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Rooted Together
Introduction
Who can know the future? Many people throughout history have sought to understand and guide the future. Kings want to know so that they can protect their power. People want to know so that they can make informed decisions to set themselves up for success later in life. Knowing the future gives a sense of security. Many people in Taiwan go to fortune tellers. They are seeking knowledge of the future to determine how to invest their time and resources.
Think about global politics and natural disasters. Suddenly, we have a lot to worry about. We don’t know what will happen tomorrow, or even the next minute. As a church, however, we need not worry. We know who holds the future. We don’t need fortune tellers; we need to rely on God.
Today, we look at the story of Daniel and King Nebuchadnezzar. This story has a dream about future events. It is also a story of God’s power over all worldly kings. God alone holds the future. God alone has all glory and honor. Daniel is in a sticky and deadly situation. How could such a story bring God glory?
For Daniel, far from home and swirling in a world of powerful people, he trusted in the only one who would never change. He trusted in God. He knew that even as the Babylonian kings held great authority, God ruled over them. He trusted in God’s sovereignty over all worldly powers. We must trust God in the amid trials, relying on His sovereignty, praying, and trusting in His eternal kingdom.
God’s Greatness Through Trials
We said last week that Daniel and his friends received gifts from God that would aid them later. Daniel was given the gift to interpret dreams. In this chapter, he will have to use it to save his life and the lives of his friends. Today, we will focus on the main narrative surrounding the dream and how it weaves into the greater theme in the book of Daniel, God’s sovereignty.
Dreams were important in the ancient world. King Nebuchadnezzar had a recurring dream. For a young king, this would be bothersome. Therefore, the king wanted to know what the dream meant and why he was having it. Such dreams could be the difference between his kingdom growing or coming to an end.
The king calls his council. These were the wise men of the kingdom. Daniel and his friends were a part of this group. The request the king made was not normal. He didn’t give his dream and ask for an interpretation. That would have been what his councilors would have expected. No, the king wanted them to tell him what the dream was and then interpret it. He was a smart man. He didn’t want some magician, making up an interpretation that he would like. He wanted the real thing.
This was a problem. How could they know the contents of the dream? So they ask for the content first. King Nebuchadnezzar wasn’t going to allow that. He instead doubled down and threatened death to any of his men who couldn’t give him the dream. Fear quickly spread throughout the kingdom’s wise men.
Imagine being Daniel. He was an exile and a student in the king’s court. Now, if he can’t tell the king what was in the dream and interpret it, he and his friends will be dead. What a tense situation. The answer seemed impossible. Death was almost assured. The powers over Daniel seemed to be angry and wanted blood.
We have little control over the world around us. The trials we face, be they medical, financial, or social, seem like kings waging war on us. We may feel powerless. Our church will face such trials as well. How do we bring God glory when we have such little control? Or when things like conflicts or financial crises seek to destroy us?
First, we must see these events as opportunities for God’s glory. This doesn’t take the sting off the trial or make it go away. It does set our hearts toward God. Second, we must understand whose kingdom we, as the church, belong to. We belong to the Kingdom of God. Therefore, all trials become moments in which God will display His glory and power.
Let's look at verses 10-11. This was the response of the king’s court. I want to make two important observations:
1. First, they are right. No one on earth, no human, could do what Nebuchadnezzar was asking. This was a divine matter. The tension and the conflict in this chapter are not a clash of people, but a divine clash.
2. Second, they were alone. These men rightfully understood the need for a divine revelation, but they knew no such thing. The gods were somewhere else. Their gods did not communicate with them in such a way. You couldn’t seek them with the hope of an answer. The religion of the day stated that the gods interacted with people rarely. For the most part, worship was trying not to accidentally anger them. And giving gifts in hopes of appeasing them.
We see this so often when people go to the temples. They have a problem. They seek the divine. Right direction, but wrong place. They burn money and incense, hoping to catch the attention of a god or spirit. Just maybe they can sway their attention toward the problem. But not so with our God. We don’t need to hope to catch His attention. He longs to speak with us. He dwells among us.
The difference between the gods of the magicians and Daniel’s God is that God’s dwelling place is with His people. The magicians may have felt powerless and their gods distant. However, we, like Daniel, can trust and seek the power and authority of God. He is close to us. He longs to dwell among us. This situation, much like our trials, is a clash between false gods and the true God. God’s name will be made great, for He alone will do the impossible and save His people. Sometimes He allows such situations to bring Him glory, and we see that in Daniel. The question is, how will Daniel respond?
God’s Greatness through Prayer
2:17-19, 20-23
1. The king’s executioner comes for Daniel. Again, God grants Daniel favor with this man. The guard told Daniel about the king’s command. Daniel boldly asked for time to pray. The time was granted to Daniel in verses 15 and 16. What does Daniel do with his time? He prays.
If it were me, I would be packing my bags and plotting my escape. Success seemed unlikely. To quote the new Jurassic World movie, “Survival is a long shot.” And this would be true if Daniel had nowhere to turn to. The tension is real, and the price of failure is high. So Daniel turns to God in prayer.
Notice how Daniel enlists the help of his friends. After all, this concerns them as well. Together, they seek God. They knew that the only way they were going to live was if God intervened and aided them in this impossible task. This trial became an opportunity for God to be glorified. Prayer was how they were to bring God glory. Have you ever felt like Daniel, powerless, far from home, and facing pressure from every side?
When we do, do we pray? I fear that all too often, prayer is a last resort. We don’t understand the power of our prayers. Not that we are swaying God, but that we get to connect with Him in His sovereign plan. Let us be a church that prays. Not just in times of trials. We want to be a praying church in good times and bad. Prayer is communicating with God. It is a means of relationship. It’s just like talking with a cherished loved one.
We often lack sufficient prayer in trials because we don’t pray when things are good. Prayer can seem awkward for us, me included. A practice I have begun to cherish is a half-day of prayer. This practice has become a breath of fresh air for my spiritual life. I aim to do it once a quarter (four times a year). I commend this practice to you (if you are curious, I have some materials to get you started).
When trials arise and the worldly powers seem to be overwhelming us individually or as a church, let us pray. Pray together. Seek God, especially in times of trials. Notice the confidence these young men displayed. Far from home, facing death, they prayed to the King of kings. It’s not a question of what they should do, no, it's a confidence that Nebuchadnezzar doesn’t have the final word; God does.
2. God answers their prayers. That night, God revealed the dream and its interpretation to Daniel. Through Daniel’s prayer, God displayed His greatness over the kings and trials of the earth. Daniel can only do one thing: sing. Verses 21-23 are a beautiful song to the Lord. Let us summarize the contents:
God’s name alone is to be praised, and will be praised.
God is over nature and worldly powers. Daniel recognizes that God is the true sovereign, not creation and not Nebuchadnezzar. We would do well to meditate on this reality.
God is the revealer of mysteries. We need not seek mediums or fortune tellers, for God holds all knowledge and reveals it to His children at the right time to bring Him glory.
Any gifts we have come from God; thank Him for them.
Now, with confidence, Daniel asked to be seen by the king. Life or death, this episode is coming to an exciting conclusion. Notice the faith displayed by Daniel in going to the king. He does not question the dream and its interpretation. He trusts that God has granted him the knowledge he needs to both survive and bring God all the glory.
God’s Greatness Through His Eternal Kingdom
2:27-28, 45,46
. Daniel stood before the great and powerful king Nebuchadnezzar. He had an answer to the king’s request. Notice how Daniel frames the conversation. He acknowledges that the king's request was impossible for people. Therefore, Daniel could not give the king his answer, but God could and did. Daniel gives all the glory to God even before he answered the question. He wanted Nebuchadnezzar to know that this was by God’s power.
I recommend reading through the dream. It is interesting. There is a big statue made from different materials. The head is gold, and the feet are iron and clay mixed. A few notes of interest:
1. The materials start at the top very valuable, but diminish as they go down. Man’s kingdoms are not ascending to glory, but to destruction. There is no country alive today that will survive forever. Our hope cannot be in nations.
2. The materials grow in strength as you go down the statue. For example, while gold is more valuable than silver, silver is stronger than gold. As we apply history to this statue, we see this.
3. The whole statue, no matter the value of the metal or the strength, is destroyed and wiped away by a stone.
4. (Verse 45) This stone is unlike the statue. It is not carved or thrown by a human hand. No, this stone is a greater power, a greater kingdom. The stone represents God’s Kingdom. God’s greatness will be seen by the whole earth. His kingdom will cover everything. And there will be no end to His glorious Kingdom. Worldly kingdoms will fall and blow away like chaff.
God uses this trial, his exiled people, and a power-hungry king to bring to the known world the knowledge that one day, His Kingdom will stand alone and supreme. God’s glory is made known through His Kingdom, through His people. This is an already and not yet reality. God’s kingdom is on the earth now as the church. We are extensions, or outposts of the kingdom. However, one day every knee will bow to the true King. Every earthly ruler will see the King of Kings. People will rather be destroyed through rejecting this Kingdom, or saved through joining it.
Our story ends with Daniel being praised by the king. Nebuchadnezzar praised Daniel as a messenger of the “God of the Heavens.” Glory is brought to God. Not only that, but Daniel and his friends are promoted in the kingdom. We saw an impossible and hopeless situation turn into a great victory for God’s glory and His people. Let us trust in that kingdom as we face the storms of this life.
Conclusion
Where was Jesus in our text? Jesus is the stone. He has destroyed the power of sin and death, and will one day destroy all worldly kingdoms. He is the cornerstone of the church. (Note the stone imagery.) His Kingdom will never be shaken and will one day be realized as the only and true Kingdom. Like the stone, it is small at first. It grows to take over all things. Jesus established His church, and it has spread throughout all nations as outposts of heaven.
This text lifts our eyes away from our trials and beckons us to gaze heavenward. Let us trust in God’s sovereignty amid trials. Let us go to the Father in prayer, and let us reveal the Kingdom of God to others as we tell them that because of Jesus, we are children of the King. With these things in mind, let us overcome all trials this life can throw at us. Let us long for our true Home, God’s Kingdom. We aren’t home yet, but we can have confidence that God is in control of all worldly events. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but we know the one who brings tomorrow. Trust in Him, Beloved. Lean on His sovereignty as life seems out of control. Go to God in prayer with confidence that He will hear you. Be about the Kingdom work of proclaiming Christ.