Daniel 2: The Rest of the Story (sort of).

I’ve already promised that I will not attempt to give an interpretation of this prophetic portion of Scripture, largely because so many who are more qualified than I have done so already. I will keep that promise but I want to point out just a couple of very significant elements that are included in the dream and its interpretation.

First, Daniel plainly states that Nebuchadnezzar was represented by the head of gold. You can read the entire portion that includes the dream and Daniel’s interpretation in Daniel 2:29-45. In verses 36-38, Daniel declares that God used the gold head to signify Nebuchadnezzar’s reign because of his greatness as a ruler of men. He even refers to the king as “the king of kings” (v. 36), meaning a king among kings, or one whom other kings would look up to (or bow down to). This was a compliment of the highest order, especially since the compliment came directly from God.

Lest Nebuchadnezzar become puffed up with pride at this description of his kingdom, Daniel goes on to show that this description is very much relative. He describes the nations, kingdoms, or empires that would come in the future and how they relate to other portions of the statue that Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream.

The last portion of the statue was the feet and it was described as being a mixture of clay and iron. Although I have not heard any Biblical scholars espouse this position, I find it very interesting (coincidental, perhaps) that the United States of America is becoming every day more and more like this “empire” or “kingdom” that is described as being a mixture of iron and clay. In verse 42 this entity is described as being both strong and brittle. It goes on to describe the people of this land as being a mixture that “will not remain united.” (v. 43) This may not be a good interpretation of the intent of God; however, the feet of clay and iron represent a final world power before Christ returns. We do know unequivocally that the time of Christ’s return is very near.

When the interpretation of the dream was complete, it is very significant that Nebuchadnezzar did not get caught up in the details of the dream or its interpretation. He did not dwell on his position in the lineup. Rather, he immediately recognized Daniel’s integrity and the awesome power and wisdom of Daniel’s God. Whereas he had been ready to kill of the wise men for the error of the pagan wise men, he was now prepared to recognize and reward those who had remained faithful to God. This was true even though he was a pagan king.

Thought: Whether the USA is seen symbolically in this statue dream or not is not really the important thing. The most significant thing to note from this dream is that nearly all has been fulfilled and we are definitely close to Christ’s return. We must therefore be prepared.

Secondly, we see again in Nebuchadnezzar’s response to Daniels interpretation that our response, our reaction to the circumstances God puts us in is very important. We must remember to put God first, to bring our praise to Him alone as the source of all wisdom and power. He may choose to use men and women in the process of communicating with us but we are obligated to remember and acknowledge the true message sender.

As we now move from Thanksgiving into the Christmas season, let’s remember to give thanks continually for the grace and goodness of God in our lives. Let’s put Him in His proper place and be prepared to humble ourselves before Him. After all, we cannot be too big to bow before Him when He was not too big to hang on a cross for us.

By His grace, there is more to come….