Daniel #02: an exposition of Daniel 2:1-49. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, January 27, 2013.
Intro:
Are you a dreamer? I don’t mean a visionary or trailblazing pioneer. I mean do you dream at night? Do you ever have one those disturbing dreams? The one where you are do to graduate and realize that you have one class you’ve not gone to all semester? Panic sets in. “Maybe the teacher will cut you some slack.” “Maybe you can pass the final exam.” I’ve had that one more than once and I always wake up in a panic. The worst is my reoccurring dream of getting up to preach and realizing I’m in my underwear! You don’t have to be a prophet to figure that one out. I feel inadequate for the job, plain and simple. He was the most powerful man on earth. His lust for power had driven him to greater and greater heights. His armies covered the earth like a plague. Nation after nation fell before his superior might. At the height of his power he had a dream. A dream that terrified him. A dream that stripped away his mask of invisibility and revealed him to be petty and insecure. He called in the wise men, the magicians and the astrologers and demanded an interpretation of his dream. Either they would tell him the dream and its interpretation or they would all die. He did eventually get his interpretation. But it came as some good news mixed with bad news. He learned some things he wished he hadn’t and he was told some things he didn’t want to hear. The whole experience has been recorded for us and proves to be enlightening for all. Our text this morning is found in the second chapter of Daniel.
Text: Daniel 2:1-49
- Daniel and his three friends were among the first exiles taken from Jerusalem to Babylon.
- They were taken because they were of the best and brightest of the land.
- They were being groomed for service in the Babylonian court.
- Daniel and his friends distinguished themselves through their uncompromising faith.
- That story is told in the first chapter of Daniel.
- Chapter 2 is still early in the captivity.
- Daniel is still in his teens and is rising in power when the dream occurs.
- Once again Daniel’s faithfulness to God will propel him to greater heights.
- There is one technical note in this text I need to call to your attention. Look at verse 4. We read, “…the Chaldeans said to the king in Aramaic…”
- Daniel 2:4-7:28 is written in Aramaic.
- For the most part the Old Testament is written in Hebrew and the New Testament in Greek.
- There are passages however that are in Aramaic, this being the largest.
- Aramaic was the “universal” language at that time.
- Daniel 2-7 tell of God’s dealings with the Babylonians and succeeding kingdoms.
- Thus it is written for the widest possible audience!
- Written in the language of the people so that the people would understand.
The dominant note throughout the book is the sovereignty of God. God is in control of all things. History is moving toward a predetermined end. The prophecies contain in this chapter are so accurate, liberal scholars insist it had to have been written much later. After the fact as an explanation for what happened not before as a prophecy of what would come to pass!
One of the great things about this passage is that God reveals his sovereign purpose not through visions given to holy men but through a dream given to a pagan ruler bent on world domination, convinced of his own invincibility. As we work our way through this chapter we will discover that…
Thesis: Nebuchadnezzer’s troubling dream proves to be enlightening for the ungodly, the righteous and the kingdoms of this world.
- When confronted with God’s sovereignty the ungodly show their true colors. (2:1-13)
- Times of crisis and severe testing serve to reveal the true character of godliness. (2:14-30)
- Through it all God declares the glory of His eternal kingdom. (2:31-49)
Conclusion:
The message is clear. The rise and fall of nations and empires is not primarily to be understood militarily, financially or politically but morally and spiritually. The destruction of these kingdoms is not an accident of history but is the work of God’s judgment against those who turned from His laws and have forsaken His Word.
The message was for king Nebuchadnezzer, the kingdoms of this world, the people of God and all others – “God is in charge. He is sovereign over all things and His purposes will be fulfilled in all the earth.”