Daniel 2: Today’s Chapter

February 6, 2021 in Today's Reading by TGV

Daniel 2: Today’s Chapter/ Bible Reading Plan/ The Book of Daniel 2/ Theme: Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream (2:1–49)


 

Daniel 2 (NKJV) — 1 Now in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; and his spirit was so troubled that his sleep left him. 2 Then the king gave the command to call the magicians, the astrologers, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king. 3 And the king said to them, “I have had a dream, and my spirit is anxious to know the dream.” 4 Then the Chaldeans spoke to the king in Aramaic, “O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will give the interpretation.” 5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, “My decision is firm: if you do not make known the dream to me, and its interpretation, you shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made an ash heap. 6 However, if you tell the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts, rewards, and great honor. Therefore tell me the dream and its interpretation.” 7 They answered again and said, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will give its interpretation.” 8 The king answered and said, “I know for certain that you would gain time, because you see that my decision is firm: 9 if you do not make known the dream to me, there is only one decree for you! For you have agreed to speak lying and corrupt words before me till the time has changed. Therefore, tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can give me its interpretation.” 10 The Chaldeans answered the king, and said, “There is not a man on earth who can tell the king’s matter; therefore no king, lord, or ruler has ever asked such things of any magician, astrologer, or Chaldean. 11 It is a difficult thing that the king requests, and there is no other who can tell it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.” 12 For this reason the king was angry and very furious, and gave the command to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. 13 So the decree went out, and they began killing the wise men; and they sought Daniel and his companions, to kill them. 14 Then with counsel and wisdom Daniel answered Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon; 15 he answered and said to Arioch the king’s captain, “Why is the decree from the king so urgent?” Then Arioch made the decision known to Daniel. 16 So Daniel went in and asked the king to give him time, that he might tell the king the interpretation. 17 Then Daniel went to his house, and made the decision known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, 18 that they might seek mercies from the God of heaven concerning this secret, so that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. So, Daniel blessed the God of heaven. 20 Daniel answered and said: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are His. 21 And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. 22 He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, And light dwells with Him. 23 “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 we asked of You, For You have made known to us the king’s demand.” 24 Therefore Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said thus to him: “Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon; take me before the king, and I will tell the king the interpretation.” 25 Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel before the king, and said thus to him, “I have found a man of the captives of Judah, who will make known to the king the interpretation.” 26 The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen, and its interpretation?” 27 Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, “The secret which the king has demanded, the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, and the soothsayers cannot declare to the king. 28 But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream, and the visions of your head upon your bed, were these: 29 As for you, O king, thoughts came to your mind while on your bed, about what would come to pass after this; and He who reveals secrets has made known to you what will be. 30 But as for me, this secret has not been revealed to me because I have more wisdom than anyone living, but for our sakes who make known the interpretation to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your heart. 31You, O king, were watching; and behold, a great image! This great image, whose splendor was excellent, stood before you; and its form was awesome. 32 This image’s head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. 34 You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay and broke them in pieces. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. 36 “This is the dream. Now we will tell the interpretation of it before the king. 37 You, O king, are a king of kings. For the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory; 38 and wherever the children of men dwell, or the beasts of the field and the birds of the heaven, He has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler over them all—you are this head of gold. 39 But after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours; then another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. 40 And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others. 41 Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay. 42 And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile. 43 As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay. 44 And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. 45 Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold—the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure.” 46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face, prostrate before Daniel, and commanded that they should present an offering and incense to him. 47 The king answered Daniel, and said, “Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret.” 48 Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts; and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon. 49 Also Daniel petitioned the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego over the affairs of the province of Babylon; but Daniel sat in the gate of the king.


 

 

DANIEL 2: TEACHING OUTLINE.

Bible Study Guide/ Daniel 2: Teaching Outline/ Daniel 2, (27-BSG-2E)/ Theme: Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream (2:1–49)

An Overview: Daniel 2 provides the blueprint for end time Bible Prophecy. The chapter is foundational for the rest of the prophecies in the book. Nebuchadnezzar’s dream revealed the ignorance of the wise men but provided opportunity for Daniel to witness to the heathen king about the God of heaven, who will “set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed!”

Characters: Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, Abedego, Arioch, Astrologers.

Key Text: “And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.” (Daniel 2:44, NKJV)

Key Word: The forgotten Dream; The Stone Kingdom; The Everlasting Kingdom (Dan. 2:1, 34, 44)

Striking Verses: Daniel 2:1-2, 3, 5-6, 10-11, 13-15, 16-19, 20-23, 27-28, 31-35, 36-43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49.

 Devotional Focus: “But there is a God in Heaven…” (see section “Y”)

 Division of Main Points a. The Circumstances of the Dream (1)/ b. The Futility of the Pagan Interpreters (2–13)/ c. Daniel’s Intervention (14–30)/ d. The Dream Revealed (31–35)/ e. The Dream Interpretated (36–45)/ f. Nebuchadnezzar’s Response (46–49).

 Biblical Events – [Events Occurring]: Babylonian Captivity, (Dan 1:3–3:30); Daniel’s early prophetic career, (Dan 1:3–3:30); Nebuchadnezzar has a dream, (Dan 2:1–12); Nebuchadnezzar has a dream only Daniel can interpret, (Dan 2:1–49); God reveals Nebuchadnezzar’s dream to Daniel, (Dan 2:13–23); Daniel interprets Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, (Dan 2:24–47); Nebuchadnezzar promotes Daniel and his friends, (Dan 2:48–49).

Biblical Themes – End Time Bible Prophecy (see Section “H”).

Biblical Phrases – Seek mercies from the God of heaven/ Blessed the God of heaven (Dan 2:18, 19); The God of heaven (Dan 2:37); the great God (Dan 2:37). God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets (Dan 2:47)

Issues for Further Study – The Stone Kingdom of Daniel 2; Daniel 7; Apocalyptic Prophecy.

Striking Facts:

  1. The king had “dreams” that left “his spirit troubled” (2:1).
  2. He cannot even remember his own dreams, far less explain them (2:2–3).
  3. The king summoned the wise men, demanding from them the dreams’ details and the meaning (2:2-4).
  4. The Decree: Because the wise men are unable to do this, they are sentenced to die (2:5–13)
  5. Daniel learns that he and his three friends are among those to be executed! Thus, asks a little more time from the king (2:14–16).
  6. The Request: After Daniel and his friends pray, God tells Daniel the dream and its meaning, (2:17–19).
  7. Thanksgiving: Daniel praises God for his omnipotence and omniscience, (2:20–23).
  8. The Dream: The king saw a huge statue with a gold head, silver chest and arms, bronze belly and thighs, iron legs, and feet that are a combination of iron and clay, (2:24–33)
  9. The Stone: A massive rock, cut out from a mountain by supernatural means, struck the feet of iron and clay, smashing them to bits so that the whole statue collapsed, (2:34–35)
  10. The interpretation[a] The Statue: Four successive Gentile powers— Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, pagan Rome; [b] The Stone: God’s kingdom, which will someday destroy these powers, (2:36–45);
  11. The Promotion: Nebuchadnezzar worships Daniel and appoints him to be ruler over the entire province of Babylon as well as chief over all his wise men! (2:46–49).

 

Key Thought: “Daniel 2, as legitimate apocalyptic prophecy, emphasizes the eschaton, the end of human history. Consequently, it need not surprise us that Daniel 2, like Daniel 7, culminates in the overthrow of all earthly kingdoms and the establishment of an eternal, heavenly kingdom. A careful study of the use of stone in the NT enables us to conclude that this metaphor refers to Christ and His kingdom.” “And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.” (Matthew 21:44, NKJV).

“Matthew 21:44 suggests that the stone symbol joins two events related to Christ which are separated by time. Christ, in His state of the incarnation, is the Stone against which so many fall; Christ in His glory and exaltation is the Stone which will eventually, at His second coming, fall upon the impenitent.” (Douglas Bennett, Symposium on Daniel: Introductory and Exegetical Studies, 1986, 2, 377, 376).

Admonitions: Get ready for the Sign of the Son of Man! Matthew 24:29–31 (NKJV) — 29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.


 

Warm Up Questions:

  1. What did God reveal to Nebuchadnezzar?
  2. What was the role of the magicians, the astrologers, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans? (2:5)
  3. Why did the king give Daniel more time after accusing the wise men of delaying? (2:16)
  4. Why is it hard sometimes to speak truth to power?
  5. What did the metallic images symbolize? (30-45).
  6. If God chose you today to make His will known to those around you, how would you go about doing that? What preparation will you make to communicate God’s will/ revelation accurately?
  7. What do you think is the main point God is making by including this chapter in the Bible?
  8. What response do you think this chapter should inspires us to do?

 

THE END: Welcome for comments/ discussions, etc.

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