The Dream Challenge
Notes
Transcript
Intro:
On the morning of April 14, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln met with his cabinet at the White House in Washington, and the Civil War was raging toward an end. Abraham Lincoln said to his cabinet members, “I’ve been having a strange dream the last few nights.” He said, “In this dream, I picture a ship, and it is sailing towards some indefinite shore.” He said, “I keep having that dream. I don’t know what it means.”
That very night he and Mrs. Lincoln were attending a show at Ford’s theater and John Wilkes Booth shot him in the back of the head, inflicting a mortal wound. The very next day, the ship that was the life of Abraham Lincoln reached the shore of eternity… That was a dream that had personal, national, and eternal significance.
Daniel Chapter 2 is all about a dream that King N had 2,600 years ago… This dream also had personal, national, and eternal significance…
As we go through this particular part of our study, I want to mention a couple of things… and these will probably be mentioned later on, when we actually get into the interpretation of N’s dream…
Today, God speaks to us through His Word…
2 Timothy 3:16-17 “16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
God does not have to use dreams to communicate with us today. It is through prayer and meditation on God’s Word, that He, through the Holy Spirit, reveals to us His will for our lives…
Christ said in John 16:13 “13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.”
2. Here is something else to keep in mind…
The Old Testament covers a span of about 4,000 years… and within that time span, we have record of 16 dreams that God used to reveal His will… 16 dreams over the span of 4,000 years averages out to 4 dreams every thousand years.
Getting into the New Testament and we have a record of 6 dreams that God used to reveal His will… all of which pertain to the birth of Jesus. After Jesus is born, there are no recorded dreams… why? because God in the flesh was walking and talking on Earth to reveal His will… and we don’t have any dreams recorded after Jesus’ accession to Heaven, because, as He promised, He gave us His Holy Spirit and His written Word to guide us in the paths of righteousness.
3. Again, we will look at this in a little more depth later on in the chapter, but I wanted to briefly mention these things because I know there are many on tv, radio and internet that love to say “God spoke to me in a dream”, or “I received a dream from the Lord”…
Dr. David Jeremiah, I believe said it well… “Does God still speak through dreams today? If we have dreams that we think are inspiration, chances are it’s more likely indigestion.” He goes on to say... “We have the full revelation of God in the Bible, and there’s a big period at the end of it. Because we have the Holy Spirit, because we have the scriptures, God’s revelation, we don’t really need dreams.”
With all that said… lets look at…
The Dream Challenge
The Dream Challenge
Read Daniel 2:1-18…
Meat:
In the very first verse of this 2nd chapter, we are immediately given a chronological difficulty… It says…
Daniel 2:1 “1 Now in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; and his spirit was so troubled that his sleep left him.”
The chronological issue is the fact that, at the end of Chapter one, we are told that the 3 year training program for the Jewish captives had been completed… It wasn’t until after that 3 year program was finished, that Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah were placed into the Kings service… so if this dream happened in the 2nd year of N’s reign, then why are Daniel and his friends in danger??… Daniel 2:13 “13 So the decree went out, and they began killing the wise men; and they sought Daniel and his companions, to kill them.”
This is an area that people love to go to and say “see… the Bible is full of contradictions”…
Let me see if I can give a semi clear explanation for this issue…
This information is not on your outline, but I’ve got it up here on the screen… Just to warn you… this is going to be a little bit of information overload… here we go…
From our background study at the very begin of this series, we said that…
Judah (Southern Part of Israel) was taken captive in 605 B.C. by “King” Nebuchadnezzar
Judah (Southern Part of Israel) was taken captive in 605 B.C. by “King” Nebuchadnezzar
We know that after the boys were taken captive (605 b.c.) they were placed into a 3 year program and then placed into positions to serve King N… Because this is B.C. time that we are referring to, the years count down as they move forward into the future… so…
3 Years of Training (605 B.C. - 603 B.C.)
3 Years of Training (605 B.C. - 603 B.C.)
603 BC would’ve been the year that Daniel and his friends were placed into the kings service… But wouldn’t that be the 3rd year of King N’s Reign???
N took over the throne after his father, King Nabopolassar, died sometime in 605 BC. So N was only king for part of that year. In this culture, they didn’t start recording your years of reigning until your first full year, which for King N, would have been 604 B.C.
So in using the Babylonian method of dating...
N’s first (full/recorded) year of reigning over Babylon was 604 B.C.
N’s first (full/recorded) year of reigning over Babylon was 604 B.C.
Nebuchadnezzar’s 2nd Year would've been 603 B.C. Which, just so happens to be, the same year that Daniel and his friends finished their training.
Can you see God’s Sovereignty at work here??? He blesses Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah with knowledge, skill and wisdom… He gives an extra blessing of understanding (of dreams and visions) to Daniel… He allows them to become 10 times smarter than the local wise guys… they are immediately put into the Kings service… and now Daniel is going to get a chance to use the blessings that God has given to him… … God is working out His plan, in His time, according to His will…
Now that v. 1 is all cleared up… lets get into the rest of our passage and your outline…
In vv. 2-6 we see…
1. The Challenge Proposed
1. The Challenge Proposed
And in v.2 we see that the challenge is proposed specifically…
1.1 To all the Wise Men
1.1 To all the Wise Men
Daniel 2:2 “2 Then the king gave the command to call the magicians, the astrologers, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.”
This dream that N was having, made him so anxious and bothered him so much that he called in all kinds of “wise men” who could possibly interpret the dream.
First listed is the magicians - This word (in it’s original language) refers to scribes that would write about mysterious things… like the writes of horoscopes....
Second is the astrologers (some versions will have the word conjurers) - these are guys that could supposedly contact or speak to the dead.
Next is the sorcerers - these are men that would use potions, spells, and practiced witchcraft.
Lastly he called in the Chaldeans - these were the “religious” guys… supposed intellectuals and priests.
So N called in the writers, the ghost whisperers, the witches and the pagan priests… … all of whom, as one writer said, were nothing more than “Miserable Charlatans”… which is a fact that I believe N was starting to realize after 4 young Jewish men proved to be 10 times smarter than them after only 3 years of training…
The challenge that N proposed to these wise men was…
1.2 To Reveal and Interpret the Dream
1.2 To Reveal and Interpret the Dream
Daniel 2:3-6 “3 And the king said to them, “I have had a dream, and my spirit is anxious to know the dream.” 4 Then the Chaldeans spoke to the king in Aramaic, “O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will give the interpretation.” 5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, “My decision is firm: if you do not make known the dream to me, and its interpretation, you shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made an ash heap. 6 However, if you tell the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts, rewards, and great honor. Therefore tell me the dream and its interpretation.””
A couple of things that I want to mention about this is… in v. 1 it states that N had “dreams” - Plural… but once you get down here to v. 3 N said “I have had a dream”- singular… Commentators and Bible scholars agree, that N had been having the same dream, night after night… and I believe it was getting to the point that he did not want to go to sleep because he knew that he was going to have the same exact dream (or nightmare) again.
I also want to mention that some folks believe that N had forgotten the dream, which I don’t believe is the case for 2 reasons…
If you have the same nightmare night after night… you are probably going to remember it…
There was one commentator who made the claim that dreams in this pagan culture were believed to contain messages that come from the gods and no one would openly admit to forgetting a message from the gods…
Along with this proposed challenge, came…
1.3 It’s Punishments or Rewards
1.3 It’s Punishments or Rewards
vv. 5&6 are pretty specific about what would happen whether or not they could fulfill the challenge.
If not - the punishment was a gruesome death and destruction of their homes.
But if they could reveal and interpret the dream, major rewards would be coming their way.
Lets look at…
2. The Wise Men’s Response
2. The Wise Men’s Response
Daniel 2:7 “7 They answered again and said, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will give its interpretation.””
Hearing the punishment for not being able to perform this challenge, the wise men are responding out of…
2.1 Desperation
2.1 Desperation
N did not give them the option to accept or decline the challenge, he just said “if you cannot do this then I have no use for you and your fake news”… this would serve as proof to the fact that they have been lying about their abilities and they realized that their lives were going to be coming to an abrupt end.
So they…
2.2 Tried to Buy Some Time
2.2 Tried to Buy Some Time
Daniel 2:8-9 “8 The king answered and said, “I know for certain that you would gain time, because you see that my decision is firm: 9 if you do not make known the dream to me, there is only one decree for you! For you have agreed to speak lying and corrupt words before me till the time has changed. Therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can give me its interpretation.””
If N would just tell them his dream, they could go back home or to the worship center of their gods, do their rituals and come back with an elaborate, fake interpretation, that of course would be a positive message for the King.
N sees right through their tactics and does not give them any details nor does he allow them any time… which leads these wise men to…
2.3 The Admission of Impossibility
2.3 The Admission of Impossibility
Daniel 2:10-11 “10 The Chaldeans answered the king, and said, “There is not a man on earth who can tell the king’s matter; therefore no king, lord, or ruler has ever asked such things of any magician, astrologer, or Chaldean. 11 It is a difficult thing that the king requests, and there is no other who can tell it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.””
These wise men concluded that it was impossible for any man to rise to the challenge of the King… “There is not a man on earth who can tell the king’s matter...”… If you read in between the lines for just a moment, by their own admission, anyone who claims to have the ability to reveal the future or that which has not been seen, is a liar and a fraud…
It is also worth noting that they don’t even try to appeal to their “gods” for help or guidance… that shows how much faith they actually had in their own gods…
So reading in between the lines a little more… They also admit that their “gods” remain distant, disinterested, and unwilling to help…
Aren’t you glad that we serve a God that desires to have a personal relationship with us?…
These wise men were correct in saying that there was no man on Earth that could fulfill this task… however, they were mistaken in the fact that there was a man, on Earth, who could contact the One True God, and receive the answer to Kings challenge.
Their admission of impossibility cost them dearly…
Daniel 2:12-13 “12 For this reason the king was angry and very furious, and gave the command to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. 13 So the decree went out, and they began killing the wise men; and they sought Daniel and his companions, to kill them.”
Lets finish up this morning, by looking at…
3. Daniel’s Response
3. Daniel’s Response
We are not told exactly how this particular conversation goes, but at some point Arioch, the captain of the Kings guard finds Daniel or Daniel hears about N’s decree and finds Arioch…
Daniel 2:14-15 “14 Then with counsel and wisdom Daniel answered Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon; 15 he answered and said to Arioch the king’s captain, “Why is the decree from the king so urgent?” Then Arioch made the decision known to Daniel.”
First of all, Daniel responds…
3.1 Calmly
3.1 Calmly
The other wise men responded out desperation and fear, but Daniel is calm, cool and collected… Even though he knew that his life was in jeopardy…
Why was Daniel able to stay so calm??… Because he knew that God was in control of everything and because of his faith in God… Daniel approached the King.
This was a possible death sentence in and of itself, because you don’t make the decision to go and see the King, if the King wants to see you, he invites you in… and to add to that possible death sentence…
3.2 He Asks for Time
3.2 He Asks for Time
Daniel 2:16 “16 So Daniel went in and asked the king to give him time, that he might tell the king the interpretation.”
When Daniel discovered that a decree had gone out to destroy him and his friends, he immediately goes before the King and asks that he be given time to fulfill the challenge that the King had proposed.
I really do not want you to miss the sovereign moving of God in this moment… the very thing that King N did not want to give to his wise men… Daniel asks for…
But Daniel tells N, with confidence, that he will come back and give the interpretation. Not once, did Daniel ask N to reveal his dream… and God in His sovereignty, moves N in such a way that he allows Daniel the time he requested.
Daniel does not use that time to go home and conjure up some story… he does not go home and try to plan his escape… he does not go home and make his favorite meal because he’ll be dead in the morning…
Daniel goes home, gathers up Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah… and
3.3 He Prays
3.3 He Prays
Daniel 2:17-18 “17 Then Daniel went to his house, and made the decision known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, 18 that they might seek mercies from the God of heaven concerning this secret, so that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.”
These four young men prayed to all mighty God… and notice what they asked for… … His Mercy… they asked for God to show them mercy, they did not ask for information, which in reality is what they needed… information concerning the N’s dream…
But they knew that needed something even more than the information… if they were going to approach the One True God, the Creator of the universe, the revealer of all things (past, present and future)… they were going to need His compassion and mercy to permit them to enter into His presence with prayer.
Application:
How often do we find ourselves in a challenging situation and the only thing that we ask God for is the… solution to our problems?
How often do we choose to live in sin and then when some sort of difficulty comes up (maybe a direct result of our sin, maybe not), how often to we right away say “God I need your help to pay this bill, fight this disease, you fill in the blank”… You don’t want to repent of the sin in your life, but you want God to bless you anyway…
If the High Priest were to walk into the Holy of Holies, the presence of God and had confessed sin in his life… He died instantly… … Daniel and his friends knew above everything else, they needed God’s Mercy.
Closing:
What did Daniel and his friends do in a time of crisis? - They prayed to the God who controls it all...
What did they do when they were surround by a satanic environment? - They prayed to the God Who has power over the darkness of evil.
What did they do when they are far away from home in a land that worships and sacrifices to many false gods? - They prayed to the One True God.
One of the key ingredients to Daniel’s success in a pagan land… was his prayer life… and we will talk more about that next time.
Prayer:
Benediction: 2 Cor. 1:3-5…