Faith in Impossible Times: A 4-Day Study in DanielSample

DAY 2 Daniel 2 - God’s Plans Are Not Man’s Plans

By the end of Daniel 1, Daniel and his friends were thriving because they had chosen to trust Yahweh to sustain them in their new land. Yahweh caused their exile, but we also see that He was fully in control during their captivity.

The stories in the first part of Daniel are what theologian Tremper Longman calls “court tales of contest.” These often involve rivalry contests between people in the king's court. Chapter one is a form of this, even though it's not explicitly shown as a contest. Daniel and his friends compete with all the other magicians and enchanters, and they rise to a position of superiority. Daniel 1:19-20 says, “No one impressed him (King Nebuchadnezzar) as much as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So, they entered the royal service. Whenever the king consulted them in any matter requiring wisdom and balanced judgment, he found them ten times more capable than any of the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom.”

Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

Daniel 2:1–11 (NLT) — 1 One night during the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had such disturbing dreams that he couldn’t sleep. 2 He called in his magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers, and he demanded that they tell him what he had dreamed. As they stood before the king, 3 he said, “I have had a dream that deeply troubles me, and I must know what it means.” 4 Then the astrologers answered the king in Aramaic, “Long live the king! Tell us the dream, and we will tell you what it means.” …10 The astrologers replied to the king, “No one on earth can tell the king his dream! And no king, however great and powerful, has ever asked such a thing of any magician, enchanter, or astrologer! 11 The king’s demand is impossible. No one except the gods can tell you your dream, and they do not live here among people.”

• How does Daniel 2 set up another “court tale of contest?”
• What did Nebuchadnezzar ask of his wise men, and why was it an unreasonable request?

Daniel 2:12–23 (NLT) —12 The king was furious when he heard this, and he ordered that all the wise men of Babylon be executed. 13 And because of the king’s decree, men were sent to find and kill Daniel and his friends. 14 When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, came to kill them, Daniel handled the situation with wisdom and discretion. 15 He asked Arioch, “Why has the king issued such a harsh decree?” So Arioch told him all that had happened. 16 Daniel went at once to see the king and requested more time to tell the king what the dream meant. 17 Then Daniel went home and told his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah what had happened. 18 He urged them to ask the God of heaven to show them his mercy by telling them the secret, so they would not be executed along with the other wise men of Babylon. 19 That night the secret was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven. 20 He said, “Praise the name of God forever and ever, for he has all wisdom and power. 21 He controls the course of world events; he removes kings and sets up other kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the scholars. 22 He reveals deep and mysterious things and knows what lies hidden in darkness, though he is surrounded by light. 23 I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors, for you have given me wisdom and strength. You have told me what we asked of you and revealed to us what the king demanded.”

• How does the instability of King Nebuchadnezzar play into the storyline and ultimately point to Yahweh as a better ruler and king?
• How important was prayer in Daniel's response to the king’s demand?
• How is prayer an expression of Daniel’s hope?
• What might you pray to God about today to express your hope in His goodness and love for you? What future plans does He have for you?

God Revealed

By the power of God, Daniel was equipped for the moment of crisis. Though there was a death warrant out for all the wise men, including Daniel and his friends, Daniel stepped forward.

Daniel 2:25–30 (NLT) 24 Then Daniel went in to see Arioch, whom the king had ordered to execute the wise men of Babylon. Daniel said to him, “Don’t kill the wise men. Take me to the king, and I will tell him the meaning of his dream.” 25 Arioch quickly took Daniel to the king and said, “I have found one of the captives from Judah who will tell the king the meaning of his dream!” 26 The king said to Daniel (also known as Belteshazzar), “Is this true? Can you tell me what my dream was and what it means?” 27 Daniel replied, “There are no wise men, enchanters, magicians, or fortune-tellers who can reveal the king’s secret. 28 But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and he has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the future. Now I will tell you your dream and the visions you saw as you lay on your bed. 29 “While Your Majesty was sleeping, you dreamed about coming events. He who reveals secrets has shown you what is going to happen. 30 And it is not because I am wiser than anyone else that I know the secret of your dream, but because God wants you to understand what was in your heart.

• While Daniel had the opportunity to set himself up as the hero of this scene, how does he continue to show that he is just a servant of the greatest King?
• What does he reveal about God to Nebuchadnezzar?
• What does God want to reveal to the king? Why do you think this matters to God?
• In what ways has God revealed to you what is in your own heart?

Daniel accurately described King Nebuchadnezzar's dream, even though the king had not told anyone about it. In the dream, there was a statue with a head made of gold, a chest and arms made of silver, a belly and thighs made of bronze, legs made of iron, and feet made of a mix of iron and clay. Additionally, a huge rock, cut out from a mountain without human hands, struck the statue and caused it to collapse, then the rock grew and filled the entire earth. After explaining the dream, Daniel also interpreted its meaning for the king.

Daniel 2:36–45 (NLT) — 36 “That was the dream. Now we will tell the king what it means. 37 Your Majesty, you are the greatest of kings. The God of heaven has given you sovereignty, power, strength, and honor. 38 He has made you the ruler over all the inhabited world and has put even the wild animals and birds under your control. You are the head of gold. 39 “But after your kingdom comes to an end, another kingdom, inferior to yours, will rise to take your place. After that kingdom has fallen, yet a third kingdom, represented by bronze, will rise to rule the world. 40 Following that kingdom, there will be a fourth one, as strong as iron. That kingdom will smash and crush all previous empires, just as iron smashes and crushes everything it strikes. 41 The feet and toes you saw were a combination of iron and baked clay, showing that this kingdom will be divided. Like iron mixed with clay, it will have some of the strength of iron. 42 But while some parts of it will be as strong as iron, other parts will be as weak as clay. 43 This mixture of iron and clay also shows that these kingdoms will try to strengthen themselves by forming alliances with each other through intermarriage. But they will not hold together, just as iron and clay do not mix. 44 “During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed or conquered. It will crush all these kingdoms into nothingness, and it will stand forever. 45 That is the meaning of the rock cut from the mountain, though not by human hands, that crushed to pieces the statue of iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold. The great God was showing the king what will happen in the future. The dream is true, and its meaning is certain.”

• How do Daniel’s comments in 2:37-38 reveal that God is fully in control not just in Israel but over everything on earth?
• What do Daniel’s comments reveal about God's character, nature, and authority?
• How does the dream God gave offer hope to Daniel?

Daniel’s Reward

In response to Daniel's revelation of his dream, the king does something unexpected.

Daniel 2:46–49 (NLT) — 46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar threw himself down before Daniel and worshiped him, and he commanded his people to offer sacrifices and burn sweet incense before him. 47 The king said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is the greatest of gods, the Lord over kings, a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this secret.” 48 Then the king appointed Daniel to a high position and gave him many valuable gifts. He made Daniel ruler over the whole province of Babylon, as well as chief over all his wise men. 49 At Daniel’s request, the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to be in charge of all the affairs of the province of Babylon, while Daniel remained in the king’s court.

A lot of time could be spent focusing on the different parts of the statue, but what becomes most apparent as we conclude this “court tale” is that the true winner of the contest wasn’t even Daniel, but Yahweh. Daniel’s dream interpretation ends with a great stone breaking the statue. That stone signifies a kingdom set up by Yahweh that will destroy every oppressor of Israel. In the end, we see King Nebuchadnezzar worshiping Daniel’s God (2:47). Although this study will be limited to the first part of Daniel, this serves as an example of how to read through the future visions of Daniel 7-12. When reading those future chapters, remember these words: “The God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed or conquered. It will crush all these kingdoms into nothingness, and it will stand forever” (2:44).

• How does Nebuchadnezzar’s acknowledgment of God in Daniel 2:47 contribute to Daniel's overall narrative?
• How does Daniel’s faithfulness lead to his future success?
• How is hope displayed for Nebuchadnezzar?

Personal Application

• How can we develop a deeper trust in God’s sovereignty when faced with seemingly impossible situations?