The W. A. Criswell Sermon Library

I. The Story in the Text

1. The dream of Nebuchadnezzar
2:1 "in the second year . . ." As sole monarch, after death of Nabopolasser, there about 4 years after Daniel taken captive; a year after finished his Chaldean training in all the secrets of the magi.
Nebuchadnezzar not fully established on the trhone. All rivals crushed, able to take to heart the lessons of the dream
Nebuchadnezzar, the subject of prophecy, as Jer. 25:8-11; 27:4-89. Now a revelation made to the king himself.

(1) Nothing strange, that God reveals a matter in a dream.
God had said: Num. 12:6--To Moses face to face, to others . . . .
God appeared to Jacob in a dream at Bethel
God spoke to Joseph in dreams
God appeared to Solomon in a dream
(a) Dr. Truett

(2) Not anything unusual for God to reveal His message to a heathen prince
Pharaoh warned of the famine in Egypt thru a dream
God spoke to Abimelech in a dream Gen. 20:1-18 (Abraham, Sarah, as his sister)
God revealed to a Midianite in a dream the victory of Gideon
There are times when God uses the unrighteous for righteous purposes; a holy message brought by unholy men.
2:1 "his spirit troubled" . . ."sleep brake from him"
No terror like the soul gripped in fear, soul agony. The darkness adds to the fear.
On, on, through the hours of the night.
Intense agitation of mind. Convinced, the dream portended events of no common importance. Tried resolutely again and again to recall and give shape to the vague images that still floated in his mind. In vain. The more he tried the more he failed. The dream had startled the king, a mighty colossus of brilliant metal, suddenly destroyed by a stone; the image falls in pieces which the stone grew to fill the earth. Yet, strong as the visions had been, no clear impression upon his mind, only vague sense of terror. Tried, could recall nothing.
cf. the tossing of the sea after the storm has passed; waves of terror still surging, thoughts clashing, but the cause of the inward turmoil had passed away.
2:3 the frightened king our contemporary. "troubled him" - we understand. We in the same state of mind. The great world events of these recent decades like a terrible dream. The meaning and purpose of events, chasing one another as in a dream have sometimes seemed as plain as day; but the next moment the meaning hidden in impenetrable fog. Impossible to understand the savage movements of history, to arrange them in an intelligent plan.
Destroy Kaiser Wilhelm II--a Hitler
Destroy Hitler--A Stalin
Destroy Fascism--Communism
Help France--a deGaulle
A new China, delivered from the Japanese--Mao Tse-Tung
Nebuchadnezzar may have lived thousands of years ago but his face appears plainly before us. He is one of us. Standing beside us today.

2. The Incompetence of the Intellectual
2:2 Wearied with fruitless, inward search, sent for the magi
"Magicians"--practiced magic, all the superstitious rites and ceremonies of fortune-tellers. Incantations
"Astrologers"--men who pretended to tell future events by the study of the stars. Much in vogue then, as today. Newspaper
"Sorcerers"--such as pretend to hold communication with the dead. Used potions. Claimed to possess supernatural power, knowledge through the aid of spirits. Modern spiritualism an example.
"Chaldeans"--a priestly sect of philosophers as the Brahman caste in India. Select, elect, learned.
They formed an important order of the state. Actually, they possessed considerable real knowledge. We find among the cuneiform inscriptions tables of astronomical and astrological observations made in very early times and constantly added to. The great text book on these matters called "The Illuminator of Bel; consisting of 72 chapters, was composed at best 1000 years before the time of Nebuchadnezzar and was apparently translated by Berosus into Greek, a mixture of valuable scientific truth with a strange medley of fortune-telling and conjuring.
They appear before the king in great confidence. Complimented they are invited. Rich gifts, honors await them. Their rewards achieved by the skillful use of the king's excitement.
Their anticipation turns to terrible confusion. The more the king failed to recall the dreams, the more determined he was that the magi should unravel the vision for him. Did not the magi enjoy wealth, rank, power, because they had influence with the immortals? They must now make good their claim.
When in their abject helplessness they could not, were obliged to answer his question, his rage knew no bounds. Men fed out of the king's treasury. If they could not tell the dreams, no need to have them. Frauds. He had been brought up not only to revere them but to obey the magi.
But the king a skeptic in his own religion. "Tell me the dream and I'll have proof that you have divine authority to expound and unfold the meaning."
The magi dumbfounded. Made every excuse and apology.
The thing uncommon
No king or sovereign ever made such a request
No magician . . . . had ever explained such a thing before
The king the more agitated. An answer is needed, asked.

3. Prayer
The king was furious. Woe to them who could not quiet the spirit, gratify the demands of the Oriental despot.
Decreed the death of all the magi. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. He a specimen of what unsanctified man becomes when he has too much power. All to be slain. We need restraint, limitations, constitutional laws, counterbalances.
Like so many of earthly rulers, a man of a violent, cruel temperament.
2:13 "sought Daniel. . . to be slain"
Probably lived apart, being Jews. They were not with the magi who had been so hastily called to the king's palace.
:15 Daniel lost neither his faith nor his presence of mind. When news reaches him he answers with counsel and wisdom.
:16 Instead of being hurried to the prison where the magi were collected for execution, Daniel is taken into the king's presence. Daniel promises to reveal the dream --such faith. Confident God would answer his supplication. Sublime faith.
Asks for time. Why ask for time? The answer in the subsequent line: that he might speak to God, implore on bended knee help, instruction, guidance.
:17, 18 United prayers. Together they pray. Could have prayed alone.
But Matt. 18:19. These 4 youth under sentence of death. All night prayer vigil. There is a knowledge from God which is given at the moment when the wisdom of man fails. There is One who can see light when man can only detect darkness.

4. Praise
2:19-23 An answer. God is the fountain and spring not only of power but of knowledge. ". . . a God of knowledge . . ." Hannah calls Him. I Sam. 2:3
Instantly turned prayer to praise. Returned thanks to God. The man who prays sincerely in the morning will as sincerely praise Him in the evening. "Is any afflicted? let him pray."
It is easy to be Christian when we want something, an heathen atheist when we have obtained it. Ask as a Christian--Appeal to God as a Christian
Pray as a Christian--Give glory to God as a Christian
(a) W. R. Fine

5. Humility
2:28, 30 Modesty, humility. Daniel strove to make the king look away from him to the God of the gift of wisdom..
No--look what I did!

II. The Astonishing, Remarkable Ways of God

1. His everlasting mercies to His people.
The city of Jerusalem, the nation of Judah, the Temple in ruins. The sacred vessels of the sanctuary was the property of an heathen king. The glory had departed from between the cherubim. "Ichabod, Ichabod"--the glory is departed, the sad inscription on the entire nation. The sons and daughters of Judah now captives beside the Euphrates. How deeply distressed the whole of Israel as they sat down beside the rivers of Babylon.
But in this state of agonizing tragedy, see how God manifests his mercy, grace, wisdom and power. All apart from external advantages, He showed Israel that the way not dependent upon outward accouterments.
cf. the sermon of Stephen
When the outward fabric is dissolved, the inward glory that seems restricted to its walls only breaks forth with greater splendor, spreads throughout the world with greater speed.
(a) Lutheran church, burned. Started Christian church on sidewalk.
Often when the visible church is in ruins does God construct upon its wreck a more glorious frame, a house not made with hands.
more beautiful than the temples of Baalbek
more impressive than the cathedrals of Europe
more splendid than the theaters of Ionia
more magnificent than the temple of Solomon in all its glory. Often when the church has no mitre upon her head, no Urim and Thummin upon her breast, that the world reads more legibly the inscription upon her brow. "standeth sure--God knoweth the ??"

2. He has even given the greatest manifestation of His mind to sufferers.
The children of God in the wilderness, the Ten Commandments
The weeping Jeremiah, the prophecies of restoration
The captive Daniel beside the bank of the Ulai and the Hiddekel Rivers, the unfolding ages.
Paul, imprisoned, the gospel messenger of redemption
John, exiled and prisoner on dreary Patmos, the grand procession of the saints
The two witnesses' prophesy in sackcloth
To men who felt they had nothing on earth did God make known how much they had in heaven.
To those eyes that were shut upon all the splendors of time did God disclose the fullness of the glories of eternity.

3. He brings to nought the wisdom of this world. God silences the wisdom of men.
These magi compelled to own their ignorance before God's revealed wisdom. There God shows the wisdom of man to be folly.
cf. seeking to make the Bible conform to science. Have to be rewritten every 10 years.
cf. Job 38:1-7; 40:1-3, 5
cf. Paul, I Cor. 1:25, 27-29
cf. Jesus, "unto babes" Matt. 11:25; Lk. 10:21
What Nebuchadnezzar did we do. When in despair call upon the Chaldeans, intellectuals, intelligentsia of the land. 2:2 But they not help the king. They are as helpless as he is. Compelled to admit it.
We call upon the intellectual, influential men of the world, the professionals, the brain trusts. Need the wisdom of God. . .
where philosophy ends, God begins
where learning concludes, God commences

4. He saves the lost for the sake of the righteous
2:24 Daniel’s first request--"destroy not the wise men of Babylon . . ."
House of Potipher blest for Joseph's sake.
Prisoners and sailors spared for Paul's sake. Acts 27:23, 24
Israel for Moses' sake. Ps. 106:23; Ezek. 22:30--standing in the breach
Lord would have delivered Sodom for 10 righteous.
The world spared judgment for the elect's sake. The church, righteous here keep back judgment.
Rapture coming when the church is caught up--then the tribulation.
The wicked are blest for the righteous' sake.
cf. A church, disdain, not support. But if no church--crime sin
So we are saved for Jesus' sake.