Daniel 2. 24-49 Who is in Charge?
Daniel 2.24-49 Who is in charge?
Another complex passage, so do pick out the questions which you feel are relevant to your group.
Nebuchadnezzar (N) continued his military campaigns, and by the second year of his reign he had collected vast tributes and taken even more captives to Babylonia. He now ruled from the edge of Egypt to Lydia and the great river Euphrates, aiming to make Babylon the wonder of the known world; a major international and local administrative centre; a city of great learning, wisdom and beauty. “He was secure, popular, respected and feared. Nothing had threatened him and none had dared to depose him.” Until his dreams ….
FOR STARTERS: Who would you describe as a “wise” person? What makes that person “wise”?
Dreams were believed to be communication from the gods. The gods had a message for N & for such an occasion he had assembled a range of astrologers, wise men & scientists. They had been nurtured and well paid for this very moment. They had eaten from the king’s table, and now it was pay-back time (3). Babylonians (like Egyptians) had dream manuals which gave long lists of dreams and their meanings. Once in possession of the dream, an interpretation was possible (4).
Their failure to interpret the dream (even though they were not told what the dream was) looked like having an unfortunate ending (12, 13).
But Daniel told his friends to pray, and prayer was answered (19). Having offered praise to God Daniel has the confidence to approach N.
READ verses 24-35
Do you think N recognized Daniel?
As you listen to the dream, what do you make of it? (If you have already read Daniel’s interpretation keep quiet at this point!)
Now READ verses 36-49
How did N respond to this interpretation?
Does this dream and its interpretation have any significance for us?
If N’s rule was God-given, surely Daniel was right to give allegiance & honour to him, knowing that he was giving allegiance & honour to God? So what does this say about the way we deal with national and world leaders – even people like Putin?
The odds stacked against Daniel seemed impossible. Are there situations which to us seem impossible today? How should we react to them?
Are there times when we need to obey God rather than men?
Can you think of another time when God used a non-believer’s dream to fulfil his purposes? Why do you think God did this? (Genesis 41)
PRAYER
You might like to focus your prayers on those parts of the world where it does seem that God is powerless. Pray that the leaders of those countries may come to see where real power lies.
Pray for Christians in situations where “to obey God rather than men” may lead to persecution or worse.
Pray for individuals you know who are facing difficult situations/choices.
FURTHER NOTES FOR LEADERS BUT ACCESSIBLE TO ALL
Do you think N recognized Daniel?:
We do not know, but we do know that he recognized the dream, correct in every detail. No-one knew the dream so Daniel could have received this information from one source only – the true God of Israel.
As you listen to the dream, what do you make of it?
It was a terrifying dream of a massive statue in the sand. It progressed in strength and durability from the head to the legs, but it then decreased in splendour and finally came to rest on feet of fragile baked clay and iron. In other words it was basically unstable – though this was not the cause of its downfall.
How did N respond to this interpretation?
Daniel had interpreted a dream which no-one else had even heard, and N needed no convincing. Surely the gods had visited earth in the form of Daniel! And N had no choice but to fall prostrate before him before honouring him with a position of power and lavishing upon him many gifts. On top of this, N honoured the God of Israel.
Can you summaries in your own words what the dream was about?
N was the head of gold & his kingdom would grow until such time that God chose another kingdom to take its place. In the end, all human kingdoms will be destroyed.
Head = Babylon
Silver = Persia
Bronze = Greece
Legs of iron with clay = Roman Empire
Kingdom that would last = coming of Jesus?
The Babylonian gods were inaccessible (11) whereas our God is accessible (21). We have a God who loves relationships and calls us to be his children; a God who cares deeply about every part of our lives; a God who offers forgiveness in Jesus.
Does this dream and its interpretation have any significance for us?
There are 3 very important verses in this chapter – verses 11, 27 and 47. Daniel & his friends were there because God wanted them there. The wise men represented the best in ancient wisdom & learning, but were not able to stand against Daniel’s wisdom & learning. So it was a “battle” between world-knowledge & the God who created the world.
In our day, we are up against a world-view which is often opposed to God & we are caught up in the conflict between two kingdoms, especially so when we present the gospel – God is still alive; Jesus is the Saviour of the world; God still holds all power & authority; we will all have to face him one day.
“It is also the case when we live godly lives. As we make choices to turn away from ungodly conduct in our relationships or cheating in our studies or lying and deceiving in our work, God is asserting his sovereignty over the world. He is saying to his world that he can and will win the war in which he is engaged.” (Andrew Reid) You might like to read this quote and ask whether people agree with it.
If N’s rule was God-given, surely Daniel was right to give allegiance & honour to him, knowing that he was giving allegiance & honour to God? So what does this say about the way we deal with national and world leaders – even people like Putin?
If you want to tackle this question in any depth, you may want to look at the following passages: (Matthew 17:24-27; Matthew 22:15-22; Romans 13; 1 Peter 2:13-17)
Are there times when we need to obey God rather than men?
If you want to tackle this question in any depth, you may want to look at the following passages: (Acts 4:18-20; 5:27-32)
CONCLUSION:
God is steadily carving out a kingdom made without hands. He matched a reluctant priest and a barren woman and gave them a child whose mouth spilled words of fire and judgement (John the Baptist). He spoke of a coming kingdom of God that would put to an end all the man-made kingdoms of the world. He spoke about Jesus in whom God would set up a kingdom made without hands. In Jesus, God is hurling the rock at the feet of the kingdoms of this world – just as he revealed he would in the shadow world of N’s dream.