Daniel 2:27, commentary and pictures

Nebuchadnezzar demanded that his counselors tell both his forgotten troubling dream and its meaning, admitting they could only interpret if he first told them what he dreamed. The secret he required could not be shown by wise men, astrologers, magicians, soothsayers and diviners. Their failure exposed that they had no light on the mystery and revealed the limits of human wisdom and scientific power, since learned ability without wisdom from God cannot grasp prophecy. Daniel took no credit for himself, human wisdom or occult skill, but pointed to God in heaven who reveals secrets and makes known what shall happen in the latter days. In contrast to the experts, he could answer the king and explain the dream because of close connection with God, faith, knowledge and diligent effort joined with the heavenly wisdom God gave, and the revelation was given so the king might know what is to come concerning the fall of Babylon and the kingdoms to follow.

The Dream and Failure

Nebuchadnezzar's troubling, forgotten dream belongs to the appeal in which he demanded that Babylon's wise men reveal both the dream itself and its interpretation. The wise men had no light about the mystery and answered that they could interpret only if he first told them what he had dreamed. The secret which the king demanded cannot be shown by the wise men, astrologers, magicians, soothsayers and diviners. Neither their human wisdom nor occult skill could disclose the dream and its meaning, which was made known only through God.

Their inability exposed the defective wisdom and limits of human wisdom and scientific power, for their claimed wisdom gave them no light about the mystery. Learned people who lack wisdom and understanding from God cannot understand prophecy, and the wisdom of men misappropriating God-given talents is foolishness with God. God exposed the great ones of the earth by revealing His own supreme wisdom through Hebrew captives dependent on Him and separate from worldly customs, display, vanity, pride and love of promotion.

Daniel made known to Nebuchadnezzar his forgotten dream and its interpretation many years before Belshazzar's feast. That deed, remembered by the queen-mother, marked him as the prophet of God able to reveal what the wise men could not. Because God gave Daniel the interpretation, Daniel and the other servants under threat of death were spared.

God Reveals the Secret

The secret demanded by the king could not be disclosed by wise men, astrologers, magicians, soothsayers and diviners, and Daniel takes no credit to himself for making it known, giving no honor to human wisdom or occult skill. He denies that the wisdom is his own and points instead to God in heaven as the source of wisdom who reveals secrets. It is God who makes known what will happen in the latter days, and the dream with its interpretation is a divine revelation given for His servants so that the king might know what is to come. Christians are likewise to refuse to take credit for what God reveals, acknowledging dependence on the Lord and giving Him the honor openly before both worldly men and brethren without hiding it for shame.

In contrast with the experts who could not supply what God made known, Daniel was able to answer the king and explain the dream because the secret had been revealed to him through close connection with God. His faith and knowledge enabled him to answer, and his diligent effort was joined with the heavenly wisdom God gave him as the source of wisdom and understanding. True wisdom and understanding therefore come through connection with God rather than through human power to recover a forgotten dream.

The revelation foretold things to come, presenting what was prophesied against Babylon and the successive kingdoms that would follow its fall, and by the interpretation Jehovah was exalted as more powerful than earthly kings. God gave the revelation to the Hebrew captives who depended on Him, thereby showing the superior wisdom of those who worship Him. It was meant to turn rulers and people from inadequate human sources to God's eternal wisdom, and for a purpose the Lord thus comes into close contact with human minds, even idolaters, so that the king might know what is to come. Rulers separated from God by transgression could not understand His warnings and had to seek explanation from Daniel, who was illuminated by heavenly light.

The larger prophecy of Daniel 2 is not an unknowable mystery, for what human wise men could not reveal has been fulfilled with wonderful exactness as seen in the record of ancient history. That exact fulfillment testifies to and proves the inspiration of the Scriptures, anchoring faith amid rationalism and skepticism and leading from skepticism to positive faith, as in the case of Gaussen. Continued study of its prophecies shows the coming of the Lord is at hand. It can be understood and explained even by children, so the obstacle of calling it mystery must be set aside and its message about the second advent brought before all people.

Daniel interpreted the dream in the light of the Scriptures as the living oracles, teaching that all men, whether king or subjects, must read their dreams in the light of the living oracles and not read the Scriptures and God's providences in the light of their dreams and fancies. The failure of the magicians, astrologers and wise men was the very first exhibition of God's power to the Hebrew captives, exposing the defective wisdom of the great ones of the earth and their ignorance of the light before the Lord revealed His own wisdom as supreme through those separate from the customs and practices of a wicked world. The wisdom of men is foolishness with God, including the wisdom of human agents who misappropriate their God-given talents. God communicates light from heaven and reveals the meaning of His word to those who appreciate a Thus saith the Lord, who are least bound up with worldly ideas and most separate from display, vanity, pride and love of promotion, standing as His peculiar people zealous of good works.

Faithful Witness and Example

Daniel's open acknowledgment before Nebuchadnezzar that his wisdom came from God did not weaken his influence at the Babylonian court. That faithful recognition secured the king's favor and enabled him to deliver messages of instruction, warning, and rebuke without being rejected. Standing as a captive before a king, his service in this crisis gave idolaters opportunity to learn about the true God.

Daniel stood in Babylon in a most critical and trying position as a statesman who refused any work against God. He served without compromising his faith to gain standing. Through providence at work in human affairs he was brought into reasoning relation with the king of Babylon. He was called to use his God-given abilities to reveal God to the world, and God gave him the instruction that helped the king understand the dream.

Babylon's wise men, astrologers, magicians, and diviners could not recover the forgotten dream or reveal the demanded secret, exposing the defective wisdom and limits of their wisdom and scientific power. The rulers had become so separated from God through transgression that they could not understand His warnings. They had to seek an explanation from Daniel, who was illuminated by heavenly light and depended on Him. By this first exhibition of His power to the Hebrew captives, God exposed the greatness of the earth and showed the superior wisdom of those who worship Him, who are separate from worldly customs and practices.

Daniel refused to take credit for what was revealed but openly told both worldly men and his brethren that he depended on the Lord and gave God all the honor. Believers should likewise openly depend on the Maker, and this dependence is never to be hidden for shame. They are to use every opportunity to develop the abilities He has given and to improve acquirements by trading upon God-given talents according to the holy principles of His word. Weeding out of life everything that would grieve His Spirit keeps cheap, inferior work out of God's cause, and faithful use increases and multiplies capacity and ability.