Daniel Lesson 5 - Fairhaven Baptist Church

Daniel

Lesson 5

Text: Daniel 2:19-44

Intro: Last week we saw the that Nebuchadnezzar had a dream, he wanted the wise men to give him not only the interpretation of the dream, but also the dream it’s self. When they would not, Nebuchadnezzar commanded to have all the wise men, including the Hebrews, to be destroyed. When word got back to Daniel, he requested to have a little time, and then he would give the interpretation. When he left the king, he went to his friends (Vs.17), desired of the “Mercy” of God to give him the interpretation.

So this is where we start tonight.

“Then” (vs.19)
1. The Secret was revealed,
  1. Then is an important word,
    1. look back at Daniel 1:17 “…God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams”
      - I am often curious about the wording of things, for instance in Ch.2 it tells us that after they prayed, then… he got the interpretation. However in ch.1 it tells us that God had given Daniel this gift.
      - On one hand it helps confirm the truth Jesus said “…your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. ” Matthew 6:8,
      - God gave him the gift he needed before hand,
      - but then why didn’t Daniel instantly know the answer?
        
        Well, there are a couple of things here, and I do not pretend to know why the Lord wants us to pray about things, knowing He already knows the answer. But,
        
        first, the dream was not remembered by the king. So there was no dream to interpret,
        
        Second, no matter what area we are, or we feel we are gifted in, we should never do anything without bating it in prayer first.
        
        Philippians 4:6 “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God”
        
        in fact the last few word of this passage is what I am convinced that we do not see a lot of prayers answered.
        
        Let your request be made known,
        
        James 4:2&3 “…Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. 3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.”
      - we need to be diligent in our asking of God to intervene in our, and others lives.
  2. Daniels Praise of God,
    1. Daniel had already seen God move,
      - but not in a “mystical” way.
        
        Let me explain, in Ch.1, he requested to eat of pulse, and he became fairer than others. This is not necessary something you can put your finger on, and beyond a doubt, say, it was God.
        
        The same is true for the understanding and wisdom, Many would claim that for themselves.
        
        But Daniel gave God the credit, even tho, it was Daniel that ate the food, and it was Daniel who went to classes.
        
        What I am saying is there was no direct intervention of the Hand of God to point to. One could just as easily said it was because of our own action.
      - But, up to this point, everything Daniel had done was FAITH based.
        
        Hebrew 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
      - But now it was going to be more than a result of one’s own ability, ti was going to take a touch from God.
    2. When God gives the answer, Daniel replies…
    3. Wisdom and might are God’s
    4. He is the one that changes times and seasons
    5. He removes kings, and He sets up Kings
    6. He gives wisdom, and gives Knowledge
    7. He reveals Secrets,
    8. He knows what is in the darkness,
    9. Then Daniel Thanks God
2. Daniel Takes the Answer to the King,
  1. Daniel Ask to spare the wise men,
    1. this is the mark of a Christian, even those who would oppose him, he asked for their life to be spared, vs.24.
    2. vs.18, they had concluded that the wise men would be killed, and they wanted God to intervene in order to keep them from perishing with them.
      - So Daniel was taken before the king,
  2. Who Has The Answer?
    1. The king asked Daniel are you able to give the answer?
      - Daniel answered,:
        
        First, the wise men couldn’t answer, vs.27
        
        Second, the
        
        Astrologers- enchanter,
        
        Magicians- fortune tellers
        
        Soothsayers-people who would read things like a tea leaf, or casting stones, it comes form the word to cut, or destroy
        
        In vs.30, Daniel even confess that, it’s not any wisdom I have
    2. But, then Daniel says, there is a God in Heaven than can,
      - and beginning in vs.31, Daniel recounts the dream of Nebuchadnezzar.
      - And then, in vs. 36 he gives the interpretation.
3. The Dream of Nebuchadnezzar, vs.31-45
  1. The Head, Vs.36-38
    1. You are this head of Gold,
    2. Why, use “gold”
      - Jeremiah 51:7 “Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD’S hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.”
      - also, Babylon was covered with gold leaf, it was put everywhere.
      - Babylon also had a patron god,
        
        he was Marduk, the god of gold.
        
        Some feel that by God giving this dream, it was an insult to the Babylonians god, small g.
    3. Gold was a precious metal, yet, it was not strong,
  2. The Arms and Chest,
    1. the next part was made of silver, not hardly as precious, but stronger.
    2. It also featured two arms.
    3. This represented the Medo-Persian empire (559-331 B.C.)
      - the feature of the two arms, signify the dual kingdom of the Mead empire and the Persian empire.
      - Daniel 8:20 “The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia. ” of course this is another vision Daniel recived, but the symbol is the same.
      - It also makes reference to the two kings being broken and the one taking the place.
        
        First there was Darius followed by Cyrus,
      - it is also interesting to note that the Medo-persian empire taxed it’s people requiring silver as as payment.
      - See Daniel 7:5
  3. The Waste,
    1. the third empire. Greece (Alexander the Great) (531-168 B.C)
    2. a waist of brass, or bronze
      - technically brass is copper and zink, where bronze is copper and tin.
        
        But essentially they are the same. You will find the word, especially in the bible interchangeable.
      - Do you know what kind of armor the Grecian army wore? Bronze.
      - See Daniel 7:6
  4. The Legs,
    1. The fourth empire mentioned here is the legs of Iron, Rome (168 B.C.- 476 A.D.)
    2. just as before, the metal is less precious, but stronger.
    3. Rome would be the strongest of the empires thus far, and this would account for the longevity of it, nearly 650 years.
      - The two legs, most commentators agree make reference to the divided kingdom of Rome,
        
        the western empire and the eastern (Constantinople)

The Feet,
1. Iron and Clay mixture,
  - there are many theories about this one,
    - but one of the best is, it is a reference to the end time government of the Antichrist.
    - The 10 toes relate to the ten kingdom alliance. See revelation 13 & 17
    - Revelation 17:12&13 “And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. ”
      - so who are these 10 kingdoms?
        
        Psalm 83:4-8 “They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.5 For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee: 6 The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes; 7 Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre; 8 Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot.”
        
        Basically it is the area around Israel:
        
        Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine,

I want to end here tonight, we will look at the rock and the mountain next week as well as the end of Daniel 2.