In the first half of Daniel chapter two, we see the futility of man thinking he can live apart from God. Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, has been so troubled by dreams that he cannot sleep (verses 1-3). One particular dream was disturbing to the king, who sensed that it portended some catastrophe.
So he is desperate to know the meaning of the dreams. So much so that when he summons various categories of wise men in his kingdom for help, he will not tell them anything. He demands they tell him the dream he had and interpret it. He knows he asks the impossible, and they confess the task is impossible (verses 10-11).
We live in a fallen world full of sin and trouble. A man may seem to be doing well without God throughout his life and then comes a day with unexpected trouble. The king of Babylon had riches, power, status, fame, and great victories. Babylon was beautiful; great structures and pleasures abounded in the city. But an arrow of fear penetrated the soul of the king, superseding all else.
Without God’s word, God’s light, men are lost and in darkness. There was no help to be found for the king in any man. He was facing an unknown future and destiny. He needed something men and false gods couldn’t give. We need God’s word. Those who reject it or take it lightly are like a frantic patient who throws away the medicine that was the only cure.
Undoubtedly you have been confronted many times in your life by God’s word. Thank God for it. We cannot hear it enough. But we must do more than hear it. We must be informed and conformed by it. James tells us, “Receive with meekness the word, which is able to save your souls.” You may be sure of this: what you do with God’s word is directly related to your eternal destiny.
In the next section of this passage, the sovereignty of the Lord God is highlighted (Daniel 2:12-19). The king became so angry at the inability of his wise men to help that he issued a decree to kill them all, which included Daniel and his friends.
Daniel knows that Nebuchadnezzar is not sovereign over the world, so he is not resigned to the sentence of death. He inquires of the chief executioner as to the cause of such a harsh decree by the king. Upon hearing about the dream, Daniel makes an appointment to see the king. He then goes home and tells his friends to “seek mercy from the God of heavens.”
By saying the God of heavens, Daniel is referring to God’s sovereignty over all. Daniel knows God is both sovereign and merciful. Unlike the false gods of Babylon, God could reveal the dream to Daniel if He chose to do so. God hears the prayers of Daniel and his friends and reveals the dream and its meaning to Daniel in a vision that night (verse 19).
I read that in front of Yale’s library there is a garden where there are three art structures, conveying three symbols: one of chance, one of energy, and one of time. They are saying that we have a self-existing universe consisting of time, energy, and chance. Someone commented, “Christians believe the garden is a lie.” And so we do.
We need to learn that God is sovereign over our days. Whenever we beseech God for help as Daniel did, we ought to think of His mercy, as Daniel did. It is of His goodwill that we are reconciled to Him and are welcomed at the throne of grace.
Daniel responds to God’s provision by praising God and recounting His attributes (Daniel 2:20-23). It is good to praise the Lord. He is worthy of all glory and praise. We first praise God for what He is in Himself. We also praise God for His benefits to us, none greater than the salvation He gives in Christ, which brings us into close fellowship with the blessed God, who is over all.
Richard Sibbes said, “It is our happiness to seek God. The nearer anything is to the principle of something, the better off it is. Nearer to the sun, the more light; nearer the fire, the more heat; nearer to goodness, the more good; nearer to happiness, the more happiness. Therefore, it must be the greatest happiness to draw near to God.”
