Nebchadnezzar's Troubling Dream (Part 2)
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Recap:
Last week we looked at events in History where God was working to bring about His plan not only for the lives of Daniel and his friends in captivity but to reveal his plans for this world!
Now we didn’t look directly at Nebuchadnezzar’s dream yet but the circumstances leading up to it!
Nebuchadnezzars Problem:
He had been having a reocurring dream
A dream which has now become troubling causing him to lose sleep.
So he did what any pagan king would have done at the time, he summoned his wise men:
Magicians
Chaldeans
Sorceres and the like
For the purpose of putting his mind at ease, and knowing what this dream meant!
However there was a lack of trust, especially since Nebuchadnezzar was politically savvy and knew that these men woudl simply tell him what he wanted to hear!
To appease him
To simply buy their time until the next king would come
The political landscape was ever shifting and a new king was simply and assination away!
So Nebuchadnezzar comes up with a plan!
He would get his wise men to not only tell him the interpretation but they must tell him the dream itself as well!
4 Then the Chaldeans said to the king in Aramaic, “O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.”
5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, “The word from me is firm: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you shall be torn limb from limb, and your houses shall be laid in ruins.
How is that for an offer for you!
Tell me the dream and it’s interpretation or be torn limb from limb.
If you could tell the future
Then you should be able to tell the past as well
But if you are successful then you will be rewarded hansomly
The Problem:
These men knew that they could not do what the king asked
Therefore they feared for their lives
So they made a second appeal to the king
7 They answered a second time and said, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show its interpretation.”
This only angered the king, making Him doubling down, on his declartion to the wise men.
So it was either put up or shut up!
Tell me the dream or face the consequences.
Promiting this response:
10 The Chaldeans answered the king and said, “There is not a man on earth who can meet the king’s demand, for no great and powerful king has asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or Chaldean.
To which the king was enraged at!
12 Because of this the king was angry and very furious, and commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be destroyed.
13 So the decree went out, and the wise men were about to be killed; and they sought Daniel and his companions, to kill them.
This opened the door for God to work in amazing ways!
It would be through this moment of certain death for the wisemen that God would not only work a miracle but set in motion a plan that will change this world forever.
This is the reality of God!
His ways are not our ways, his thoughts are not are thoughts
He works in mysterious ways
And even though we cannot see and many times fully understand the working of God the trugh is we can trust Him!
He is Soveriegn
He is All knowing
He is in control of all things
And this morning we are going to see not only that God works, but the way in which he works is perfect!
Introduction:
As we begin looking at the Word this morning I have some them thoughts about our faith, our lives, and our convictions!
Where do you stand this morning when it comes to your faith, your life with God, your testimony before men?
Where do we as people of faith stand when the world is against us?
What will we do if our circumstance our surrounding require us to hold onto nothing but our God? Trusting Only him to work, lead, and ultimatley for His will over and for our lives to prevail?
Sir Winston Churchhill said
“Success is not Final, Failure is not fatal, it is the courage to continue that counts.” (Sir Winston Churchhill)
So many times we need to be strengthened by God not delievered from hardship
So many times we need to ask for courage to endure rather than to escape!
We need to be Christians, men and women of God, that shrink back from a culture that is anti truth, or from a world that is hostile to God
Now we need to be people of God who stand firm in Christ, looking to God for the udnerstanding of His will!
And when God chooses not to reveal it or give us the full understanding of it, we walk forward, not backwards, trusting in the goodness, grace, mercy and love of and all pwerfull, all knowing God!
That is what Daniel does, that is what we should do!
It’s Time To Pray Boys, Time to Pray!
It’s Time To Pray Boys, Time to Pray!
17 Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions,
18 and told them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions might not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
So Daniel walking by faith, asks the Captain of the Gaurd to get him an audience with the king that he might explain the dream to nebuchadnezzar!
What has he got to lose at this point right?
The edict from the king had gone out to kill all the wise mean, and that meant all!
So if it was God’s mercy that they would be spared from the kngs wrath then God now had a chance to be put on full display for his glory!
So Daniel returns to Hannaiah, Mishael, and Azariah!
These were his friends
These were his companions whom he trusted, whom he woudl turn to when he needed prayer!
(We all need friends like, Godly friends, whom we can confide in, who will get on their knees before God and intercede for you, so that you may know the Lord’s will)
Daniel goes to his friends and asks them to pray!
To seek God’s mercy on them
To pray that God would give Daniel the knowledge concerning the myster of Nebchadnezzar’s dream!
Because at this point there was no one else who could given Daniel the dream and it’s understanding
If it was the Lord’s will the Daniel and His friends be spared then God was going to have to interven on their behalf!
Shouldn’t this be the default for our lives as believers, as followers of Jesus Christ?
For Daniel, we get the picture that this was their first response, to pray!
Prayer:
Shows dependence upon the one who knows all
Shows reliance upon the one who can do the impossible!
Pyare indicates the understanding that we cannot do what God calls us to unless he is in it!
Daniel knew the stakes at hand!
Daniel knw it was only God who could do this!
God Answers Prayers:
God Answers Prayers:
19 Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
Praying is more than a mere religious part of our spirituality!
Prayer is our connection and lifeline to God!
Prayer can be poweful
16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
And when prayer is done biblically then God moves!
29 The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous.
When we are right with God, hears and answers our prayers.
This is true and indicated by Daniel here in in verse 19!
God heard the prayers of Daniel and His friends
That very night Daniel recieved the dream and it’s meaning in a dream and vision of His own!
What I love about this verse here is Daniel’s response to God’s answer!
Daniel Praised God!
How many prayers has God answered for you in your life with Him?
How much do you praise Him every time He does that for you?
The very fact that God intervened in our lives because we asked Him to!
That alone is worthy of our praise
Let the magnitude of that sink in for just a minute!
Daniel Song of Praise:
20 Daniel answered and said: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might.
21 He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding;
22 he reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him.
23 To you, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, for you have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we asked of you, for you have made known to us the king’s matter.”
Blessed Be the Name of God
Blessed Be the Name of God
The name of Gof God is worthy to be praised!
18 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things.
2 Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forevermore!
18 But we will bless the Lord from this time forth and forevermore. Praise the Lord!
To Him belong wisdom and might
To Him belong wisdom and might
29 This also comes from the Lord of hosts; he is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom.
He changes the times and the Seasons
He changes the times and the Seasons
This is the evidence of His power over Creation
He sets up and removes those in power
He sets up and removes those in power
This is a demonstration of both his power and wisdom as he guides and directs the affairs of men
He Gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understaning
He Gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understaning
He alone reveals the deep and hidden things
He alone reveals the deep and hidden things
He knows what is the darkness and the light dwells with Him
He knows what is the darkness and the light dwells with Him
Daniel’s praise of God here reveals that Daniel knew God
He knew his character
He knew his attributes
He knew His creator and God and God knew Him!
To you God...
To you God...
I Give thanks and praise
I Give thanks and praise
For you have given me wisdom and migh
For you have given me wisdom and migh
You have made known what I ask of you
You have made known what I ask of you
You have made known to me the kings matter!
You have made known to me the kings matter!
Not only did Daniel Praise God for who he was, but because God had worked in His situation
When we praise God, we praise Him for who he is, but also for all that he has done for us!