THE DREAM WEAVER DANIEL CHAPTER TWO Presented Live on January 24, 2016

Transcription

1 THE DREAM WEAVER DANIEL CHAPTER TWO Presented Live on January 24, 2016 I. Introduction and Review A. Chapter 1 introduced us to Nebuchadnezzar's plan for his captives and his plan for indoctrinating them into Babylonian culture, religion and politics. B. We learned in Chapter 1 that when the issue is obedience in the "little things" that the question of holiness is squarely put before the believer, for holiness is measured by the little things. C. We also learned that God wants us to live uncompromising lives, which means: 1. You speak and act with an unashamed boldness. 2. You are confident of an unearthly protection. 3 You carry on with an unhindered persistence. 4. You choose to adopt an uncommon standard. 5. Your outlook on life is controlled by an unblemished faith. 6. You are not unprepared for testing to come your way. 7. You become the recipient of unlimited blessing. 8. You will have an immeasurable influence. Page 1 of 8

2 D. The divine right of kings 1. The concept is a political and religious doctrine of royal and political legitimacy. It asserts that a monarch is subject to no earthly authority, deriving his right to rule directly from the will of God. 2. The origin and growth of that concept 3. For God s concept of the divine right of kings see: Jer. 27:4-8 a. Jeremiah 27:4-8 Command them to go to their masters, saying, Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, thus you shall say to your masters, 5 I have made the earth, the men and the beasts which are on the face of the earth by My great power and by My outstretched arm, and I will give it to the one who is pleasing in My sight. 6 Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, My servant, and I have given him also the wild animals of the field to serve him. 7 "All the nations shall serve him and his son and his grandson until the time of his own land comes; then many nations and great kings will make him their servant. 8 It will be, that the nation or the kingdom which will not serve him, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and which will not put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, I will punish that nation with the sword, with famine and with pestilence, declares the LORD, until I have destroyed it by his hand. 4. Why was Nebuchadnezzar chosen to receive this dream? a. Why no Daniel? b. Could it be that God had chosen Nebuchadnezzar for some very special things c. But this dream would also disclose to him that his Page 2 of 8

3 II. greatness was not the result of his own ability apart from God and that the glories of the empire he had built would pass away one day E. The Dream Weaver 1. Humans have little to no control over their dreams, or responsibility for what they dream 2. But God can and does design, create and install dreams into the minds of members of the human race as He chooses 3. Examples: a. Jacob - Gen. 28:10-15 {ladder into heaven} b. Joseph - Gen. 37:5-11 {the sheaves of wheat and then the stars} c. The dreams of Pharaoh's cupbearer and baker - Gen. 40 d. Pharaoh s dream of the years of good and lean years - Gen. 41 e. Solomon s dream when God offered to bless him however Solomon chose - I Kg. 3:5-15 f. Joseph s dream when God told him the Messiah was in Mary s womb - Matt. 1:20-24 When did the events of Chapter 2 occur is there a problem? A. If Daniel and his friends did as well as Chapter 1 indicates (1:17-20), why were they excluded from the presentation of the interpretation request? (2:12-16) B. Babylonian record keeping - the years of a king. 1. The ascension year - from the time the new king was crowned to the end of the then-current calendar year (month of Adar [Feb.-Mar.]). 2. The first year of the king was the first full calendar year and so forth. C. Nebuchadnezzar's timetable. 1. Nebuchadnezzar invaded Judah in early 605 B.C. Page 3 of 8

4 III. 2. Nebuchadnezzar ascended the throne in the month of Tishri (Sep.) 605 B.C., and his ascension year ended in the month of Adar 604 B.C. 3. The first year of his reign would have ended in Adar 603 B.C. 4. The second year of his reign would have commenced in Nisan 603 B.C., and ended in Adar 602 B.C. D. Daniel's training. 1. Daniel was taken captive between July and Sep. 605 B.C. 2. His training would have most probably commenced in Tishri 605 B.C. 3. It would have been completed in Elul or Tishri of 602 B.C. E. Daniel had probably not completed his training at the time the events of Chapter 2 occurred. Exegesis and Commentary on Passage. Dream Paranoia A. Dream Paranoia - vs. 1, 3 1. The dreams affected the King so much he couldn't sleep. a. Troubled ~[;P' pa`am {paw-am'} Meaning: 1) to thrust, impel, push, beat persistently b. Left hy"h' hayah {haw-yaw} Meaning: 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to occur, come to pass, be done, be brought about 1b2) to be done, be finished, be gone 2. Probably it was the same dream, or maybe some small variations or additions, that was recurrent. 3. Personal peace and security cannot be derived from power, wealth, glory, or achievement. 4. The king believed this dream was important to him or to his destiny. (1:3) B. The State Department (The King's Advisors). (vs. 2-3) 1. ~jor>x; chartom {khar-tome'} - Magicians - those involved in various forms of divination, especially dream interpretation. 'ashshaph {ash-shawf'} - Enchanters - those skilled at Page 4 of 8

5 performing incantations, especially in relation to healing. kashaph {kaw-shaf'} - Sorcerers - skilled in the practice of sorcery or witchcraft. 4. ydif.k; Kasdiy {kas-dee'} - Chaldeans - a Babylonian priest cast - wise men or caretakers of Babylonian mystery religions C. Don't trust the state department. (vs. 4-5) 1. King didn't trust them. [vs.9] 2. Command is firm - The decree has been made and cannot be changed. a. Some scholars believe this passage or phrase should be translated: the word has gone from me. b. They take that to mean that the dream has been forgotten by Nebuchadnezzar c. Unlikely, because he indicates the reason for not telling them is a lack of trust in his state department d. Moreover, if he didn t trust them and he had forgotten the dream, he would not have told them that. 3. Nebuchadnezzar hadn't forgotten the dream, he just decided that if they had the ability to give him an accurate interpretation, they could also tell him the dream itself. 4. Manure pile or outhouse D. Past attempts to manipulate Vs The king promises a reward if anyone can succeed in what he had demanded 2. It may be that they had interpreted dreams before and had not been very accurate, or that he thought they were using him or manipulating him. E. The Set Up. (vs ) 1. The response of the bureaucrats. a. No human can do that. b. There is no precedent for such a request. Page 5 of 8

6 c. Only God can do this. d. Unwittingly they have set Nebuchadnezzar up, just as God wanted him. F. A View of the King. (vs ) 1. Why did the King react so strongly? Great men, who are nonbelievers, are usually unhappy and/or unsatisfied. 2. The things normal men want (because they think these things will make them happy), great men already have and yet they're still unhappy. 3. These men seek a place in history, "their glorious destiny". 4. Nebuchadnezzar may have associated the dream with his destiny. G. It's not what you know, but who you know. (vs ) 1. Clearly Daniel did not know what was going on when they came to arrest him 2. How did Daniel respond to the news of his impending death once he learned of it? (calm, no panic). 3. Why? (He knew the Prince of Peace ) a. Had Daniel compromised on spiritual issues or values? b. If not, then he had an unearthly protection 4. In going in to the king what did Daniel exhibit? 5. At the time of Daniel's first talk with the King, did he know the dream or its interpretation? (Daniel didn't know the dream, but he knew the Dream Weaver) 6. Why did the King give Daniel time, when he wouldn't the others? H. The First Resort. (vs a) 1. What did Daniel do? a. What would you have done? b. How many friends do you have who you could count on to join you in this kind of prayer and supplication, Page 6 of 8

7 like these three joined Daniel? c. Can you see that Daniel believed in united prayer 2. Then what happened? 3. After being answered, what did he do? I. Prayer of Thanksgiving. vs. 19b Memorize. IV. Application. A. Man's inability is God's opportunity. 1. This dream was God's way of providing Himself with an introduction to Nebuchadnezzar. 2. Nebuchadnezzar was given the opportunity to compare human wisdom and understanding to divine, and found that there was no comparison. 3. God's work is best displayed in the setting of a humanly impossible predicament. 4. God could use Daniel in this circumstance, because Daniel was prepared. Daniel's mind was saturated with Scripture (memorize and meditate). 5. How do you know that? That preparation was evidenced by his actions and his prayer. 6. God always has a man ready for the crisis, God spends the intervening time building character and godliness into that man (e.g. Moses, Samuel, Elijah and Paul) B. A crisis always provides the best opportunity to display the godly character in a charismatic way. (Elijah) 1. Stability under pressure draws the world. 2. Daniel did not panic, because he was in fellowship with the Master. 3. The knowledge of God, His nature, and His promises strengthens our faith and provides us with confidence. C. The two keys for facing calamity with stability and self control. 1. Prayer (a man of God is man of prayer) Page 7 of 8

8 2. Fellowship (Christian friends are indispensable in a time of trouble) 3. E.g. Peter in prison V. Who are your: A. Hananiah B. Mishael C. Azariah and/or Believer s Bible Class, & Douglas W. Brady Page 8 of 8