"Revealer of Mysteries"

“Revealer of Mysteries”

Robert M. Thompson, Pastor

Corinth Reformed Church
150 Sixteenth Avenue NW
Hickory, North Carolina 28601

828.328.6196   corinthtoday.org

 (© 2011 by Robert M. Thompson.  Unless otherwise indicated, Scriptures quoted are from The Holy Bible, New International Version, Copyright 2011 by New York International Bible Society.)

Golden heads crumble.

Daniel 2:44-49

October 9, 2011

Behind the text

The stories in Daniel 1-6 are self-contained but connected. Last week in chapter one, we saw Daniel, a wide-eyed teenager, discern boundaries.  His decision not to eat the king’s food gave us some principles for making decisions about honoring God.

In chapter 2, Daniel has apparently graduated from Babylon’s version of Hogwarts.  He is now among Babylon’s wisdom elite, but probably still an apprentice.

King Nebuchadnezzar has inherited a large but expandable empire, as well as a large but expandable ego.  His walled city, palace, ziggurat, and gardens are legendary, building on the tradition of the Tower of Babel in the same area.  

In his book, Where God Was Born, Bruce Feiler describes Nebuchadnezzar’s palace: “walls of caramel-colored bricks climbed forty feet high…interrupted with elongated arches, more than two stories tall.”  Feiler visited the partially reconstructed Babylon not long after the U.S. invasion of Iraq.  He was impressed.

2500 years after Nebuchadnezzar, Saddam Hussein inflated his own ego by building a palace next to his restoration of Nebuchadnezzar’s palace.  According to Feiler, Saddam was trying to bolster Iraqi pride and also intimidate Israel by his resurgence of the palace and spirit of Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon.

During Nebuchadnezzar’s time, his culture was intrigued my magic, and dreams. However, his school of enchanters and astrologers was, to him, dispensable.

The king goes through a phase of life with potent and troubling dreams.  After a particularly vivid dream, Nebuchadnezzar puts his mystical advisors to the test.  He has had a dream (3); they salivate.  This is what they do best.  But he takes them off guard.  Can they not only interpret the dream but tell him what he dreamed (5)?  If not, they will be cut to pieces and their houses razed (5).  If so, they will be rewarded (6).  When they object that no monarch, no matter how powerful, has ever asked the impossible, he tells them he has lost confidence in the integrity of what they claim to do.  They are prone to tell him “misleading and wicked things” (9).

When the king’s executioner, Arioch, goes to seize Daniel for the execution, Daniel reacts with “wisdom and tact” (15), asking for a chance to plead personally with Nebuchadnezzar for more time.  He then gathers his friends to pray.  God then reveals to Daniel the dream and the interpretation, and Daniel offers praise and thanks to God (20-23).  He asks for an audience with Nebuchadnezzar.

What Nebuchadnezzar had dreamed was an – “enormous, dazzling statue – awesome in appearance” (31).  The head was gold, chest and arms silver, belly and thighs bronze, legs iron, and feet of iron and clay.  A rock, “cut out, but not by human hands” (34), it struck the statue at its feet and crushed it, then became a mountain larger than the mound on Corinth’s lawn.

Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar he was the head of gold.  Most scholars see that the other parts of the statue represent a succession of kingdoms for the next thousand years – Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome.  Between this chapter and chapter 7, the “prophecy” is so good that it causes scholars to debate whether Daniel was written before these kingdoms rose and fell, or someone later wrote it and used Daniel’s name and time.

Lesson 1: Golden heads crumble (45)

The climax of the chapter matches the point of every chapter in Daniel; the point of the book.  Daniel’s God “is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries” (47).  That’s quite a response from the king whom Daniel addressed as “the king of kings” (37).  This ruler, who sees himself as all-powerful, acknowledges Someone as greater.

In a recent trip to Israel, our tour guide spoke often of “a little man with a big ego.”  Herod the Great, Suleiman the Magnificent, Napoleon Bonaparte, and Adolf Hitler are all examples.

When we were in Israel, we saw the remains of three of the egotistical Herod’s architectural achievements – the Temple Mount and two of his nine palaces.  He built a 3-tiered palace on the western edge of Masada for contingency only. But Herod died of a disease so excruciating it is sometimes called “Herod’s Evil.”  He had made so many enemies during his lifetime that Josephus said he worried no one would mourn his death.  So he ordered that a large group of distinguished men be executed when he died so the country would go into mourning.  Even the “great” die.

The first lesson of Daniel 2 is that golden heads crumble.  Nebuchadnezzar must have beamed when Daniel started out his interpretation of the vision by saying, “You are that head of gold” (38).  Nebuchadnezzar liked being on top and he liked being gold.

Surprisingly, Nebuchadnezzar does not seem to chafe at Daniel’s prophecy that his kingdom will be replaced by another, then another, then another, then by an everlasting kingdom.  You would think he would say, “Why can’t I be the everlasting kingdom?” You would think he would react to Daniel.

But remember, it wasn’t Daniel’s dream.  It was Nebuchadnezzar’s.  He had already been “troubled” – not only by this dream but by “dreams” (1).  What’s worse than bad news is the unknown.  Having experienced insomnia and anxiety over many nights, now he has a word from someone he can trust – the only guy who told him what the dream was – that his place in history is secure.  Further, the kings who follow him will be “inferior” to his.  Daniel’s interpretation only inflated his ego.

Nevertheless, this vision has an application to all who think of themselves as heads of gold – people of wealth, power, or both.  Your end will come.  Others will follow.  Yours is not an eternal kingdom.  There is a future, and you’re not in charge of it.  There is a God with whom we all have to do.  Whether or not you recognize it, you are where you are because he has given you your position.

But the book of Daniel is not just written so that the “little men with big egos” of this world can get a message.  Daniel 2 is not just for Nebuchadnezzar.  It’s for Jews living captive in Babylon, and for Jews from that time to now.  It is, in fact, not just for Jews.  It’s for the whole world.

One of the fascinating and unique aspects of the book of Daniel appears in chapter 2.  I said last week that Daniel is written in two languages – about half in each language.  The book begins in Hebrew, which would have been the heart language of the Jews.  All of chapter 1 is in Hebrew, up until 2:3.

In 2:4, the astrologers answer the king’s first request to tell him his dream, and the text says they answered him “in Aramaic.”  Aramaic was to the pre-Christian world of the Middle East what English is to much of the world today – the primary language of trade and government.  If you live anywhere in the world today and you want to do interact in global economics or politics, you need to know English.  When you visit Israel today, most public signs are in Hebrew, Arabic, and English.

The Arameans were a small nation in the millennium before Christ, but business-savvy.  Although they never developed an empire or even wrote great literature, they moved around enough that their language became common in an area from modern day Turkey to Iraq to Egypt.  The Assyrian, Babylonian, and Persian empires all used Aramaic to communicate with those who didn’t know their own language.  Greek had replaced Aramaic in most of the Middle East by the time of Jesus, except among Jews.

Since most of Daniel to be written in Aramaic, the point is that this message (and chs. 2-7) is for everyone.  When Nebuchadnezzar, the head of gold, says to Daniel, a wise man barely out of magician boot camp, “Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries,” it’s in Aramaic.  If it were for Babylonians alone, it would be in Chaldean.  If it were Jews alone, it would be in Hebrew.  It’s for all.

The lesson is for you.  Golden heads crumble.  The one who has the gold may make the rules, but not forever.  What is will not always be.  Your situation is not etched in stone.  Those who have power over you are ultimately accountable to the God of heaven, whose “kingdom will never be destroyed” and “will endure forever” (44.

Every form of human wealth, power, and control is not only temporary – it is as much an illusion as the wisdom of astrologers who pretend to know the future.  Building on Daniel’s legacy, John worships God and the Lamb in Revelation 4, saying, “You are worthy to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise.”  That is lesson one of Daniel 2.  Golden heads crumble.  God alone endures.

Lesson 2:  Prayer is the right first instinct

For lesson two, we are going to back track in this chapter.  We couldn’t read all 49 verses this morning for time’s sake, so I related most of the chapter in story form before reading the final six verses.

I don’t want to pass over a very important and practical lesson earlier in the chapter.  Daniel’s legacy isn’t just about empires and kings and big statues.  We will see this lesson emerge again throughout this book, but Daniel’s primary legacy is prayer.

Back up to the point in the chapter when Daniel has been told by Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, that he’s being rounded up for execution.  What should Daniel do?  What would you do?  Fight?  Run? Hide?

Read verse 17.  “Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.”  Can you picture that conversation?  “Listen, guys, we musketeers have been through brainwashing school together.  We’ve learned Aramaic.  We’ve pulled all-nighters in Babylonian Lit 101.  We’ve pushed away the steaks and bacon, sticking to the veggie plate.  We’ve chosen water over Cabernet, Bud Light, and even Diet Coke.  We’ve never wavered in our exclusive loyalty to God, but now they say they’re going to cut us into pieces along with these phony pagan snake handlers and fortune tellers.  What is a way forward?”

If they ever considered more than one option, we’re not told about it.  Daniel 2:18 says after Daniel explained the threat to his friends, he “urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven.”  Then he went to bed.  And for the first of many times that will be recorded later in the book, Daniel sees a vision that reveals Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and the meaning.  Daniel then erupts in praise to the God who “changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them” (21).

I don’t know about you, but when hit with a crisis, my first instinct is not always prayer.  I wish it were.  When we pray, we show vulnerability, helplessness, dependence on God and others.  We find peace because we release ourselves to whatever God wants.  I’m convinced Daniel would have been just as much at peace if he had faced the executioner’s sword.  I know that from later chapters where he exhibits that kind of trust. 

Prayer is often misunderstood as getting God to use his powers to do what you want.  It’s not that.  It’s saying, “Lord, I don’t know what to do here.  This is beyond me.  I can’t fix this.  If anything’s going to change, you will have to change it.  But even if you don’t change it, I’m yours.  If I die, I’ll go down trusting.  If my marriage falls apart, I’ll be yours.  If I lose my house, it won’t change my confidence.  If I go through life alone and penniless, I will honor you.  I’m just coming to you to admit what you know so much better than I – that I am helpless in this moment.” 

When we come to God with that kind of prayer, it’s amazing what he does, as Daniel’s story once again validates.  Prayer is the right first instinct.

Lesson 3: Build a reservoir

For lesson 3, we’re going to back up even further in Daniel 2.  Before Daniel and his friends had the prayer meeting, Daniel had faced Arioch all by himself.  Notice verse 14.  When Daniel got the news, he was all alone.  No time to prepare for the jolt.  No time to consult with his buddies and get his faith built up.

What I love about this part of the story is that Daniel responded to Arioch “with wisdom and tact” (14).  The New American Standard Bible says “with discretion and discernment.”  Whatever the translation, you get the idea.  Daniel did not panic.  He did not lash out.  He did not manipulate.  He was calm, respectful, and sensible.

Read verses 15-16 and you’ll get his exact words.  But let me paraphrase.  Remember, Arioch has just said (probably not in a very nice tone), “The king has decided all you ‘wise men’ are phonies, and I’m rounding you up for a mass kill.  Get moving.”

Daniel answers with a non-anxious voice of wisdom, “Arioch, can we talk?  Has the king been having some bad days – or nights?  You know, insomnia’s a tough thing to overcome.  I wonder how he feels right now.  I bet it’s tough to be him.  There must be some insecurity behind his meanness.  Let’s not triangulate here, Arioch.  Do you suppose I could speak with him directly?  I’d like to ask him for just a little more time.  The other wise men have known about this for a while, but I just got wind of it.  Maybe with God’s help I can get some answers for him.” 

Where does that response come from?  It’s so unexpected.

I know where it doesn’t come from.  You create that kind of faith out of nothing it in the moment of crisis.

Pastor Paul and I were discussing this text on Thursday, and he related the story of when his daughter Molly was injured at soccer camp this past summer.  Molly was transferred by ambulance to Baptist Hospital; Paul’s wife Danielle rode in the ambulance.  Paul and Jesse Sloane rode together, and Paul shared the surreal experience of having the ambulance pass him on I-40 knowing his daughter was lying unconscious inside.  Yet he said he had an amazing sense of peace.  Where did that come from?

Most of you know that Linda and I returned from Israel two weeks ago.  Israel has significantly less rainfall than North Carolina.  The forecast for every day we were there said zero percent chance of rain, and the average rainfall for September is, you guessed it, zero.  Every summer is a drought, and there are historically long droughts.

What impressed me was the preparation of the people for the crisis of drought.  Today Israel leads the world in desalinization technology because the level of the Sea of Galilee is falling.  So is the Dead Sea, but I don’t think they’re trying to desalinize that.  A consistent historical theme, however, was the collection of water.  Herod built aqueducts; Hezekiah cut a half mile through solid rock to bring water from the Gihon Spring into the Pool of Siloam inside the city wall.  We walked through his tunnel, 1/3 of a mile long.  Huge cisterns have been uncovered in Qumran, in the Garden Tomb, and on top of Masada.  The cisterns on Masada were capable of collecting the water from a single day of rainfall into reservoirs large enough to sustain 1000 people for 2-3 years. 

When rainfall is erratic at best, you must find ways to collect and store it so that you’re ready when the skies are dry or the enemy is besieging you or both.  Build and fill the reservoir so that you can survive in the crisis.

That’s Lesson 3 from Daniel 2.  Daniel was able to respond with “wisdom and tact” because he had already developed a reservoir of faith.  He knew his God.  He surrounded himself with believing friends.  He expected adversity in a culture that did not know his God.

In a more short-sighted culture where we have come to expect that somebody will bail us out of trouble, we are less prone to build the necessary reservoirs.  In the life of faith, we hold on to the cliché that God “will never give you more than you can handle,” as if somehow the strength and wisdom we need will appear in a vacuum during the crisis.