Daniel 2
Charles Spurgeon · Citado em PreceptAustin
Daniel 2:1-23
Spurgeon quipped "Ahasuerus is master of one hundred and twenty and seven provinces, but not master of ten minutes’ sleep." Nebuchadnezzar was in a similar state. Torrey's Topic Dreams Visions in sleep -Job 33:15; Daniel 2:28 Often by imaginary Job 20:8; Isaiah 29:8 Excess of business frequently leads to -Ecclesiastes 5:3 God’s will often revealed in -Numbers 12:6; Job 33:15 FALSE PROPHETS Pretended to -Jeremiah 23:25-28; 29:8 Not to be regarded in -Deuteronomy 13:1-3; Jeremiah 27:9 Condemned for pretending to -Jeremiah 23:32 Vanity of trusting to natural Ecclesiastes 5:7 THE ANCIENTS Put great faith in -Judges 7:15 Often perplexed by -Genesis 40:6; 41:8; Job 7:14; Da 2:1; 4:5 Anxious to have, explained -Genesis 40:8; Daniel 2:3 Consulting magicians on -Genesis 41:8; Daniel 2:2-4 God the only interpreter of Genesis 40:8; 41:16; Da 2:27-30; 7:16 MENTIONED IN SCRIPTURE OF Abimelech -Genesis 20:3-7 Jacob -Genesis 28:12; 31:10 Laban -Genesis 31:24 Joseph -Genesis 37:5-9 Pharaoh’s butler and baker -Genesis 40:5-19 Pharaoh -Genesis 41:1-7 Midianite -Judges 7:13-15 Solomon -1 Kings 3:5-15 Nebuchadnezzar -Daniel 2:1,31; 4:5,8 Daniel -Daniel 7:1-28 Joseph -Matthew 1:20,21; 2:13,19,20 Wise men -Matthew 2:11,12 Pilate’s wife -Matthew 27:19 ILLUSTRATIVE OF Prosperity of sinners -Job 20:5-8; Psalms 73:19,20 Impure imaginations -Jude 1:8 Enemies of the church - Isaiah 29:7,8 Daniel 2:2 Then the king gave orders to call in the magicians, the conjurers, the sorcerers and the Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king. Ge 41:8 Ex 7:11 Dt 18:10, 11, 12 Isa 8:19 19:3 Isa 47:12,13 Daniel Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries "Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown!" Related Resources: What does the Bible say about magicians? What does the Bible say about Astrology? Should a Christian Consult Horoscopes? What does the Bible say about divination? Then (expression of time) - When is then? When the king's sleep left him! That strongly suggest that this was sometime in the still of the night or very early morning. In either event the summons for the counselors must have sent a "shock wave" through them! Da 2:27 includes another group "wise men" (a misnomer because the only real wisdom of worth is from God and they lacked divine wisdom) not mentioned in this passage (cp also Da 1:20 2:12, 13, 14, 18, 24, 48; 4:6, 18; 5:7, 8) and presumably a more general designation for the entire cadre of occultists and advisors since this term often is found by itself. Oneiromancy - divination by means of dreams. Wikipedia - Oneiromancy (from the Greek: όνειροϛ, romanized: oneiros, lit. 'dream', and μαντεία, manteia, 'prophecy') is a form of divination based upon dreams, and also uses dreams to predict the future. Oneirogen plants may also be used to produce or enhance dream-like states of consciousness. Occasionally, the dreamer feels as if they are transported to another time or place, and this is offered as evidence they are in fact providing divine information upon their return.[1][2] Call in the magicians, etc. - Note that Daniel and friends are not in this group of prognosticators, even though Daniel had "entered the king's personal service" (Da 1:19) and had been found "ten times better than all the magicians and conjurers who were in all his realm." (Da 1:20). And so Daniel had not yet risen to the place of power and influence in Babylon, but God would soon bring Daniel to "center stage" emphasizing the overriding sovereignty of God in the affairs of man! Magicians (Hebrew = hartom - 10v - Ge 41:8, 24; Ex 7:11, 22; 8:7, 18, 19; 9:11 [Moses caused plagues to come upon Egypt which the magicians could not reverse]; Da 1:20; 2:2) (Babylonian "magicians" = Da 1:20; 2:2 and is related to the corresponding Aramaic word for magicians in Da 2:10, 27; 4:4, 6; 5:11) - Always in the plural and means scribes, writers of hieroglyphics, Egyptian or Babylonian sages, magicians. They practiced the occult, sorcery, and incantations. Baker - These people seem to have had knowledge of astrology or divination and were commonly associated with the magicians of Egypt in Pharaoh’s court. (Complete Word Study Dictionary- Old Testament) Septuagint (LXX) = Greek word for magician = Epaoidos (Ex 7:11, 22; 8:3, 14, 15; Lev 19:31; 20:6, 27; 1Sa 6:2; 2Chr 33:6; Isa 47:9; Da 2:2, 27; 5:7, 8) = one who uses charms or incantations to get what one desires. An enchanter. Conjurers (KJV = Astrologers). This Hebrew word is used only in Da 1:20 and Da 2:2 and because of its limited use has a meaning that can only be determined from these two contextual uses. It describes some variety of occultist but we can say no more. The LXX translates conjurers with the Greek word magos (from Persian "Magus" = great -). Thayer has an interesting note stating that "a magus; the name given by the Babylonians (Chaldeans), Medes, Persians, and others, to the wise men, teachers, priests, physicians, astrologers, seers, interpreters of dreams, augurs, soothsayers, sorcerers etc. (Ed note: As discussed in more detail below, this is the word used in Mt 2:1, 7, 16 for the oriental wise men who discovered by the rising of the star that the Messiah had just been born and came to Jerusalem to worship Him). Magos is also used of false prophets and sorcerers in Acts 13:6, 8." Sorcerers (Hebrew = kashaph - 6 uses = Ex 7:11; 22:18; Dt 18:10; 2Chr 33:6; Da 2:2; Mal 3:5) means to practice magi or sorcery. Properly meant to whisper a spell, i.e. to enchant or practise magic. It is used in context with words exhibiting a similar occult meaning in Dt 18:10 and 2Chr 33:6. The penalty for practicing sorcery in Israel was death (Ex 22:18). King Manasseh became deeply involved with the occult as recorded in 2Chr 33:6 (cp 2Ki 24:3, 4). Given the evil nature of this practice it is amazing that Daniel asked that these and the other wise men not be executed! (Da 2:24) The Hebrew word is translated (Septuagint--LXX) with the Greek noun pharmakos (English = pharmacology) who is defined as "one who prepares and uses drugs for magical purposes or ritual witchcraft" (Friberg - Analytical Lexicon of the Greek NT) and is used in Rev 21:8+ "sorcerers" and Rev 22:15+ (pharmakos - 14x in Scripture = Ex 7:11; 9:11; 22:17; Dt 18:10; Ps 57:6; Mal 3:5; Jer 34:9; Da 2:2, 27; 5:7, 8; Rev 21:8+; Rev 22:15+). The related word pharmakon is used in Rev 9:21+ and another related word pharmakeia [word study] is found in the list of the works of the flesh in Gal 5:20-note. Pharmakon describes the sorcery by which Babylon deceived all the nations (Isa 47:9, 12; Re 18:23+, cp use of the Egyptian sorceries = Ex 7:22+). Tony
Daniel 2:1-23
Spurgeon explained that his power in the pulpit came from saints in a lower room interceding with God in heaven! And in the book of Acts we see the saints praying together lifting "their voices to God with one accord and said, “O Lord, it is Thou who DIDST MAKE THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH AND THE SEA, AND ALL THAT IS IN THEM… And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Thy bond-servants may speak Thy word with all confidence." (Acts 4:24-30). At the end of their prayer offered "with one accord" we see God's answer - "And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and [began] to speak the word of God with boldness (Ed: notice how filling with the Spirit energizes bold speech!)." (Acts 4:31+) In a similar manner, God's answer to the Hebrew's prayer (which was also surely with one accord) was to reveal to Daniel God's plan for the ages, an outline of the history of the world! Little wonder that Daniel was filled with awe and adulation for the God of heaven Who revealed His plan on earth to his humble servant in exile! THOUGHT - Amazing grace indeed! What an amazing God we serve! May God's Spirit raise up prayer meetings like those in Daniel 2 and Acts 4, uniting our hearts in one accord while we still have time. May Spirit filled men and women sense the urgency of these times and cry out "Our souls cleave to the dust. Revive us according to Thy Word." Amen (Ps 119:25). Can I humbly ask - where are the pastors who are calling their flocks to cry out for revival? As an aside is it worth noting that the phrase "with one accord" is the single Greek word homothumadon which literally means one and the same mind and purpose. It is striking and doubtless no coincidence that homothumadon is used almost exclusively in the book of Acts (Acts 1:14, 2:1, 2:46, 4:24, 5:12, 7:57, 8:6, 12:20, 15:25, 18:12, 19:29). Archer - Daniel and his friends know that Yahweh is a God of compassion (Ex 34:6), and they know from the accounts of Joseph’s experience in Egypt that God alone reveals the meanings of dreams (Ge 40:8; 41:16). Thus they have good cause to believe in the power of urgent petition in prayer to God. (Ibid) Request compassion - Daniel had requested the king of Babylon for time and here he and his friends requests the King of heaven for compassion, one of the great characteristics of our God, Who manifests boundless mercy, pity, and love toward His undeserving people. One cannot help but note also the striking contrast of the mercies of God contrasted with the merciless tyrannical decree of death for all the wise men. The wise men could not communicate with their gods, but Daniel and his friends knew they could get in touch with the living God and so they did not panic but instead prayed. A good pattern for saints of all ages to follow. Panic time should be prayer time. Wouldn't you love to have been at this little prayer meeting? Beloved, when you are praying for your life you are really praying with passion and power! (cp the prayer meeting in Acts 12:1-7) Jon Courson has a pithy comment "Nebuchadnezzar took his problems to bed. Daniel took his to God—and what a difference that makes." (Jon Courson's Application Commentary. Thomas Nelson) Note that King Solomon had prayed over 300 years earlier for God to make His chosen people "objects of compassion before those who have taken them captive, that they may have compassion on them" (1Ki 8:50, cp 2Chr 30:9) Could the compassion Daniel and his friends were experiencing in this section be in part an answer to Solomon's ancient prayer? Do we really understand the "timeless" significance of our prayers to the Almighty (cp Rev 5:8-note, Re 8:3-note, Re 8:4-note)? I think not (certainly speaking for myself). Tony Garland in his comments on Rev 5:8 says "The continual cries of God’s elect throughout history are like the fragrance of incense which rises to God (Ps 141:1, 2). “And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?” (Lk 18:7). Malachi spoke of a time when incense would be offered to God, not just in the Temple, but across the entire world. Not just by the priests of Israel, but by all the Gentiles. This offering pictures the global prayer which even now ascends from the saints as a memorial to His throne (Mal. 1:11; Acts 10:4). When on our knees we are contributing to the contents of these bowls. “And who can reckon up the volumes and oceans of such entreaties, which remain to this day unanswered? But, not one of them is lost. They are carefully treasured in golden bowls.” (note) Compassion (Aramaic = Rahamiyn) - Compare the Hebrew cognate (Hebrew = racham) used 42 times in the OT and most refer to God's mercy as in the following references (Ge 43:14 Dt 13:17 2Sa 24:14 1Ki 8:50 1Chr 21:13 2Chr 30:9 Neh1:11 9:19, 27, 28, 31 Ps 25:6 40:11 51:1 69:16 77:9 79:8 103:4 106:46 119:77 119:156 145:9 Isa 54:7 63:7,15 Je 16:5 42:12 Da 9:9,18 Ho 2:19 Zech 1:16). The Psalmist speaks to this episode in Daniel 2 testifying that "He also made them objects of compassion (racham) in the presence of all their captors. (Ps 106:46, cp God's promise to the Jews who remained in Jerusalem after the first deportation [which they refused! Je 43:2!] Jer 42:11, 12) Comment (Spurgeon): Having the hearts of all men in his hands he produced compassion even in heathen bosoms. Even as he found Joseph friends in Egypt, so did he raise up sympathizers for his captive servants. In our very worst condition our God has ways and means for allaying the severity of our sorrows: he can find us helpers among those who have been our oppressors, and he will do so if we be indeed his people. This improved feeling towards the Jews through God's influence appears in Da 1:9; as Joseph similarly had his captivity improved by God's favour (Ge 39:21). So Evil Merodach, King of Babylon, treated kindly Jehoiachin, king of Judah (2Ki 25:27). --A. R. Fausset. Daniel contemporary Jeremiah had this great promise on prayer "Call to Me, and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty (Heb = batsar = to cut off, to fence in, to make inaccessible, like a fortified city; Lxx = ischuros) things, which you do not know. (Jer 33:3) Comment: Note the meaning of "mighty" is inaccessible implying that God is able to reveal that which has formerly been hidden ("inaccessible"). The psalmist records Jehovah's invitation - "Call upon Me in the day of trouble (this was certainly the "day of trouble" for Daniel!); I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me." (Psalms 50:15-note) Daniel and friends followed the instructions that centuries later were given by Paul to the saints at Philippi "Be anxious (command, we can fulfill only by jettisoning self-reliance and relying on the Spirit's enabling power) for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-note, Php 4:7-note) Daniel was a righteous man (Ezekiel 14:14, 20) and so it is not unexpected that their prayers were "energetic" for "The effective (energeo) prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much." (Jas 5:16) God of heaven (literally "of heavens" - some Jews believed in 7 heavens; Paul was transported to the "third heaven" 2Cor 12:2 - heaven 1 and heaven 2 are not specifically identified but probably atmosphere, then stars and planets beyond and finally the abode of God, the third heaven) (This exact phrase in NAS 24x in 23v - Ge 24:3, 7; 2Chr 36:23 = even acknowledged by Cyrus a pagan king!; Ezra 1:2; 5:11, 12; 6:9, 10; 7:12, 21, 23; Neh 1:4, 5; 2:4, 20; Ps 136:26; Da 2:18, 19, 37, 44; Jonah 1:9; Rev 11:13; 16:11) - The Babylonians worshiped the creation and Anu their presumptive "god of heaven" but Daniel's God (and our God) is the only true God of heaven! Walvoord - The reference to “the God of heaven” or literally “of the heavens” is an obvious contrast to the religious superstitions of the Babylonians who worshiped the starry heaven. Daniel’s God was the God of the heavens, not heaven itself. Abraham first used this term in Genesis 24:7, and it is found frequently later in the Bible (Ezra 1:2; 6:10; 7:12, 21; Ne. 1:5; 2:4; Ps. 136:26). (Daniel 2 Nebuchadnezzar’s Vision Of The Great Image) Archer - The name (God of heaven) speaks to God’s transcendence and supremacy over all that is temporal and earthbound. This is why he knows the deep and hidden things and what lies in darkness (Da 2:22). Miller - Yahweh was addressed as “the God of heaven” because the information they needed could only come from heaven, as even the pagan wise men of Babylon acknowledged (cf. Dan 2:10-11)… Daniel also was emphasizing the fact that Yahweh “is the God who is over the heavens, i.e., over the sun, moon and stars which the Babylonians worshiped.” [Young, 65-66] (Daniel New American Commentary, 18 - Stephen B. Miller) Mystery (07328)(raz) is a masculine noun which refers to a secret, in the context of Daniel 2 referring “information or omens so enigmatic or baffling that only revelation from God can make it understandable.” Even Nebuchadnezzar recognized that it was the God of heaven Who alone could reveal mysteries (Da 2:47). Swanson says raz refers to "information or omens so enigmatic or baffling that only revelation from God can make it understandable." Raz - 9x in 8v - Dan 2:18-19, 27-30, 47; 4:9 - all translated mystery - mysteries(3), mystery(6). The Septuagint translates raz with the noun musterion which is a truth never previously known, and a truth which human intellect could never discover, but one which has been made known by divine revelation. In Scripture "mystery" is not something that is impossible or difficult to know but is a truth that once was hidden but is now made known by God. Raz - 9x in 8v - Dan 2:18-19, 27-30, 47; 4:9 (all are translated in Lxx with musterion) So that Daniel and his friends would not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon - Be alert to the phrase So that which always introduces a purpose or result. One purpose of their prayer was for "preservation!" THOUGHT - God is always bigger than your biggest problem. And although it is true He is the God of heaven, we need to remember (especially when we are hit by unexpected tragedy, severe testings, afflictions of various kinds, etc) that our God is a heavenly God Who's ear is ever near His beloved children. Do you believe that? Your answer may be "yes" but the truth is that you real "yes" is not just vocalized but put into practice by pleading with Him for mercy. In those crisis times we need to remember the truth about God. And we need to run to Him, and as we run to Him and as we seek Him, we find our answers… Isaiah 59:1 Behold, the LORD'S hand is not so short that it cannot save; nor is His ear so dull that it cannot hear. Psalm 139:7-note Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. 9 If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, 10 Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me. So when (not "if" but "when") the crisis comes remember these great truths about your God of heaven. It is possible that Daniel was familiar with the Psalms (some mentioned above) and this Psalm The LORD is righteous in all His ways, And kind in all His deeds. The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them. The LORD keeps all who love Him; But all the wicked, He will destroy. (Ps 145:17-20) Comment by Tony
Daniel 2:1-23
Spurgeon - There is no attribute more comforting to His children than that of God’s Sovereignty. Under the most adverse circumstances, in the most severe trials, they believe that Sovereignty has ordained their afflictions, that Sovereignty overrules them, and that Sovereignty will sanctify them all. There is nothing for which the children ought more earnestly to contend than the doctrine of their Master over all creation—the Kingship of God over all the works of His own hands—the Throne of God and His right to sit upon that Throne. On the other hand, there is no doctrine more hated by worldings, no truth of which they have made such a football, as the great, stupendous, but yet most certain doctrine of the Sovereignty of the infinite Jehovah. Men will allow God to be everywhere except on His throne. They will allow Him to be in His workshop to fashion worlds and make stars. They will allow Him to be in His almonry to dispense His alms and bestow His bounties. They will allow Him to sustain the earth and bear up the pillars thereof, or light the lamps of heaven, or rule the waves of the ever-moving ocean; but when God ascends His throne, His creatures then gnash their teeth. And we proclaim an enthroned God, and His right to do as He wills with His own, to dispose of His creatures as He thinks well, without consulting them in the matter; then it is that we are hissed and execrated, and then it is that men turn a deaf ear to us, for God on His throne is not the God they love. But it is God upon the throne that we love to preach. It is God upon His throne whom we trust. (Divine Sovereignty ) Ray Pritchard tells a humorous story related to sovereignty noting that "this is a clarifying doctrine. It teaches us that there is no such thing as luck, chance, fate or coincidence. You can have God or chance, but you can’t have both. When a cowboy applied for health insurance, the agent routinely asked if he had had any accidents during the previous year. The cowboy replied, “No. But I was bitten by a rattlesnake, and a horse kicked me in the ribs. That laid me up for a while.” The agent said, “Weren’t those accidents?” “No,” replied the cowboy, “They did it on purpose.” The cowboy realized that there are no such things as “accidents.” How about you, Christian? Do you believe that some things catch God by surprise? In the words of a good friend, “God is too sovereign to be lucky." (Read Pastor Pritchard's entire message and see also his series of 16 messages on Our Awesome God) (See also list of sermons by Dr Pritchard and the excellent messages of Pastor Brian Bill that relate to God's sovereignty) Gleason Archer adds that "God determines when in history events are to take place and how long each process or phase in history is to endure. Thus Yahweh not only decreed the fall and destruction of Jerusalem in 587 B.C.—an event future for Daniel in 602 B.C.—but also the exact number of years the captivity would last (cf. Da 9:2). The rulers of earth may imagine they have attained power by their own might, but it is only by God's choice that they are permitted their transient authority. At any time he may remove them from their thrones and set up others in their place (Da 2:21a). He removes kings and establishes kings (Job 12:18, Ps 75:6,7) - In this way God orders history, through His removal and establishment of world rulers. Nebuchadnezzar's dream and interpretation give clear testimony to God's sovereign control over kings and kingdoms. See one such removal in Daniel 4 in reference to King Nebuchadnezzar (Da 4:17, 32, cp God's tearing the Kingdom from Solomon in 931BC - 1Ki 11:11-14) And He even controls kings once they are established (Pr 21:1) without jeopardizing their free will or negating their personal responsibility (accountability) for their decisions! Oh, what a marvelous mystery! Nebuchadnezzar has taken God's people into captivity, but only because God wanted to purify His people. This verse says that no king, no dictator, no president, etc, is a self-made man. God had raised Nebuchadnezzar up to be used during this 70 year period of disciplining (even though Nebuchadnezzar reigned only about the first 43 years) (cp God's declaration "Nebuchadnezzar… My servant" to utterly destroy Judah and Jerusalem - Jer 25:9, 27:6, 43:10) Gives wisdom to wise men - On one hand this is a pithy pun, for the pagan "wise men" had failed to receive divine wisdom and were unable to address the king's request. On the other hand Daniel acknowledges from Whom his wisdom is derived (Da 1:17 "God gave them… wisdom"). Daniel comments on man’s complete dependence upon God for wisdom from above (Da 2:30). Delitzsch adds that Daniel's "doxology now assumes special reference to Daniel’s own case. As Joseph ascribed his skill in interpreting dreams to God (Ge 40:8, 41:16), so Daniel acknowledges that He is the source of wisdom to those who possess it." God's sovereignty overrules every calamity. Let's take a brief look at His sovereignty over historical events. Did you know that two great leaders, Prime Minister Winston Churchill and President Franklin Roosevelt, almost died before the World War II began? In December 1931, Churchill was struck by a car as he crossed Fifth Avenue in New York City. In Miami in December 1933, an assassin's bullet barely missed Roosevelt and killed the man standing beside him. Both leaders survived and contributed mightily to the defeat of Hitler. Why did they survive to lead their nations in this time of crisis? Because God was in control back then and He is still in control. God is sovereign over nations causing their leaders to rise and to fall (Da 2:21; 4:32, 33, 34, 35; 5:21). The prophet Habakkuk complained that it didn't seem right for God to use wicked Babylon to discipline Israel, but God assured him that this did not mean evil would triumph. God was in control and would one day bring about perfect justice "Is it not indeed from the LORD of hosts That peoples toil for fire, And nations grow weary for nothing? For the earth will be filled With the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, As the waters cover the sea. (Hab 2:13, 14). This Is My Father’s World Oh, let me ne'er forget That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the Ruler yet. --M D Babcock God Still Rules - As the year 1999 came to a close, great leaders of the century were remembered, including Prime Minister Winston Churchill and President Franklin Roosevelt. During World War II, they led Great Britain and the United States to defeat Nazism and Fascism. Did you know that both men nearly lost their lives before the war began? In December 1931, Churchill was struck by a car as he crossed Fifth Avenue in New York City. In Miami in December 1933, an assassin's bullet barely missed Roosevelt and killed the man standing beside him. Both leaders could have died, but they survived. Why? I believe God wanted these two men alive to lead their respective nations to victory over the enemy. The Bible teaches that God causes nations and their leaders to rise and fall (Da 2:21; 4:32, 33, 34, 35; 5:21). When Habakkuk complained that it didn't seem right for God to use wicked Babylon to discipline Israel, the Lord assured the prophet that this did not mean evil would triumph. God was still in control and would one day bring about perfect justice (Habakkuk 2:13, 14). This is my Father's world— Oh, let me ne'er forget That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the Ruler yet. —Babcock God's sovereignty overrules any calamity. God Moves In A Mysterious Way William Cowper God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform; He plants His footsteps in the sea And rides upon the storm. Deep in unfathomable mines Of never failing skill He treasures up His bright designs And works His sovereign will. Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take; The clouds ye so much dread Are big with mercy and shall break In blessings on your head. Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, But trust Him for His grace; Behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face. Behind The Throne - Herbert Vander Lugt - During my lifetime I have seen evil men rise to political and military power, make colossal blunders, and pass off the scene. Even good leaders leave a record that includes mistakes and weaknesses. The first chapter of Esther shows us the pride of King Ahasuerus, head of the mighty Persian Empire. He hosted an elaborate festival designed to display his riches and splendor. After 7 days of partying, the king gave orders to his servants to bring Vashti, his queen, before the revelers so they could see her great beauty. But Queen Vashti refused to come, humiliating the great king of Persia (Esther 1:12-18-note). Ahasuerus was furious and sought counsel from the wise men of his kingdom. They advised him to remove Vashti as queen and “give her royal position to another who is better than she” (v.19). God used these unusual events to place a Jewish girl in a strategic position to preserve His people from destruction. We comprehend Him not, Yet earth and heaven tell, God sits as sovereign on the throne, And ruleth all things well. —Gerhardt The most powerful ruler is but a pawn in the hand of the King of kings. Daniel 2:22 "It is He who reveals the profound and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him. ( reveals: Da 2:11,28,29 Ge 37:5, 6, 7, 8, 9 41:16,25, 26, 27, 28 Job 12:22 Ps 25:14 Isa 41:22,26 42:9 Mt 13:13 Ro 16:25,26 1Co 2:9, 10, 11 Eph 3:5 knows: Job 26:6 Ps 139:11,12 Jer 23:24 Lk 12:2,3 Jn 21:17 1Co 4:5 Heb 4:13 and the: Da 5:11,14 Ps 36:9 104:2 Jn 1:9 8:12 12:45,46 1Ti 6:16 Jas 1:17 1Jn 1:5 Daniel Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries He who reveals (Lxx = apokalupto/apokalypto) - As discussed above (click) mystery (Lxx = musterion) in Scripture is truth previously hidden and which is revealed by God alone to those to whom He chooses to reveal it. There is no other way for man to know about the future except through a revelation from God (Da 2:19). Job 12:22 “He reveals mysteries from the darkness, and brings the deep darkness into light." Amos records that "Surely the Lord God does nothing Unless He reveals His secret counsel To His servants the prophets. (Amos 3:7, cp Isa 44:7-8, 2Ti 2:21 Daniel was a vessel for honor "prepared for every good work") In Isaiah we read "Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: 'I am the first and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me. 'Who is like Me? Let him proclaim and declare it; Yes, let him recount it to Me in order, From the time that I established the ancient nation. And let them declare to them the things that are coming And the events that are going to take place. (Isaiah 44:6, 7, cp Isa 41:22,26 42:9) We could not comprehend the Scriptures unless God had chosen to reveal the profound truths in them to us - "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. But a natural man (unbeliever) does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. (1Cor 2:12, 13, 14) Peter gives us the NT perspective on God's revelation of the profound and hidden things to Daniel - But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation (not saying one cannot interpret prophecy but that the prophecy is not a matter of "self" revelation but Spirit revelation as the following context clearly teaches), for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. (2Peter 1:20, 21-note) Profound (05994)(amiyq) is "an Aramaic adjective meaning profound, deep (Ed: Spatially speaking but not used with this sense in Scripture). It means deep in a physical sense, as a deep valley. It is used (Ed: only here in the Bible) in a figurative sense of the type of things God reveals, deep things that only He knows." (Baker) The Lxx [TH] translates amiyq with the adjective batheos which is used in Rev 2:24 (note) of the "deep things of Satan." Batheos literally speaks of something deep spatially (well in Jn 4:11), and then comes to refer to an extreme degree of anything (such as when Eutychus was "sinking into a deep sleep" while Paul was speaking - Acts 20:9)
Daniel 2:24-49
Spurgeon says "For so bright a consummation our heart yearns daily, and we cry Amen, and Amen." John Walvoord addresses those interpretations that see the kingdom (stone) that fills the whole earth as a spiritual kingdom, not a literal Millennial Kingdom - "Postmillenniarian and some amillennarian interpreters regard the stone as representing Jesus Christ in His first coming Who, by introducing the Christian Gospel, assured the ultimate victory of the saints over the evil powers of Gentile political rule. In amillenarianism this is fulfilled in the Second Coming of Christ and the eternal state. In postmillennialism it is consummated in the thousand-year glorious period of spiritual triumph, which they view as culminating in the Second Coming of Christ. Both the amillennial and postmillennial interpretations, of course, require considerable spiritualization (See "Rise of Allegorical Interpretation). Nothing is more clear from history than that the Roman Empire fell apart from internal decay and from invasion of Barbarian hosts from the north rather than from Christian influences. There is little evidence that the church as such constituted any decisive factor in the downfall of the Roman Empire, and it is certainly not true that the church grew and filled the whole earth as the imagery of the interpretation requires. This interpretation, therefore, requires considerable imagination and elasticity and a non-literal interpretation of the prophecy." (The Prophecy of The Ten-Nation Confederacy - online at Walvoord.com) (Bolding and italics added) As an aside, a few commentaries (Montgomery) identify the Stone as the Church, but that interpretation simply makes no sense in the overall context of the prophecy. Yes, Jesus did say "upon this rock I will build My church," (Mt 16:18) but to use that passage to validate this interpretation is not using good hermeneutical principles. I love the way Isaac Watts phrases this in his great hymn "Jesus Shall Reign". Take a moment and sing to the King of kings - let us practice today what will be our forever privilege in that new eternal day! Jesus shall reign where’er the sun Does his successive journeys run; His kingdom stretch from shore to shore, Till moons shall wax and wane no more. (Click for tune and all 14 [!!] glorious verses) Daniel 2:36 "This was the dream; now we will tell its interpretation before the king. Da 2:23,24 THE INTERPRETATION OF THE DREAM This was the dream - Daniel is demonstrative not interrogative! He does not ask meekly "Was that the dream you had?" He boldly declared that it was the dream. When you have God's Word of truth on a subject, you can be fearless and boldly declare the truth as did Daniel. This is another reason we have to be continually in the Word, that it might get into us, into our mind and heart, and then what comes out of our mouths will be what fills our heart. Now we will tell its interpretation - Why "we?" The best suggestion (Leupold) is that this represents an "editorial plural" which would convey a tone of humility, something Daniel has already clearly manifested. Note that the king has remained totally silent as Daniel described the king's dream. Had Daniel missed one detail, the king would have interrupted (or even worse) but he did not utter one objection as far as we can discern. Thus clearly Daniel declared the king's dream to perfection, because he had received a perfect divine revelation. Interpretation (06591)(peshar from Aramaic verb peshar = to interpret) means the act of expounding or unfolding what is not understood or not obvious, such as a prophecy. Interpretation can also mean the explanation of unintelligible words in language that is intelligible (e.g., the writing on the wall - Da 5:7-8, 12, 15-17, 26). Most uses of peshar depict Daniel as the "interpreter" (obviously with divine enablement), but in Da 7:16 the prophet approached a supernatural being requesting interpretation. Peshar - 30x in 26v - Da 2:4-7, 9, 16, 24-26, 30, 36, 45; 4:6-7, 9, 18-19, 24; 5:7-8, 12, 15-17, 26; Da 7:16 Donald Campbell tells a story of a modern day "Daniel", Billy Graham - In the early days of Dr. Billy Graham's evangelistic ministry, he held a series of meetings in the Dallas Cotton Bowl. As the services came to a climax, the challenge was to fill the 70,000 seat stadium for a final Sunday evening service. The word was out that certain gambling elements were betting it couldn't be done, but on the last night a cheer went up from the crowd as the last seat was taken. A well-known columnist for the Dallas Morning News devoted an entire column the next week to the event. He posed the question, "How can a young man without a semi-education draw such a crowd of people when some of highly educated and robed downtown ministers preach to half-filled churches on Sunday mornings?" Answering his own question, the columnist said, "It's because Billy Graham preaches what the Bible says. He has a note of authority in his message—a 'thus saith the Lord." And so did Daniel! (Borrow Daniel Decoder of Dreams - aka God's Man in a Secular Society page 22) THE DREAM DECRYPTION! NLT Study Bible note - Hippolytus (170-236AD), one of the early church fathers, identified the four kingdoms as Babylonia, Media-Persia, Greece, and Rome. The church father and historian Eusebius of Caesarea (260-340AD) initially identified the first kingdom as Assyria (which once also controlled Babylon), but he later agreed with Hippolytus, as did most of the church fathers. Later, Jerome and Augustine accepted this same understanding, and conservative interpreters largely still agree. (Borrow NLT Study Bible page 1394) ESV Study Bible - Traditional commentators through the history of the church have almost universally identified the four kingdoms as Babylon, Medo-Persia (established by Cyrus in 539 B.C.; specifically named in 8:20), Greece (under Alexander the Great, about 331; specifically named in 8:21), and Rome (the Roman Empire began its rule over Palestine in 63). Those scholars, however, who assume that Daniel’s detailed visions cannot be predictive prophecies, but had to have been written after the events they claim to “predict,” hold that Daniel was written not in the sixth century B.C. but in the second century, in the Maccabean period. Under this scheme the fourth kingdom cannot be the Roman Empire, which did not yet exist at that time. So they propose various other identifications for the kingdoms, such as (1) Babylon, (2) Media, (3) Persia, and (4) Greece; however, Media was never an independent world power after Babylon fell to Cyrus in 539 B.C. (it was also ruled by Cyrus). (Borrow The ESV Study Bible page 1590) Broken Statues - In Moscow stands the New Tretyakov Gallery, a museum that displays art and artifacts from the days of the former Soviet Union. Scattered along the banks of the Moscow River near the museum are statues of once-powerful leaders that have been smashed and disfigured. Images of Stalin and Lenin have their noses knocked off and their heads separated from their bodies. These gloomy scenes bring to mind the dream of King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 2. He saw a statue with a glorious head of gold, a chest and arms of silver, a torso of bronze, legs of iron, and feet of iron and clay (Da 2:31-33). It portrayed the succession of four great ruling nations of the world. From history we know they were Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. Then a stone "cut out of the mountain without hands" (Da 2:45) rolled down (Ed: That is actually not a correct statement -- it is not said to "roll down.") and smashed the statue to smithereens. This pictured God's judgment of those four kingdoms and His supremacy over all the earth. Now evil prospers, falsehood reigns, And darkness dims the light; But soon the day will come when Christ Returns to set things right. —Sper Nations rise and fall, but Christ's kingdom stands forever. Daniel 2:37 "You, O king, are the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the strength and the glory; king: 1Ki 4:24 Ezra 7:12 Isa 10:8 47:5 Jer 27:6,7 Eze 26:7 Ho 8:10 Rev 1:5 17:14 the God: Da 4:25,32 5:18 2Ch 36:23 Ezra 1:2 Pr 8:15 Jer 28:14 Rev 19:16 power: Da 4:3,34 Ps 62:11 Mt 6:13 Jn 19:11 Rev 4:11, 5:12 NEBUCHADNEZZAR "KING OF KINGS" You O king - Ponder this (1) God raised up this tyrannical pagan king to chasten rebellious Judah (2) Babylon was in power only about 70 years, the same time during which Israel (Judah) was disciplined (3) God used this pagan king to present His prophetic plan for the ages. King of kings (6x in Scripture - Ezra 7:12, Ezek 26:7 [Ezek 26:7 For thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I will bring upon Tyre from the north Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, king of kings, with horses, chariots, cavalry, and a great army.] It is interesting that this title is ascribed to Nebuchadnezzar by Daniel's fellow exile Ezekiel!, Da 2:27, 1Ti 6:15, Re 17:14-note, Re 19:16-note) - The idea of the repetition of king is the supreme king among kings. As earthly kings go, Nebuchadnezzar was indeed the supreme example of a human king (NB: Artaxerxes referred to himself as "king of kings" but here in Da 2:37 the declaration is by Daniel, God's prophet). Nebuchadnezzar the earthly, human king of kings is no match for the incomparable King of kings, (Re 17:14-note, Re 19:16-note) the Lord Jesus Christ, Who comes on the scene after the city of Babylon has been finally and forever destroyed (Rev 18:21). To the eternal King of kings may praises forever sound forth "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing." (Rev 5:12-note)