DANIEL SIMPLIFIED

 

CHAPTER 2.1

Gleanings from the Book of Daniel:

A Weekly Verse-by-Verse Bible Study Series

 

DANIEL

Chapter Two

The Dream of Nebuchadnezzar

(The Rise and Fall of Empires)

 

 

Introduction

Daniel Chapter 2 is one of the most basic chapters in understanding Bible prophecy from the time of Daniel until the Millennial Kingdom when Jesus Christ establishes His glorious reign. This period is commonly categorized as The Times of the Gentiles.

Additionally, Chapter 2 is prophetically important for several alternative reasons, mainly:

A. It shows how God sovereignly rules in human affairs

B. It focuses on the career of the prophet Daniel

C. It explains the succession of  Gentile world empires

D. It reveals God’s redemptive plan for world history

 

How God Communicates to Men

In the Old Testament, God revealed His will to mankind through diverse unusual means. These avenues are thus labeled special revelation.

Some precedents include:

1. God spake to man through angels

a.  After much prayer, fasting, and supplication, God spake to Daniel through His angel Gabriel regarding the prophecy of the Seventy Weeks saying:

Daniel 9:21a-22 - Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel…informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding.

 

2. God spake directly to man with a clear loud voice

a.  After seeing the wickedness of man, and the corruption of flesh upon the earth, God spake to Noah in a clear loud voice and said:

Genesis 6:13b - The end of all flesh is come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

b.  Other patriarchs included:

1    Adam (cf. Genesis 3:9-19)

2    Abraham (cf. Genesis 12:1-3)

3    Moses (cf. Exodus 20:1-17)

4    Joshua (cf. Joshua 1:1-9)

5    Nathan (cf. 2 Samuel 7:4-16)

6    Elijah (cf. 1 Kings 17:2-4)

7    Jeremiah (cf. Jeremiah 1:4-5)

 

3. God spake to man with a still-small voice

a.  After speaking to Samuel three times while he was lying down, Eli, the high priest, and judge of Israel (cf, 1 Samuel 1-4:16-18; 14:3) informed Samuel it was God speaking, and how he should respond:

1    Samuel 3:9 - Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if He call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

 

b.  God spake to Elijah at Mount Horeb in a still small voice

1 Kings 19:12 - And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

 

4. God spake to man through dreams

Dreams are visions from God while asleep

a.  God used a dream to reconfirm the Abrahamic Covenant with Jacob

Genesis 28:12 - And he (Jacob) dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to Heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.

 

b.   Solomon received wisdom and a warning   in a dream (cf. 1 Kings 3:5; 1 Kings 9:2-9)

 

5.  God spake to man through visions

Different than dreams, visions appear to take place when a person is consciously awake, and with emphasis on what is seen.

a.  God employed a vision to reassure Jacob that Joseph would indeed be in Egypt

Genesis 46:2-3 - And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here am I. And He said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation.

 

b.  God allowed Isaiah to see His holiness in a vision

Isaiah 6:1 - In the year that king Uzziah died I (Isaiah) saw also the Lord sitting upon a Throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the Temple.

 

c.   Daniel observed great world powers likened to animals through visions (cf. Daniel 7-8)

 

6. God spake to men through Theophanies, or Christophanies (Pre-incarnate appearances of Jesus Christ)

Some references are encapsulated:

a.  The Lord appeared to Abraham in the plains of Mamre with two other angels (cf. Genesis 18)

 

b.  The angel of the Lord wrestled with Jacob (cf. Genesis 32:24-30)

 

 

c.  The angel of the Lord appeared to Moses at the burning bush (cf. Exodus 3:2)

 

7. God spake through a donkey to rebuke Balaam and not to place a curse on Israel (cf. Numbers 22:28-35)

 

8. God used the casting of lots to communicate His mind

a.  Instructions for casting lots are given (cf. Leviticus 16:8-10)

 

b.  God exhibited its results to the sailors for the lot to fall upon Jonah (cf. Jonah 1:7)

 

9. God applied the Urim and Thummin from the High Priests’ breastplates to determine guilt or innocence

a.  Instructions are given to Aaron to judge the children of Israel (cf. Exodus 28:30)

 

b.  After the return from Babylonian captivity, only those judged by the Urim and Thummin were permitted to eat of the sacrifices (cf. Ezra 2:63)

 

10.   God spake through His prophets to communicate His Word to mankind (cf. Hebrews 1:1)

 

11.   God spake through His Son Jesus Christ to reveal Himself (cf. John 1:14; Hebrews 1:2)

 

12.   God speaks continually to mankind through His written Word – The Bible (cf. 2 Timothy 3:16)

 

Note: The Doctrine of Scripture would be invaluable for further study

 

Animals Applied to Accomplish God’s Agenda

God also used animals to communicate His plans and purposes to mankind. By way of illustration:

A. God used a raven to feed Elijah (cf. 1 Kings 17:6)

B. God used a rooster to reprove Peter (cf. Matthew 26:69-75, Luke 22:54-62, John 18:17, 25-27)

C. God used a lion to deter Samson from Timnath (cf. Judges 14:5-6)

D. God used bleating sheep to indict Saul (cf. 1 Samuel 15:14-35)

 

Dreams Applied to Accomplish God’s Agenda

After completing three years of preparation in the affairs of the Babylonian Empire, Daniel is now well-equipped to face his biggest challenge. The dream of Nebuchadnezzar will set the stage for bringing Daniel, like Joseph, to a highly prominent position in Babylon’s governmental affairs.

 

In antiquity, dreams were considered a message from the gods. The king who troubled God's people is now troubled by God. The one true God invaded the dreams of King Nebuchadnezzar not only to reveal Himself but also to advance His Plan of the Ages.

 

So, Chapter 2, along with Chapter 7 explains the succession of Gentile world empires that would exert control over God’s people until Jesus establishes and reigns supreme in the Millennial Kingdom.

 

Outline of Chapter Two

1. The Dream of Nebuchadnezzar (2:1)

2. The Demands of Nebuchadnezzar (2:2-11)

3. The Decree of Nebuchadnezzar (2:12-13)

4. The Decision of Daniel (2:14-23)

5. The Disapproval of Daniel (2:24-30)

6. The Disclosure of Daniel (2:31-35)

7. The Details of the Dream (2:36-45)

8. The Declaration of Nebuchadnezzar (2:46-49)

 

 

1. The Dream of Nebuchadnezzar (2:1)

(Verse 1)

 

And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.

 

Verse 1 sets the timeline for the historical narrative. Again, Babylonian reckoning for rulership commenced at the end of the first year of a king’s monarchy. In contemporary computation, it was the third year of his reign. Hence, this conforms accurately to the text, since Daniel had finished three years of training.

 

The King of the Babylonian Empire had conquered the known world, but his conquests came with a price. As Nebuchadnezzar laid his head to sleep, he became vexed about the future of his kingdom. During his dormancy, Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams [singular in Hebrew (chălôwm, Strong’s H2472)] caused him to become exceedingly restless, anxious, and deeply distraught.

 

Additionally, his spirit became violently agitated to affect his body. Moreover, the phrase, his sleep brake, specifies his sleep left him or ended and prevented him from sleeping again.

 

 

2. The Demands of Nebuchadnezzar (2:2-11)

(Verse 2)

 

Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.

 

A revelation through a dream was given to Nebuchadnezzar by God. So, as he awoke in his troubled state, the king, in a desperate search for the interpretation of his dream, summons his counselors, experts in the supernatural realm, to interpret the dream. Accordingly, the wise men of the empire appeared and stood before the king.

 

Four groups of occultic practitioners are mentioned:

1. The magicians

The word magician (see H825) is derived from a root word defined as quill or stylus. Coincidently, Magicians not only dabbled in the occult, but they were also scribes who kept records of the future.

 

2. The astrologers

Astrologers, as well as stargazers, accurately charted the course of the stars, planets, and phases of the moon. As horoscopists, they used signs of the zodiac to determine destinies.

 

3. The sorcerers

Often called spiritualists or enchanters, sorcerers were exponents of witchcraft. Their skills also encompassed necromancy, spiritualism, and dabbling in potions or drugs.

 

4. The Chaldeans

The Chaldeans, on the other hand, were the wisest of all and considered a sect of philosopher-priests knowledgeable in occultic arts, and secret sciences. Chaldea was a territory in lower Mesopotamia around the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, and bordering the Persian Gulf, the city of Ur being its most renowned (cf. Genesis 11:28).

 

Noteworthy, are some practices of these groups overlapped. Also, noticeable is Daniel and his three friends were not part of this gathering. It is reasonable to assume they were not only upstarts but also Hebrews. Besides, as Hebrews, they were forbidden to have direct involvement in such proprieties by Law (cf. Deuteronomy 18:9-13; 19:26).

 

Now, the entire faculty of wise men is standing before the king. Then, the king will announce he had a dream, and require them not only to interpret the dream but also tell him the details of what he dreamt. The drama continues in the following study.

 

 

QUESTIONS:

1. What prophecy did Gabriel reveal to Daniel?

2. How did God speak to Samuel and Elijah?

3. How does God speak to Nebuchadnezzar?

4. What is a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus called?

5. Who were the Chaldeans?

6. What is the premise of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream?

7. Who were advisors to King Nebuchadnezzar?

 

 

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