Daniel 2: A Faithful Man and A Striking Vision

Daniel 2:44 "And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever..."

As we continue our walk through the book of Daniel, we see two great things in chapter two: a faithful man and a striking vision. Let us take a look at both this morning.

First, let's look at the faithful man. In the introduction to this chapter, we find King Nebechaddnezzar having a recurring dream that seems to be keeping him up at night. Since they didn't have NyQuil in those days, good ole' Neb sent for his wise men to interpret the dream for him so that he wouldn't be tormented at it in the night. However, the wise men all fail to interpret the dream, and Neb is furious. He thus orders that all of his wise men be killed, including David, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. All hope is lost; the destruction of Daniel and his buddies has been appointed. However, amidst the trajedy, a faithful man steps up to the task, and his name is Daniel. "Why is the decree of the king so urgent?" Daniel asks, and he sets up a meeting with the king to interpret his dream, even as he trusts in the Lord's faithfulness to give him the wisdom to interpret.

The story continues, and God grants Daniel with the wisdom of both Nebuchadnezzar's dream and its interpretation. Giving all of the glory to God, Daniel interprets Neb's dream to him. In return, Neb falls at Daniels' feet, confesses that Daniel's God is Lord of all, and promotes him in his kingdom.

From this faithful man by the name of Daniel, we find that even in times of hopelessness, there is a solution that is found in the promises of God. In the historical context of the book of Daniel, let us remember that God has promised to never forsake his Israelite people, even though it seems like he has as they are now in captivity. Nevertheless, Daniel knows that the Lord has not and will not forsake his people, and he thus is able to have courage even in fearful times as he banks on the Lord's promises.

Second, we find a striking vision in this chapter. As Daniel proclaims, Nebuchadnezzar's dream was a revelation of God for "what will happen in the latter days." In this revelation, we see a statue that resembles the coming kingdoms after the time of Babylon. The statue has a gold head, a silver chest, a bronze middle, iron legs, and feet made of both iron and clay. These body sections would each resemble the coming kingdoms after Babylon, that is, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. However, after this statue, the vision tells us that there would be a "stone" that was "cut out by no human hand" that would strike the feet of the statue, causing it to fall and all its pieces to be crushed, only to be blown away by the wind and never seen again.

The question that we are left within the vision is thus: what is the stone? Well, David tells us that he stone resembled God's method by which he would destroy the false earthly kingdoms and set up a kingdom that "shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people" (v. 44). In other words, this kingdom is the eternal kingdom of God. Furthermore, we can happily point out from New Testament revelation that the stone that was "cut out by no human hand" is the Messiah, that is, Jesus who we celebrate in this great Christmas season. Just as the stone was not cut by human hand, Jesus "was not of human origin or power" (John MacArthur's Commentary). Thus, we find from that this vision is a prophesy of Jesus' eternal kingdom, in which he would destroy all other human kingdoms and reign forevermore.

Before we get to our strict application this morning, let me point out one more thing in regard to biblical theology. In Mark 1:15, when Jesus started his ministry, he proclaims that "the kingdom of God is at hand." Reading the Old Testament background here in Daniel 2, we understand better what Jesus meant here. When Jesus came, he came to inaugurate his eternal kingdom. However, whereas many thought that the setting up of his kingdom meant the immediate overthrow of earthly kingdoms, his first coming spoke of a greater overthrow: an overthrow of the sin in our human hearts. Did God come to set up his kingdom when he came 2,000 years ago? Yes. But before he set up a kingdom that would destroy all other earthly kingdoms, he set up a kingdom that would destroy the sin in his peoples' hearts. Nevertheless, the point is the same: in the coming of the King, there is a coming of the kingdom, and that kingdom finds its roots in Old Testament chapters such as Daniel 2.

So, are you faithful to God, as Daniel was? Even in hopeless situations, do you hold to the promises of God? Furthermore, do you hope in the eternal kingdom of God, or do you get caught up in the kingdoms of this world? The fact is sure: Jesus will set up his kingdom. The question is whether you will be a member. Amen.