Daniel 2
COMMENTARY:
: 3 And the king said to them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream. (6470 “troubled” [pa ‘am] means to stir, to be beaten, be disturbed, or to be agitated.)
DEVOTION: Have you ever had a dream that you just didn’t understand why you had it and what it was really about? You wake up in the morning wondering why you dreamed the way you did. Dreams sometimes are important and sometimes they just happen. We have to watch what we read before we go to bed. Sometimes we have to not watch some things that cause us to have bad dreams that scare us.
Here was a king of a great nation that had a dream that scared him so much that he forgot the dream. He called all his wise men and asked them for the dream and its meaning. They couldn’t do it. They were used to hearing a dream and then making up a meaning. This time it didn’t work. The king was mad.
He ordered all the wise men killed. Well, Daniel and his friends didn’t make the first meeting with the king, so when they came to kill him he asked what was going on. They told him and he asked the king for more time.
Back in the Old Testament God spoke to people in dreams to reveal what was going to happen to the person or to the nation they were part of. In this case it was a revelation of a future King that was going to conquer all the nations of the world and rule over them. This King or Rock in the dream was Jesus Christ.
HE is going to come and reign over the world in the future.
The Bible gives us answers to what is going to happen in the future if we study it correctly. Watch out for people who say they know the date of the return of Christ because they are not telling the truth. Only the LORD knows.
CHALLENGE: Also don’t read too much into your dreams. Sometimes we will come up with our own answers to what they mean. We could be wrong.
: 11 And it is rare thing that the king requires, and there is none other that can show it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh. (3358 “rare” [yaqqiyr] means precious, dear, requiring mental effort to comprehend, difficult, improbable, or hard.)
DEVOTION: Here we have heathen wise men saying that there is only one group of individuals that could tell the king what his dream was and what the interpretation of the dream was about. Their answer was that only the gods could do such a thing and they didn’t dwell with men in flesh and blood.
It is interesting that they should state it that way. Here we have a dream that is going to deal with the fact that the True God of the Universe is going to send HIS Son to die on the cross in HIS first coming.
This is God the Son coming to live among men for thirty three years and then die on the cross for the sins of the world. There was enough blood shed on the cross for every individual who will ever live. The problem is that most of those who live will reject this offer of salvation.
But God came in the flesh to dwell among men. The dream is about HIS second coming to set up HIS kingdom. HE is the Rock that is going to destroy all the other kingdoms of the world.
CHALLENGE: Understanding the future through the Word of God needs to be characteristic of every believer. Do you believe what the Bible teaches to be TRUTH?
: 19 Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. (1288 “blessed” [barak] means commend, praise, extol, to kneel down, thank for goodness, or salute.)
DEVOTION: The king of Babylon had a dream that he forgot after he woke up. He called all the wise men of Babylon together and asked them to tell him his dream and its interpretation.
The wise men said that it had never been asked of any group of wise men before this and that it couldn’t be done. The king ordered all the wise men killed. When they came to Daniel he asked what was happening. Apparently he was not in the group that was first called. He told the man who had come to gather them for execution that he was acting too quickly. Daniel went into the king and asked for time to give him the dream and the interpretation.
Daniel then went to prayer to the LORD for an answer to the king’s request. The LORD gave Daniel the answer to his prayer by revealing the dream and interpretation to him.
What did Daniel do next? He thanked the LORD for the answer to the prayer request. Would this have been our first action? Do we thank the LORD for each answer to pray?
Our responsibility to the LORD is great. HE expects our thanks when HE does things for us. If we neglect saying thank you to HIM would HE continue to answer our prayers? We are to be a thankful people.
Daniel was a thankful person and the LORD continued to use him for HIS glory. Daniel outlasted many rulers. We will even see that the LORD revealed much more to Daniel throughout this book that was written for our edification.
CHALLENGE: Read this book in the light of the rest of the Word of God. Connect the verses that deal with the future reign of the Messiah. It will bless your heart.
: 29 As for you, O king, your thoughts came into your mind upon your bed, what should come to pass hereafter; and he that reveals secrets makes known to you what shall come to pass. (7328 “secrets” [raz] means hidden, information or omens so enigmatic or baffling that only revelation from God can make it understandable.)
DEVOTION: There are two languages in the Old Testament. The main one is Hebrew. The second one is Aramaic. This word is Aramaic. It is used seven times in this chapter. It informs us that there are some things that are hidden from the world. There are things that God only reveals in HIS time.
Here we have a man who was taken from Jerusalem and put in the palace of the king of Babylon. Remember that Ezekiel is in the countryside with other captives from Jerusalem. Jeremiah was a prophet to those who were left behind in Jerusalem. All three men had a message from the LORD. Here we find Daniel giving a message from God to the king of Babylon.
There is a plan that is working in the background of our world that only the God of heaven knows.
HE decreed it before the foundation of the world. HE is working HIS decrees. HE knows the past, present and future. HE rises up leaders and takes them down.
The king of Babylon wanted to know the future. The LORD decided to show him the future. The wise men and other knowledgeable men of Babylon couldn’t even figure out the dream, let alone the interpretation. The LORD gave Daniel the dream and interpretation. When Daniel received the dream and interpretation, he first praised the LORD.
When we receive something special from the LORD is our first thoughts to praise him? Remember that the Bible tells us that if any of us lack wisdom, we need to ask of God and HE will give us the wisdom we need. The LORD is Sovereign in our world. The king of Babylon realized it when the dream and interpretation were given to him. We need to look to HIM for wisdom daily.
CHALLENGE: Our life as a believer should be a life of praise to the LORD for all HE is doing in our world and in our life. Remember to praise HIM today!
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