For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each passage has a four-Part approach to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: Daniel 2:1-13

1 In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his mind was troubled and he could not sleep. 2 So the king summoned the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers to tell him what he had dreamed. When they came in and stood before the king, 3 he said to them, “I have had a dream that troubles me and I want to know what it means.”

4 Then the astrologers answered the king, “May the king live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will interpret it.”

5 The king replied to the astrologers, “This is what I have firmly decided: If you do not tell me what my dream was and interpret it, I will have you cut into pieces and your houses turned into piles of rubble. 6 But if you tell me the dream and explain it, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. So tell me the dream and interpret it for me.”

7 Once more they replied, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will interpret it.”

8 Then the king answered, “I am certain that you are trying to gain time, because you realize that this is what I have firmly decided: 9 If you do not tell me the dream, there is only one penalty for you. You have conspired to tell me misleading and wicked things, hoping the situation will change. So then, tell me the dream, and I will know that you can interpret it for me.”

10 The astrologers answered the king, “There is no one on earth who can do what the king asks! No king, however great and mighty, has ever asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or astrologer. 11 What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods, and they do not live among humans.”

12 This made the king so angry and furious that he ordered the execution of all the wise men of Babylon. 13 So the decree was issued to put the wise men to death, and men were sent to look for Daniel and his friends to put them to death.

A. Find Out:

1. What effect were the dreams having on the king? v.1
2. Who did the king call before him? v.2
3. What did he say he wanted? v.3
4. What did they ask in return? v.4
5. What 2 things did the king demand? v.5
6. Why did he ask this? v.9c
7. How did he respond when they said it was impossible? v.12

B. Think:

1. What do you think the king thought about his wise men to have given them this sort of task?
2. How was he shown to be right?
3. How was Daniel involved at this stage?

C. Comment:

First we see that the king is having dreams that upset him. Dreams in Scripture often seem to have meanings (words from God usually). The Lord sometimes has a very subtle way of intervening in people’s lives and this is no exception. God is going to deal with Nebuchadnezzar, and He starts in a quiet way.

Second, we see that he is obviously suspicious about his astrologers, these men apparently trained in seeing into the future, understanding mysteries, unravelling dreams etc. For this reason he places this impossible demand upon them, to interpret a dream without even being told it! The Lord knows how to handle His man, and He knows what he will do, so He sets up a situation that can only be resolved by divine help!

Third, we see their response: they are out of their depth, they know they have no power to do this. They are exposed for what they really are – frauds! Note that at this point there is no mention of Daniel or his friends – they were not called in, but they ARE included in the death penalty! See tomorrow’s exciting episode!!

D. Application:

1. Are we alert to the hand of God that quietly starts intervening in the lives of people, with whom He wants to have dealings.
2. Ask the Lord to help you become sensitive to His workings.

Passage: Daniel 2:14-23

14 When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, had gone out to put to death the wise men of Babylon, Daniel spoke to him with wisdom and tact. 15 He asked the king’s officer, “Why did the king issue such a harsh decree?” Arioch then explained the matter to Daniel. 16 At this, Daniel went in to the king and asked for time, so that he might interpret the dream for him.

17 Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. 18 He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven 20 and said:

“Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever;
    wisdom and power are his.
21 He changes times and seasons;
    he deposes kings and raises up others.
He gives wisdom to the wise
    and knowledge to the discerning.
22 He reveals deep and hidden things;
    he knows what lies in darkness,
    and light dwells with him.
23 I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors:
    You have given me wisdom and power,
you have made known to me what we asked of you,
    you have made known to us the dream of the king.”

A. Find Out:

1. How did Daniel speak? v.14
2. What did Daniel ask for? v.16
3. What did Daniel then DO? v.17,18
4. What was the result? v.19
5. What 5 things does Daniel say God does? v.21,22
6. What does he say God has given him? v.20,23

B. Think:

1. In this crisis situation in what ways do we see Daniel moving wisely?
2. His wisdom is rewarded in a number of ways. How?
3. How would you summarise his descriptions of God?

C. Comment:

First note again Daniel’s CRISIS: all the wise men have been ordered by the king to be put to death – and this includes Daniel. It is in crisis situations that we need God’s wisdom to know how to act, but it is often only in crisis situations that the power of revelation is seen.

Second, we see Daniel’s TACT & WISDOM so that he is allowed to speak to the king, and obviously he is so tactful again that the king allows him time to consider the matter.

Third see Daniel’s HUMILITY as he enlists the help of his three friends, and doesn’t try to “go it alone”. Humility involves that willingness to confess we need one another.

      Fourth we see Daniel’s PRAYER URGENCY as he prays and intercedes and “pleads” for mercy and revelation, which appears to carry on through the night. It is as they are praying God gives the revelation needed.

Finally observe Daniel’s RESPONSE: he praises God. He doesn’t just take it for granted. He gives God all the glory. He knows that the vision came from the Lord as he prayed; this was no “chance”.

D. Application:

1. How do we cope in a crisis situation? Do we panic or seek the Lord?
2. How do we pray in an emergency? Do we give a halfhearted request or have we learned to go on calling on the Lord until answers come?

Passage: Daniel 2:24-30

24 Then Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to execute the wise men of Babylon, and said to him, “Do not execute the wise men of Babylon. Take me to the king, and I will interpret his dream for him.”

25 Arioch took Daniel to the king at once and said, “I have found a man among the exiles from Judah who can tell the king what his dream means.”

26 The king asked Daniel (also called Belteshazzar), “Are you able to tell me what I saw in my dream and interpret it?”

27 Daniel replied, “No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, 28 but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come. Your dream and the visions that passed through your mind as you were lying in bed are these:

29 “As Your Majesty was lying there, your mind turned to things to come, and the revealer of mysteries showed you what is going to happen. 30 As for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because I have greater wisdom than anyone else alive, but so that Your Majesty may know the interpretation and that you may understand what went through your mind.

A. Find Out:

1. What was Daniel’s first concern in going to Arioch? v.24
2. How did Arioch show his trust in Daniel? v.25
3. Who did Daniel say wouldn’t be able to interpret the dream? v.28
4. But who did he say could? v.28
5. What did he say the king had been shown? v.28b,29a
6. Why did he say the mystery had been revealed? v.30

B. Think:

1. How does Daniel continually point away from man to God?
2. Why do you think the Lord gave a dream without understanding? (at least 2 reasons)
3. How did Daniel show his humility? Do we have humility? How is humility shown?

C. Comment:

First, we see Daniel showing CONCERN for the lives of the other “wise men”, ensuring that they are not needlessly put to death. Even though they were frauds who could do nothing, he does not let them be killed. There is grace and mercy in this young man!

Second, we see Daniel starting to BRING UNDERSTANDING to the king about what had happened. He emphasises: a) the task the king had given them was an impossible one for men but b) there is a one true God who gives revelation and who brings understanding of such mysteries.

Before he brings detailed description of the dream and detailed interpretation, Daniel shows he knows what the king was doing: thinking on the future, and as he was doing that, God intervened and showed him what would happen. The only problem was that the Lord did it in such a way that the king would need the Lord’s help to actually understand what he had seen. Often when the Lord brings revelation we need to ask for clarification.

D. Application:

1. Do we have a heart of compassion and concern, even for those who are against us? (Mt 5:44)
2. 2. Do we understand that God constantly wants people to come to Him for help in their lives?

Passage: Daniel 2:31-36

31 “Your Majesty looked, and there before you stood a large statue—an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance. 32 The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay. 34 While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were all broken to pieces and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth. 36 “This was the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king.

A. Find Out:

1. What was the general appearance of the statue? v.31
2. How many different materials were used in it? v.32,33
3. What came against the statue? v.34
4. What did it strike first? v.34b
5. What then happened to the statue? v.35a
6. What then happened to the rock? v.35b

B. Think:

1. How would you describe this statue, working from head to toe?
2. Why do you think the Lord uses pictures (or dreams) to share things with us?
3. How is a statue made? What is the difference between that and the rock in the dream? What do you think that is likely to say to us is going to be the interpretation?

C. Comment:

It is first important to be very clear on exactly what the dream was before we look tomorrow at Daniel’s interpretation of it. Very often with prophecy, we can look at it and get a basic and general sense of the meaning even before we go seeking the Lord for the detailed understanding. A statue is first of all a man-made object. This one is made of different materials which start with the most valuable at the head getting less and less valuable getting down to the feet.

Next comes something that destroys this man-made statue. That which destroys it is a rock that has not got human origins. Not only does the rock destroy the statue, but it also then goes on to fill the whole earth with itself.

Whatever else the interpretation is going to say, it would appear that God is going to destroy that which is man-made and replace it with that which has its origins with Him. See next study.

D. Application:

1. When God speaks in picture form, do we look to see the main elements of the picture to help our understanding, or write it off as too difficult?
2. Learn to ask God for understanding more and more.

Passage: Daniel 2:37-45

 37 Your Majesty, you are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory; 38 in your hands he has placed all mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds in the sky. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold.

39 “After you, another kingdom will arise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth. 40 Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron—for iron breaks and smashes everything—and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others. 41 Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay. 42 As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. 43 And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay.

44 “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. 45 This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces.

“The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy.”

A. Find Out:

1. Who, does Daniel say has made the king ruler? v.37
2. Who was the head of gold in the dream? v.38
3. What will the next kingdom be like? v.39
4. What will the fourth kingdom be like? v.40
5. But what will happen to it? v.41-43
6. What will God’s kingdom be like? v.44

B. Think:

1. What do these verses tell us about God and history?
2. How can the description of God’s kingdom bring security to us? Why do you think God gave this revelation?

C. Comment:

So, the dream is explained as the head of gold being Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom followed by three other kingdoms of increasing inferiority, which are all eventually destroyed by God’s own kingdom. Please note, God’s kingdom prevails over all others! Trying to apply that to what happened in history, leads us to suppose that the silver was the kingdom of the Medes & Persians whose kingdom followed, the bronze was the Greek world empire, and the iron was the Roman world empire. However, the Bible does not make this plain and therefore there could be other interpretations of it. That the kingdom of God came with Jesus IS quite clear from Scripture though.

Whatever the truth of the interpretation is, one thing is clear, and should be seen in all prophecy, that God rules and He decrees the times. His kingdom or rule on earth started with Jesus and continues on through the church. The Lord has a plan and a purpose in history, and He knows what is going to happen and He will work within it to fulfil His purposes. He does not MAKE everything happen, but He does work within what happens to fulfil His plans (e.g. Acts 2:23,24)

D. Application:

1. Praise the Lord today as the one who oversees all history, and the one who is working out His purposes on the earth.
2. Ask Him to help you understand more fully His purposes on the earth – and for you!

Passage: Daniel 2:46-49   

46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate before Daniel and paid him honor and ordered that an offering and incense be presented to him. 47 The king said to Daniel, “Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery.”

48 Then the king placed Daniel in a high position and lavished many gifts on him. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men. 49 Moreover, at Daniel’s request the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego administrators over the province of Babylon, while Daniel himself remained at the royal court.

A. Find Out:

1. How did the king immediately respond to Daniel? v.46
2. What threefold description did he give God? v.47
3. What three things did he do for Daniel? v.48
4. What did he do at Daniel’s request? v.49a
5. How was Daniel now separated from his three friends? v.49b 

B. Think:

1. Look carefully at the king’s words. Has HE become a believer?
2. How would you summarise the king’s reaction to Daniel’s revelation therefore?
3. What do you think Daniel feels about all that the king has done for him?

C. Comment:

Let’s consider what Daniel might have thought about the king’s way of trying to bless him. He has sought to give all the glory to God so he wouldn’t have wanted the WORSHIP that was offered him by the king. Ungodly leaders think everyone works on the same basis as them, and therefore assume they would want honour.

Daniel probably wouldn’t have wanted the GIFTS given him, and the POSITION given him has its drawbacks. It means he is no longer close to his three friends, and it also means that he is in charge over the so-called “wise men” who no doubt would feel very jealous of him – and that can cause trouble as we will see later.     

When God gives good gifts, they always produce blessing. When the world tries to give good gifts, they often produce problems. We need to be careful how we receive gifts, they may not turn out to be all they seem at first sight. We should also note in passing that the king is not yet a believer. NB. “your God”. He has still to have a lot of dealings with the Lord yet as we shall see in the days to come! 

D. Application:

1. Are we aware that people go through a number of stages before they come to the Lord?
2. Consider those nearest to you who don’t yet know the Lord. Pray for them today.