Daniel 2:31-49 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs!
Today’s passage is Daniel 2:31-49. Let’s go!
Daniel 2:31-38 (NIV)
31 “You looked, O king, and there before you stood a large statue–an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance.
32 The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze,
33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay.
34 While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them.
35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were broken to pieces at the same time and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth.
36 “This was the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king.
37 You, O king, are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory;
38 in your hands he has placed mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds of the air. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold.
On verses 37-38: Daniel recognizes that God is the giver of all power and authority. As powerful as King Nebuchadnezzar was, Daniel recognized that King Nebuchadnezzar would not have such power or authority if it weren’t for God. Likewise, any authority or power we have is because God, the giver of all power and authority, allowed us to have it. So let’s exercise the power and authority we have with humility and a healthy fear of (respect for) God.
Daniel 2:39-44 (NIV)
39 “After you, another kingdom will rise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth.
40 Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron–for iron breaks and smashes everything–and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others.
41 Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay.
42 As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle.
43 And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay.
44 “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.
On verses 39-44: Traditionally, scholars have identified the four kingdoms represented in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream as Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome. God’s kingdom is the rock that breaks the other kingdoms apart while itself never breaking. God’s kingdom is the only kingdom that will never be destroyed and that will last forever.
Daniel 2:45-47 (NIV)
45 This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands–a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces. “The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and the interpretation is trustworthy.”
46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate before Daniel and paid him honor and ordered that an offering and incense be presented to him.
47 The king said to Daniel, “Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery.”
On verses 45-47: God gave this disturbing dream to the idol worshiping King Nebuchadnezzar in order to show him that Daniel’s God is the greatest God of all and to draw Nebuchadnezzar near to Himself. Whenever God gives us a dream or lets us experience Him in a powerful or miraculous way, it’s not for our entertainment or for no reason. It’s to change the way we look at God, to draw us near to Him and to renew our trust in Him. People tend to focus on the miracle. God focuses on how we respond to Him after the miracle occurs.
Daniel 2:48-49 (NIV)
48 Then the king placed Daniel in a high position and lavished many gifts on him. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men.
49 Moreover, at Daniel’s request the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego administrators over the province of Babylon, while Daniel himself remained at the royal court.
On verses 48-49: At first when King Nebuchadnezzar threatened to execute Daniel, his friends and all the Babylonian wise men, Daniel and his friends probably wondered, “God, why are You letting this to happen to us?” Yet here we learn another reason God gave this disturbing dream to King Nebuchadnezzar: to allow Daniel and his friends to be promoted; it was for their good. The crisis was a stepping stone to their promotion. Likewise, when you receive disappointing or distressing news, remember that God, who is not focused only on the moment, is writing a greater story than anything you can see or write yourself. If you would respond to the crisis with faith, wisdom and trust in God, God will use the crisis to take you even higher in the end.
Lord Jesus, all authority in heaven and on earth belongs to You. Yours is the only kingdom that will last forever. Any authority we have is only because You gave it to us. Thank You that everything is in Your hands and You are always writing a greater story than anything we can see or write for ourselves. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
