LESSON 8 - Daniel Interprets a Dream—Daniel 2

Not all of Daniel is necessarily in chronological order, though the events of chapter 2 do follow the events of chapter 1.

Nebuchadnezzar has a troubling dream. He calls his magicians and astrologers to not only interpret the dream, but to tell him the dream, an impossible task by man’s standards. When they are unable, the king is very angry determines to put all wise men to death. This would have included Daniel and his friends.

Daniel asks his friends to pray to God for mercy, and the dream is revealed to Daniel. He is able to obtain audience with the king and relate both the dream and its meaning.

One reason we call the first six chapters of Daniel “easier” is that it is more understandable. The king’s dream relates to future events, but Daniel’s interpretation explains those events both to the king and to us. His explanation relates well to actual events in history, so it is easy to understand.

Nebuchadnezzar had dreamed of a large and impressive statue made up of different materials. While he was looking at the statue, a large rock struck the statue and destroyed it. Evidence of the statue was gone, but the rock became a mountain that filled the earth.

We like the kind of prophecy found here. Daniel’s explanation is clear. The various parts of the statue represent different dominating world powers that will arise over the course of the 400-500 years. The golden head represents Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian empire. The next world power, represented by the chest and arms of silver was the Medo-Persian kingdom. They gained power while Daniel was still alive. We know from history that the Greeks rose to dominance after that. They were represented by the belly and thighs of bronze. Finally, the Roman Empire came on the scene, represented in the dream by the legs of iron and the feet of iron and clay.

The rock that destroyed the statue represented a kingdom from God that would never be destroyed. That part of the dream led to an important prophetic statement by Daniel (2:44) of the coming kingdom of God. That kingdom was ushered in by Jesus.

The king was so impressed that he bowed before Daniel. Knowing the arrogance and pride of Nebuchadnezzar from other stories in the book, that is remarkable. The king gives praise to God and elevated Daniel to a high position in his royal court.

Daniel’s ability from God to see the rise and fall of world kingdoms is a hallmark of the book. Several chapters in the second half of the book will include this theme. It shows God’s foreknowledge, and that he will influence events to his purposes.

Open

• This incident shows the inability of the king’s court to fulfill his request, while Daniel, with God’s help, could do so. Do Christians have an advantage for understanding world and life events because they have a Christian worldview (a godly perspective)?
• Like the story of Esther, it seems that Daniel was placed in his position “for such a time as this”. He was able to influence some significant events in the Babylonian kingdom and likely made life easier for all of the Jews who had been taken into exile. Is it easy to see God’s part in all of this? What about today? Can we see God working in events to his purposes? How does the Bible help us in this?

Examine

1. The fact that Daniel was able to tell the king about his dream and predict the rise and fall of world kingdoms is a testimony that he was a true prophet of God. How does this help your faith in God?

2. Does Daniel’s prediction of a “kingdom that will never be destroyed” match with your understanding of the kingdom of God that Jesus brought to the world and is shown in the gospels?

3. What do you know of the kingdom of God?

4. Was Nebuchadnezzar’s response to Daniel’s explanation and interpretation of the dream reasonable?

Reflect and Apply
ÿ God’s sovereignty (rule) over the nations is a key theme of Daniel. How do we see God’s sovereignty displayed today? Is it easy or difficult to recognize?
ÿ Daniel’s ability to explain the dream was not automatic; it came after he had requested his friends to pray. What place does prayer have in our lives? Should we assume that God does or does not act in particular situations? Is it right to pray for God to work in a certain way?