Daniel Chapter 2, Part 1

He sets up kings and deposes them

15^th February 2007

Last week, we looked at Daniel Chapter one, which reminds us of this simple lesson: God honours and prospers those who live with integrity - who do what they believe to be right. This week, we look at Daniel Chapter 2. Having stood strong, and having been vindicated by the Lord, Daniel was rewarded by Him. But if Daniel thought that God's blessing meant he would enjoy a peaceful, easy life, he soon discovered that that's not how it works.

Daniel 2:1-15
In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his mind was troubled and he could not sleep. So the king summoned the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers to tell him what he had dreamed. When they came in and stood before the king, he said to them, "I have had a dream that troubles me and I want to know what it means."
Then the astrologers answered the king in Aramaic, "O king, live for ever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will interpret it."
The king replied to the astrologers, "This is what I have firmly decided: If you do not tell me what my dream was and interpret it, I will have you cut into pieces and your houses turned into piles of rubble. But if you tell me the dream and explain it, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honour. So tell me the dream and interpret it for me."
Once more they replied, "Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will interpret it."
Then the king answered, "I am certain that you are trying to gain time, because you realise that this is what I have firmly decided: If you do not tell me the dream, there is just one penalty for you. You have conspired to tell me misleading and wicked things, hoping the situation will change. So then, tell me the dream, and I will know that you can interpret it for me."
The astrologers answered the king, "There is not a man on earth who can do what the king asks! No king, however great and mighty, has ever asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or astrologer. What the king asks is too difficult. No-one can reveal it to the king except the gods, and they do not live among men."
This made the king so angry and furious that he ordered the execution of all the wise men of Babylon. So the decree was issued to put the wise men to death, and men were sent to look for Daniel and his friends to put them to death.
When Arioch, the commander of the king's guard, had gone out to put to death the wise men of Babylon, Daniel spoke to him with wisdom and tact. >He asked the king's officer, "Why did the king issue such a harsh decree?" Arioch then explained the matter to Daniel.

Remember last week, we noticed that there are a lot of things that the Bible doesn't tell us? Here's another: Why wouldn't Nebuchnezzar tell his magicians what the dream was? Some think it was because he'd forgotten it (but didn't want to admit it). Others think that he remembered the dream, but wanted to test the magicians to see if they could find out what the dream was. We don't know. We do know that the dream was important to him. He was a troubled man. He'd want to be sure the magicians didn't just make something up.

In that culture, magic and science were considered more or less the same thing. The "magicians" had textbooks on the interpretation of dreams. They would normally gather as much data as possible, and use their books to look up the meaning of the dream. This, actually, isn't so very unscientific. There's a reason for everything, and there's a reason (or combination of reasons) why we dream what we dream. And, to the best of their ability, their authors wrote about these reasons. So their response to the king was fair enough - "if you give us the data, we'll look up the answer".

But Nebuchadnezzar wasn't having it! He needed to be certain the interpretation was correct, and he thought that making them tell him what the dream was was the only way he could be sure. The trouble was, no-one could do it!

The magicians and others knew they couldn't know what the king had dreamed. This is the truth, and people who have dabbled in the occult know it - no-one can tell you what's in your heart, no-one knows what you really dream about, what you really care about. No-one can answer the questions you need answering. Whether it's ouija boards, or tea leaves or astral charts, or any kind of new-age mumbo-jumbo, you realise in the end, as Nebuchadnezzar did, that none of it really helps. None of it really gives us any answers to anything. In fact, the same is true of all Earthly wisdom. Whether it be philosophy, or sociology, or psychiatry, or political theory, or psychology - whether it be the thinkers and commentators or opinion-formers of our age, we eventually realise that none of it really answers the questions that keep us awake at night.

But, as we'll see in verse 28, There is a God in Heaven who reveals mysteries. Only He holds the key to our dreams, our desires, our pain, our longing. And - as Christians - we alone get some insight into God's revelation; as Psalm 111:10 and Proverbs 9:10 say, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom". This doesn't mean that we're Christians because we're wise. On the contrary, it means that we begin to be wise when we become Christians.

Nebuchadnezzar was so desperate to know the answer, he promised major penalties for failure and rewards for success. But it was no good, the magicians couldn't do what he wanted, no matter what he promised and threatened.

Nebuchadnezzar lost it. He really was a troubled man. He decided to execute all the wise men in Babylon. And, by this time, Daniel and his friends were considered to be four of these "wise men", and so were also under sentence of death. It was hardly their fault that the king wanted them dead. But God allowed this situation to come about.

Like Daniel, most of have been - or will be - faced with unjust situations - where we're suffering because of something that isn't our fault. There's nothing to gained from blaming God for allowing it to arise - He decided in infinite wisdom to allow it, and we can't stop Him, and it's both illogical and unwise for us to try to judge our Creator. And, in truth, we deserve eternal judgment, so we can't complain too much about temporary problems on Earth.

And most of us have known - or will know - situations where we're aware that if God doesn't help, then we can't fix the problems in our lives.

How should Daniel deal with this situation? Firstly, he acted with wisdom and tact, even in such difficult circumstances. Perhaps the lessons learnt in Chapter one helped him to act with self-control. He didn't rant and rave, he didn't panic, and he didn't give up.

Daniel 2:16-19a
At this, Daniel went in to the king and asked for time, so that he might interpret the dream for him. Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision.

Daniel knew that only God could help. So he asked the king for time, and then he prayed. But he also asked his friends to pray. Daniel and his friends believed that God answers prayer. This was the time they were going to see Him prove it. That night, God answered their prayers. And when that happened, Daniel didn't stop praying, he changed from praying for help to giving thanks:

Daniel 2:19a-23
...Then Daniel praised the God of heaven and said: "Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him. I thank and praise you, O God of my fathers: You have given me wisdom and power, you have made known to me what we asked of you, you have made known to us the dream of the king."

Daniel understood that God is in complete control. Because bad things happen, this idea makes us uncomfortable. But it's true. God is the One who "sets up kings and deposes them". Sometimes, we can see a government (domestic or foreign) as a blessing from God. Sometimes it's easier to see it as a judgment. But, either way, God is working His purposes out. Maybe we can't always see this. But He "gives wisdom to the wise", He "reveals deep and hidden things". If you can't see that His hand is in all things, ask Him to give you wisdom!

But prayer wasn't enough, and thanksgiving wasn't enough. Even faith wasn't enough. Daniel had to trust God that the vision he had received was true - and he had to act accordingly. As we live our lives, depending on His grace and believing in His love and power, we still have to actually do things.

Daniel 2:24-30
Then Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to execute the wise men of Babylon, and said to him, "Do not execute the wise men of Babylon. Take me to the king, and I will interpret his dream for him."
Arioch took Daniel to the king at once and said, "I have found a man among the exiles from Judah who can tell the king what his dream means."
The king asked Daniel (also called Belteshazzar), "Are you able to tell me what I saw in my dream and interpret it?"
Daniel replied, "No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come. Your dream and the visions that passed through your mind as you lay on your bed are these: "As you were lying there, O king, your mind turned to things to come, and the revealer of mysteries showed you what is going to happen. As for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because I have greater wisdom than other living men, but so that you, O king, may know the interpretation and that you may understand what went through your mind.

Standing before Nebuchadnezzar, the most powerful king on Earth, who had absolute authority over life and death throughout the known world at that time, Daniel was respectful but he also respected the King of Kings - he spoke to Nebuchadnezzar about God and His power. He wasn't just there to save his own skin - he was there for his - and our - Lord. God grant us the same integrity!

As for the dream and its interpretation, well, we'll look at that next week.