Nebuchadnezzar's Dream of the Great Metallic Image (Daniel 2)
Class Notes
The King's Dream and Daniel's Blessed Communion with his God (Daniel 2:14-30)
Daniel inquires with "counsel (prudence)" and
"wisdom (discretion)" concerning why the hastiness of the king's death decree (Daniel 2:14-15)
Daniel's communication with "Arioch" (Hebrew,
"fierce lion"), the captain of the king's "guard" ("executioners"), was in keeping
with the Lord's command in sending forth His apostles, "be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as
doves" (Matthew 10:16)
The name "Arioch" fittingly first occurs in
reference to the king of "Elissar", i.e. "Assyria" (Genesis 14:1) as one of the overlords of the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 14:2-4)
who crushed their rebellion (Genesis 14:8-11)
God honors Daniel's discerning and respectful approach
to Arioch and inclines this "fierce lion" to "make the thing known to Daniel" (Daniel 2:15)
Daniel petitions the king (most probably thru Arioch)
to grant him time with the assurance that he would show the king the dream and its interpretation (Daniel 2:16)
Daniel doesn't request of Arioch an appearance before
the king until God makes known to him "theking's matter" (Daniel 2:23-24)
Daniel's boldness of faith, "he would show the king
the interpretation" (Daniel 2:16),
stands in sharp contrast to the wise men's fear of unbelief, "none can show it before the king, except the
gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh" (Daniel 2:11)
Daniel shares with his three friends the information he
received from Arioch concerning the king's death decree, so that in prayer together they would petition the merciful
"God of Heaven" to make known "this secret" and have their lives spared (Daniel 2:17-18)
Like Joseph of old their confidence was in God and NOT
in themselves (Genesis 41:15-16)
Likewise any spiritual understanding that we have is FROM
"the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory" (Ephesians 1:17-18)
It's God's desire that His saints (like Daniel and his
three friends) share their burdens together in prayer to Him (II Corinthians 1:11)
God grants the answer to Daniel in the peaceful sleep
of night (Daniel 2:19)
what the wise men vainly sought and labored for during the day (Daniel 2:10)
God delights to do for His own what they cannot do for
themselves, e.g. God made a covenant with Abram concerning his promised seed and promised land "in the same
day" (Genesis 15:18) that He caused "a deep sleep" to fall on him (Genesis 15:12)
Daniel responds to God's revelation of His secret (Daniel 2:19)
with a seven-fold praise of the DivineRevealer (Daniel 2:23):
"He changeth the times and the seasons" (Daniel 2:21)
for it is He Who made the "worlds", i.e. "ages" (Hebrews 1:2)
and they are, therefore, "in His own power" (Acts 1:7)
"He removeth kings and setteth up kings" (Daniel 2:21)
as both Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar found out (Daniel 5:18-28)
"He giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to
them that know understanding" (Daniel 2:21)
as can be seen in Daniel (Ezekiel 28:3 cf. Daniel 2:19)
and in the "wise" of his people at "the time of the end" (Daniel 12:9-10)
"The light dwelleth with Him" (Daniel 2:22)
for it will be His Word of Prophecy which will serve as a "light that shineth in a dark place" till the
return of Christ Who is called the "Day Dawn" and the "Bright and Morning Star" (II Peter 1:19 cf. Revelation 19:10; Revelation 22:16)
Daniel intercedes for the sparing of the wise men of Babylon
(Daniel 2:24)
These wise men of Babylon were magicians, astrologers,
and sorcerers (Daniel 2:12
cf. Daniel 2:2)
No such intercession would have been made for an Israelite
under the Law (Deuteronomy 18:9-12)
However, God's dealing with the nations during the time
that Israel was under the Law was different from that of His people and so Daniel's intercession for these ignorant
Gentiles was in keeping with God's view of them (Acts 17:22-31)
Daniel commands Arioch to "bring me in before the
king" with the assurance that "I will show the king theinterpretation" (Daniel 2:24)
Daniel's confidence of faith before this Gentile
executioner was the same confidence which God enjoined upon His prophets to His rebellious people (Jeremiah 1:4-9; Ezekiel 2:1-6; Ezekiel 3:4-9)
The apostle Paul enjoyed this same confidence of faith
(II Corinthians 4:13) quoting the very Words of his Savior (Psalms 116:10)
Arioch responds to Daniel's assurance by hastening to
the king with these words "I have found a man of the captives of Judah, that will make known unto the king
the interpretation" (Daniel 2:25)
No doubt Arioch's "I" message to the king was
made in hope of a bountiful reward from the king
The king turns to Daniel and inquires of his ability to
make known his dream and its interpretation (Daniel 2:26)
This is a question asked by one who is yet to know that
TRUE wisdom, might, and riches ONLY come from knowing Him Who alone "exercises loving kindness (to the undeserving),
judgment (for the oppressed), righteousness (Messiah's reign) in the earth" (Jeremiah 9:23-24 cf. Jeremiah 23:5-6)
Daniel replies to the king that his wise men cannot reveal
that which ONLY the "God of Heaven" can and will reveal to the king - "what shall be in the latter
days" and, therefore, "what shall come to pass" (Daniel 2:27-29)
Daniel deflects away any would-be bestowed personal honor
by affirmingto the king that this secret wasnot revealed to him, because of him possessing
any more wisdom "than any living" (Daniel 2:30),
i.e. the king's wise men (Daniel 2:27)
Indeed, Daniel associates the act of revealing the king's
secret with his three friends and countrymen (Daniel 2:36
cf. Daniel 2:17-18)
The king's secret is NONE OTHER than the "mystery
of God", which "shall be finished" (Revelation 10:7) when "all these things shall be finished" (Daniel 12:7),
i.e. to "finish the transgression" of His people and to "bring in the everlasting righteousness"
of Messiah's kingdom (Daniel 9:24
cf. Daniel 2:44)