DANIEL SIMPLIFIED

 

CHAPTER 2.37

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)

 

 

Review

In the last study, Daniel revealed the contents of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream to him. It was a massive statue in the form of a man having a head of gold…

 

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)

(Verse 36)

 

This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.

 

After revealing to the king the content of his dream, now Daniel will detail the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.

 

 

(Verse 37)

Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of Heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.

 

But first, Daniel respectfully addresses the king with a respectful phrase commonly borne upon by kings of Assyria, Persia, and princes of Armenia. He thus gives Nebuchadnezzar the official greeting by saying, “You, O king, are the king of kings.”

 

Thou, O king, art a king of kings

Daniel uses the expression, king of kings, a Hebraism devoting him as supreme monarch over all other kings. Its meaning is generally associated with the emperor. Later, Ezra alludes to this title for Artaxerxes:

Ezra 7:12 - Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, a scribe of the Law of the God of Heaven, perfect peace, and at such a time.

 

Therefore, by addressing Nebuchadnezzar as king of kings, Daniel is attributing to him a title of greatest esteem, and, at the same time, designating his absolute monarchy. 

                                                                                                     

For the God of Heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory

Once again, Daniel does not fail to credit the one true God of Heaven. For it was not by royal lines, ancestors, or fortunes Nebuchadnezzar ruled this kingdom, but it was given to him by the sovereign authority of God.

Three examples in Scripture confer:

Jeremiah 27:6 – And now have I (God speaking) given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him.

 

Ezekiel 26:7 – For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will bring upon Tyrus Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, a king of kings, from the north, with horses, and with chariots, and with horsemen, and companies, and much people.

 

Habakkuk 1:6 - For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans (or Babylonians), that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwellingplaces (specifically Judea) that are not theirs.

 

However, one day, the true KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS, Jesus Christ, will come down riding on a white horse at His Second Coming, defeat the armies at the Battle of Armageddon, and set up His earthly Kingdom. He will then live and reign with His Bride, the Church, for one-thousand years. At the close of the Millennium is the Great White Throne Judgment where unbelievers are judged. The final event on God’s calendar is the Eternal State of the new Heaven and new earth. At that time we will forever be with the Lord (cf. Revelation 19:11 – 22:5).

 

 

Continuing…

(Verse 38)

And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath He given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.

 

And wheresoever the children of men dwell

As predicted by the prophet Jeremiah six years prior, the scope of Nebuchadnezzar’s authority extended to Gentile nations, i.e., all mankind.

Jeremiah 27:6a - And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant.

 

The beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven

Additionally, Nebuchadnezzar becomes ruler over the beasts of the field (horses, cattle, and wild beasts) and the fowls of the air. Of course, the phrase is hyperbolic, thus signifying he has unlimited authority and dominion over everything.

 

He given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all

Notice, it is the God of Heaven who delegated Nebuchadnezzar’s authority. By comparison, at Creation man was given the responsibility to rule and have dominion over mankind (cf. Genesis 1:26). Now, by divine appointment, Nebuchadnezzar will fulfill what God has appointed him – a chastising agent for the nation Israel. God also called him, My servant (cf. Jeremiah 27:6), and set him as head of his empire over the world.

 

Thou art this head of gold

Abruptly, and without hesitation, the first of five parts of the statue in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream is interpreted. Daniel simply relays to Nebuchadnezzar that he represents the head of gold. Remember, in verse 22, Daniel mentioned that the Head of the statue was of fine or pure gold.

Gold is an appropriate way to depict Babylon. It alludes to its riches by the spoils and tributes obtained from all its conquered countries.

 

Recapitulation

The governing authority of Nebuchadnezzar did not come from Babylonian gods. It was a gift from the true God of Israel. Notice seven things granted to Nebuchadnezzar by God:

1. God gave him a kingdom (v. 21, 37)

2. God gave him power (v. 37)

3. God gave him strength (v.37)

4. God gave him glory (v. 37)

5. God gave him rulership over the beasts of the field (v. 38)

6. God gave him rulership over the birds of the air (v. 38)

7. God gave him rulership over all where children dwell (v.38)

 

Babylon

Nebuchadnezzar II (the Great), son of Nabopolassar, ruled Babylon (605 – 562 B.C.) for 43 years. Lover of architecture, he embarked on a building program that brought Babylon to the zenith of its grandeur.

The prophets spoke of its magnificence as such:

Isaiah 13:19a - And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency.

 

Jeremiah 51:13a - O thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures.

 

Jeremiah 51:41b - How is the praise of the whole earth surprised! how is Babylon become an astonishment among the nations!

 

The Hanging Gardens

One of the 7 Wonders of the ancient world is Babylon’s Hanging Gardens. Built alongside a mountain slope, (four acres, three-hundred feet high or 30 stories), was a garden terrace.

 

Nebuchadnezzar imported topsoil, cedar trees from Lebanon, Cyprus trees, and all kinds of exotic plants from all over the world. The Gardens had an irrigation system that raised water from the river by hydraulic pumps – a feat that astonishes engineers today.

 

Gold

Babylon became notorious as ‘The Golden City.’ On the principal stone of Marduk’s statue, Nebuchadnezzar’s inscription boasted of its gold:

Here the sitting figure of Marduk, all the gold on a glorious throne supported on a base of gold, with a golden table standing beside it. I was told by the Chaldeans that to make all this, more than 22 tons of gold were used. Outside the Temple is a golden altar, and there is another, not of gold, but of great size…on the larger altar, the Chaldeans offer some two and one-half tons of frankincense every year at the Festival of Bel (Marduk).

 

The Greek historian Herodotus of Halicarnassus (480-492 B.C.) visited Babylon 90 years after Nebuchadnezzar's death. Shocked over the amount of gold in Babylon, he wrote in his Histories:

1. The walls and buildings were of gold overlay

2. There were 2 golden lions and an 18-foot-high human figure

3. The walls of the temple were of gold overlay

4. The gates of the city were of gold

5. There was gold in the treasury of the Temple of Marduk  

6. Vessels and artifacts (from the Temple) were of gold

7. Golden jewelry was worn by nobility and ladies of nobility

His obsession with gold caused him to utilize pure gold (2:32) in most of his building projects. Even with its entire splendor, Jeremiah speaks of Babylon being a golden vessel used by God for His purpose:

Jeremiah 51:7a - Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD'S hand.

 

Hence, the city glittered with gold.

 

Daniel also records Nebuchadnezzar’s bragging:

Daniel 4:30 - The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?

 

The Fate of Babylon

The city of Babylon was destroyed by a Persian king, Cyrus the Great in October 539 B.C. According to Scripture, Babylon will never be inhabited again:

Isaiah 13:19b-20 – And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms…shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there.

 

Isaiah 14:4 - That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased!

 

Jeremiah 50:13 - Because of the wrath of the LORD She shall not be inhabited, But she shall be wholly desolate. Everyone who goes by Babylon shall be horrified And hiss at all her plagues.

 

Jeremiah 51:37 – And Babylon shall become heaps, a dwellingplace for dragons, an astonishment, and an hissing, without an inhabitant.

 

Ezekiel 26:14 - And I will make thee like the top of a rock: thou shalt be a place to spread nets upon; thou shalt be built no more: for I the LORD have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.

 

As prophesied, Babylon presently is a barren land. Nothing remains but ruin.

 

The next study will document subsequent empires that replace the Neo-Babylonian.

 

 

QUESTIONS:

1. How did Nebuchadnezzar achieve his success and power?

2. To what extent was Nebuchadnezzar’s rule?

3. What was so unique about the city of Babylon?

4. How notorious was Babylon’s Hanging Gardens?

5. What was the statue of the god Marduk like?

6. What were the two contemporary prophets of Daniel?

7. Why is Babylon’s fate significant?

 

 

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DANIEL SIMPLIFIED

 

CHAPTER 2.31

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)

 

 

Review

Previously, Daniel, in an audience with King Nebuchadnezzar, queried why the wise men of Babylon were unable to declare the dream to him. By this question, Daniel allowed himself to boast, “There is a God in Heaven that revealeth secrets and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days." Hence, Daniel does not credit himself but ascribes God for revelations.

 

 

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)

(Verse 31)

 

Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image (statue). This great image, whose brightness was excellent (dazzling), stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible (awesome).

 

Daniel proceeds to describe Nebuchadnezzar’s forgotten dream. It was a statue composed of various metals. He also employed the word great (used 2 times) emphasizing its exceedingly immense and overwhelming height and power. It is also noteworthy to mention the statue, in the form of a man, was not an idolatrous one. But later, however, Nebuchadnezzar would replicate an image of himself to be worshipped (cf. Daniel 3:1, 5).

 

 

(Verse 32)

 

This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass,

(Verse 33)

His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.

 

The Statue

The image which terrified Nebuchadnezzar nightly was a statue of a man consisting of five parts of the body from head to toe. The five elements corresponding to the image are mentioned as follows:

1. The head was of fine (pure) gold (v.32)

2. The chest and arms were silver (v. 33)

3. The belly and thighs were brass, or bronze (v. 33)

4. The legs were of iron (v. 33)

5. The feet were a mixture of Iron and (baked) clay [potsherd, most likely brittle, pottery or ceramic tile fragments (vv.33-34)]

Furthermore, the towering statue of Nebuchadnezzar was immobile.

 

Observations

1. There is a decreasing value of metals from top to bottom

a.  For example, Silver is less valuable than gold, etc.

 

2. There is a decreasing value of specific gravity or density of metals from top to bottom. Approximate values include:

a.  Gold – 19.3

b.  Silver – 10.5

c.  Brass – 8.4 (copper and zinc alloy resistant to corrosion)

 

3. There is a decreasing value of metal weight from top to bottom in pounds, as shown:

a.  Gold – 1204 lbs.

b.  Silver - 650 lbs.

c.  Brass – 537 lbs.

d.  Iron (cast) – 487 lbs.

 

4. There is an increase in the hardness of the metals as they decrease in weight

 

5. The gold at the top of the image represented is more than two times as heavy as the bottom

 

6. Conclusion: The entire statue is top-heavy

 

 

(Verse 34)

 

Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.

(Verse 35)

Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.

 

A Stone

Next, Daniel describes a stone cut without hands, i.e. having no human source but formed by God. The stone remarkably strikes the statue’s feet mixed with iron and clay. As the monument collapses, the whole image is broken into pieces, disintegrates into fine dust, and like a threshing floor, the chaff is blown away by the wind.

 

Afterward, Daniel also indicates the stone was cut from a mountain:

Daniel 2:45 - Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.

 

Imagery

A. The Stone:

There are two schools of thought concerning the identity of the stone:

1. It represents Jesus Christ

a.  Christ is seen as the chief cornerstone (cf. Isaiah 28:16; Ephesians 2:20; 1 Peter 2:6)

b.  Psalm 118:22 - The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner (cornerstone).

c.  Christ will come at His Second Advent and set up His earthly millennial Kingdom and reign over the entire earth

 

2. It represents the Church

a.  The church is a rock cut without hands (cf. Matthew 16:18). This is only implied in the Old Testament (cf. Isaiah 42:5-9; 49:5-6), the Jews being blind, because they were living in the Times of the Gentiles

b.  The church grows into gigantic proportions and fills the entire earth

 

Note: This incident is reminiscent of David’s victory over Goliath:

1 Samuel 17:49 - And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.

 

B. The Summer Threshing Floors

Threshing floors are often circular spaces, cleared of rocks, in fields, hills, or plateaus. They are primarily used for threshing wheat and other grains. Either a farmer would use a staff to beat the sheaves of wheat, or cattle would stomp on the harvested grain to separate the ripe grain from the husks. Since summertime is arider, the chaff (waste) would be dry enough so that the afternoon breeze can blow it away from the grain.

Ruth 2:17 - So she (Ruth) gleaned in the field until evening and beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley.

 

By using the term summer threshing floors, it presents a vivid example of the wind blowing the dry dust from the fallen statue. The threshing floor is additionally emblematic of unbelievers, whereas believers are symbolic of grain. Hence, God’s people are to be separate from the world (cf. John 15:19; Romans 12:2; James 4:4; 1 John 2:15, 4:5).

 

C. The Chaff

Chaff or husks is depictive of ungodly unbelievers that wind up in the eternal Lake of Fire (cf. Revelation 20:14-15; 21:8)

 

D. The wind carried them away that no place was found for them

Leaving no trace, everything was blown away by the wind. Likewise, the fate of the lost is figuratively blown away: 

Revelation 20:11 - And I saw a Great White Throne, and   Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

Revelation 20:15 – And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the Lake of Fire.

 

 

 

 

E. The Great Mountain

1. The great mountain is representative of Mt. Zion (cf. Isaiah 2:3; 56:7; 66:20).

2. It is connected to Messiah and His Kingdom (cf.  Psalm 1:2; 1 Corinthians 15:24)

3. Zion is also antitypical of the eternal Mount of God’s glory (cf. Psalm 50:2; Psalm 132:13; Joel 3:7)

Isaiah 2:2 - And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.

 

 

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

(Verse 36)

 

“This is the dream. Now we will tell the interpretation of it before the king.

 

The Dream Explained

After telling Nebuchadnezzar the content of his forgotten dream, Daniel makes a smooth transition and proceeds from the content of the dream to its interpretation and explains it to the king. Successively, he iterates what each part of the vision represents.

 

Notice how Daniel, void of pride, honestly references the vision: Not I will give the interpretation, but we will give the interpretation.

Question:

Who are the “we”?

Answer:

The “we” refers to God, Daniel, and his three friends.

 

But there is a God in Heaven

Please notice all attributions to the God of Heaven thus far:

1. The God in Heaven gave Jehoiakim into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar (1:2)

2. The God in Heaven brought Daniel into favor with Melzar,  the prince  of the eunuchs (1:8)

3. The God of Heaven brought Daniel into favor with Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard (2:14)

4. The God in Heaven gave Daniel and his three friends knowledge, and skill in learning and wisdom (1:17a)

5. The God in Heaven gave Daniel additional skill in understanding all visions and dreams (1:17b)

6. The God in Heaven caused the king to delay the execution of all the wise men, including Daniel and company (2:16)

7. The God of Heaven revealed the king’s dream to Daniel (2:19)

8. The God of Heaven is the source of wisdom and might (2:20)

9. The God of Heaven changes the times and seasons (2:21a)

10.   The God of Heaven removes kings and places them in power (2:21b)

11.   The God of Heaven gives wisdom to the wise (2:21c)

12.   The God of Heaven gives knowledge to those having  understanding (2:21d)

13.   The God of Heaven reveals deep and secret things (2:22a)

14.   The God of Heaven knows what is in the darkness (2:22b)

15.   The God of Heaven has light living within Him (2:22c)

16.   The God of Heaven is praised for wisdom, might, and revealing secrets (2:23)

17.   The God of Heaven makes known to the king what shall come to pass in the latter days (2:28, 29)

18.   The God of Heaven will tell the interpretation of the king’s dream (2:36)

 

In the following study, the very next verse will pick up the theme of God’s sovereign control. So, the God of Heaven continues to play a major role throughout the book, not only in the life of Daniel but also to His chosen people during the length of their seventy-year chastisement.

 

QUESTIONS:

1. What did the image in the king’s dream resemble?

2. What were its five major components?

3. What were the materials described in the image?

4. What was the major flaw in Nebuchadnezzar’s image?

5. What did the stone cut without hands accomplish?

6. What is the symbolism of the threshing floor in Scripture?

7. What are three things attributed to God?

 

 

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