There is a God in Heaven

Believers are not insulated from the crisis of life.  We live in a fallen world, and like everyone else we can and face crippling disappointments and disasters we never anticipated. I was reminded of this reality this past week when I got a phone call from my daughter in the middle of our Journey Group gathering. I immediately knew something was wrong because Kayla normally calls Becky first.  So, I got up, left to room to take the call.  I was right.  Kayla’s first words were that her father-in-law had died on the operating table.  But then she immediately told me, that they revived him and that he was now in stable condition; and she asked me to pray for him.  Well, the good news is that he’s ok and he’s home now. But that was quite a scare and an instant reminder that none of us are every really insulated from the crisis of life.

Although we don’t like to think about it, we all know the unthinkable can happen –  a loved one can suddenly pass away. A doctor can give you a terminal diagnosis.  A friend can betray you. Life can just go horribly wrong.  And my question for you today is this: What will you do when your life gets turned upside down?  How will you handle adversity when trouble comes your way?  Will you have faith that God will help you weather the storm? Or will you just crumble when this fallen world lets you down?

Well, as we return to the book of Daniel, we know that Daniel wasn’t insulated from crisis. In fact, not long after being honored by the king in Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar’s own personal crisis would soon put his and his friends lives in jeopardy.  And it’s from this crisis, we’re going to learn how God can help us when our lives get turned upside down.  So, if you want to learn how God can help you when crisis comes your way, then let me encourage you to open your Bible to Daniel 2, as we step into Nebuchadnezzar’s crisis, which was about to become Daniel’s crisis as well. And to do that, let’s begin by unpacking…

Nebuchadnezzar’s Nightmare  In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his mind was troubled, and he could not sleep. So, the king summoned the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers to tell him what he had dreamed. When they came in and stood before the king, he said to them, “I have had a dream that troubles me and I want to know what it means.” Then the astrologers answered the king, “May the king live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will interpret it.”

The king replied to the astrologers, “This is what I have firmly decided: If you do not tell me what my dream was and interpret it, I will have you cut into pieces and your houses turned into piles of rubble.  But if you tell me the dream and explain it, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. So, tell me the dream and interpret it for me.”  Once more they replied, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will interpret it.”

Then the king answered, “I am certain that you are trying to gain time, because you realize that this is what I have firmly decided:  If you do not tell me the dream, there is only one penalty for you. You have conspired to tell me misleading and wicked things, hoping the situation will change. So then, tell me the dream, and I will know that you can interpret it for me.”  Daniel 2:1-9 Nebuchadnezzar, Babylon’s greatest and longest reigning king, had a series of bad dreams in the second year of his reign. In fact, these dreams caused him so much anxiety that he couldn’t sleep. In the ancient world dreams were quite significant. They were viewed as predictions of future events. When it was the dream of a king, his kingdoms’ future could be at stake; and if he understood its meaning, he could take action and prepare for what was coming.

But what we see here is that Nebuchadnezzar is freaking out.  His panic is displayed in how he deals with his advisors. Not only does he insist they tell him the meaning of the dream, but despite their protests, he demands they tell him its content as well.  Quite reasonably they responded, “There is no one on earth whocan do what the king asks! No king, however great and mighty, has ever asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or astrologer.  What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods, and they do not live among humans.” Daniel 2:10-11

Now, let’s look a bit closer to Nebuchadnezzar’s reaction to these dreams. In Nebuchadnezzar’s anxiety fueled demands we see two characteristics of those who live their lives apart from God.  The first one is insecurity.  Nebuchadnezzar had everything a person could ever dream of. He had power, fame, wealth, and influence.  He was in the process of creating an empire that would ensure his fame for years to come and was building a city whose gardens would be known as one of the wonders of the ancient world.  Why, then, should these dreams fill him with such anxiety?

The answer is that Nebuchadnezzar was living for the things of this world.  He looked for security in his possessions and his power.  And now that his dreams rendered these worldly forms of security uncertain, he lacked the one thing we all need most: peace.

Not only that, but his soul was also filled with hostility.  Because he had no peace, he could not be at peace with or trust others, not even his closest advisors. This is seen in his response to them when he accuses them of conspiring against him saying, “If you do not tell me the dream, there is only one penalty for you. You have conspired to tell me misleading and wicked things, hoping the situation will change. So then, tell me the dream, and I will know that you can interpret it for me.” What we see here is that Nebuchadnezzar’s asking the impossible.  No one on earth could tell him his dream and its interpretation.  But then his counselors went further, not realizing that they were about to expose his true feelings when they said, “What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods, and they do not live among humans.” In essence, what they were saying was this: You are asking us to do what only the gods can do.  You are forgetting that we are mere mortals, not God.”  And with that, they hit a nerve.  And as Daniel records for us: This made the king so angry and furious that he ordered the execution of all the wise men of Babylon. So, the decree was issued to put the wise men to death, and men were sent to look for Daniel and his friends to put them to death. Daniel 2:12  Nebuchadnezzar’s dream fueled crisis had now become Daniel’s crisis.  A decree had been issued to execute Daniel and his friends. How would Daniel respond to the anger and fury of Nebuchadnezzar?  Would he also freak out, or would he respond in another way?  That’s what we see next:

2. Daniel’s Faith

Put yourself in Daniel’s shoes. Daniel and his friends had been spared from the destruction of Judah and then miraculously protected in the king’s court despite their commitment to eat only vegetables. But now they’re facing execution. Yet in the midst of their crisis, Daniel was cool as a cucumber. When the commander of the king’s guard comes to him, there is no panic. Instead, Daniel has the presence of mind to respond with incredible wisdom & tact. He asked the king’s officer, “Why did the king issue such a harsh decree?” Arioch then explained the matter to Daniel. At this, Daniel went in to the king and asked for time, so that he might interpret the dream for him.

Sinclair Ferguson helps us understand the source of his wisdom. He says, “There was discretion in Daniel’s behavior, not only in what he said, but in the way he said it. The word translated “wisdom” here is related to the Hebrew verb meaning to taste.  It conveys spiritual instincts of judgment, discernment, and what we might call a sense of the realities of the situation. Daniel’s wisdom was a well-developed sense of spiritual “taste.” In fact, when we speak about people having a highly developed sense of “taste” these people have the ability to tell the difference between foods or fashions that for the rest of us are indistinguishable. They can tell you the year of a certain wine or the origin of a coffee bean for their morning brew. Spiritual wisdom is like that. Wisdom is a highly developed sense of God’s ways, learned through obedience to God’s Word. Daniel knew just what to ask and do, because of his obedience to God.

His faith gave him the wisdom to ask Arioch the appropriate question for the situation.  And his faith gave him to courage to approach the king and ask for more time, even though when all the others asked for time, they were accused of conspiring against the king.  What was the difference?  It was Daniel’s faith. Daniel had such a secure faith in His God, that he exuded a peace the other counselors did not have. So, for this, the King acquiesced and gave Daniel the time he needed to bring an interpretation for His dreams. That’s Daniel’s first response to his crisis. Daniel’s faith helped him stay calm when his world was turned upside down. His obedience to God gave him the wisdom to know just what to say and what to do in the midst of his crisis.  And it was his faith that also led him to make his next decision.

Daniel’s Prayer Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Daniel 2:17-19 Now that Daniel had negotiated a stay of execution, he needed God to give him the interpretation. He knew two things: First, he knew he wasn’t able to change his circumstances.  And second, he knew God had the power to do what he could not do. So, Daniel recruited his friends to pray with Him. Then he did the one thing he could do: He went to sleep.

You’ve got to admire Daniel’s wisdom and faith. In his wisdom, he knew he couldn’t handle this crisis alone. But he did know that God had given him friends who knew his God. Remember, what we learned last week about their names? Hananiah means Yahweh is gracious. And Azariah’s name?  Yahweh helps. Mishael, “there’s no one like our God. So, Daniel recruited them to call on Yahweh – who could graciously give Daniel the interpretation he needed to save them – to call on Yahweh who promises to help us in our time of need. What an example for us.

This is what prayer is!  When we pray, we confess our dependence on God to give us what we need. And when we call on God, we confess our dependence on God help us in our time of need. That’s what Daniel did. Daniel asked his friends to pray with him. Then he went to bed. And what happened? During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision.  God answered Daniel’s prayers So, what did Daniel do next?  Did he go straight to the king? No. What he did next was to praise God.

Daniel’s Praise Then Daniel praised the God of heaven and said: “Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are His. He changes times and seasons; He deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things; He knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with Him.  I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors: You have given me wisdom and power. You have made known to me what we asked of You, You have made known to us the dream of the king.”  Daniel 2:19-23

What a great example for us is Daniel’s praise.  Daniel’s about to go to the king and reveal the interpretation of his dream. And it’s not going to be good news for the king. And yet Daniel praises God.  Why?  A couple of reasons.  One, when you praise God you remind yourself that God is in control. Remember, that’s the theme of this book. Even in the face of danger, Daniel fortified his faith by praising the One who disposes kings.  Secondly, when you praise God, you alter your perspective. In comparison to God, Nebuchadnezzar is small potatoes.  So, by praising God prior to his meeting with Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel’s going into his meeting with the king without fear. He’s not going to be intimidated by the king’s power.

So, now, with a heart full of praise, knowing that Yahweh has everything is under His control, and that He is greater than all, Daniel does something next that we most often miss.  What we see next is this: Daniel’s Compassion Listen to Daniel’s courage as he approaches Arioch, the head of the king’s guard:Then Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to execute the wise men of Babylon, and said to him, “Do not execute the wise men of Babylon. Take me to the king, and I will interpret his dream for him.” Arioch took Daniel to the king at once and said, “I have found a man among the exiles from Judah who can tell the king what his dream means. It’s easy to gloss over Daniel’s compassion at this point and get right to his encounter with the king. But I don’t want us to miss this. Like Jesus, Daniel serves as an advocate for those who are under judgment. He’s not simply trying to save his own skin. Even though these other wise men are not believers, Daniel acts to save them. In this one act of compassion, we see the Spirit of Christ. In the midst of his crisis, Daniel has the presence of mind and the compassion of Christ to advocate for the well-being of others, to spare them from Nebuchadnezzar’s judgment. Daniel’s not just a man of great faith and great wisdom, he’s also a man of compassion, like His God.

So, after advocating for others, he is now brought before the king, and what he does here is nothing short of remarkable. For now, we get to hear Daniel’s Confession: The king asked Daniel, “Are you able to tell me what I saw in my dream and interpret it?” Daniel could easily have answered, “yes” to that question and claimed credit for himself.  Instead, Daniel replied, “No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come. Daniel 2:26-28 Instead of promoting himself, Daniel takes this opportunity to publicly exalt his God. Here Daniel’s confession reveals his humility and God’s greatness: “There is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries.”

Here is Daniel, standing in that ancient throne room, unashamedly witnessing to his faith.  God had called his people to be a witness to the Gentiles, but as a nation they had failed. Yet, here is one man who knew his God and his calling to bring God’s light to the nations, and here he shines that light brilliantly! “but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries.”

And sitting there listening is Nebuchadnezzar who believed in multitudes of gods.  His city was filled with over a thousand temples. But in his city – there was no god like this “who reveals mysteries.” And none of them was a God who was prepared to speak to the king directly in a dream and then send someone to tell him what he had dreamed, and why. So, without hesitation Daniel proceeds to describe his dream:  Your dream and the visions that passed through your mind as you were lying in bed are these: “As Your Majesty was lying there, your mind turned to things to come, and the revealer of mysteries showed you what is going to happen. As for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because I have greater wisdom than anyone else alive, but so that Your Majesty may know the interpretation and that you may understand what went through your mind. Daniel 2:28b-30

“Your Majesty looked, and there before you stood a large statue—an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance. The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay. 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. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were all broken to pieces 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.  Daniel 2:31-35 Now, we come to Daniel’s interpretation. But its more than an interpretation. For what he’s about to proclaim is not only God’s reign over every kingdom, but the arrival of God’s kingdom that will never end.

Daniel’s Proclamation This was the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king. Your Majesty, you are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory; in your hands he has placed all mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds in the sky. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold.  Daniel 2:36-38 Babylon is the head of gold. Not only that, but here Daniel tells Nebuchadnezzar his exalted status as king over this vast empire was a gift from the God of heaven.

Then he continues: “After you, another kingdom will arise, inferior to yours.” Daniel 3:39a Medo-Persia is the chest and arms of silver. This kingdom would follow Babylon in 539 BC. It would also be a vast empire that would last for more than 200 years.

“Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth.” Daniel 2:39b Greece is the stomach and thighs of bronze. This kingdom will be built by Alexander the Great. He will conquer the then known world and then die at the age of 33. This kingdom would last 185 years.

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. 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.  As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle.  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. Daniel 2:40-42 Rome is the legs of iron with feet of iron and clay. Rome was the greatest of history’s empires. It last in some form from 146 BC to AD 1476 in the West and Ad 1453 in the east. Sixteen hundred years later, its influence is still with us today, especially in Western civilization.

Following this kingdom Daniel declares the arrival of God’s Kingdom: “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. This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut 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 its interpretation is trustworthy.”

Daniel 2:36-45 So, what is the significance of this dream and Daniel’s interpretation?  First, it shows us that God gives every earthly kingdom its glory and power: they do not come from their own strength. God gave Nebuchadnezzar his unparalleled sovereignty, power, strength and glory.  Second, by linking these different kingdoms together as parts of a single statue in the form of a man, the dream says something profound about the whole human enterprise viewed as a unity, from beginning to end.

I’ll let Iain Duguid explain the significance of this for us. He says, “In a real sense, this is not simply a vision of the decline and fall of the Babylonian empire and its immediate successors, but an epitaph for human history. The entire human endeavor, though gifted and blessed by God in the beginning with unparalleled glory and dominion, ends up in nothing but division and dissolution… The depiction of these changing and ultimately failing earthly kingdoms stands in stark contrast to what replaces them, however.  The kingdom of God enters the chaos and hopelessness of human history and brings fresh and lasting hope to humanity.” Iain Duguid

So how does Nebuchadnezzar respond?  Will respond in rage and order Daniel’s execution, or will he do something else? Let’s find out. Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate before Daniel and paid him honor and ordered that an offering and incense be presented to him. 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.” Daniel 2:46-47 Nebuchadnezzar was so humbled by the bold and clear testimony of Daniel’s God, that Nebuchadnezzar bowed to Daniel, confessed that Daniel’s God was the God of gods, and Lord of kings. Then he honored Daniel and raised him to the highest place over all his wise men, and appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego as administrators over the province of Babylon. God didn’t simply deliver a dream that humbled Nebuchadnezzar, but turned the tables for Daniel in the midst of his greatest crisis.

What can we learn from all this? This is what God gave Daniel in the midst of His crisis:

God gave him a faith to sustain him…

God gave him friends to pray with him

God revealed His power to embolden him…

God gave him compassion to use him

God gave him revelation to proclaim Him…

God gave him favor to rescue him

So, the next time you’re confronted with a crisis that turns your world upside down, remember that you can to turn to your God who can turn the tables for you.  Let’s pray.