[:en]SCRIPTURE: DANIEL 2
“Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.; He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him. Than and praise you, O God of my fathers; you have made known to me waht we asked of ou, you have made known to us the dream of the king” (Daniel 2:20-23)
“The king said to Daniel, “Surely your God is the God of gods and Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery” (Daniel 2:47)
“Then the king placed Daniel in a high position and lavished many gifts on him. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men. Moreover, at Daniel’s request the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego administrators over the province of Babylon, while Daniel himself remained at the royal court” (Daniel 2:48-49)
NEBUCHADNEZZAR’S DREAM
King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream but he forgot what it was and demanded the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers to tell him what he had dreamed. Since all the wise men of Babylon could not tell and interpret what the king dreamed, a decree was issued to put the wise men to death. When this matter reached Daniel, Daniel went to the king and asked for time so that he might interpret the dream (vs. 1-16)
Daniel asked his 3 friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery so that they and all the wise men in babylon could live. God revealed the mystery to daniel in a vision during the night.
DANIEL INTERPRETS THE DREAM
When Daniel approached the king, the thirst thing he did was to acknowledge that it was the God in heaven who reveals the mysteries. Here is the dream: There was a large statue, the head was made of pure gold, it chest and arms of silver, its belly and thigh of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly or iron and partly of baked clay. A rock struck the statue on its feet of iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were broken to pieces at the same time and became like chaff on a threshing floor. The wind swept them away without leaving an trace But eh rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth. (vs. 31-35)
DREAM INTERPRETATION:
“You, O King, are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory; in your hands he has placed mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds of the air. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold. After you, another kingdom will rise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth. Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron – for as Iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others. Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yt it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay. As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay. In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever” (vs. 36-44)
After hearing the dream’s interpretation, king Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged that God of Daniel is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries (v. 47). Then the king promoted Daniel to a high position and lavished him with many gifts. He made him ruler over all the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men. Daniel requested the king to appoint Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego as administrators over the province of Babylon (v.s 49)
When Daniel explained the dream, he gave the glory to God and shared the credit with his three friends. He was able to save the lives of the king’s wise men.
LESSONS LEARNED FROM DANIEL:
- During times of uncertainties and mystery, plead mercy from the God of heaven.
- Give to God the glory he deserves.
- Share credits with those who help you.
- Be willing to preach the gospel to save the unbelievers.
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