July 8, 2025 • 20 mins
Dreams have power—especially when they haunt a king. Nebuchadnezzar, ruler of Babylon, finds himself tormented by recurring nightmares so vivid they steal his sleep and peace of mind. Desperate for answers yet distrustful of his court advisors, he makes an impossible demand: tell me what I dreamed, then interpret it. The penalty for failure? Death.
The scene unfolds with dramatic tension as Babylon's most powerful occult practitioners—magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and Chaldean wise men—stand helpless before their furious king. Their elaborate systems of divination and dark arts prove worthless when faced with a genuine test of supernatural knowledge. When they finally admit that "only the gods whose dwelling is not with flesh" could possibly know another person's dreams, Nebuchadnezzar's worst suspicions are confirmed. These men have been manipulating him with "lying and corrupt words" all along.
Among those targeted by the king's sweeping death decree is Daniel, newly graduated from Babylonian training and serving in the king's court. What follows reveals the profound difference between human wisdom and divine revelation. Without panic or protest, Daniel responds "with prudence and discretion" to the executioner at his door. Though he has received no divine insight yet, his faith remains unshaken as he requests an audience with the king and promises what seems impossible—to reveal both the dream and its interpretation. In this pivotal moment, we witness the courage that comes from knowing the true Source of wisdom.
Have you ever faced an impossible demand or a situation where human understanding reached its limits? Daniel's story reminds us that when human wisdom fails, God remains the revealer of mysteries. Subscribe now as we continue exploring how divine revelation transforms even the most hopeless circumstances.
Email: nathan@nathandietsche.com
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord and
Savior, jesus Christ.
Today we're continuing in thebook of Daniel and we're in
chapter 2.
If you've been with us over thelast couple of weeks, we've
learned that Daniel was taken byKing Nebuchadnezzar to Babylon.
He's been trained for threeyears under the Babylonian
(00:24):
system.
He's been trained for threeyears under the Babylonian
system.
During his training, daniel hadrefused to eat the rich,
unclean food of the king.
God gave Daniel and hiscompanions great knowledge and
wisdom.
And now we begin chapter 2.
In the second year of the reignof Nebuchadnezzar,
(00:46):
nebuchadnezzar had dreams.
His spirit was troubled and hissleep left him.
Then the king commanded thatthe magicians, the enchanters,
the sorcerers and the Chaldeansbe summoned to tell the king his
dreams.
So they came in and stoodbefore the king.
Let's talk about what we'refinding in these first two
(01:09):
verses.
First of all, it says Now,daniel's recording this as being
the second year ofNebuchadnezzar is consistent
with how Daniel had recordedthings in chapter 1.
He is recording this accordingto the Babylonian traditions.
Daniel does not count the yearof the king's ascension, which
(01:35):
was his first year.
So this is actually the thirdyear of Nebuchadnezzar's reign,
as we would think of it, danielat this time had just become a
wise man in the court of KingNebuchadnezzar's reign.
As we would think of it, danielat this time had just become a
wise man in the court of KingNebuchadnezzar because he had
been trained for those firstthree years of Nebuchadnezzar's
reign.
We learned that in Daniel,chapter 1.
(01:57):
Now, in chapter 2, we'restarting to see Nebuchadnezzar
having dreams.
In the near Middle East, dreamswere considered very important
and a way in which the godswould communicate or speak to
people.
This is particularly common insuperstitious and idolatrous
(02:20):
cultures such as the Egyptiansand Babylonians.
However, dreams were also usedon rare occasions by the Lord,
god, to communicate to hispeople, and dreams were accepted
by men of faith as well.
Even today in the Middle East,dreams are seen by many people
(02:41):
as a way of God communicating tothem.
This is also an example of howGod can use the culture in which
we live and our own limitedunderstanding of things to reach
us.
And then we learned that theking, king Nebuchadnezzar, had
dreams and his sleep left him.
The dreams of Nebuchadnezzarwere so vivid and disturbing
(03:05):
that he could no longer get agood night's sleep, and from
this description, it wouldappear that this was the same
reoccurring dream.
It was plaguing the king.
This narrative here in Daniel,chapter 2, seems reminiscent of
the narrative back in Genesis 41, when a man of faith, joseph,
(03:27):
would interpret the dream of agreat pharaoh who was disturbed
in the night by his dreams.
Then we read that the kingcommanded that magicians,
enchanters and sorcerers andChaldeans be summoned to him to
tell him his dream.
This list of men that the kingsummons here is primarily a list
(03:50):
of practitioners in the darkarts, people who practice the
occult.
Magicians used secret arts anddeception to appear as if they
could do miracles, and in sodoing they would exalt
themselves as great men whocould do supernatural things,
while they mocked the God of theuniverse, who is in fact, the
(04:13):
only one who can do miracles.
Enchanters were ones whopracticed the art of demonic
seduction.
They used convincing lies,manipulation and flattery to
obtain their evil andself-serving outcomes.
Sorcerers used the dark, occultpractices associated with
(04:36):
witchcraft, and they would do sooften under the influence of
drugs.
The word for Chaldean meanssomeone who's native to the area
of Babylon, but the wordChaldean here is used in such a
way that it's referring to thewise men of Chaldea, in other
(04:57):
words the men who've beentrained in the traditions of the
Chaldeans, and it seems thatthey are specifically noted here
because the dark artpractitioners would sometimes
come from neighboring kingdoms.
So, in addition to the list ofdark practitioners who could be
from anywhere, there were wisemen soothsayers, if you will who
(05:21):
were specifically trained inthe traditions of Babylon, and
one of these freshly trained menwould have been Daniel, and
Nebuchadnezzar was demandingthat these wise men tell him
what he dreamed.
This demand from the king wouldappear to be a test to see if
(05:42):
any of these wise men, ormagicians, or enchanters or
sorcerers actually had aconnection to the God that gave
him this dream.
Verse 3 continues, and the kingsaid to them I had a dream and
my spirit is troubled to knowthe dream.
(06:03):
Then the Chaldeans said to theking in Aramaic O king, live
forever.
Tell your servants the dreamand we will show the
interpretation.
In verses 3 and 4, we see theword dream used singularly
rather than plural.
While we had learned earlierthat the king had multiple
(06:25):
dreams that kept him fromsleeping, now we see that this
is a singular dream and it's areoccurring dream that's
troubling Nebuchadnezzar, andnot only does he want it
explained, but he wants one ofthese supposed great people
connected with the spiritualworld to tell him what the dream
was.
So the group of wise mentrained in Babylonian traditions
(06:51):
, the Chaldeans.
They spoke to the king for thisentire group of people, likely
because they're the men the kingtrusted the most, he knew they
would be the most loyal to hiskingdom.
And when they spoke to the kingtrusted the most, he knew they
would be the most loyal to hiskingdom.
And when they spoke to the king, they spoke in Aramaic.
Aramaic was a mark of education.
(07:12):
It was used in governmental andtrade relations throughout
Babylon, throughout Assyria andthroughout Persia.
Daniel, here in his book ofDaniel, actually changes the
language in the book of Danielfrom Hebrew to Aramaic,
beginning right here in verse 4.
(07:34):
And he continues in Aramaicthrough the end of chapter 7.
And the Chaldeans say to KingNebuchadnezzar Tell your
servants the dream.
So the reply from the Chaldeansis revealing.
They begin with a salute to theking.
They say O king, live forever.
Perhaps a more common way of usthinking about this is they are
(07:59):
saying Long live the king.
And after their flattery of theking, they proceed to tell him
that if he would only reveal hisdream to them, they would be
able to come up with aninterpretation.
Verse 5.
You show the dream and itsinterpretation.
(08:41):
You shall receive from me giftsand rewards and great honor.
Therefore, show me the dreamand its interpretation.
In verses 5 and 6, kingNebuchadnezzar tells the
Chaldeans that his decision isfirm.
What seems very clear here isthat Nebuchadnezzar is greatly
(09:03):
troubled in his spirit and theweight that he felt from this
dream was impending upon hisfuture.
Nebuchadnezzar was not going totake any chances and he puts
these so-called wise men to thetest.
And he puts these so-calledwise men to the test.
While Nebuchadnezzar remembersthe dream, he demands that these
men that claim to have suchwisdom and power from the dark
(09:27):
arts give him both his dream andhis interpretation.
They claim that they canpredict the future with their
powers.
Certainly, nebuchadnezzarthought they should be able to
see his dream as well, and theconsequences for not having an
answer for the king would bedeath and dishonor.
They would be publicly tortured, their homes would be turned to
(09:51):
garbage heaps.
And while we're not given anybackstory between the
relationships of KingNebuchadnezzar and these dark
art dealers, it would seem hedoesn't have a whole lot of
trust toward them or theirabilities.
At this point, the king isremoving any chance that the
Chaldeans or these dark artdealers can bamboozle him with
(10:15):
lies or manipulation, and he'sputting their lives on the line.
If they try.
However, if someone amongstthis group of men could somehow
show to be truly in touch withthe God that gave him this dream
, to both know the dream and togive a proper interpretation of
(10:36):
it, that man would be rewardedwith gifts, great honor and be
exalted in the kingdom ofBabylon.
Continuing in verse 7, theyanswered a second time and said
Let the king tell his servantsthe dream and we will show its
interpretation.
The king answered and said Iknow with certainty that you are
(11:01):
trying to gain time, becauseyou see that the word from me is
firm.
If you do not make the dreamknown to me, there is but one
sentence for you you have agreedto speak lying and corrupt
words before me till the timeschange.
Therefore, tell me the dreamand I shall know that you can
(11:24):
show its interpretation here.
In verses 7 through 9, we seethat the Chaldeans came back to
the king a second time and gavehim the same answer, even after
their lives were threatened.
It shows us that they probablyhad some time to discuss all of
these things between themselves.
They would have taken a recessand they deliberated their
(11:48):
answer before coming back to theking, but none among them could
reveal the king's dream.
With all of their combinedwisdom and occult powers, they
came back a second time askingthe king to reveal his dream so
that they could interpret it,but we see that Nebuchadnezzar
was not going to compromise onhis demand.
(12:08):
He would not tolerate theirprobing for his dream, and his
answer to them was that he wascertain that they were trying to
buy time because if they didn'tgive him the right answer, they
, as well as their households,would perish.
Then Nebuchadnezzar sayssomething that is quite telling
(12:29):
of his past relationships withthese practitioners of the dark
arts.
He says you've agreed to speaklying and corrupt words until
the times change.
Nebuchadnezzar has indeed losttrust with these men, and he
calls out how they use flattery,illusion and manipulation to
(12:51):
spin a story until the timeschange and whatever was an issue
doesn't seem to be an issue anylonger.
But this time is different forNebuchadnezzar.
Something in this dream has himdeeply afraid.
Nebuchadnezzar is facingreality like he's never faced it
before.
And this time he's not going totolerate any spin, he's not
(13:15):
going to tolerate anyredirection from his so-called
wise men, and either they showhim they are in touch with the
God that gave him this dream orthey will die.
Verse 10.
The Chaldeans answered the kingand said there is not a man on
earth who can meet the king'sdemand, for no great and
(13:42):
powerful king has asked such athing of any magician or
enchanter or Chaldean.
The thing that the king asks isdifficult and no one can show
it to the king except the gods,whose dwelling is not with flesh
.
So here, in verses 10 and 11,the Chaldeans are telling the
king that there is nobody in allof the earth who could possibly
(14:04):
do what he's asking them to do.
Then they say that there'snever been a king in all of the
earth that's ever asked this ofany magician or enchanter,
implying that somehowNebuchadnezzar is being
unreasonable in what he's askingof them.
And when the Chaldeans tell theking that nobody can show this
(14:24):
to him except the godsthemselves, they say they expose
their hand, they reveal thatthey don't actually have direct
communication with the gods, asthey often had claimed.
And this confirms toNebuchadnezzar how they've lied,
how they've manipulated himbefore.
(14:45):
Finally, it demonstrates for ushow it is impossible for humans
to truly interpret dreams, asDaniel will reveal to us in
verse 27 when he says it is onlyGod in heaven that reveals
mysteries.
Picking up in verse 12, becauseof this, the king was angry and
(15:08):
very furious and commanded thatall the wise men of Babylon be
destroyed.
So the decree went out and thewise men were about to be killed
, and they sought Daniel and hiscompanions to kill them.
In verses 12 and 13, we seeNebuchadnezzar's wrath.
After Nebuchadnezzar's doubtsand fears were confirmed about
(15:31):
these so-called wise men, hebecomes enraged Now, knowing,
without a doubt, that thesemagicians, enchanters, sorcerers
and soothsayers had no realpower to get information from
the god that gave him this dream.
The king knows they've beenmanipulating him with lies and
(15:51):
schemes for some time andkeeping to his word.
After their failure to tell himthe dream, nebuchadnezzar
commands that these men, thesecharlatans, and their homes be
destroyed.
And so the king sends out hisguard to gather the wise men for
(16:11):
execution.
And we see that they soughtDaniel and his companions to
kill them.
This confirms for us thatDaniel and his companions indeed
are amongst the council of theChaldeans that stood before the
king.
They too are now on thechopping block.
Daniel and his companions, aspart of the Chaldeans, worked
(16:36):
side by side with men thatpracticed dark arts, enchanting
sorcery and magic before theking.
But now, because no one cantell the king his dream, daniel
too is facing Nebuchadnezzar'swrath and the death penalty
Verse 14.
(16:57):
Then Daniel replied withprudence and discretion to Ariok
, the king's captain why is thedecree of the king so urgent?
Then Ariok made the matterknown to Daniel, and Daniel went
in and requested the king toappoint him a time that he might
(17:17):
show the interpretation to theking.
As we examine our last threeverses for today verses 14
through 16, and consider thecircumstances of Daniel, it's
important to remember he wasfreshly out of training and a
brand new member of theChaldeans.
He'd been thrown into this mixof members of the dark arts as
(17:41):
he stood before the king.
Furthermore, when the kingdemanded the interpretation of
his dream, daniel had not yetreceived any revelation from God
, and Daniel likely trusted thatthis dysfunction in the court,
with the king making threats,was perhaps just part of the way
the court of Babylon functioned.
(18:01):
Therefore, when Danielencounters Ariok, the king's
guard and executioner who nowhas orders to kill him.
Daniel responds trying tounderstand why this is happening
, at the same time giving goodcounsel for the king.
Daniel, under the greatest ofpressures, with his life on the
(18:24):
line, responds in grace and intruth.
Daniel says why is the decreeof the king so urgent?
Now, the Hebrew word for urgenthere can also mean harsh or
severe.
While Daniel was well aware ofthe king's threats, his response
to the executioner was in a waythat showed he wanted to
(18:46):
understand why the punishmentwas coming so severely and so
quickly.
And it says Ariok made thematter known to Daniel.
What an incredible thinghappens here.
We see one obedient servantmeeting another.
The executioner of the guardrecognizes Daniel's faithfulness
(19:07):
, his obedience and hissubmission to the king in the
face of his own death.
And Ariok, the king's captain,makes the matter known about the
king's anger and his rage toDaniel.
And after that conversationbetween Daniel and Ariok, daniel
went in and requested anaudience with the king.
(19:29):
While we're not toldspecifically how this comes
about, we're told that it does.
After that conversation betweenDaniel and Ariok, daniel was
able to continue in his faith,trusting that God has a plan
here for him and, in all of this, to glorify himself.
(19:50):
Even when Daniel hadn't yetreceived any personal revelation
from God about this dream,daniel goes to the king and he
sets up an appointed time in thefuture where he will come back
and tell the king both his dreamand its interpretation.
Join me next week as Danielreceives a vision from the Lord
(20:13):
and interprets Nebuchadnezzar'sdream.
God bless you this week.
Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord and
Savior, jesus Christ.
Today we're continuing in thebook of Daniel and we're in
chapter 2.
If you've been with us over thelast couple of weeks, we've
learned that Daniel was taken byKing Nebuchadnezzar to Babylon.
He's been trained for threeyears under the Babylonian
(00:24):
system.
He's been trained for threeyears under the Babylonian
system.
During his training, daniel hadrefused to eat the rich,
unclean food of the king.
God gave Daniel and hiscompanions great knowledge and
wisdom.
And now we begin chapter 2.
In the second year of the reignof Nebuchadnezzar,
(00:46):
nebuchadnezzar had dreams.
His spirit was troubled and hissleep left him.
Then the king commanded thatthe magicians, the enchanters,
the sorcerers and the Chaldeansbe summoned to tell the king his
dreams.
So they came in and stoodbefore the king.
Let's talk about what we'refinding in these first two
(01:09):
verses.
First of all, it says Now,daniel's recording this as being
the second year ofNebuchadnezzar is consistent
with how Daniel had recordedthings in chapter 1.
He is recording this accordingto the Babylonian traditions.
Daniel does not count the yearof the king's ascension, which
(01:35):
was his first year.
So this is actually the thirdyear of Nebuchadnezzar's reign,
as we would think of it, danielat this time had just become a
wise man in the court of KingNebuchadnezzar's reign.
As we would think of it, danielat this time had just become a
wise man in the court of KingNebuchadnezzar because he had
been trained for those firstthree years of Nebuchadnezzar's
reign.
We learned that in Daniel,chapter 1.
(01:57):
Now, in chapter 2, we'restarting to see Nebuchadnezzar
having dreams.
In the near Middle East, dreamswere considered very important
and a way in which the godswould communicate or speak to
people.
This is particularly common insuperstitious and idolatrous
(02:20):
cultures such as the Egyptiansand Babylonians.
However, dreams were also usedon rare occasions by the Lord,
god, to communicate to hispeople, and dreams were accepted
by men of faith as well.
Even today in the Middle East,dreams are seen by many people
(02:41):
as a way of God communicating tothem.
This is also an example of howGod can use the culture in which
we live and our own limitedunderstanding of things to reach
us.
And then we learned that theking, king Nebuchadnezzar, had
dreams and his sleep left him.
The dreams of Nebuchadnezzarwere so vivid and disturbing
(03:05):
that he could no longer get agood night's sleep, and from
this description, it wouldappear that this was the same
reoccurring dream.
It was plaguing the king.
This narrative here in Daniel,chapter 2, seems reminiscent of
the narrative back in Genesis 41, when a man of faith, joseph,
(03:27):
would interpret the dream of agreat pharaoh who was disturbed
in the night by his dreams.
Then we read that the kingcommanded that magicians,
enchanters and sorcerers andChaldeans be summoned to him to
tell him his dream.
This list of men that the kingsummons here is primarily a list
(03:50):
of practitioners in the darkarts, people who practice the
occult.
Magicians used secret arts anddeception to appear as if they
could do miracles, and in sodoing they would exalt
themselves as great men whocould do supernatural things,
while they mocked the God of theuniverse, who is in fact, the
(04:13):
only one who can do miracles.
Enchanters were ones whopracticed the art of demonic
seduction.
They used convincing lies,manipulation and flattery to
obtain their evil andself-serving outcomes.
Sorcerers used the dark, occultpractices associated with
(04:36):
witchcraft, and they would do sooften under the influence of
drugs.
The word for Chaldean meanssomeone who's native to the area
of Babylon, but the wordChaldean here is used in such a
way that it's referring to thewise men of Chaldea, in other
(04:57):
words the men who've beentrained in the traditions of the
Chaldeans, and it seems thatthey are specifically noted here
because the dark artpractitioners would sometimes
come from neighboring kingdoms.
So, in addition to the list ofdark practitioners who could be
from anywhere, there were wisemen soothsayers, if you will who
(05:21):
were specifically trained inthe traditions of Babylon, and
one of these freshly trained menwould have been Daniel, and
Nebuchadnezzar was demandingthat these wise men tell him
what he dreamed.
This demand from the king wouldappear to be a test to see if
(05:42):
any of these wise men, ormagicians, or enchanters or
sorcerers actually had aconnection to the God that gave
him this dream.
Verse 3 continues, and the kingsaid to them I had a dream and
my spirit is troubled to knowthe dream.
(06:03):
Then the Chaldeans said to theking in Aramaic O king, live
forever.
Tell your servants the dreamand we will show the
interpretation.
In verses 3 and 4, we see theword dream used singularly
rather than plural.
While we had learned earlierthat the king had multiple
(06:25):
dreams that kept him fromsleeping, now we see that this
is a singular dream and it's areoccurring dream that's
troubling Nebuchadnezzar, andnot only does he want it
explained, but he wants one ofthese supposed great people
connected with the spiritualworld to tell him what the dream
was.
So the group of wise mentrained in Babylonian traditions
(06:51):
, the Chaldeans.
They spoke to the king for thisentire group of people, likely
because they're the men the kingtrusted the most, he knew they
would be the most loyal to hiskingdom.
And when they spoke to the kingtrusted the most, he knew they
would be the most loyal to hiskingdom.
And when they spoke to the king, they spoke in Aramaic.
Aramaic was a mark of education.
(07:12):
It was used in governmental andtrade relations throughout
Babylon, throughout Assyria andthroughout Persia.
Daniel, here in his book ofDaniel, actually changes the
language in the book of Danielfrom Hebrew to Aramaic,
beginning right here in verse 4.
(07:34):
And he continues in Aramaicthrough the end of chapter 7.
And the Chaldeans say to KingNebuchadnezzar Tell your
servants the dream.
So the reply from the Chaldeansis revealing.
They begin with a salute to theking.
They say O king, live forever.
Perhaps a more common way of usthinking about this is they are
(07:59):
saying Long live the king.
And after their flattery of theking, they proceed to tell him
that if he would only reveal hisdream to them, they would be
able to come up with aninterpretation.
Verse 5.
You show the dream and itsinterpretation.
(08:41):
You shall receive from me giftsand rewards and great honor.
Therefore, show me the dreamand its interpretation.
In verses 5 and 6, kingNebuchadnezzar tells the
Chaldeans that his decision isfirm.
What seems very clear here isthat Nebuchadnezzar is greatly
(09:03):
troubled in his spirit and theweight that he felt from this
dream was impending upon hisfuture.
Nebuchadnezzar was not going totake any chances and he puts
these so-called wise men to thetest.
And he puts these so-calledwise men to the test.
While Nebuchadnezzar remembersthe dream, he demands that these
men that claim to have suchwisdom and power from the dark
(09:27):
arts give him both his dream andhis interpretation.
They claim that they canpredict the future with their
powers.
Certainly, nebuchadnezzarthought they should be able to
see his dream as well, and theconsequences for not having an
answer for the king would bedeath and dishonor.
They would be publicly tortured, their homes would be turned to
(09:51):
garbage heaps.
And while we're not given anybackstory between the
relationships of KingNebuchadnezzar and these dark
art dealers, it would seem hedoesn't have a whole lot of
trust toward them or theirabilities.
At this point, the king isremoving any chance that the
Chaldeans or these dark artdealers can bamboozle him with
(10:15):
lies or manipulation, and he'sputting their lives on the line.
If they try.
However, if someone amongstthis group of men could somehow
show to be truly in touch withthe God that gave him this dream
, to both know the dream and togive a proper interpretation of
(10:36):
it, that man would be rewardedwith gifts, great honor and be
exalted in the kingdom ofBabylon.
Continuing in verse 7, theyanswered a second time and said
Let the king tell his servantsthe dream and we will show its
interpretation.
The king answered and said Iknow with certainty that you are
(11:01):
trying to gain time, becauseyou see that the word from me is
firm.
If you do not make the dreamknown to me, there is but one
sentence for you you have agreedto speak lying and corrupt
words before me till the timeschange.
Therefore, tell me the dreamand I shall know that you can
(11:24):
show its interpretation here.
In verses 7 through 9, we seethat the Chaldeans came back to
the king a second time and gavehim the same answer, even after
their lives were threatened.
It shows us that they probablyhad some time to discuss all of
these things between themselves.
They would have taken a recessand they deliberated their
(11:48):
answer before coming back to theking, but none among them could
reveal the king's dream.
With all of their combinedwisdom and occult powers, they
came back a second time askingthe king to reveal his dream so
that they could interpret it,but we see that Nebuchadnezzar
was not going to compromise onhis demand.
(12:08):
He would not tolerate theirprobing for his dream, and his
answer to them was that he wascertain that they were trying to
buy time because if they didn'tgive him the right answer, they
, as well as their households,would perish.
Then Nebuchadnezzar sayssomething that is quite telling
(12:29):
of his past relationships withthese practitioners of the dark
arts.
He says you've agreed to speaklying and corrupt words until
the times change.
Nebuchadnezzar has indeed losttrust with these men, and he
calls out how they use flattery,illusion and manipulation to
(12:51):
spin a story until the timeschange and whatever was an issue
doesn't seem to be an issue anylonger.
But this time is different forNebuchadnezzar.
Something in this dream has himdeeply afraid.
Nebuchadnezzar is facingreality like he's never faced it
before.
And this time he's not going totolerate any spin, he's not
(13:15):
going to tolerate anyredirection from his so-called
wise men, and either they showhim they are in touch with the
God that gave him this dream orthey will die.
Verse 10.
The Chaldeans answered the kingand said there is not a man on
earth who can meet the king'sdemand, for no great and
(13:42):
powerful king has asked such athing of any magician or
enchanter or Chaldean.
The thing that the king asks isdifficult and no one can show
it to the king except the gods,whose dwelling is not with flesh
.
So here, in verses 10 and 11,the Chaldeans are telling the
king that there is nobody in allof the earth who could possibly
(14:04):
do what he's asking them to do.
Then they say that there'snever been a king in all of the
earth that's ever asked this ofany magician or enchanter,
implying that somehowNebuchadnezzar is being
unreasonable in what he's askingof them.
And when the Chaldeans tell theking that nobody can show this
(14:24):
to him except the godsthemselves, they say they expose
their hand, they reveal thatthey don't actually have direct
communication with the gods, asthey often had claimed.
And this confirms toNebuchadnezzar how they've lied,
how they've manipulated himbefore.
(14:45):
Finally, it demonstrates for ushow it is impossible for humans
to truly interpret dreams, asDaniel will reveal to us in
verse 27 when he says it is onlyGod in heaven that reveals
mysteries.
Picking up in verse 12, becauseof this, the king was angry and
(15:08):
very furious and commanded thatall the wise men of Babylon be
destroyed.
So the decree went out and thewise men were about to be killed
, and they sought Daniel and hiscompanions to kill them.
In verses 12 and 13, we seeNebuchadnezzar's wrath.
After Nebuchadnezzar's doubtsand fears were confirmed about
(15:31):
these so-called wise men, hebecomes enraged Now, knowing,
without a doubt, that thesemagicians, enchanters, sorcerers
and soothsayers had no realpower to get information from
the god that gave him this dream.
The king knows they've beenmanipulating him with lies and
(15:51):
schemes for some time andkeeping to his word.
After their failure to tell himthe dream, nebuchadnezzar
commands that these men, thesecharlatans, and their homes be
destroyed.
And so the king sends out hisguard to gather the wise men for
(16:11):
execution.
And we see that they soughtDaniel and his companions to
kill them.
This confirms for us thatDaniel and his companions indeed
are amongst the council of theChaldeans that stood before the
king.
They too are now on thechopping block.
Daniel and his companions, aspart of the Chaldeans, worked
(16:36):
side by side with men thatpracticed dark arts, enchanting
sorcery and magic before theking.
But now, because no one cantell the king his dream, daniel
too is facing Nebuchadnezzar'swrath and the death penalty
Verse 14.
(16:57):
Then Daniel replied withprudence and discretion to Ariok
, the king's captain why is thedecree of the king so urgent?
Then Ariok made the matterknown to Daniel, and Daniel went
in and requested the king toappoint him a time that he might
(17:17):
show the interpretation to theking.
As we examine our last threeverses for today verses 14
through 16, and consider thecircumstances of Daniel, it's
important to remember he wasfreshly out of training and a
brand new member of theChaldeans.
He'd been thrown into this mixof members of the dark arts as
(17:41):
he stood before the king.
Furthermore, when the kingdemanded the interpretation of
his dream, daniel had not yetreceived any revelation from God
, and Daniel likely trusted thatthis dysfunction in the court,
with the king making threats,was perhaps just part of the way
the court of Babylon functioned.
(18:01):
Therefore, when Danielencounters Ariok, the king's
guard and executioner who nowhas orders to kill him.
Daniel responds trying tounderstand why this is happening
, at the same time giving goodcounsel for the king.
Daniel, under the greatest ofpressures, with his life on the
(18:24):
line, responds in grace and intruth.
Daniel says why is the decreeof the king so urgent?
Now, the Hebrew word for urgenthere can also mean harsh or
severe.
While Daniel was well aware ofthe king's threats, his response
to the executioner was in a waythat showed he wanted to
(18:46):
understand why the punishmentwas coming so severely and so
quickly.
And it says Ariok made thematter known to Daniel.
What an incredible thinghappens here.
We see one obedient servantmeeting another.
The executioner of the guardrecognizes Daniel's faithfulness
(19:07):
, his obedience and hissubmission to the king in the
face of his own death.
And Ariok, the king's captain,makes the matter known about the
king's anger and his rage toDaniel.
And after that conversationbetween Daniel and Ariok, daniel
went in and requested anaudience with the king.
(19:29):
While we're not toldspecifically how this comes
about, we're told that it does.
After that conversation betweenDaniel and Ariok, daniel was
able to continue in his faith,trusting that God has a plan
here for him and, in all of this, to glorify himself.
(19:50):
Even when Daniel hadn't yetreceived any personal revelation
from God about this dream,daniel goes to the king and he
sets up an appointed time in thefuture where he will come back
and tell the king both his dreamand its interpretation.
Join me next week as Danielreceives a vision from the Lord
(20:13):
and interprets Nebuchadnezzar'sdream.
God bless you this week.
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