Verse 1-11
reads, “And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar
dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from
him. 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. And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream,
and my spirit was troubled to know the dream. Then spake the Chaldeans to the
king in Syriack, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we
will shew the interpretation. 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 in pieces, and your houses shall be
made a dunghill. But if ye shew the
dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards
and great honour: therefore shew me the dream, and the interpretation thereof. They
answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will
shew the interpretation of it. The king answered and said, I know of certainty
that ye would gain the time, because ye see the thing is gone from me. 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 shew me the
interpretation thereof. The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There
is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king's matter: therefore there is
no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or
astrologer, or Chaldean. And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and
there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose
dwelling is not with flesh.”
-King
Nebuchadnezzar wants to have his dream interpreted by the wise men of his
kingdom. He so fervently wants the dream interpreted that he puts a death
sentence on the wise men of his realm if they cannot interpret the dream. As the
wise men state “..there is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king’s
matter….”
-So this is
the context of what we are about to learn from Daniel. Notice that in verse 11
that “..it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other
that can shew it before the king, except the gods..” These wise men being the
first men that the King went to, were probably the (so-called) best of the
kingdom being desired primarily for the kings needy request. This is probably
why the King’s punishment was so harsh, because if they couldn’t interpret the
dream then no one could. And guess what, the wise men did not understand the
dream. No wise man save Daniel understood King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.
Verse 12-14
reads, “For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to
destroy all the wise men of Babylon. And the decree went forth that the wise
men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain. 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: He answered and
said to Arioch the king’s captain, Why is the decree so hasty from the king?
Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.”
-The King
sends forth his guards to slay all the wise men accomplishing the Will of God
for Daniel and his companions. When the Captain Arioch approaches Daniel,
Daniel responds to the Captain with “counsel and wisdom”.
Proverbs 15:28
says, “The heart of the righteous studieth to answer: but the mouth of the
wicked poureth out evil things.”
1Peter 3:15
says, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an
answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with
meekness and fear:”
-Now Daniel didn’t
get wise when he got into the King’s palace. Daniel was already wise. When
Nebuchadnezzar wanted them in his Palace, these were the qualifications in
Daniel 1:
“Children
in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science,
and such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace, and whom they
might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.”
-Daniel was already
wise as a child from his parents which is why he was able to enter into the
King’s palace in the first place.
-It wasn’t the
education he received from the King’s palace that preserved him. It was the
education from his parents who taught him the laws of God (Daniel 1:8) that
kept him in line with God.
Verse 17-23
says, “Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah,
Mishael, and Azariah, his companions: That they would desire mercies of the God
of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish
with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. Then was the secret revealed unto
Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. Daniel
answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and
might are his: And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings,
and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them
that know understanding: He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth
what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him. I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of
my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now
what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king's
matter.”
-When Daniel
wanted to interpret the King’s dream, he didn’t go to man for understanding. He
did not open his Babylon School Books. He went to the Lord God Almighty in
prayer; asking God to give him wisdom.
-Daniel we
know was an upright man. And the Bible says in Proverbs 14:2 that “He that
walketh in his uprightness feareth
the Lord: but he that is perverse in his ways despiseth him.”
-When you
walk in uprightness, that shows that you fear God. And what does the Bible say
about the fear of the Lord? Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of
the holy is understanding.”
-Daniel did
not have wisdom and favour because he went to college. Daniel did not have
knowledge and understanding because of his Babel State University PhD. Daniel
had the interpretation of the dream because Daniel feared God.
Verse 24-28
says, “Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king had ordained to
destroy the wise men of Babylon: he went and said thus unto him; Destroy not
the wise men of Babylon: bring me in before the king, and I will shew unto the
king the interpretation. Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in
haste, and said thus unto him, I have found a man of the captives of Judah,
that will make known unto the king the interpretation. The king answered and
said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known unto
me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof? Daniel answered in the presence of the king,
and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the
astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king; But there is a
God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king
Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of
thy head upon thy bed, are these;”
-Not only
was Daniel able to save himself and his companions because of his wisdom. He
was also able to save all the wise men of Babylon. If Daniel had not been
raised in a biblical home. If his parents had not taught him the Bible from an
early age, then all the wise men of Babylon would have perished as a result of
the ignorance of Daniel.
-Daniel not
only is a blessing to his people, but even to the pagans living in Babylon at
that time. All because Daniel feared the Lord.
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