Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream
October 16, 2020
Commentary
The prophetic plan for the Gentiles is given in chapters 2-7. Soon after Nebuchadnezzar became king, there came a night that he did not sleep well. He dreamed dreams that troubled his spirit (v. 1). He didn’t realize it at the time but God was dealing with him. It is later revealed that he was given a glimpse of the entire period which Christ calls “The times of the Gentiles” (Luke 21:24).
His magicians were summoned (v. 2). These men made great pretense of interpreting dreams and forecasting the future. The king explained his situation to these so called wise men. Whether he actually forgot the dream or not we do not know but he did not share his dream with them. Instead he demanded that they reconstruct the dream and then interpret it for him (vv. 3-4). If successful, great rewards were promised them. For failure, terrible punishment was threatened (vv. 5-6).
The Magicians continued to ask him to tell them the dream which he refused to do (vv. 7-9). These magicians told him he was asking for the impossible (vv. 10-11). On hearing these Chaldeans acknowledge their inability to reconstruct the dream the king became very angry. He then ordered all the wise men to be executed (vv. 12-13). This may sound like a very unreasonable decree but here were men who were trained in the king’s university to interpret mysteries and they were frauds. They were like some modern ministers of our day who spend their time studying philosophy, psychiatry, psychology etc. and then without the mind of Christ pretend to be God’s messengers to men.
Application
I must never pretend to be something that I am not or that I can do something I can’t do. My only ability is availability and letting God work through me.
Daniel 2:1– 13 (NET)
1 In the second year of his reign Nebuchadnezzar had many dreams. His mind was disturbed and he suffered from insomnia. 2 The king issued an order to summon the magicians, astrologers, sorcerers, and wise men in order to explain his dreams to him. So they came and awaited the king’s instructions.
3 The king told them, “I have had a dream, and I am anxious to understand the dream.” 4 The wise men replied to the king: [What follows is in Aramaic] “O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will disclose its interpretation.” 5 The king replied to the wise men, “My decision is firm. If you do not inform me of both the dream and its interpretation, you will be dismembered and your homes reduced to rubble! 6 But if you can disclose the dream and its interpretation, you will receive from me gifts, a reward, and considerable honor. So disclose to me the dream and its interpretation.” 7 They again replied, “Let the king inform us of the dream; then we will disclose its interpretation.” 8 The king replied, “I know for sure that you are attempting to gain time, because you see that my decision is firm. 9 If you don’t inform me of the dream, there is only one thing that is going to happen to you. For you have agreed among yourselves to report to me something false and deceitful until such time as things might change. So tell me the dream, and I will have confidence that you can disclose its interpretation.”
10 The wise men replied to the king, “There is no man on earth who is able to disclose the king’s secret, for no king, regardless of his position and power, has ever requested such a thing from any magician, astrologer, or wise man. 11 What the king is asking is too difficult, and no one exists who can disclose it to the king, except for the gods—but they don’t live among mortals!”
12 Because of this the king got furiously angry and gave orders to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. 13 So a decree went out, and the wise men were about to be executed. They also sought Daniel and his friends so that they could be executed.
Illustration: Phony Medical Degrees
An estimated 10,000 physicians have phony foreign medical degrees that brought one broker of fraudulent diplomas $1.5 million over three years. Many American citizens may be receiving medical treatment from doctors who lied on their medical school loan applications, and used the money not to go to school but to pay a broker for fake documents claiming they completed school and training. Pedro DeMesones, now serving a three-year prison sentence for mail fraud and conspiracy, told the panel that in three years of “expediting” medical degrees, he provided about 100 clients with false transcripts showing they had fulfilled medical requirements of schools they didn’t attend. “In all I earned about $1.5 million in those three years. I only got to keep about $500,000 of this total. The rest went for bribes and expenses (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA, 12-8-84).