DANIEL 2
Read Daniel 2:1-49
In Chapter 1 we saw Daniel and his friends as they assimilated into the Babylonian culture into which they had been taken – up to a point. They would do many things to integrate with the society around them but there came a point where they would not go against God’s law. They made a point of honouring God. In this chapter God made a point of honouring Daniel for his faithfulness.
There are similarities with the stories of Joseph in Genesis 41. There Joseph was able to gain the favour of the king by interpreting his dream. Here Daniel had to not only interpret the king’s dream but also tell him what the contents of the dream were. An impossible task, surely! All the king’s magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers were dumbfounded by this task and unable to do it. But Daniel could – not because he was any better than the Babylonians, but because he trusted in the Lord and threw himself upon God’s mercy. He explained the issues to his three friends and urged them to plead for mercy to God (v18) and as they prayed, the Lord revealed all to Daniel. Daniel was able to tell the king what his dream was and what it meant. But he was very clear to give the glory to God (v45) to such an extent that the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, confessed that Daniel’s god is the true God, the God of gods.
And that is the main point of this passage. Daniel did the right thing in acknowledging that the task set by the king was impossible to do humanly speaking. But he knew that nothing is impossible with God, and under the threat of death he did the only thing that he could – to throw himself on the mercy of God. He trusted in the living God and God honoured that trust, and at the same time showed that he is the God who he is the one true God. The so-called gods of all these magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers proved to be no gods at all.
Today we live in a world much like ancient Babylon. People put their trust in all sort of ‘gods’ who are no gods at all. People chase after fame, fortune, careers, drugs, alcohol and all sorts of other things; all things that people think are important and put before God. Daniel explained Nebuchadnezzar’s dream to him and showed that God is the God of history. Other kingdoms will come and go, but ‘the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed . . . but will endure for ever’ (v44).
Thanks to the New Testament we know that kingdom, the Kingdom of Heaven, has been established and we have the confidence from Jesus himself that it will last for ever. Nebuchadnezzar may have been king, but Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords.