Daniel 2:1-24, To Dream the Impossible Dream

Wikipedia: “The Babylonians and Assyrians divided dreams into “good,” which were sent by the gods, and “bad,” sent by demons. A surviving collection of dream omens entitled Iškar Zaqīqu records various dream scenarios as well as prognostications of what will happen to the person who experiences each dream, apparently based on previous cases. Some list different possible outcomes, based on occasions in which people experienced similar dreams with different results.” Daniel and the Chaldeans were trained to interpret dreams. They were not trained to tell you what you dreamed.

^2:1 In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his spirit was troubled, and his sleep left him. ² Then the king commanded that the magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans be summoned to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king. ³ And the king said to them, “I had a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream.” 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. ⁶ But if you show the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. Therefore show me the dream and its interpretation.” ⁷ They answered a second time and said, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show its interpretation.” ⁸ The king answered and said, “I know with certainty that you are trying to gain time, because you see that the word from me is firm— ⁹ if you do not make the dream known to me, there is but one sentence for you. You have agreed to speak lying and corrupt words before me till the times change. Therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can show me its interpretation.” 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. ¹¹ The thing that the king asks is difficult, and no one can show it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.”

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. ¹⁴ Then Daniel replied with prudence and discretion to Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon. ¹⁵ He declared to Arioch, the king’s captain, “Why is the decree of the king so urgent?” Then Arioch made the matter known to Daniel. ¹⁶ And Daniel went in and requested the king to appoint him a time, that he might show the interpretation to the king.

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. ¹⁹ Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. 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.”

²⁴ Therefore Daniel went in to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said thus to him: “Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon; bring me in before the king, and I will show the king the interpretation.”

It is not surprising that Nebuchadnezzar had a dream he felt was significant, that he would normally have consulted his Chaldeans for an interpretation, but he had a dream that was so disturbing and powerful that he did not trust the Chaldeans to give him an interpretation. There was already a skepticism on the part of Nebuchadnezzar about his diviners’ ability to really know God’s will. He knew this dream was important enough to demand his diviners prove their ability and their connection to God that they could tell him what he dreamed (he knew what he had dreamed so he could tell if they really knew it) and give him the true interpretation.

Once again Daniel seems to have the favor of Arioch, the captain of the guard, so that he is able to find out what the situation is, and he has favor with the king, so that he is able to get an audience with the king to request a time to show the king the interpretation of his dream.

Daniel then enlists his brothers Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah to pray with him for mercy from the God of heaven to show him the mystery of the king’s dream. Daniel believed that more prayers was more effective. Had he had no one else to pray with him, though, certainly his prayer alone would have been effective. When God reveals to Daniel the dream and its interpretation, he responds with a prayer of thanksgiving. He and all the others will not be executed.

Arioch is putting his own life on the line when he then tells Nebuchadnezzar that there is an answer to his demand for someone to tell him what he dreamed and what the dream meant. Arioch certainly believed in Daniel and his trust was not betrayed.

Taking up my cross daily: Only to You, Lord, does wisdom and might truly belong, and I will trust You today to guide my life by Your wisdom and might.