Now it was in the second year of his reign that Nebuchadnezzar had his memorable dream--the profound impression of which had remained upon his mind, but the dream was blotted from his memory. So "his spirit was troubled and his sleep left him." He summoned the clan of the "magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers," and demanded of them that they should tell him his dream which he had forgotten, and the interpretation of it.

      In vain did the unhappy Chaldaeans expostulate and try to excuse themselves: the king was adamant: if they tell him not his dream he declared, "you will be torn limb from limb and your houses will be made a rubbish heap."

      He had perhaps long doubted their pretended knowledge of secret things--now this would be the test: if they could tell him his dream then he would know that they could also interpret it. So the sentence went out that all the Wise-men of Babylon were to be slain. Daniel and his three friends were counted as belonging to this order, and so the death-sentence applied in their case also, although they were ignorant as to the reason for it.

      Here we see an instance of Daniel's wonderful tact and wisdom. By a polite and humble inquiry of the soldier in charge, Arioch, Daniel learned what had happened; and went in to the king and desired an appointed time, at which he would show the king his interpretation. That granted, the four young Hebrews resorted to prayer; and in a vision of the night was the secret revealed to Daniel. His prayer of praise and thanksgiving is singularly beautiful and full of significance: it sounds the keynote of all the rest of the prophecies of Daniel. (Daniel 2:20-23.)

      Again we behold the wonderful ways of Daniel's God-given wisdom. This time he gives the honor of making the announcement to the king to Arioch, the officer by whose favor he had learned of the situation. And being brought before the king--who incredulously asked, "Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen and its interpretation?"--see how Daniel speaks a word in defense of the Wise-men of Babylon, and for himself disclaims all superior personal ability. (Compare Joseph's speech in Genesis 41:16, 39.) [5]

      It must have been a dramatic moment when the young Jewish captive revealed to the king, out of the unfathomable depths of the Divine omniscience, the vision of his forgotten dream. Nebuchadnezzar must have realized at that moment that the Almighty God was speaking to him from the lips of this simple, quiet youth. "You, O king, were looking and behold, there was a single great statue; that statue, which was large and of extraordinary splendor, was standing in front of you, and its appearance was awesome." In more particular description he recalled to the king that:

1. its head was of pure gold;
2. its chest and its arms of silver;
3. its belly and its thighs of bronze,
4. its legs of iron; and
5. its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay.

      While the king's eyes were fastened upon the statue as it stood before him in its splendor and its terribleness--behold, "a stone was cut out (out of the mountain, v. 45) without hands, and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and crushed them." Then was the whole great statue, with all its parts, iron, clay, bronze, silver, gold, broken into small pieces at the same time, and "became like chaff from the summer threshing floors." Nor was that all: the small debris that was left was swept away by the wind, "so that not a trace of them was found." But as for the rock that struck the statue, it "became a great mountain and filled the whole earth." (Daniel 2:31-35.)

      "This was the dream," Daniel continued; and then proceeded to interpret it to the king. The beauty of the language would tempt us to full quoting of it; but we must summarize what follows (vs. 37-46). The meanings of the several parts of the statue were:

1. The head of pure gold: Nebuchadnezzar, representing the kingdom of Babylon.
2. The chest and arms of silver: "another kingdom . . . inferior to yours."
3. The belly and thighs of bronze: "a third kingdom of bronze, will rule over the whole earth."
4. The legs and feet of iron: the "fourth kingdom, strong as iron . . ."

      Here he stops to tell us more. This iron kingdom breaks in pieces and subdues all; and so shall it break in pieces and crush "all these"--the other kingdoms over which it will extend its power. Now he speaks of the feet (especially mentioning the toes) in which the iron has an admixture of "clay" (potter's clay, ceramic clay, baked clay). This, he says, signifies that (in its last development) the fourth kingdom shall be a "divided kingdom," "partly strong and partly brittle"; and this condition is due to the fact that "the people" (the governing powers of that time, certainly) "will be a mixture and will not remain united." But this combination is unstable and a cause of weakness. The two substances, clay and iron, cannot coalesce nor unite.

      Here again let us stop to consider these things. It is clear that the statue as a whole represents the great Gentile world-power, made up in its several parts of the four successive world-powers. We need not go outside the Bible to learn the names of these.

      From the book of Daniel itself we get the first three:

1. The Babylonian (Daniel 2:37, 38);
2. The kingdom of the Medes and Persians (Daniel 5:28, 30, 31);
3. The third, vanquishing the power of Persia, is Greece (Daniel 8:20, 21);
4. The fourth, the Roman power, is spoken of in the New Testament (Luke 2:1).¹

      It is very noticeable that the metals, representing the four world powers in the statue, progressively lose in weight and value: from the fine gold we pass to the kingdom of silver, which is said to be inferior to the first; then to brass, then to iron; the last and cheapest metal is at the end mingled with clay. But until this last stage is reached the parts gain in strength. However the fourth and strongest is at last weakened by the admixture of clay.

      In what respect do these four kingdoms successively deteriorate in value? Obviously in the excellence and glory of their governmental power.

      The first is absolute monarchy conferred upon one ruler by the God of heaven. In the second the power is divided between the Medes and Persians; also the king did not have the same unlimited jurisdiction. [6] (Daniel 6.) In the third and fourth the sovereignty of the ruler was yet more circumscribed. But the clay in the feet and toes represents the intrusion of foreign matter, different in kind from the divinely ordained governmental power, which throughout is represented by metals--the clay therefore is an element to which the power of government had not been originally committed, and which does not cohere with metal with which it is mingled, but only threatens the strength and stability of the whole. However some of the iron remains to the last and some of its strength abides in the feet and toes to the end.

      The interest of the whole vision focuses in the fourth world-power in the last phase of the same (represented by the feet and the toes) and the great event which will then take place. The statue, though grand and imposing of appearance is top-heavy, and its weight rests on its weakened feet. It is ready for a mighty fall. This is brought about by Divine action. A rock is cut out of the mountain without hands and smites the statue upon its feet and reduces it to small rubble, "like chaff from the summer threshing floors" which thereupon is carried away to nowhere. But the rock that smote and destroyed the statue becomes a mighty mountain filling the whole earth. The interpretation given of this is as follows:

"In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever. Inasmuch as you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold, the great God has made known to the king what will take place in the future; so the dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy." (Daniel 2:44, 45.)

      These statements are of such importance, and the questions connected with them so many and so weighty, that we must devote a special lesson to them. In the meanwhile let us think over it.

      Take the expression, "In the days of those kings"--what kings are meant?

      And, just what is this stone that is cut out without hands?

      What does it do to the statue?

      Does it come down upon it in gentle, peaceful contact, or does it strike with destructive force?

      Do we get the impression that the rock is seeking to penetrate the statue with a good influence, to transform it--or does the rock break it to pieces and annihilate it?

      Or is there any idea here that the rock in its growing would gradually crowd the statue off the scene?

      Or that perhaps the rock, little by little, will wear away the statue?

      Does the rock grow at all until the statue is utterly destroyed and its remains all swept away?

      Do the rock and the statue exist side by side at all at any time? Or does the one go out when the other comes in?

      Has the event of Daniel 2:35, 44 ever been fulfilled?

      Or is its fulfillment yet future? Perhaps with some thought you may be able to answer some of these questions for yourself.

      Why did God send such a dream to Nebuchadnezzar? Would the dream and its interpretation tend to humble the pride of a world-conqueror? Would the lesson of it be meant for all subsequent Gentile rulers and kingdoms to the end of the age?

      Though God sent the dream to Nebuchadnezzar He would not permit him so much as to remember it, nor would He allow heathen soothsayers a chance at its interpretation. But a young captive from Judah, one of the nation which God had chosen to be His channel of communication to the race of mankind must tell the king his own dream and give him the Divine interpretation of the same. Would that fact also tend to heighten the king's respect for the God of Israel, and for that people, though he had been permitted to conquer them?

      God was Daniel's Rock to which he continually resorted. We shall have occasion to note this again later. Would God gladly hear and answer a prayer of Daniel's? Whose prayers will He not hear? (Psalms 66:18.) Consider James 5:16b.

      In his prayer of thanksgiving (Daniel 2:20-33) was Daniel more taken up with his own deliverance, or with the greatness and glory of God? With verse 21 compare Psalm 75:4-7. [7]

      Why, in speaking to the king (verses 28, 29, 30, and 45b) did Daniel not say, "God has made known to me the secret that I might tell it to the king?" How came Daniel with such wonderful tact and wisdom in all that he said and did? Could a man get wisdom from God today? (James 1:5.) Would it be worth while? (Proverbs 3:13-18.)

      What is a "World-Power?" See Daniel 2:37-40; also 4:22 and 5:18, 19. What is to be the attitude of Christians toward the world's governments? (Romans 13:1-7.)

      A great scholar (Samuel Prideaux Tregelles) said that in this dream of Nebuchadnezzar and its interpretation we have "the alphabet of all prophecy." Keep that in mind, and we shall see later whether this statement is justified.

[LOD3R 5-8]