God has all the answers (Daniel 2)
Billy Milton - January 18, 2004
Last week we were introduced to Daniel who, along with some other young men, was taken captive from Judah into exile in Babylonia. He and three of his friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had been chosen by King Nebuchadnezzar for the executive leadership training program. If they did well they would become advisors to the king. So the king set them up with a complete training program that included an incredibly rich and wonderful diet.
However, the diet went against the principles held by the four Hebrew captives and so they talked the kings attendant into letting them eat vegetables and drink water instead. And miraculously, they ended up stronger and smarter than everyone on the king’s diet. They dared to be different to the surrounding culture, and God honoured that.
However, all of this success has created a major problem for our four heroes by the time we get to chapter 2. You see, God’s blessing had elevated Daniel and friends into an elite core of advisors to the king and now, along with all the other supposed wise men, their life was under threat because of the king’s inability to remember his dream.
Although most of us here this morning probably don’t put great significance on our dreams, other than as a sort of subconscious commentary on what is already going on in our lives, in large parts of the world the passage we’re looking at today would not be considered far fetched at all. To them what King Nebuchadnezzar did in seeking an interpretation to his dreams was perfectly sensible behaviour. However having just said that we in the west don’t go in for this dream thing very much, there has been an enormous upsurge recently in dreams and their interpretation. Book after book on the subject has been published. Why is this so? Well, despite all our amazing advances people are still really seeking answers to life and its meaning. We, in the local church, have those answers.
Who do you call on when you want guidance for your life? Daniel 2 provides insight on where to go (and where not to go) for help. Here’s what we learn:
1. Beware godless counsel. (Daniel 2:1-9)
As I’ve already mentioned, Daniel 2 records the story of how the dream of King Nebuchadnezzar became a nightmare for his wise men. He called them all together and demanded they interpret his dream. Just one catch - they also had to reveal what the dream was about without any clues from the dreamer!
The king of ancient Babylonia sounds like a lot of people today who are fed up with the empty showmanship of the “experts”;. Many counsellors are “clouds without rain” (Jude 12), who look impressive, but offer no lasting relief to the parched soul. Babylon’s wise men were, for the most part, men who did not know God. They could manipulate information - but in this classic case - they weren’t given any information to manipulate. They made a living deceiving the king and his court by coming up with impressive sounding interpretations of events that seemed to indicate they possessed special wisdom.
It looks like Nebuchadnezzar was tired of being exploited. We can’t blame him for the way he put his advisors to the test. He was tired of people making up stuff to impress him. If they could produce the goods by telling him what he had dreamed, then he would know he could trust their counsel. Maybe you’re like the king in our scripture today. You may be tired of the modern charlatans - you’ll find them in Isis crystals or Magoos pub on psychic night. Did you know that according to a recent study conducted in America by the Roper Organisation for Public Opinion, 7% of Americans admit to changing their behaviour or plans on the basis of an astrology report - 7% represents as many as 12 million adults!
The majority of us wouldn’t fall prey to the salesmanship of the world’s magicians. We’re not superstitious. We don’t even believe in luck. So how do we come under the spell of these worldly counsellors? For one, we all hurt sometimes. And when we hurt the human tendency is to grab the fastest pain reliever advertised. Much of the time those dispensing the pain relief will believe that the Bible is antiquated, incorrect, and irrelevant. It offers no help because it doesn’t coincide with their godless presuppositions. (See 2 Peter 3:3-5)
Learn from a man who had heard it all. King Nebuchadnezzar had experienced the trappings of materialism, pleasure, and intellectual pursuits. He had his fill of worldly philosophies and they left him empty. His heart ached and his head throbbed for someone to help him understand what life was all about and point him in a right direction for the future.
Nebuchadnezzar laid his head on his pillow one night and God gave him a dream that revealed his future and the implications - but he didn’t understand the dream and didn’t want to hear any more psycho-babble. All of his exploits had left him empty inside. He still lacked fulfilment after all he had accomplished as the most powerful man on earth at the time.
What about our future? What are some people going to do when they wake up one day and realise everything they’ve done up to now is meaningless without God? What will our plan of action be when we face the inevitable knock of death on our door? Are we going to get out our science text book and console our self with the laws of physics? Will we get all of our “things” together and bribe the death angel? Will memories of life’s pleasures sustain us then?
Here’s the second guideline to follow when you sense you need help dealing with the future.
2. Look to a resource higher than man. (Daniel 2:10-23)
Our God is big enough to match any challenge. One commentator wrote that you could summarise Daniel as follows, In spite of all present appearances, God is still in control. Folks, do you really believe that? I mean really believe it? Are there circumstances in your life which seem bewildering and overwhelming? Then take heart from Daniel, ŅIn spite of appearances, God is still in control. Remember, a dam is useless without the pressure of water to turn the turbines.
When the king’s wise men heard his request to tell him what he had dreamed their reply was very telling.
“There is not a man on earth who can do what the king asks! No king however great and mighty, has ever asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or astrologer. What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods, and they do not live among men.” (Daniel 2:10-11)
Unwittingly their words set the stage for God’s intervention remarkably well! Other than their polytheism, their response was really quite orthodox. What they said was true. Man IS limited in his ability to help. You see the best of men are but men at the best. The king was so furious at the empty response of his counsellors that he decreed all the wise men of Babylon be put to death. This included Daniel and his friends even though they had not been given an opportunity to reveal the king’s dream.
When Daniel heard about it he he asked the king for more time. Then he returned to his house and gathered his three close friends together to do what? Yip, to pray! The first thing he does is call a prayer meeting to ask for God to penetrate this mystery. One day I’m going to learn that lesson once and for all. Then after praying he went to bed and slept! That’s called faith. During the night the dream was revealed to Daniel in a vision of his own! When he awakes he immediately begins to praise God and ends by saying, “I thank and praise you O God of my fathers; You have given me wisdom and power, You have made known to me what we asked of You, You have made known to us the dream of the king.”(Daniel 2:20-23)
Daniel and his friends looked to a resource that the other wise men did not even consider. The wisdom and power needed for a seemingly impossible challenge comes from God. Prayer is the designated method and praise is the appropriate response when we need and receive help finding our dream. But, is this really credible? Can we actually expect a supernatural source of help? Consider one final guideline from Daniel’s experience to see that this entire episode is not just a fanciful fable.
Remember, when we need help finding our dream we must:
- Beware godless counsel. (Daniel 2:1-9)
- Look to a resource higher than man. (Daniel 2:10-23), but finally…..
3. Trust in God’s Word. (Daniel 2:24-49)
How do we know God’s Word is reliable? Well, Daniel’s reiteration and interpretation of the king’s dream is one of many classic prophetic passages that produce clear and credible evidence that the Bible is more than a man-made artifact! You could conclude that this whole story is fictitious but for one thing - the interpretation of the dream by Daniel predicts solid, historic, world events centuries before they occur! We’re not talking the gibber jabber of a Nostradamus here. We’re talking about God mapping out with incredible accuracy the four dominant world kingdoms from Daniel’s day until the time of Christ.
All of these kingdoms rose and fell just as the Word of God predicted. Many higher critics have tried to discredit the date and authorship of Daniel in order to explain away the amazing accuracy of the prophecy. But their every effort has met with failure. Time will not allow in this setting to explain these evidences in detail. Entire books have been written on the subject and the material is open for scrutiny to any interested inquirers. What we need to focus on right now is this - the help we need is found in God and His Word! Every worldly kingdom will fall, but Christ’s kingdom will last forever.
As Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar, “The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and the interpretation is trustworthy.” (Dan. 2:45b)
Everything God says or does is trustworthy. Let me repeat that - everything God says or does is trustworthy! When we need help finding our dream; when we fear for the future - He is willing and able to help us - just as he helped Daniel help Nebuchadnezzar.