Nebuchadnezzar's Dream of the Statue
King Nebuchadnezzar demands his wise men tell him both his dream and its interpretation. Only Daniel, through God's revelation, can do so, revealing God's sovereignty over kingdoms.
In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had disturbing dreams that troubled his spirit. He summoned his magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers to tell him what he had dreamed.
'I have had a dream that troubles me,' the king said, 'and I want to know what it means.'
The astrologers answered, 'O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will interpret it.'
But the king replied, '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 to pieces and your houses turned into piles of rubble. But if you tell me the dream and explain it, you will receive gifts and great honor.'
The wise men protested: 'No one can reveal what the king asks! No king has ever asked such a thing! No one can do it except the gods, and they do not dwell among mortals.'
This enraged Nebuchadnezzar. He ordered all the wise men of Babylon executed—including Daniel and his friends, though they had not been consulted. When Arioch, commander of the king's guard, came to execute them, Daniel spoke with wisdom and tact: 'Why did the king issue such a harsh decree?' Arioch explained, and Daniel went to the king and asked for time.
Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends. They urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that they would not be executed. That night, the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision.
Daniel praised God: 'Praise be to the name of God forever 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.'
Daniel told Arioch, 'Do not execute the wise men. Take me to the king, and I will interpret his dream.' Before Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel said, '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 described the dream: a great statue with a head of gold, chest and arms of silver, belly and thighs of bronze, legs of iron, and feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay. A rock cut out, but not by human hands, struck the statue's feet and shattered it. The rock became a great mountain that filled the whole earth.
The interpretation: The statue represented successive kingdoms—Babylon was the head of gold, followed by lesser kingdoms. But the God of heaven would set up a kingdom that would never be destroyed, crushing all other kingdoms and enduring forever.
Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate before Daniel and exclaimed, 'Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries!' He placed Daniel in a high position and gave gifts. At Daniel's request, he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego administrators over the province of Babylon, while Daniel remained at the royal court.
God had revealed not just a dream but the entire sweep of human history—and His ultimate, unshakeable kingdom.