‘Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. So Daniel blessed the God of heaven’
- Daniel 2:19 -
Nebuchadnezzar dreamed of a great statue smashed by a stone that became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. God showed Daniel that this statue represented four successive kingdoms, starting with Babylon and ending with the eternal kingdom of God. Daniel’s divine interpretation launched his career as an adviser and renowned prophet. In him was indeed an excellent spirit, as in the midst of pagan darkness there was hope in his heart. The craziness of Babylon didn’t stop him from seeing God in the middle of it all, running the show for His own glory and purposes.
When God answered Daniel’s prayer for wisdom, he said: “Praise be to the name of God forever and ever. He changes the times and the seasons. He removes kings and raises up kings” (Dan. 2:20-21). He saw that God is actively involved in all things. “He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with Him” (2:21-22). God sees the darkness and causes His people to fill it with light. “I thank You and praise You, O God of my fathers; You have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what was asked of You” (2:23). Daniel knew history wasn’t run by mere kings but by the sovereign hand of God.
As we cooperate with the Lord of heaven and earth, we help bring His plan to pass. To do this we must understand the times and seasons. We measure life in days, weeks, and years. But God measures in seasons. As Solomon wrote: ‘To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven’ (Eccl. 3:1). God made ‘every nation of men to dwell on the earth and has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation’ (Acts 17:26). Any farmer knows that to receive a bountiful crop, the seeds he sows must go through a variety of seasons: planting, watering, growing, and finally harvest. Each season is unique and necessary.
Plants, like people, don’t mature immediately. We often think that if our prayers aren’t fulfilled today then something is wrong. This isn’t true. We inherit God’s promises by faith and patience (Heb. 6:12). Patience grows by standing strong in seasons of trials (James 1:2-4). With God, delay is not always denial. If He wants to make a mushroom, He does it overnight. But when He wants to make a tall oak tree, He takes hundreds of years. Solomon said cooperate with God’s timing as ‘He has made everything beautiful in its time’ (Eccl. 3:11).
Seasons are God-ordained, so enjoy the season you’re in. Take comfort knowing He is working all things for good to those who love Him (Rom. 8:28). Nebuchadnezzar’s dream showed kingdoms rise and fall by divine decree. Job spoke to this when he said: “I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You” (Job 42:2). There is no such thing as luck. God rules the universe, not chance. He runs history by removing and establishing rulers. Nebuchadnezzar was realizing there are no self-made dictators. Some kings rule wickedly, but God can bring good out of anything. For example, years later, when Ahasuerus ruled all Persia, God used unusual events to replace his wife with Esther, a Jewish girl who saved her people from annihilation.
Daniel told the king his dream, describing a huge statue made of gold, silver, then bronze, and finally iron mixed with clay. The statue was destroyed by an uncut stone and what remained was blown away like chaff. The stone became a great mountain that filled the earth. Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom was the head of gold. After him would come three more kingdoms: the Medo-Persians, the Greeks, and the Romans. The crushing stone was the kingdom of God, the stone cut without hands, the Lord Jesus Christ. As the psalmist prophesied of Messiah: ‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone’ (Ps. 118:22).
And how did Nebuchadnezzar react? He ‘fell on his face, prostrate before Daniel, and commanded that they should present an offering and incense to him. The king answered Daniel and said, “Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, since you were able to reveal this mystery”’ (Dan. 2:46-47). What happened next was another miracle if you recall Daniel was nearly executed the day before. ‘The king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts; and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon’ (2:48). Humble and loyal, Daniel made sure his friends were promoted too. He petitioned the king, who then set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego over the affairs of Babylon. It was fitting they got to share in the advancement as they had aided Daniel with their prayers.
Those with a spirit of excellence don’t travel alone but treasure their God-ordained partnerships. A Kenyan proverb says: “If you want to travel fast, travel alone. But if you want to travel far, travel together.” Daniel wished to go far, so he wanted his friends with him. He needed their prayers and encouragement going forward, and he wanted to be there for them as they were for him. A tough test of character is how you receive praise and exaltation. Proverbs says: ‘Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but a person is tested by being praised’ (27:21). Daniel gained great praise from the king but he stayed humble and generous in spirit.
After interpreting the king’s dream and having his friends promoted, we see in Daniel 3 that the enemy made fast plans to ruin this unity. Nebuchadnezzar fell into gross pride and made a statue 90 feet tall and 9 feet wide. This image was much like the one he saw in his dream but made entirely of gold. Many commentators feel Nebuchadnezzar was trying to deify himself; that he made this statue to change the course of history and prolong the glory of Babylon. He was still pagan despite admitting that Daniel’s God possessed all wisdom and revelation. He knew the dream and its interpretation were trustworthy, but the king thought he could alter history. What foolishness!
Exodos 20:3 said: “You shall have no other gods before Me.” God called idol worshipers ‘a stench in My nostrils, an acrid smell that never goes away’ (Is. 65:5). Idols lure people into repulsive practices. They are deaf and dumb not-gods and ‘those who make them are like them, so is everyone who trusts in them’ (Ps. 115:8). Nebuchadnezzar set up his statue up on the plain of Dura (Dan. 3:1) so it could be seen at a distance. In 1863, French archeologist Jules Oppert found a pedestal 6 miles southeast of Babylon, 45 feet square and 20 feet high. If this supported the idol, it gives an idea of its immensity.
The king then sent an edict to Babylon’s dignitaries to gather for the dedication of this statue (Dan. 3:2), intending to test their loyalty. Once there, a herald announced that when the music played, all must bow down to the image of gold: “And whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace” (3:6). This wasn’t just an order to show political allegiance. The command to worship had clear spiritual implications.
The order affected every person of every language. Everyone was put on the spot. Would they bow and worship the golden image or not? All Jews exiled in Babylon had faced indoctrination before, but not quite persecution for their religious beliefs. The natives knew Nebuchadnezzar was ruthless, showing neither pity nor compassion. So when they heard the music, they fell down as one to worship the idol (Dan. 3:7). The Hebrew literally says: ‘As soon as they were hearing, they were falling down.’ It was total and immediate obedience to the king’s edict.
Those who bowed were part of a godless culture that feared Nebuchadnezzar more than God. As Psalm 36:1 says: ‘There is no fear of God before their eyes.’ Spurgeon said that the evil men do is “the outer index of an inner evil. Unholiness is clear evidence of ungodliness. Despite the professions of unrighteous men, when we see their sinful actions, our heart is driven to the conclusion that they have no religion whatever. If God is everywhere, and I fear Him, how can I dare to break His laws in His very presence?”
Scripture calls us to ‘fear the Lord and turn away from evil’ (Prov. 3:7). It is ‘by the fear of the Lord one keeps away from evil’ (16:6). John Calvin said: “In short, the fear of God is a bridle to restrain our wickedness.” These Babylonians acted as if there was no God to whom they were accountable. They ignored that Holy God has the power to punish all iniquity. They lived without that fear governing their actions. So no wonder Proverbs teaches the wise to ‘live in the fear of the Lord always’ (23:17).
More than ever, this world has turned its back on God. We need men and women with excellent spirits and faith to rise up out of darkness. People of excellence know they’re in the world but not of the world. They don’t try to fit in but stand out to make an impact. They know their ‘citizenship is in heaven’ (Phil. 3:20) and that they live for something the world doesn’t comprehend. They live for something bigger than what the world offers, and next time we shall see faith in action when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego are brought before the fiery furnace.
Comments