave up his life and defeated death. during the Roman rule.  

In Luke 4:43,  Jesus declares, "I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent." 

Jesus often spoke of the kingdom of God in his teachings and parables, describing it as a present reality that could be entered into by faith and obedience to God, as well as a future reality that would be fully realized at the end of time. His message was one of repentance and faith in God, as the means by which individuals could enter into the kingdom of God and experience new life in him.

All the kingdoms that men built will be gone. What we build in our lives will be gone too, when we die. The only thing that will last beyond our lives are our legacy, built using the gospel of Christ, within the our family, our friends, and our church. Building God's legacy is what the Great Commission asks us to do. (Matt 28:18-20)

V46-49 - Promotion of Daniel

Who would think that a king will bow down to Daniel, and commanded that he be worshipped? (v46) The king also praised the God for revealing the mystery: “Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.” (v47) The king also promoted Daniel to be a ruler of the province of Babylon and chief prefect of the wise men. 

However, the king did not repent nor worshipped God as the only true God, for he said "your God is God of god's..." 

As ruler and chief prefect, Daniel would have had significant power to make decisions and implement policies that affected the lives of the people under his jurisdiction. He would have been responsible for maintaining order, collecting taxes, and administering justice, among other duties. In addition, his position as chief prefect over the wise men of Babylon would have given him a voice in matters of state and the ear of the king, allowing him to exert influence over the direction of the empire.

In our age, this is similar to making a Christian the mayor of the capital city, or a prime minister of the country. The Christian leader have tremendous influence over policies and laws. 

In conclusion, God allowed the crisis in Daniel's life in order to turn the tables around. Nebuchadnezzar must have looked down on God when he conquered Judah. But at the end of the chapter he ended praising God as the God of gods. 

Footnotes 

1. Definition 

Magicians - In ancient times, magicians were often seen as practitioners of magic, using supernatural powers to achieve various effects. They were also known for their knowledge of the occult and their ability to perform feats of illusion and sleight of hand.

Enchanters - Enchanters were believed to have the power to cast spells and charms on people or objects, often for purposes of protection or good luck.

Sorcerers - Sorcerers were practitioners of magic who were believed to have made a pact with supernatural powers in order to gain access to special knowledge or abilities.

Astrologers - Astrologers were experts in the interpretation of celestial events and the study of the movements of the stars and planets, often using this knowledge to predict future events or to advise rulers on matters of governance and decision-making.

2. Why was the Roman Empire Strong but also Weak? 

The Roman Empire is considered partly strong and partly weak in the interpretation of King Nebuchadnezzar's dream in the book of Daniel because of its internal divisions and political instability. "As you saw the iron mixed with soft clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage, but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay." (v43)

By the time of the Roman Empire, the once-great civilization had begun to experience a decline in its political and military power. While it was still a formidable military force, its vast size made it increasingly difficult to govern effectively, and its internal divisions made it vulnerable to attacks from without.

For example, in the 3rd century AD, the Roman Empire experienced a period of crisis known as the "Crisis of the Third Century," during which a series of weak emperors, military coups, and civil wars led to political instability and economic decline. This period also saw the empire beset by external threats, including invasions by Germanic tribes and Persian armies.

Despite these challenges, the Roman Empire remained a powerful and influential civilization for many centuries, leaving a lasting legacy in the areas of law, engineering, architecture, and culture. However, the dream's interpretation emphasizes the weakness of the empire and its eventual downfall, which occurred in the 5th century AD with the fall of the Western Roman Empire.