Title Dream Interpretation 1 (Daniel 2:36-38)
Lecture 21 Dream Interpretation 1 (Dan 2:36-38)
2:36-38
This is the dream, and now I will give the interpretation before the king. Regardless, he gave them into the king's hand to rule over them all, and the king is his golden head.
King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream. I saw a huge statue. But soon afterward, I witnessed in my dream a scene where a stone cut without human hands broke the image, and the image eventually disappeared without a trace. The image that King Nebuchadnezzar saw in a dream was a symbol of human power. Also, stones cut out without human hands symbolized the power of God. It showed that no matter how great human power is, it has no meaning in the face of God's power.
After Daniel told what King Nebuchadnezzar had seen in a dream, he is giving the interpretation of the dream in today's text. Let's see how to interpret it.
Let's look at verse 36. "This is the dream." Perhaps King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished when Daniel accurately explained the details of a dream he had forgotten after he had had it. He must have continued to listen to Daniel with fearful thoughts. When I saw a huge statue, a stone appeared and broke it down without mercy, so even the most ignorant person could have known that this was a bad dream, right? King Nebuchadnezzar was troubled by a dream and could not sleep.
Let's see how Daniel interprets King Nebuchadnezzar who has such a fearful thought. Look again at verse 36. What comes after the words "and this is the dream"? I said "I". “Now I will present the interpretation before the king.” Have I explained it before? What do you mean by "I! I!" They said my back was broken. It's been a big deal. Daniel broke his back while putting "I" first.
However, this part is translated incorrectly. In the Bible I have, the Arabic number 1 is written in small letters above the word "I". It means look at cross-reference 1. If you look at the cross-reference 1, the word "hi" means "we". Now, this part is speaking in the Aramaic dialect, but it originally means "we", not "I". It's revenge. "Now we will present the interpretation before the king." What kind of person would Daniel be?
So who are "we"? One, of course, is Daniel. So who will the other one be? Yes that's right. Who has now shown Daniel the secret? He is God. This is what Daniel said here, "Now we will present the interpretation before the king." This is not about me. I am just a messenger of what God has shown me. “It is God who has shown me secrets, and I am only passing on to the king what God has revealed.” In that sense, it was said, “Now we will present the interpretation before the king.” The original text says "we".
Let's see how we interpret it. Now King Nebuchadnezzar is listening with fear. So what about Daniel's heart? What was Daniel's style of life? The first was to glorify God, the second was to exalt and build up my neighbor, and the third was to humble myself. There is no change. Here, too, a king is being raised. It comforts, encourages, encourages, and builds up the king who is suffering from heartache.
Let's see how we are raising the king. In today's text, there are three ways to set up a king and reassure and comfort King Nebuchadnezzar, who is trembling in fear.
First, in verse 37 it says, “O king, you are the King of kings.” In fact, all the kings of many neighboring countries knelt before King Nebuchadnezzar. The king of Phoenicia knelt, the king of Syria knelt, the king of Judah knelt, and the king of Egypt knelt down. So King Nebuchadnezzar is king of kings and king of kings. This is how the king was exalted.
Second, it says, "The God of heaven has given the king the kingdom and authority and power and glory." what do you mean? The king is a man specially chosen by God. God does not give all people the kingdom, authority, power, and glory. He allowed a special person chosen by God to conquer countless nations. He gave the authority to kill and save people with one word, gave them power, and gave them glory.
In addition to these political forces, verse 38 tells us that God has given us the amazing authority to rule over human beings, wild animals, and birds of the air, that is, even the natural world. "He gave them into the king's hand to rule over them wherever they may be," he said. "God has specially chosen a king. He is a precious being chosen by God." This reassured the king.
Then, the third time, at the end of verse 38, it says, “You are the head of gold. The king is the head, not the tail. Just as the head controls the whole body, so the king is the being who rules the whole world. The king is the head, but what kind of head did you say? It was called golden hair. King Nebuchadnezzar saw an image in a dream and his head was made of gold. The Babylonians loved gold. Historically, King Nebuchadnezzar tried to make Babylon a golden city. So, when we collected taxes in each country, we also collected them in gold. According to archaeological excavations, the throne on which King Nebuchadnezzar sat and reigned was also made of gold. And see 3:1. What did King Nebuchadnezzar make the image of? It is said that the statue was made of gold. What he saw in the dream was gold for his head, silver for his chest and arms, and brass for his belly and thighs. However, he liked gold so much that he made all the statues of gold.
A historian named Herodotus visited Babylon about 90 years after Nebuchadnezzar's death. He said he was surprised to see it. There is an article in which he described that he had never seen so much gold and gold in his life. That's how much Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians loved gold.
There is an important thing we need to remember from this text today. Daniel was different from Job's three friends. What did Job's three friends do after they said they comforted him when he was in trouble? He broke Job's heart by arguing, condemning, and criticizing. But Daniel didn't. Taking into account the difficult situation that King Nebuchadnezzar was in, he first comforted and reassured King Nebuchadnezzar with his words. I hope this heart will become our heart. So, rather than condemning our neighbors to repent when they are in trouble, isn't it our duty to build up, comfort, and embrace them with warm words? I hope you all have this warm heart.
There is something more important. See verse 37. “O king, you are the King of kings, and the God of heaven has given you the kingdom and authority and power and glory.” Who gave King Nebuchadnezzar the kingdom and power and power and glory? It was given by the God of heaven. So, no matter how huge and great the image King Nebuchadnezzar saw, and even if the head represents King Nebuchadnezzar, who is there? Don't forget that God exists.
Doesn't Daniel 1:1 say that fact? “In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.” From a human point of view, it seems that King Nebuchadnezzar's power was so great that he besieged and surrounded the city of Jerusalem with his own strength, but who actually did it? Verse 2 says, "The Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah and some of the house of God into his hand." It was just that God used King Nebuchadnezzar as a tool.
But now Daniel is talking round and round, but King Nebuchadnezzar does not understand it. So what happened? Let's look at 4:28.
“All these things have come upon me, King Nebuchadnezzar. After twelve months have passed, while I was walking on the roof of the palace of Babylon, the king said, “This Babylon the Great, which I have built with power and authority, has become my city, and it is my majesty. Was it not a manifestation of the glory of
Did I, I did, and eventually broke my back? I lost my mind. gone crazy God punished him.
We must not forget that God is always above us in humility. Human power is nothing in the face of God's power. We must not forget this fact and always have a humble heart in God. It's not about what I'm good at. Although I am lacking, do not forget that God has mercy on me and gives me strength to use me preciously. I pray in the name of Jesus that you and I all become able to acknowledge God in everything and entrust all of our events to God.