Daniel Nightmares and Dreamscapes ~ Part 1 Chapter 2:1-23

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1 Daniel Nightmares and Dreamscapes ~ Part 1 Chapter 2:1-23 T HE MOST IMPORTANT MESSAGE we re seeing over the coming sessions? God is in control. The specific prophetic aspects of Daniel are not the most important issues of the book. What is important is what Daniel tells us about God and His relationship to His children. The following happened a number of years ago. I checked my answering machine on a regular basis. On this occasion the message I retrieved was an apparent death threat. Though the caller sounded drunk, my immediate reaction was to take it seriously. The reason was, I was dealing with a couple of cases where the husbands just might be capable of doing something dangerous. The question we have to ask ourselves is, how do we respond to the trials of life? Are we thrown into panic? The real issue is, then do we do the only thing we can when life is out of control, or at least appears to be? Well, let s see how Daniel deals with his first death threat. Oh by the way, I wasn t killed! IV Nebuchadnezzar s Dreams Chapters 2-4 A. Dream #1 Chapter 2 1. A Bad Night Verses A Good Answer Verses Introduction: Daniel s situation certainly points out the benefit of a secure government position. One minute you have job security, good pay, and good benefits, and the next minute your boss is threatening to put you to death. Don t tell me civil service is a good deal. The house lights go out and the curtain draws back, revealing the action of our narrative. Chapter one can really be identified as a prologue introducing the heroes of the story: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. These four young Judeans had been taken into captivity. And, unfortunately for them, they were reaping the consequences of the sins of their people. Judah has gone into exile she dwells now among the nations, but finds no resting place; the LORD has afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions (Lamentations 1:3, 5 ESV). The difference between these young men and the Judeans in general was their commitment to God. If the nation as a whole had walked in obedience as these men did, there wouldn t have been an exile.

2 As part of our initial observation of the four, we saw that Daniel was their spokesman. And the first time he spoke out was over the issue of assimilation. The king of Babylon desired to educate these men in the ways of the empire, co-opting them for service. One of the specific ways used was to feed them from the king s table. But Daniel asked for the opportunity to show that the four young men would be better off abstaining from the king s food and living on a simple diet. And after ten days the evidence proved him out. The second test was an exam after three years of studies in the cultural, social and legal aspects of Babylonia. The quartet passed with flying colors, doing better than any of the other graduates. Additionally, Daniel became know as a specialist in dream interpretation. God has unexpected, dare we say convoluted, ways of caring out His will. Joseph and Paul both went to prison. I m sure neither expected the results: ruling a nation; writing a significant portion of the New Testament. Daniel and his friends, while starting off pretty comfortable, were slaves who nevertheless ended up in powerful positions. I suspect these men may have asked, how did we get here? Has God moved in your life in an unexpected way? One more point here. In much of Daniel we see God communicating to people through dreams. This leads to an obvious question. Does He still do this? And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams (Acts 2:17 ESV). Wiersbe notes: Does God still use dreams to communicate His will? Certainly He can do so if He pleases, but this isn t His usual approach. God guides His children today by His Holy Spirit as they pray, seek His face, meditate on His Word, and consult with their spiritual leaders. The danger is that our dreams may not come from the Lord. The human subconscious is capable of producing dreams, and Jeremiah 23:25-32 indicates that demonic forces can cause dreams that are Satan s lies and not God s truth. It s dangerous to accept dreams as messengers from the Lord. 1 I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed! How long shall there be lies in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies, and who prophesy the deceit of their own heart, who think to make my people forget my name by their dreams that they tell one another, even as their fathers forgot my name for Baal? Let the prophet who has a dream tell the dream, but let him who has my word speak my word faithfully. What has straw in common with wheat? declares the LORD. Is not my word like fire, declares the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces? Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, declares the LORD, who steal my words from one another. Behold, I am against the prophets, declares the LORD, who use their tongues and declare, declares the LORD. Behold, I am against those who prophesy lying dreams, declares the LORD, and who tell them and lead my people astray by their 1 Wiersbe, Warren W., The Bible Exposition Commentary, Old Testament, The Prophets, Victor Books, Colorado Springs, CO, 1986, p ) 26 (

3 lies and their recklessness, when I did not send them or charge them. So they do not profit this people at all, declares the Lord (Jeremiah 23:25 32 ESV). 1. A Bad Night: So back to the action The young men all moved into governmental service, though the actual times and dates are a bit clouded. So the first section of the book begins with the king having bad nights. Wiersbe summarizes the situation this way Nebuchadnezzar was in the second year of his reign and discovering the burdens of the kingdom as well as the far-reaching consequences of his decisions. Some of his concerns were causing him restless nights (Eccl. 5:12), and his mind was unsettled as he worried about the future of his kingdom (Dan. 2:29). How long would Babylon the great last? How long would he be the ruler? 2 Does this situation sound familiar? It appears that both Joseph and Daniel were given the ability, empowered by God, to be interpreters of dreams. Jerome notes the similar situations when, speaking of Daniel s situation, he stated We read this same thing in the case of Pharaoh, not because Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar deserved to behold visions but in order that Joseph and Daniel might appear as deserving of preference over all other people because of their gift of interpretation. 3 Of course in the case of Joseph, the dreams had an immediate purpose which benefited Egypt, but its primary purpose was to save his own family and lot more going on here. The reason the dreams troubled Nebuchadnezzar was because of their vividness and intensity. His problem wasn t too much rich food. And since most cultures of the day believed in the importance of dream, the king immediately sent for the government mystics. Archer introduces the dream this way: This remarkable dream, with its disclosure of God s plan for the ages till the final triumph of Christ, was granted Nebuchadnezzar in the second year of his reign (v.1) i.e., between April 603 and March 602 BC 4 Viewing dreams as having great significance wasn t simply superstition. God frequently sent His messages through dreams. This is seen in both the Old and New Testaments. As we already noted, Joseph interpreted dreams for Pharaoh (see Genesis 41). God sent a dream to another Joseph regarding the coming birth of Mary s son. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife (Matthew 1:20 21, 24 ESV). 2 Wiersbe 3 Stevenson, Kenneth and Michael Glerup, eds., Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, Vol. 13, Ezekiel, Daniel, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, Archer, Jr., Gleason L., The Expositor s Bible Commentary, Daniel, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI, ) 27 (

4 God may even choose to speak to Unbelievers, like Nebuchadnezzar for example. Not only were Nebuchadnezzar s dreams vivid but they were extremely troubling, so much so that the king sent for all those who passed themselves off as wise and capable of interpreting them. These included magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers. He probably contacted members of the Babylonian Association of Professional Psychics. In fact it seems the only ones not contacted were Daniel and his friends. And Verses 4-11: The language changes here. We are told in verse 4 these mystics spoke Aramaic. This doesn t mean they started speaking it at this point. But Daniel changes the language of his account from Hebrew to Aramaic. As we already noted the most probable reason for this is the focus of the next group of chapters is on the Gentile nations. Later, when the language returns to Hebrew, while the Gentiles are still the subject, the focus is on their relationship to the Hebrew people. In the first part God speaks to the Gentiles. In the second He speaks to the Jewish people. Anyway, the wise men of Babylon weren t about to put their necks in the noose. They would rather practice only the skill of dream interpretation. So they ask the king for the content of his dreams, but he replies that he doesn t remember. So who were these men? The first word in the series of wise men, magicians, is the same term used in Exodus for the Egyptian magicians who could duplicate some of the plagues and miracles of Moses. It is also used for those called upon by Pharaoh to interpret his dream in the Joseph cycle. Its use here may be influenced by that. A similar word in Akkadian means dream interpreter. Enchanters were religious figures who recited incantations and interpreted omens. Sorcerers practiced magic, sorcery, witchcraft strictly proscribed in Israel. The term rendered astrologers is actually Chaldeans. It initially referred to a group of people in southern Babylonia but came to designate a group of wise men or counselors. 5 So was the king suffering from age-related memory syndrome or did he act in an astute manner? There is some debate over the meaning of the next few verses. One view is that the king forgot the content of the dreams and so he needs not only interpretation but the content. The other position is the king withheld the information so he could test the veracity of any interpretation that was given. Its obvious the king didn t totally trust his advisors. In fact, it appears he may have believed they were self-serving. This being the case, this position seems the best understanding since the dream was so vivid and from God. This also depends on how we understand the Hebrew. The NIV translates the passage, this is what I have firmly decided. The reference isn t to the dream but to the king s edict of judgment. 6 In either case, if these people where using supernatural means to interpret the dream they certainly should have been able to tell the king the content as well. 5 Nelson, William B., Understanding the Bible Commentary Series, Daniel, Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MI, Wiersbe, p ) 28 (

5 Well, this was a fine kettle of fish. They knew they couldn t comply with his request. I suspect the mystics felt like employees of the Psychic Friends Network when they found out the company was in bankruptcy. Interestingly they stated that only the gods could tell the king his dreams. And without realizing it they weren t too far off track. Only God could meet the king s needs, for it was God who sent the dreams in the first place. Ferguson makes an telling point here about Nebuchadnezzar s personality which comes out in this scene. As the narrative unfolds, Nebuchadnezzar s true character is unveiled in his reactions to his situation. His reactions are consistently characterized by a spirit of hostility as well as a sense of insecurity. These two reactions are intimately connected. Nebuchadnezzar is not at peace with the world because he is not at peace in himself. Because this sense of personal peace is absent, he cannot be at peace with or ultimately trust others, not even his closest advisers. This emerges when his counselors ask him to tell them the content of the dream so that they can interpret it. Nebuchadnezzar immediately accuses them of having formed a cabal in the hope of outlasting his death threat. 7 Those who have controlling personalities are generally fearful. They fear all of life, so they have to try to control it. This is the underlying trait of those who are bullies. And this is especially true for those in government, or as Shakespeare put it: Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown Verses 12-16: Well, this didn t sit well with the king. In fact he was irate, so much so that he was ready to put the entire intelligentsia of Babylon to death. And if Daniel and the others thought life wasn t all that bad, suddenly it was about to turn seriously ugly. But something extraordinary was about to take place. When Daniel asked why he was facing death he got the details of the situation from Arioch, the commander of the king s guard. Then he fearlessly approached the king, who must have respected him greatly to allow him to do so. Daniel requested the king would give him a little time and he d tell the king of his dream and interpret it. 2. A Good Answer: The king s men were right about one thing, only the gods, actually the One True God could provide the knowledge to tell the king the details of his dream and interpret it. And so Daniel went to the only place he could go, to God in prayer with the help of his friends. Consider what was at stake. He needed to satisfy the king or they all would die. They needed God s intervention and mercy. Verses 19-23: And God answers. Daniel too has a dream. And in this dream God provides all the information Daniel required. Notice that Daniel doesn t just go to God when in need. He also goes to God to give Him the recognition for what He has done, and for what He is. So Daniel sings a song of praise. The elements included recognition of God: As the God of heaven; As the God of wisdom; As the God of power; 7 Ferguson, Sinclair, Mastering the Old Testament, Vol. 19, Daniel, Word Publishing, Dallas, TX, 1988, p. 52. ) 29 (

6 As the God Who controls nature; As the God Who controls governments As the God Who provides wisdom to whom He pleases As the God Who is the source of revelation And as such He is the God who could and did provide Daniel with what he needed in order to satisfy the king and save the lives of all of Babylon s wise men. Notice that once again unbelievers are blessed by God because of His protection of believers. And as for next time: The stage was now set to show the reality, wisdom, and power of the one true God Yahweh as over against the inarticulate and impotent imaginary gods the magicians worshiped. It is the same general theme that dominates the remainder of the book and serves to remind the Hebrew nation that despite their own failure, collapse, and banishment into exile, the God of Israel remains as omnipotent as he ever was in the days of Moses and that his covenantal love remains as steadfast toward the seed of Abraham as it ever had been. 8 Which by the should be a reminder to those who want to set Israel aside today. God has never and will never abandon her. I ask, then, has God rejected his people? God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean! (Romans 11:1 2, ESV). Conclusion: What Daniel demonstrates in this challenge is a practical approach to life. If we follow His example, it will help us deal with the unexpected, no matter how negative it appears. Daniel certainly seemed to be living by the dictum; God loves me, God is in Control, and God doesn t make mistakes. Daniel s life is at stake here and he knows the only hope for him and his friends is God. That being the case, he doesn t respond by saying: When in danger, when in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout. The call here is a call to prayer. And Daniel s life reflects continual prayer, not just when chaos seems to reign. Our lives should be lives of prayer. When the storms hit, we can remember God s words: call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me (Psalms 50:15 ESV). Whatever God can do faith can do, and whatever faith can do prayer can do when it is offered in faith. An invitation to prayer is, therefore, an invitation to omnipotence, for prayer engages the Omnipotent God and brings Him into our human affairs. ~ A.W. Tozer 9 8 Archer 9 Wiersbe, p ) 30 (

7 Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy. Let me dwell in your tent forever! Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! Selah Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul. I cried to him with my mouth, and high praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me! (Psalms 61:1 4, 66:16 20 ESV) ) 31 (

8 Daniel Nightmares and Dreamscapes ~ Part 1 Chapter 2:1-23 IV Nebuchadnezzar s Dreams Chapters 2-4 A. Dream #1 Chapter 2 1. A Bad Night Verses A Good Answer Verses Introduction: (Lamentations 1:3, 5; Acts 2:17; Jeremiah 23:25 32) 1. A Bad Night: (Matthew 1:20 21, 24) Verses 4-11: Verses 12-16:

9 2. A Good Answer: Verses 19-23: (Romans 11:1 2, 11 12) Conclusion: (Psalms 50:15, 61:1 4, 66:16 20 Personal Application: Considering Daniel as an example, is there anything going on in your life that would benefit from his prayer life? Prayer for the Week: Lord, help me to dare to pray like Daniel. In Jesus name, amen.