Daniel 2:1-23

Daniel 2:1-23

OBSERVATION:

Verse 1-12
On his second year of reign, King Nebuchadnezzar was so troubled by particular dreams, which he totally could not remember. His advisers- magicians, astrologers, sorcerers and the Chaldeans failed to tell the king his dreams, which he demanded from them. The pagan advisers told the king that there was no such a man who could tell him his dreams and that only gods who did not dwell in flesh has the ability to do it. As his advisers failed, he demanded that all wise men in his kingdom be put to death. Daniel was among the group who faced death.

Verse 2:14-15
Arioch, the captain of the king's guard came to kill Daniel but he answered with counsel and wisdom. He asked Arioch what the reason for killing them was. The captain told him what happened in the palace.

Verse 2:16-19
Daniel went to the palace and plead before the king to give him time to know the dream and its interpretation. He then went home to tell his friends, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah about what was going on. They asked God's mercy to reveal the secret. And He did... He revealed the secret to Daniel in a vision at night.

Verse 2:20-23
Daniel blessed the Lord!

INTERPRETATION:

In Babylon, dreams were considered messages from the gods during that time. The wise men of the kingdom were suppose to provide interpretations for the benefit of the king and his entire kingdom. Usually, the wise men could give some sort of interpretations as long as they know what the dreams were. God gave King Nebuchadnezzar a series of prophetic dreams that he totally forgot. No one on earth could tell him the dreams because no one on earth could know the mind of God except he who He revealed the secret to. The Chaldeans had insulted the king when they told him that there is no king, lord, nor ruler that asked such thing as to tell the dreams from any wise man. That must have made the king so mad that he ordered all the wise men to be put to death. When the Chaldeans said that only "... the gods whose dwelling is not with flesh" could tell what the king's dreams were, they were actually saying that the gods didn't exist. Only a God who exist can reveal the said secret to who He wants to reveal it to... And that man was Daniel. God gave Daniel extraordinary knowledge and wisdom. He revealed the dreams and their interpretations to him.

In chapter 1, we saw how Daniel gained the favor of the prince of the eunuchs. Now, in this chapter, I can see how he gained the favor from the captain of the king's guard. His tactful and wise words must have made the captain listen to him before slaying him to death.

Imagine standing before a furious king! Daniel, had the guts to stand before a very temperamental king. I wonder if the teenager Daniel wasn't scared at all. But this I am sure of, he didn't panic. He was able to confidently approach the king with a request to give him time and he would tell him his dreams and their interpretations that would come from the God of heaven. Once again, he was shown favor... the king granted his request. He came home and found his three friends who had the same strong beliefs in God as he had. Together they sought God. They prayed for His mercy to reveal the king's dreams. And God, who placed Daniel and his friends in the Babylonian kingdom revealed the king's dreams to Daniel in a vision at night.

After Daniel received the revelation from the Lord, which would spare his and his friends' lives from death, he knew what to do... thank and bless the Lord! He knew the knowledge and wisdom were from Him. And He knew where the praise and blessings be directed to. He knew that it's God and God alone who is sovereign and is worthy of all praise!

APPLICATION:

There has been a line that separates the true and false prophets since Daniel's time until today. There's a line that separates between the wise men of this world and the men that have been anointed by God... a line that separates worldly wisdom and that which comes from heaven.

How many self-proclaimed prophets have come and gone in this age? Countless. They were exposed in the light. They may seem to be real at a period of time but God always creates an event that exposes their evil hearts.

In my life, I have seen people acting like they are superior than others because they are well-educated and have important careers. One of the statements that really broke my heart after arriving in America was spoken at dinner I was invited to... "She is uneducated." Talking about some girlfriend of their brother. I can never forget that line. It's a line that proves how education is a label that holds people superior than others in this culture. It shocked me. I never would have expected that line to be spoken in the open. Daniel was well-educated! But, it was not his education that saved him and his friends from death. It was God! The wisdom and ingenuity of man are but temporary. Ultimately, only the wisdom that comes from God can save us.

When we are in a tight spot, we need to turn to God and to people who also believe in God's power. Things can go worse if we run to wrong people, who are capable of giving us bad counsel. Also, it is important not to panic when a crisis arises. Remember that God did not give His children the spirit of fear but of power, of love and of sound mind.

When God answers our prayers, it is easy to dash off in our excitement and forget to give God the credit for the answer. We need to match our consistence in prayer with gratitude when they are answered.

To God be all the glory.