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Verses 24 to 26 describe how Daniel comes before the king. Daniel’s first words to the king, verses 27 to 28, are to acknowledge that the God of heaven can reveal mysteries and to tell the king that his dream is a revelation from God. The revelation is about the future (vv. 29,30).
Daniel then tells the king the content of the dream (vv. 31–35). The king has seen a huge statue in five parts. The head, chest, belly, and legs are made of gold, silver, bronze, and iron, with the feet finally a mixture of iron and clay. A rock then strikes the feet of the statue and destroys it, with the rock becoming a mountain that fills the earth.
In verses 36 to 45 Daniel gives the interpretation of the dream to the king. The golden head is Nebuchadnezzar. With echoes of Genesis 1, the king is told that he only has rule in the world because God has given it to him (compare v. 38 with Gen. 1:28).
Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom, however, won’t last. We are not told here the identities of the kingdom that will replace it (we are given some clues in later chapters). What is emphasized is that all the kingdoms of this world will end. They will be replaced by a kingdom established by the God of heaven. And that kingdom will endure for ever (v. 44).
At first sight it seems that the king responds in the right way to the interpretation of the dream (vv. 46–49). He states that Daniel’s God is the ‘Lord of kings’, and promotes the exiles in the government. However, we will see that the king is not yet converted.
Nebuchadnezzar has, however, heard the gospel. That God will establish a kingdom is the good news that Jesus also preached (see Mark 1:14,15). This is the message that the pagan world needs to hear. We will see, however, that the king has not yet learned to repent in response to the gospel.
The message of this dream is also a reassurance to the exiles. While their present situation may look as if Nebuchadnezzar is the one in charge and that he rules over God’s people, the exiles are being assured that the promises of an eternal kingdom, made centuries earlier to King David (see 2 Sam. 7), will still be fulfilled. God’s kingdom will be established.
We know that Jesus is the King who will rule that kingdom. We still pray ‘your kingdom come’.
Reflections
What Daniel tells the king of Babylon is the gospel. This is the news that the world needs to hear. How involved are you in making this news known to your neighbours, friends and colleagues?
Scripture
About this Plan
The story of Daniel and his three friends is well known and well loved. But the account of these four men, in a far away land, is so much more than the lion’s den and a fiery furnace that we remember from Sunday school. In forty days, experienced Bible–teacher Justin Mote, shows us God’s goodness, provision and sovereignty, even when the situation seems out of control.
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