Yesterday, we continued our look at the book of Daniel. The main event of chapter 2 is the dream of King Nebuchadnezzar. We didn't go into great detail on the dream itself, looking more closely at the events surrounding the dream. For this to make sense, remember the major theme of Daniel is the sovereignty of God. We have to believe that the events of this chapter are not coincidental. In fact, although the Babylonians are unaware of it they are victims of a gigantic setup. They are celebrating victory over Israel and don't have a clue what God is up to.
To get a running start, let's look at the events that lead up to the dream of the king...
God gives Babylon victory over Israel (1:2)
Some Israelites are selected into a kind of civil service program (1:3-6)
God gives wisdom and understanding to four of the captives that exceeds everyone else (1:17-20)
This is phase one of the setup. God is essentially putting the pieces in play. The captivity of the Israelites is necessary, given their continued disobedience. But even in their captivity, God is still at work. He brings Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah into the king's training program and then uses dinner to put them on the fast track. It is at this time that the king has his dream. Phase 2 is underway.
The king is troubled by a recurring dream and demands an interpretation from his wise men (2:1-3). He is so troubled that he makes an unprecedented request - first tell him what the dream was and then tell him what it means. Of course, they tell him it can't be done. Nobody on earth can do it. According to them, this power belongs to the gods alone "and they do not live among men". As a penalty, the king orders all of the wise men in Babylon to be cut into pieces (2:12). Naturally, the hit squad comes looking for Daniel. It's worth noting that the promotion that our four friends received in chapter one looks more like a curse than a blessing. God gave them wisdom and promoted them and that is going to bring about their death. We need to understand something crucial here. This dream is ultimately from God. The unsettling that Nebuchadnezzar feels in his heart that had led to his paranoia and execution order is from God. The inability of the wise men to answer the king is a limit placed on them by God. Even though things seem out of control from a human perspective, God is firmly in control. Daniel brings phase 2 to a close by going before the king and asking for time to provide the interpretation (time that was denied to his own wise men).
Phase 3 is where God flexes a little. Daniel and his friends seek God for the answer, which he provides to Daniel. It's worth noting again that when Daniel went before the king he didn't have a clue what the answer was. He was working without a net, but trusted that God was in control of the situation. How can I say that? A 16 yr old kid went before the most powerful man in the world with his life on the line and no solution and didn't blink. Even better, when the king asks if he can give him an answer he says "no man...can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, but there is a God in heaven" (2:27-28). Daniel shows boldness and humility. To sum up, in phase 3 God shows his power over the king, shows himself superior to the gods of Babylon, tells what he will bring about in the future (which has been proven correct by our history), uses the occasion to elevate Daniel and his friend to positions of influence, and as a bonus sows in Nebuchadnezzar's mind the seed that will turn into the statue of gold in chapter 3 so he can show himself powerful again.
I'm sorry this is long, but I'll wrap it up here with a thought from the beginning. God is sovereign. No matter what events face you, God is in control. Other people may have input in your circumstances, but God is in control of the outcome. Proverbs 29:18 tells us that God has a vision, a revelation, a living vibrant word, for the direction of your life. It's easy to believe when things break our way, but even when they don't that verse still speaks truth. We can be faithful today because we know that God holds tomorrow.
Here's your turn. What causes you today to take your eyes off of God's tomorrow for you?
A nice reminder for me this week from Daniel via John that God still calls for us to be different in the midst of this culture. Daniel did it at fifteen. I have not been nearly as successful at more than double that age. I am afraid I have been eating from the kings table instead of rejecting what he's offered me and instead eating from God's meal plan. Time to push back from this culture's table and look instead back to God's plan for tomorrow.
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