Daniel and the King's Dream - The Book of Daniel

In this Bible Story, King Nebuchadnezzar is tormented by dreams. In search of an interpretation, the king seeks out the wise men and magicians of the time. Daniel gives him an interpretation and the Lord is faithful to show Daniel and the King what was going to take place among the nations. Daniel, just like Joseph before Pharaoh, is given governance over the kingdom as a result. This story is inspired by Daniel 2. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.

Today's Bible verse is Daniel 2:27-28 from the King James Version.

Episode 163: One night in Babylon King Nebuchadnezzar had a disturbing dream. He called his wise men and magicians together to ease his troubled mind, but they did not have the power of God and told Nebuchadnezzar that his request was impossible. Furious he ordered that they be put to death. But when Daniel heard of the order, he came to the king to intercede for the men and God gave him a message that would bring the King of Babylon to his knees.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let us pray. But Daniel purposed in his heart that
he would not defile himself with a portion of the
king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank. Therefore,
he requested the Prince of the eunuchs that he might
not defile himself. Daniel one, ate Lord, because my purpose

(00:21):
means more to me than my comfort, I will be
mindful to treat my body in a way that will
allow me to carry out my mission while here on
earth to day. Like Daniel and the young men, I
am making a conscious decision to honor my body by
not defiling it with food or substances that would stop

(00:43):
me from experiencing the fullness of all you have in
store for me. I thank you, Lord for the will
and the fortitude to stand strong when I am tempted
to choose the comfort of laziness and poor health habits.
I declare that health is a top priority. I declare

(01:05):
that through my decision to live a healthy lifestyle, my
mind will be sharper and more creative than ever before.
I praise you and thank you in advance for uncommon
outcomes and alliances that are working on my behalf to
help realize the dreams and destiny You've placed on and

(01:26):
in me. No matter what, I will not be ashamed
of my acceleration because I've made the decision to honor
my body, which is the vehicle needed to take me
to my future. In Jesus name, Amen, thanks for making

(01:47):
prayer a priority in your life. To hear the Bible
come to life. Stay tuned for the Bible in a
Year brought to you by Bible in a Year dot com.

Speaker 2 (02:04):
Daniel and the King's Dream. In the last story, we
were introduced to Daniel and his friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
The three young men were specially chosen out of the
Judean captives to sit under the king as wise men.
King Neberconezzer attempted to indoctrinate them into Babylonian ways. However,

(02:27):
they proved that following the Lord proved to be more
useful for human flourishing. Now Daniel comes in close contact
with King Nebuconezzer as he is tormented by his dreams.
Like Joseph before Pharaoh, Daniel will interpret his dreams to
the glory of God. Inspired by the Book of Daniel.

Speaker 3 (02:50):
Hello, I'm Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of the
Bible in a Year podcast, We're really glad that you've
joined us. In our most recent reading, we learned how
Daniel and his friends chose to stay clean and undefiled,
rejecting the king's food and meat sacrifice to idols. God
rewarded their faithfulness in show of strength and began to

(03:11):
show himself to the Babylonians. Daniel and his faithful companions
were placed in prominent positions and allowed to continue to
serve their God and obey his laws. Today we'll hear
how God uses Daniel to interpret disturbing dreams that haunt
King Nabucanazar, and just as God worked through Joseph in Egypt,
through dreams, God will bring glory to himself in the

(03:34):
midst of this pagan land. Let's listen now to today's reading.

Speaker 2 (03:40):
Darkness covered the nation of Babylon, and the stars draped
over the horizon like a heavy blanket. The captives of
Israel and Judah slept soundly, as did the citizens and
servants of the king. Yet there was one who stirred
that night. He tossed and turned in his bed, yelling
for help. By his own nightmares, lay King neber Caneszer.

(04:04):
The chill of the evening air filled his room, but
he awoke covered in sweat. The Next morning, the king
summoned his greatest magicians and wise men to interpret his dream.
They stood before him, eager to please and gain favor
with their lord. I had a disturbing dream, the king said,
I need a wise man to discern for me its meaning.

(04:26):
It torments me even as I stand awake. O King
live forever. The magicians said, as they bowed, tell us
your dreams, so that we may interpret it for you.
Neber Canesza was no fool. He glared at them and
stood up from his throne. If I tell you my dream,
you could spin whatever lie that suits you. If you

(04:49):
are truly men of such knowledge, then you should be
able to tell me what my dream is. The magicians,
seers and wise men all mumbled to one another. They
no such insight. The king interrupted them, saying, whoever tells
me will gain a great reward. I will give them
honor and riches. However, if I catch you in a lie,

(05:11):
I shall tear you limb from limb with my own
bare hands. The men quivered at the king's words. No
man on earth is able to dive into the mind
like that, they said. No one has ever asked such
a thing from a magician or seer. No one knows
the dreams except the gods. This riled the king to anger.

(05:32):
He was furious and commanded for all the wise men
of Babylon to be destroyed. For decades, they had spun
lies and taken advantage of past kings. No longer, so
the decree went out for the wise men of the
city to be burnt. Eventually word got to Daniel and
his companions that they were in danger. The king was

(05:52):
held bent on destroying anyone who claimed spiritual knowledge. Daniel
did his best to remain calm and sent word to
Neberknezzar's chief servant and requested an audience with the king.
Daniel was taken to Nebknezzar's palace. The pillars were a
smooth ivory and the walls were adorned with gold. It

(06:13):
reminded him of the temple back home, or at least
what the temple used to be. Daniel looked ahead at
neber Canezzar's sitting upon his throne. It was fitting that
his palace looked like a temple, since the king was
his own god. Daniel was a young man, too young
to have the respect of a king like Neberkinezzar. Are
you able to make known to me my dream, boy?

(06:35):
The king snapped. Daniel paused and looked deep in the
king's eyes. He was a truly terrifying man, large, muscular,
and demanding of power. However, Daniel could see a deep
hurt behind him. Underneath the rough exterior was a tortured soul.
No wise man or enchanter can know the mystery the

(06:56):
king has asked, Daniel replied. The King's brow was furrowed
and he was about to raise his fist at Daniel. However,
Daniel continued, there is a god in heaven who knows
all and sees all. He has made known to me
your dream, not because I am wise or special, but
because the Lord has a message for you. The King

(07:19):
took a moment to calm down and then gestured for
Daniel to speak. Daniel paused, collecting his thoughts, and then spoke,
You saw a mighty image a statue. It stood before you,
terrifying and large. The head of this statue was gold,
Its chest and arms were silver, Its middle was bronze,
and its legs were iron. Its feet were partly of

(07:41):
iron and clay. You beheld the statue with awe and respect.
Then a mighty boulder rolled down from the hills and
struck the statue. You ducked for cover as the different
materials broke apart and were ground into a powder. Then,
like dust, they were carried off in the wind. There
was silence as Daniel awaited the king's response. His normally

(08:05):
sharp and impassive face was covered in shock and dread.
The king said nothing, so Daniel continued, the Lord has
also given me an interpretation for your dream. You, King Nebuchonezzer,
are the head of gold. God has given you headship
over all the surrounding kingdoms. Everything around you is owned

(08:27):
by you and serves you. However, another kingdom will rise
after you, that is the Kingdom of silver. After that
kingdom another will come, the kingdom of bronze. The fourth
kingdom will be as strong as iron. This will be
the kingdom to crush all the others. Then there will
be a final kingdom that is like the feet of

(08:48):
iron and clay. It will be divided like clay, but
still holding a firmness like iron. It will be both
weak and strong at the same time. In those days,
the Kingdom of God will be set in place, filled
with weak vessels, but containing the strength of the Lord.
This is the final kingdom that will stand forever. Daniel

(09:11):
studied the face of King Neberconezzar. He looked solemn and contemplative.
He stood from his throne and fell to his knees
before Daniel. The King of Babylon, strongest man in the
entire world, crumbled before the God of Israel. Truly, your
God is the God above all other gods. He is

(09:31):
Lord over all kings. The mighty King was humbled, and
his heart began to draw near to the God of Daniel.
Daniel was awarded with gifts in title. He was given
authority over the entire province of Babylon and was put
in charge of all the wise men in the land.
He appointed Shadrak, Nishak, and Abednigo as his assistants. Slowly,

(09:54):
the brutal nation of Babylon was coming in contact with
the love and sovereignty of God. Daniel and his companions
continued to govern with wisdom. They drew close to God.
For all things they would need to for all their
faiths would be tested greatly. Their resolve to follow God
would be tried with fire and violence. Revival is not

(10:16):
easily gained.

Speaker 3 (10:19):
We begin today's reading with a story that takes us
back to the days of the Pharaoh in Egypt. The
most powerful man in all the land, perhaps the world,
and in this case it was Nebeconezar, and he is
tormented with disturbing dreams. And when the ruler has no rest,
there will be no rest for those in his circle.

(10:39):
He is surrounded by wise men and seers who claim
powers of understanding and knowledge given to them by the gods.
So they asked the king to tell them what he
saw in his dreams, and they would interpret them. But
never Caanezar was wise to their gain. If he told
them the dream, they could interpret it as they wish,
telling what he wanted to hear. But what use would

(11:02):
that be? No, this required a deeper understanding. They were
to tell him what he dreamed, then what it meant.
Their response, that's humanly impossible, my king, what man has
that ability to see into your mind? And they were right,
No man has such power. The king offered a great

(11:23):
reward to the man who could tell him what he
needed to know. But if they were lying, they would
pay with their life. What nobody knew was that there
was a young man among them who could help. His
name was Belta Shazar, or Daniel as he was known
in Hebrew. And it was not Daniel who could see
the king's mind, but the God that Daniel served. Simply

(11:46):
approaching the king was a bold, potentially life threatening move,
but Daniel trusted God. He knew that there was a
deeper purpose for his life. A bigger story was happening
in that moment, And before he even went to the king,
Daniel went to God, praying, praising, and worshiping him. This
is something we must never forget in the chain of

(12:09):
events that follow Daniel went first to God. Daniel didn't
approach the king in his own strength, but only after
praising God and being filled with his strength. Only then
did Daniel go to the King, and he confirmed that
no man could give him his dream or its meaning,
But said Daniel, can't you almost imagine Daniel's pregnant pause

(12:33):
as he watched the king lean in waiting for more.
But O King, the God of Heaven does know, and
he wants me to tell you Even in that moment,
Daniel was humble, confessing that he was just a spokesperson,
nothing special. It was God who was to be regarded,
and he wanted the king to hear from God. So

(12:55):
Daniel told Nevikanazar exactly what the king saw in his dream,
a g made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, and clay.
The king watched it in awe as a boulder tumbled
down and destroyed the statue. He passed the first test
because what he said was truly the dream that the
king had dreamed. Now Daniel gave him the meaning. The

(13:18):
statue represented nebican Azar's kingdom and other kingdoms that would follow.
This is history pre written. In the end, there would
be a kingdom made of weak vessels, but filled with
the strength and the power of God. This was God's
kingdom and it would never end or crumble. This is
a prophecy, a prediction of the coming kingdom of God

(13:42):
when God reigns overall, when Christ returns. Nebcanazar fell before
Daniel in awe, and then he said in Daniel two
verse forty seven, Surely your God is the God of
God's and the Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries,
for you were able to reveal this mystery. This pagan
king still had a long way to go to becoming

(14:03):
a follower of the Lord, but this was in many
ways a step, a beginning of his heart turning to
the Lord. He placed Daniel in charge of all the
wise men in Babylon, and Daniel appointed his friends as helpers.
But all was not yet well, and Nebuganazzar would soon
create an idol of himself and forget the one True
God that he had just professed. We'll hear about that

(14:27):
the next time. Dear God, thank you that you can
work through us and for us, and for your purposes
when we obey you. Thank you that you can read
the hearts of men and women, and that you can
deliver messages by your word that we all need to hear.
May we speak your truth always, like Daniel, even to
the highest power. And thank you God that you have

(14:50):
established your kingdom now in our hearts, and yet to
come through our Lord Jesus Christ when he returns in
great power and glory. Amen. Thank you for listening to
today's Bible in a Year podcast. I'm pastor Jack Graham
from Dallas, Texas. Download theprey dot com app and make
prayer a priority along with Bible study in your life.

(15:12):
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(15:34):
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