Last week we ended our study with King Nebuchadnezzar ordering that all of the wise men of Babylon be destroyed. We also said that Daniel and his three friends were considered to be some of the wise men of Babylon and so the order would have pertained to them.
Tonight, we will pick up our study in Daniel 2:14. We are going to look at verses 14-30. In this passage, Daniel intervenes and tries to understand Nebuchadnezzar's dream. Apparently, he was not in the Royal Court when Nebuchadnezzar issued the decree for the execution of all the wise men of Babylon. When the word reached Daniel, he immediately took the necessary steps to do what he could to help the situation.
Read verses 14 and 15.
Daniel learned about the king's decree of execution when Arioch, the commander of the royal guard came to arrest Daniel. So, Daniel questions Arioch, asking why he was being arrested and why the king issued such a harsh decree. After Arioch explained the situation, Daniel requested that the captain get him an appointment to see and talk to Nebuchadnezzar.
Read verses 16 - 18. When Daniel was ushered into the presence of the king, he requested time to ask the Lord for both the content and meaning of his dream. Notice the confidence that Daniel had in the LORD. Without hesitation, he declared that the Lord could do the impossible and reveal the dream as well as its interpretation. Obviously, Nebuchadnezzar held Daniel in the highest esteem, because he granted Daniel's request.
So, Daniel goes home quickly and explains the situation to his three friends so they could join him in seeking the LORD for mercy. This situation was critical. In fact, it was life-threatening. They would be executed unless the LORD had mercy by revealing the dream and delivering them from this decree of execution. Only the LORD's mercy in revealing the dream and its meaning could save their lives. You might have noticed that there is no record that is given of the actual prayer that Daniel and his three friends offered up to God. We can assume that they got straight to the point in asking God to reveal this mystery to them.
Read verse 19. Sometime during the night, the LORD gave Daniel a very special vision of the dream. In answer to the prayers of these four young men, the LORD revealed both the content and the meaning of the dream to Daniel.
Read verses 20 - 23. Even though the prayer to God requesting what this dream was is never recorded, Daniel immediately begins to praise the name of the LORD by declaring that God deserves praise forever and ever. Constant praise to God was due for four reasons. In Daniel's prayer thanking the LORD, he reveals these four reasons.
1. God deserves praise because all wisdom and power belong to the LORD. He is omniscient, which means that he knows all things as well as what to do in every circumstance. The Lord is also omnipotent, possessing all power, which means that he can do anything to accomplish his purposes on earth and to deliver His people through the crises of life.
2. God deserves praise because He controls all events (v. 21). He controls the times and seasons of events, exactly when they take place and how long they last. He alone removes and raises up the rulers of the world. Although the leaders of the world may think that they have secured power and authority by their own efforts, it's the LORD who has given them the ability and right to rule and lead people.
3. God deserves praise because He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He alone reveals deep mysterious things and knows what is in the darkness. He alone dwells in perfect light. So, it is the LORD alone who revealed both the dream and its interpretation to Daniel. Notice how Daniel is claiming that ultimate truth can be found only in the Lord himself, in his Holy Word that he alone reveals.
4. God deserves praise because He had given Daniel superhuman wisdom and power (v. 23). The Lord had revealed and interpreted the King's dream for his servant Daniel. The Lord had given him the wisdom and the power to understand what no human power could ever reveal. The Lord had revealed the actual content and meaning of another person's dreams.
Did you notice Daniel's deep love for the Lord? If this were us, and the dream was revealed, we would have probably ran to Nebuchadnezzar to tell him. Daniel, instead of rushing immediately to Nebuchadnezzar with the content and meaning of his dream, took time, a long time, to praise the Lord.
Filled with deep love and appreciation for the Lord's mercy, Daniel worshiped God despite the life and death threat that hung over his head. In Daniel's mind it was far more important to first worship and praise the Lord than it was to have the king remove the decree of execution.
Read verses 24 - 26. After his prayer of praise and thanksgiving, Daniel immediately appealed to Arioch not to execute the wise men of Babylon. He assured him that he could interpret the King's dream. So, Daniel asks Arioch to take him to see King Nebuchadnezzar. Arioch escorts Daniel into the king's presence and informs Nebuchadnezzar that he had found a man who could reveal and explain the dream. Nebuchadnezzar asked Daniel if this was true. Could he both recall and interpret the dream?
Read verses 27 - 30. This was actually an unusual opportunity for Daniel to witness for God. Notice that he declares that the Lord alone had the knowledge to reveal both the content and the meaning of the king's dream. All of the cultic advisors didn't possess this knowledge. Neither they nor their so-called gods could do such a thing, as it already been proven before the king.
But Daniel stands firm and declares that there is a God in heaven who is able to reveal such mysteries. In fact, the dream of the king had been given by the Lord, this "God in heaven.”
So, Daniel wanted King Nebuchadnezzar to know that it was the Lord that was showing Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the latter days. The Lord was giving the king a dream about coming events while he was sleeping in his bed. The king must keep in mind one important fact: the credit for revealing this mystery of future events belongs to the Lord alone, not Daniel.
Daniel was not wiser than other people. He didn't possess any greater knowledge than any other wise person. It was God himself who alone revealed the content and meaning of the dream for the king. Daniel didn't take any credit for recalling and interpreting this dream. He gave all the credit to the Lord alone. But in this same declaration notice how Daniel declares that all the cultic advisors and their so-called gods were worthless in being able to help Nebuchadnezzar or any other person. He explained to the king that only the Lord himself possess the knowledge and power to truly help people in their understanding of life and in facing the crises of life.
Once again, we are going to stop here for tonight and we will speak specifically of the dream next time. But what can we learn from this passage?
The Bible tells me here that only the Lord can help us when we face hardships, crises, and temptations of life. When any trial confronts us, we need to do exactly what Daniel did. We need to immediately go to the Lord in prayer. That's because when we pour our hearts out to him and seek his help, the Lord promises to come to our aid. No matter what pressure, distress or grief presses in upon us, the Lord will help us through any difficult situation or circumstance.
That thought, once again, is spelled out for us in scripture. Listen as I close with several passages of scripture:
Matthew 7:7-8 - “Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”
Mark 11:24 – “Therefore I tell you, everything you pray and ask for—believe that you have received it and it will be yours.”
John 14:13 – 14 – “Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.”
John 15:7 – “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you.”
John 16:24 – “Until now you have asked for nothing in my name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.”
