Daniel

In chapter two of Daniel, we have the Divine Interpretation of history. And with the Divine Interpretation of history we have the Doctrine of Dispensations, which is the linear or chronological order of history.(6)

VS 1 -And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.

And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar - This was 603 BC. Here are a few dates to keep in mind as we study this portion of the book of Daniel:

609 BC - King Josiah of Judah was killed. Judah then began to decline rapidly because of apostasy and the discipline of God was about to start.

606 BC - The Battle of Charchemish took place on the upper Euphrates River between the Egyptians and the Chaldeans under Nebuchadnezzar. This was also the year that Nebuchadnezzar took captives, including Daniel, from Jerusalem.

605 BC - While Nebuchadnezzar was still in Jerusalem, consolidating his conquest, he received word that his father had died, making him king.

603 BC - This was the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar. This is where Daniel chapter two begins. This was the year of his first series of dreams. This was also the year that Daniel and his friends graduated from the Chaldean training program and became active members of the Chaldean government.

After graduation, Daniel and his friends were thrown into another crisis. Before they even got started on their new jobs, the king issued an execution order for all of the wise men of Babylon, because they were now members of Nebuchadnezzar's administration.
The Lord specifically chose Nebuchadnezzar to be the recipient of divine revelation and the recipient of divine blessing as a king. (Jer 27:4-8).
Literally, "And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar (603 BC)."

Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams - Nebuchadnezzar had some bad dreams and later on Daniel will have some good visions. So what is the difference between dreams and visions? Basically, dreams occur in the transition stage between loss of "waking consciousness" and "sound sleep." Between the two there is what is called a state of "sleeping conssciousness." It is during that time we may dream but never know it. The dreams that we have and remember occur when we are waking. If these dreams are not dynamic in character, they will slowly fade back into our subconscious.
Visions on the other hand occur in our waking moments when our mind is absorbed in some thought. Today we call visions "day dreaming." The individual is awake but not aware of what is going on around him.
In the previous dispensaion God used both "dreams and visions" to communicate divine revelation.

Dreamed dreams - This is a way of saying that he had more than one dream, and that these dreams were causing him to be restless.

Wherewith his spirit was troubled -The Hebrew word for "spirit" is RUWACH (roo-akh) meaning "life or mind." The word "troubled" means "disturbed or upset."

And his sleep brake from him -This literally says that "his sleep ran away from him." This series of dreams had Nebuchadnezzar tied up in knots mentally and emotionally.

On other occasions in Scripture, dreams were used by God to give revelation to a Gentile, as in the case of Abimelech in Gen 20:3, and of Pharoah in Gen 41:1-8. These are interesting parallels to Nebuchadnezzar's experience.
Sleeplessness also has its purpose in divine providence, as in the case of Ahauerus in Esther chapter six, which started the chain events leading to Haman's execution and Israel's deliverance. Nebuchadnezzar's experience was obviously ordered by God.

Now the king is scared, and the rest of the leaders in the government don't know it yet, but they will soon find out, because a frightened person is a dangerous person. A frightened person is like a cornered animal, he will turn on anyone.

VS 2 -Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to show the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.

Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans -The king is now going to have his wise men, his advisors, his counselors solve this problem.

Magicians -This comes from the Hebrews word CHERET (kheh-yet) meaning "to write with a pen." This refers to those who studied hieroglyphics. They were in charge of all of the records of the government and all of the laws. They were brilliant men in the field of administration.

Astrologers -The Hebrew word ASHSHAPH (ash-shawf) means "those who studied astronomy and were mathematicians." They attempted to predict future events by reading the stars, but they would gather information on different countries and leaders by sending out spies.

Sorcerers -The Hebrew word KASHAPH (kawshaf) means "the one who worked in witchcraft and the casting of spells." Their business included the use of drugs and potents. These men worked with and around people. They were the king's public relations group. They were influential with regard to handling people.

Chaldeans - The Hebrew word KASDAY (kas-dah-ee) refers to the priestly class. They were the only ones left over from the old Babylonian Empire.

The purpose of listing all these groups of men is to show how desperate Nebuchadnezzar was in finding an interpretation of his dream. But the more human wisdom that is represented and fails, the greater is the testimony of the grace of God when He gives the solution.

For to show the king his dreams - In other words, the king called these men in to solve his problem, because this is what they were getting paid for.

So they came and stood before the king -All of these wise men of Babylon came at the king's command and they all assembled and stood in the presence of the king.
Daniel and his friends were members of this group, but they were not present at this time. It is possible that this was soon after their graduation and they were getting settled in new quarters and had a couple of days off to get their personal affairs in order.

VS 3 -And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream.

And the king said unto them -He now has his wise men before him and he is about to tell them his problem so they can solve it and he can get some sleep.

I have dreamed a dream -Notice the singular "dream" as compared to the plural "dreams" in verse one. Evidently the king had dreamed many dreams but only one was really troubling him.

And my spirit was troubled -In other words, I have been mentally and emotionally upset and distrubed.

To know the dream -The word "know" is the Hebrew word JADA (yada) meaning "to know and to understand." In other words, Nebuchadnezzar had forgotten the dream, but not totally. He remembered some of it, but he couldn't put it together again in his mind. He remembered enough to trouble him and that was about all.

The wise men of Babylon make a standard reply and this is the beginning of their ineffective tactics. But when they make their reply they move into a different language.

VS 4 -Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriac, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.

Then spake the Chaldeans to the king -This is the priestly group, the philosophers and they are speaking for the entire group.

In Syriac - This actually means "Chaldean." The Chaldean language is the Eastern branch of the Aramaic language. The Western branch is called Syriac. Starting here in Dan 2:4 and on through chapter seven, this will be in the Chaldean language. The information coming up will be Gentile prophecy or the prophecy of the coming Gentile empires, so Daniel wrote this in a Gentile language.

The"times of the Gentiles"will cover the period of time from the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC to the Second Advent of Jesus Christ when Israel will be regathered. Jesus said in Luke 21:24,"That Jerusalem would be trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles were fulfilled." And of course, that will be at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

O king live for ever - This was the typical way a king was addressed in the ancient world. This showed courtesy and great respect.

Tell thy servants the dream -The king had just said in verse three,"I do not know"or"I do not remember the dream."And now these wise men ask the king to tell them the dream.

And we will show the interpretation - In other words, "O great king, you tell us what you dreamed and we will tell you what it means."

VS 5 -The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut to pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill.

The king answered and said to the Chaldeans -Here we have the king's reply to the Chaldean request to tell them the dream.

The thing is gone from me -in other words, he is telling them that the content of the dream has departed.

I have and I am sure that you have had dreams that you remember dreaming, but really can't remember the details. Nebuchadnezzar's dream was like that. He remembered having the dream because it troubled him, but he couldn't remember any of the details of the dream.

If you will not make known unto me the dream with the interpretation thereof -The king wants these wise men to tell him what he dreamed and then to interpretate the dream also.

Ye shall be cut to pieces -This is not an idle threat and these wise men know it.

And your houses -This not only refers to the house, but includes the wives, the children and the servants.

Shall be made a dunghill -This means that the authorities would go into their houses and kill those who were there. Then they would knock down the walls and leave a pile of ruins. Sometimes they would bring in wagon loads of sewage and excrement and dump it on the ruins so everyone would know that it was a dunghill. Also, since burial was important for the Chaldeans, these people were not allowed to be buried.

Here we see what an extremely frightened man will do. This mental attitude sin of fear causes Nebuchadnezzar to make a harsh and unfair decision. And now the wise men are there, they also have developed a mental attitude sin of worry.
APPLICATION - Our government leaders in our country have made many decisons from fear. Decisions in Korea and Vietnam. And in our domestic policy, decisions for gun control and leniency on criminals. Any decision based on fear is a very poor decison.
This entire crisis has arisen for one reason only: God has a man who has soul filled with Bible doctrine and he is ready to be presented to the public. God will present a man who expresses divine viewpoint and who has the reflected glory of God in his soul.
There is in the group of the wise men a young man who has a fantastic frame of reference, who loves God, who prays three times a day, who is spiritually mature, and God is setting the stage to reveal this young man.
Daniel knew that God had a plan for his life, and he knew that all he had to do was to get with the Word of God and stay with it because through God's Word all things are made clear, including His plan for our lives.
The wise men of the ancient world (the astrologers, magicians, sorcerers, etc., etc.) all claimed to have supernatural abilities in understanding, foretelling and making predictions. And all that Nebuchadnezzar did was to force them to use what they claimed to possess. So these wise men were confronted with a supreme test of their superhuman claims.

VS 6 - But if ye show the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honor: therefore show me the dream, and the interpretation thereof.

This verse brings out the opposite of verse five. It shows us that Nebuchadnezzar was attempting to be fair about this. If these wise men were able to respond to the king's request, they were promised great reward from the king. It was customary, that when monarchs were pleased with their servants, to lavish upon them very expensive gifts and great honor. The Bible gives us consistent testimony of that fact.

But if ye show me the dream and the interpretation thereof -The word "but" sets up a contrast. The contrast of verse five, "being cut to pieces along with their families," and verse six, "being given great reward."

If you show me the dream -In other words, "if you tell me what I dreamed."

And the interpretation thereof -Literally, "And you tell me what it means."
Literally, "But if you tell me what I dreamed and explain the interpretation of it."

Ye shall receive of me -"I will give this to you myself."

Gifts -This refers to money or gold.

Rewards -This refers to material things like: a palace, a new chariot, etc., etc.

Great honor -This refers to promotion to a high rank in the land, either military or civilian.

Therefore show me the dream, and the interpretation thereof - In other words, all these fine and expensive things I will give to you, all you have to do is to tell me what I dreamed and tell me what it means.

VS 7 -They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation of it.

They answered again and said -These wise men just wouldn't give up and they persisted in their evasiveness.

Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation of it -They knew that Nebuchadnezzar knows enough of the dream to remember it when he is told, so they know that they can't even fake it. So they keep trying to buy time. When a man in the state department can't fake it, he's in trouble.

They were confronted with the king's ultimatum of death, but they repeat their request to be told the dream and reaffirm their ability to interpret it.

VS 8:The king answered and said, I know of certainty that ye would gain the time, because ye see the thing is gone from me.

The king answered and said - Nebuchadnezzar now replies to his wise men, and every time he speaks he gets a little more irritated, until it reaches its peak in verse 12.

I know of certainty -In other words, Nebuchadnezzar is saying, "Don't underestimate me!" "Don't insult my intelligence!" "Don't think that I'm stupid! Because I know for sure."

That ye would gain the time -Nebuchadnezzar says, "I know what you are up to. You are trying to buy some time so you can think of something to save your necks."

Because ye see the thing is gone from me -In reality there is no human solution, and God will use this situation to introduce His man Daniel.

Joseph was God's man for Egypt because of his spiritual maturity and divine viewpoint.
Daniel was God's man for Israel as well as for Babylon because of his spiritual maturity and divine viewpoint. Daniel was God's man for the Gentile world because of his spiritual maturity and divine viewpoint.

VS 9:But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is but one decree for you: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be changed: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can show me the interpretation thereof.

But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is but one decree for you -Nebuchadnezzar refers back to verse 5. If they won't tell him his dream and its meaning, the only thing left for these wise men is death and the dunghill.

For ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me -The king is referring to the claims of these wise men in the past, when they claimed all sorts of supernatural powers and insights so they could advise the king on serious matters. Therefore, the king is saying, "Since they claim to have powers and insights in the past and if they can't tell me my dream and tell me what it means, then, they must have prepared lying and corrupt words to give to me." Those who lie to the king are setting themselves up for a very violent death.

Till the time be changed -This means, "Until the dream totally vanishes from his memory and he is no longer serious about it." In other words, they thought that the king was emotional about this because this dream incident was very recent, so they thought they would buy some time until the king cooled down and this obsession vanished. So they were waiting for time to change the situation.

Therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can show me the interpretaion thereof -Nebuchadnezzar said, "Okay, one last chance. Tell me the dream and tell me the meaning, and if you do I will know that you are honest and true to me."

VS 10: The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can show the king's matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean.

The Chaldeans answered before the king and said - The wise men are going to give what is called a "gimmick defense."

There is not a man upon the earth that can show the king's matter -In other words, these wise men were saying, "Why do you get upset with us, there isn't anyone in the entire world that can tell you what you want to know."

Therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean -These wise men were telling the king that no one had ever made such a request of his wise men before. This is a first. With as much courtesy as they could muster, they tried to tell the king that his demand was unreasonable.

These wise men confess that the king's demand is beyond any human knowledge. So with an attempt of flattery, they refer to Nebuchadnezzar as king, lord and ruler, which would refer to him as a great and powerful ruler. The thought here is, that such a great and powerful ruler as Nebuchadnezzar would be too great a man to expect such knowledge from his servants.

VS 11:And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can show it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.

And it is a rare thing that the king requireth -This literally says, "It is a difficult thing that the king demands."

And there is none other that can show it before the king -In other words, there is no one else who the king can call on to give him what he demands.

Except the gods -This is the only exception, the gods would know the answer to the king's problem.

Whose dwelling is not with flesh - In other words, they are saying the gods would have the answer, but if you were in good standing with the gods it might help. To which Nebuchadnezzar could have replied, "I thought you men were in good standing with the gods."

This statement shows us the total bankruptcy of human wisdom and at the same time sets the stage for Daniel's divine revelation.

When these Chaldeans confessed that no one "except the gods," could reproduce this dream, they acknowledged that they had no power from the gods and that justified the king's charge that they were guilty of "lying and corrupt words." (vs 9)

VS 12:For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.

In this verse we see Nebuchadnezzar losing his patience and then his temper.

For this cause - For the cause that the wise men were guilty of deceit and trickery. All the years they worked for the king they claimed that they received wisdom and enlightenment from the gods. But now when the king has a very serious problem, these wise men deny having the gods as their source of wisdom. So, "For this cause."

The king was angry and very furious -This phrase shows us the progression of his anger. First of all "The king was angry,"which simply refers to him being irritated, then mad, then angry." Secondly, he was "very furious,"which means that he reached the boiling point, he exploded, he blew his top. And thirdly, he"commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon,"which means that the king said, "Kill them all! Right now!"

The Magicians, Astrologers, Sorcerers and Chaldeans were numerous, wealthy and an influential group. They were composed of the learned and cultivated classes of Babylon, and to cause their destruction would weaken the empire.
When the wise men of Egypt could not interpret Pharoah's dreams, God had a Hebrew captive named Joseph prepared for the job. And when the wise men of Babylon could not recall or interpret the king's dream, God had a Hebrew captive, Daniel, prepared for the job.

VS 13:And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain, and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain.

The fierce anger of the king is demonstrated by his official decree to have all of the wise men of Babylon killed.

And they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain -This was to be a formal execution conducted by the proper officials at an appointed time. Therefore, the first task of these officials was to assemble all those who were condemned.
Daniel and his three friends were members of the wise men's group in Babylon, and even though they were not present when this decree was issued, they were still a part of the group, so they had to be executed along with the rest of the wise men in Babylon. This is a perfect example of the innocent suffering with the guilty.

VS 14:Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom to Arioch the captain of the king's guard, which was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon.

Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom -Notice that he didn't argue. He didn't attempt to clear himself, or defend himself. Daniel could have said, "Listen, we weren't even there, there must be some mistake, we were not involved!" Daniel could have said that and he would have been right. But he didn't.
Notice Daniel's calmness and dignity in his approach to this problem. The word "counsel"means "to give advice, to suggest, to recommend, to give guidance." This counsel was based on"wisdom,"which is the application of the Word of God. This wisdom of Daniel's was based on the Word of God in his soul, which was a part of his frame of reference.
Literally, "Then Daniel, with counsel and wisdom based on Bible doctrine spoke to Arioch."

To Arioch the captain of the king's guard -Notice that Arioch came personally to the residence of Daniel. The phrase"Arioch, the captain of the king's guard,"refers to the special security force that protected the palace area.

According to historical accounts, the captain of the king's guard, or the "chief of the security force" also had the duty of serving as the chief executioner. Accustomed as he was to the cruelty of his day, Arioch evidently did not question the king's decree, but as a faithful subordinate he was going to follow his orders.

Which was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon -In other words, this was Arioch's mission.

Daniel does not know the outcome of all of this yet. He doesn't know if he is going to live or die, and he really doesn't know what is going on. Remember, he wasn't at the palace when this situation came into being. But Daniel does know this much at this point: he knows that the Word of God has an answer for every problem in this life. So the first thing he does is to inquire, to ask, and then to wait for the facts. All of this is occurring as the execution teams are setting everything up for the executions.
PRINCIPLE - Any person who faces any crisis properly, always faces the crisis with as many facts as they can get their hands on.
Keep in mind that Daniel does not have any facts as to what is going on and he does not make any decision until he gets the facts. PRINCIPLE - Don't make decisions until you have facts about the situation.

I want you to notice how far God allows this crisis to go. It goes all the way to the officials of the Royal Palace Guards knocking on Daniel's door to arrest him and execute him. But God's hand was in this from the beginning. He first wanted to reveal and make known the incompetency and lack of power that the wise men and their religions possessed. Then and only then would He, as Almighty God reveal His power and faithfulness to a young spiritually mature believer named Daniel.

VS 15:He answered and said to Arioch the king's captain, Why is this decree so hasty from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.

He answered and said to Arioch the king's captain -Daniel does not get histerical, he does not panic, he simply asks a question.

Why is the decree so hasty from the king? -The Hebrew word for"hasty," means "to be severe, to be urgent." In other words, "Why is the decree so severe and urgent from the king?" Daniel was wondering why proper procedure was not followed in this case. Chaldean law required a trial before execution, even if it was only a formality. So Daniel asked Arioch, "Why the short cut?" "Why the hurry?"

Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel -For Arioch, the chief of the Royal Police, to take the time to explain the situation to one who is already condemned to death, speaks well of Daniel's approach and of Arioch's respect for him. So Arioch brings Daniel up to date on the happenings in the palace during his absence.

We notice again that another high ranking Chaldean has respect for Daniel. Because of Daniel's life and the way he lived, he gained respect of many officials in the Chaldean Empire. Daniel lived the Word of God and the Word of God took care of Daniel for his entire life.

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