Download
Daniel 2:1-23
We are reading from the Modern English Version this week.
Today’s voyage will take us to the book of Daniel in the Exile stream. Last week Daniel and his friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego ate their vegetable diet instead of the meat and wine at the king’s table. Daniel and his friends are living out the prophecy that we have been reading in Isaiah. They are in the land of the Babylonians. But God is not done with Israel. He is still looking for hearts and minds who are willing to listen to Him. And that is what Daniel does.
7streamsmethod.com | @7streamsmethod | #7Streams
Prayer
“Lord God, we lay our lives before you. You have so much You want us to know about Yourself, Your ways, Your glory. Wasn’t it Johannes Kepler who said, “I want to think God’s thoughts after Him”?
Lord take us closer to Yourself, further into Your courtyard, closer to your throne, nearer to Your heart. We know this is what You want for us too. May it be so. Amen.”
Let’s not forget that Daniel was barely a teen when taken to Babylon. The reading today was hardly three years later. Daniel is at the age when learning permits are given to young drivers. So if Daniel were in today’s culture, he may, at the most, have a driver’s license newly issued…maybe not yet. And he is about to have the King’s ear! Don’t ever think that God can’t use you yet, or use your child yet for some massive purpose. The most powerful king on earth at the time is about to get an historical eye-opener from someone who is likely not even shaving.
Chapter 2
Daniel 2: (first 23 verses) King Nebuchadnezzar (please don’t name you pet after him!) has a dream and it troubles him. He wants to know what it means because he knows it means something significant. The dream pertains to him, the world, kingdoms, but he cannot make sense of any of it. Neb’ summons his astrologers and begins the encounter by threatening them with death. Heavens, he hasn’t even told them the dream yet -or anything else- for that matter! Remember Pharaoh’s dream about Egypt being devoured by famine? Remember Joseph’s dream about a baker and a butler and one of them gets executed in short order? Remember Jacob’s dream about a stairway and angels? Remember Herod-the-Great being troubled as he hears of a baby in Bethlehem? Joseph (and Mary; yea, that Joseph) had a dream and it saved this baby. Yes, when dreams happen, take note. God is talking and we don’t want to miss this. So the dream; the matter is divulged to the astrologers and diviners and they are in a panic for they know this puts them in a terrible bind. Are they able to remedy this situation? They are certain that they can’t.
Notice how the entire turn of events is staging (choreographing if you will) for Daniel to enter the scene. Daniel is getting prepped by God so that the entire eschalon are longing for Daniel to come forward and meet this urgent need. Notice that not one of the astrologers blurted out, “go get Daniel or we’ll be mashed!” And Daniel is getting ready for all of this massive encounter and transformation simply by walking with God; by merely communing with His Savior regularly. He isn’t studying the bestseller “Babylonian Dreams for Dummies” or doing any other pagan pleaser preparatory posing. He is walking with God. And that gets him ready for everything that is to come. For Daniel knows the God who knows all that is to come. Soon Daniel is briefed of the alarming developments taking place in Babylon. Is Daniel then hiding out concerned for self-preservation as the edict was passed down that heads are going to roll? No, he checks in with godly friends. They listen to each other. They converse and take it to God. That night God sends the answer to them. Why do anything otherwise, ever? Why forfeit one’s peace? Why toss and turn in the night? Why fret your way to an ulcer? God is not impressed with our fretting. He perks up to our prayers and our worship. And Daniel does = so God responds. The praise and prayer and worship that follows the revelation is a pure marvel. Pure worship always leads to marvelous things.