Daniel Explains the King's Dream of the Great ImageBible World
2:37Daniel 2:37
Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.
The God of heaven gave Nebuchadnezzar his kingdom, power, strength and glory, making him the golden head and the first of the kingdoms shown in the dream. That greatness came from God and not from human achievement, for He governs earthly kingdoms and stands above all rulers. Babylon would not stand forever, but would pass away and be followed by a second, then a third, then a fourth kingdom, declining in value and glory as they turned further from God. Each nation was given its time as a test of whether it would honor Him, and each failed, lost its place, and was replaced, while Christ alone will establish the everlasting kingdom that never passes away. Nebuchadnezzar perverted the gift by taking the glory to himself, setting up an image all of gold to exalt Babylon and demand its worship, and Babylon fell because in prosperity she forgot God and ascribed her honor to human achievement, a warning that men today are likewise humbled when they forget God and refuse His law.
Dream and Interpretation Setting
The verse belongs to Nebuchadnezzar's dream, which he could not remember after waking. He demanded that his magicians, astrologers, sorcerers and Chaldeans tell him both the forgotten dream and its interpretation under threat of death, but they had no light to do so. Daniel asked the king for time, then joined Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah in seeking the mercies of the God of heaven concerning the secret. The secret was received in a night vision by the Spirit of the Lord resting upon them, and then Daniel related the facts so the dream came fresh to the king's mind and gave its interpretation showing remarkable events to transpire in prophetic history.
God gave Daniel the interpretation to help the king out of his difficulty. That intervention spared the lives of the king's wise men, Daniel among them, when they faced death. The inability of Babylon's wise men to recover the forgotten dream exposed their lack of discernment and showed the superiority of the wisdom given to those who worship God. This was a lesson God gave for people living in the present day about learned people without discernment from God to understand prophecy.
In wise providence God brought the idolatrous king into reasoning relation with Daniel to give him light, having a purpose in coming into close contact even with idolaters. Daniel's faithfulness in refusing any work against God fitted him for that reasoning relation with the king. He interpreted the dream in the light of the Scriptures and the living oracles.
God Gave Nebuchadnezzar Rule
The God of heaven gave Nebuchadnezzar his kingdom, power, strength and glory, including rule over the peoples and over the living creatures of the earth, and thereby made him the golden head of the image and the first of the kingdoms foretold in the dream. Babylon was thus shown as the first of the kingdoms of the world revealed in the night image, the head of gold followed in succession by a second kingdom and then by baser metals down to iron mingled with clay. Those metals show the succeeding kingdoms deteriorating in value because their rulers made void the law of God and made God their strength only when harassed and perplexed, seeking men who honored the living God to unravel mysteries they could not understand.
Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar was the first of the four world-moulding empires represented by the image and stood at the height of its glory. It was the greatest and most powerful kingdom of its time, and God made it the head of gold for His glory. Nebuchadnezzar instead used his position to exalt himself and sought to make his kingdom still greater.
A king's kingdom and power come from God, not from human greatness, and the history of the kingdoms in Daniel shows God humbling proud rulers and directing the rise and fall of earthly powers. The ruler's kingdom, power, strength and glory are given by God, while human glory is brought low and God alone is great and will establish His everlasting kingdom. That status was an honor granted by God, not grounds for self-glorification or worship, and the succeeding kingdoms of baser metals show decreasing value as nations separated further from God; setting up the golden image magnified both Babylon and its ruler. The God of heaven is Ruler over all monarchs and kings of earth, His name is God over all gods, and rulers of earthly kingdoms have a Ruler in the heavens who gave the king his kingdom, power, strength and glory; through Daniel and the Hebrew captives idolatrous Babylon was given light from God's throne and knowledge of the kingdom the Lord would establish and by His power maintain against all the power and craft of Satan, and God's faithfulness in rescuing the three captives from the flames further vindicated that power. Nebuchadnezzar's rule and royal authority came from the God of heaven who governs earthly kingdoms, and God's recognition above earthly rulers and His kingdom above earthly kingdoms is the truth the king's experience brought to light.
Babylon's prosperity was entrusted to the king for God's glory, and its place as head of gold did not make it everlasting. His greatness would last only for its appointed time before a second kingdom replaced it, for God rules world affairs, removes and sets up kings, and tests kingdoms by whether they honor Him through obedience. The kingdoms foretold in the image would rise and fall under God's rule, each facing a test of obedience, and those that failed to exalt the true God would lose their glory and place. Nebuchadnezzar was warned to consider the end of earthly kingdoms and the establishment of God's everlasting kingdom, but pride led him to seek an even greater earthly empire.
Succession and Fall of Kingdoms
Babylon would not stand forever or last forever, but would pass away and be followed by another kingdom. Though then so strong, magnificent and far-reaching that no foe seemed able to take its scepter, its magnificence could not preserve it. After Babylon a second kingdom would arise, then a third, then a fourth strong kingdom that would subdue the nations. The metals from gold to silver to brass to iron mingled with clay show the succeeding kingdoms declining in value and in earthly power and glory as they cast off God and His law and separated further from Him. That deterioration in value also pictures a deterioration in religion, morality and moral worth, for as nations forget God and make void His law they become morally weak in the same proportion.
Each nation was given a period to fulfill God's purpose and allowed to rule for a time as a test of whether it would fulfill His purposes and exalt the true God. Each failed the test, lost its glory, power and place, and was replaced by another. Babylon, the first and greatest world-moulding empire to receive this revelation and warning, fell in 538 B.C. under the weaker rulers Nabonadius and his son Belshazzar, in the same generation that the revelation was given.
Earthly kingdoms are temporary and must pass away, while the eternal, indestructible kingdom that will never pass away belongs to Christ, the Living Stone. He alone is great and will establish His everlasting kingdom throughout the earth, replacing all earthly powers in turn after they have ruled. The rise and fall of kingdoms are under God's authority, for He gives rulers their kingdoms and power and directs their rise and fall. He humbles proud rulers and brings human pride and glory low, so that rulers who think they are carrying out their own purposes still fulfill what God foretold through His prophets.
Certainty and Clarity of Prophecy
Thou, O king, art a king of kings stands as the first link in a connected chain of prophecy whose fulfillment in recorded history and the historian's record has been wonderful in exactness and most literal in the rise and fall of kingdoms. That exact fulfillment gives testimony to the inspiration of the Scriptures and anchors faith against rationalism and skepticism. Its exactness strengthened confidence in Scripture and helped lead from skepticism to faith, as seen in Gaussen's experience. When shown together with the signs of the times it gives tangibility to faith in the second coming of Christ and makes a deep impression on those who have been interested in prophecy but have had no definite idea when it was fulfilled.
The prophecy presents through figures, symbols and pictures a figurative outline of prophetic history extending from Daniel's time to the close of the world and the close of earth's history, whose events are to be studied in their historical order. God Himself employed pictures and symbols to represent lessons to His prophets for them to give to the people, appealing to the understanding through the sense of sight so that truth could be better understood than in any other way. These symbolic prophecies were to be represented plainly upon tables, that he who read might understand. This use of pictures does not violate the second commandment, which prohibits image worship.
The verse is part of the sure word of prophecy God gave to guide all who wish to know their Maker's will. It was made known to Daniel by angels and by Christ Himself to show things that must shortly come to pass concerning salvation. It was not left in mystery nor revealed to perplex and mislead the honest seeker after truth. It is plain to all who study it with a prayerful heart and can be understood and explained even by children. Every truly honest soul seeking truth as hid treasure will come to its light of truth and advance in holiness.
When listened to with interest and pleasure it draws a wider circle of hearers to sit down and study. Its investigation leads to belief that the coming of the Lord is at hand, a truth of great value and solemn importance to be brought before the people. Through Daniel and the Hebrew captives idolatrous Babylon was given light from the throne of God and knowledge of the kingdom the Lord was to establish and by His power maintain against all the power and craft of Satan. Through Daniel's faithfulness the truth that God rules over all kingdoms and is more powerful than earthly rulers was brought to the king's attention.
Nebuchadnezzar, the proud despot king, was shown that the God of heaven is Ruler over all monarchs and kings of earth, that His name is God over all gods, and that rulers of earthly kingdoms have a Ruler in the heavens who gave him his kingdom, power, strength, and glory. God's faithfulness in rescuing the three captives from the flames further vindicated and displayed that wonderful power to him.
Pride, Idolatry, and Present Warning
Nebuchadnezzar read the interpretation through his own idolatrous mind and human understanding rather than in the light of the living oracles, Scripture and providence, perverting the light given him by taking the kingdom, power, strength and glory granted him as the excellency of himself and Babylon. He followed his own dreams, fancies and ambitions instead of the meaning God intended, which exalted Jehovah as more powerful than any earthly kingdom. His counselors flattered him with the image and encouraged him to exalt himself.
Though warned to consider the end of earthly kingdoms and the establishment of God's everlasting kingdom, pride led him to seek an even greater earthly empire. Babylon's prosperity had been entrusted to him for God's glory as head of gold, yet instead of honoring the Giver he used his position to exalt himself and to make his kingdom still greater. His later pride and renewed idolatry showed he forgot his acknowledgment of the living God who had given him all.
This led him to set up a golden image in the plain of Dura representing the kingdom of Babylon and more particularly himself. He hoped thereby to convert all nations to worship it and demanded that all nations worship it. Setting up that golden image magnified both Babylon and its ruler, treating a God-granted honor as grounds for self-glorification and worship.
Making the image entirely of gold and demanding its worship directly opposed the dream's message. The dream had shown his kingdom was only the head of gold, that the kingdoms following would be of less and less value in baser metals as nations separated further from God, and that earthly kingdoms would not endure but be followed by God's kingdom throughout the earth. By building a gold image of his kingdom he set up an idol in place of God, misused the revelation of God's purpose for the nations and future events to glorify human power, and hindered people from learning what God wanted them to know.
In spite of warning he went on in his own strength until God took from him the talent and wisdom of understanding, to bring him to see and acknowledge the living God as One able to create and to destroy. Babylon passed away because in prosperity she forgot God and ascribed the honor and glory of her prosperity to human achievements. The kings who succeeded him failed to profit by his experience, and Babylon fell at an hour of feasting and revelling.
So today when men forget God and refuse to obey His law they are humiliated. God tests them, and if they do not humble their hearts and confess their sins they receive the penalty of transgression.
The great men of Babylon were willing to be benefited by Daniel's instruction in the interpretation given to help the king out of his difficulty, while wanting to mix their heathen religion with the faith of the Hebrews. Daniel and his three companions would have looked complete as statesmen fit to be entrusted with the affairs of the kingdom if they had consented to that compromise, but they entered into no such arrangement and stayed true to God. God upheld and honored them, showing true science and Bible religion in perfect harmony and teaching to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.
The God of heaven gave Nebuchadnezzar his kingdom, power, strength and glory, making him the golden head and the first of the kingdoms shown in the dream. That greatness came from God and not from human achievement, for He governs earthly kingdoms and stands above all rulers. Babylon would not stand forever, but would pass away and be followed by a second, then a third, then a fourth kingdom, declining in value and glory as they turned further from God. Each nation was given its time as a test of whether it would honor Him, and each failed, lost its place, and was replaced, while Christ alone will establish the everlasting kingdom that never passes away. Nebuchadnezzar perverted the gift by taking the glory to himself, setting up an image all of gold to exalt Babylon and demand its worship, and Babylon fell because in prosperity she forgot God and ascribed her honor to human achievement, a warning that men today are likewise humbled when they forget God and refuse His law.
Dream and Interpretation Setting
The verse belongs to Nebuchadnezzar's dream, which he could not remember after waking. He demanded that his magicians, astrologers, sorcerers and Chaldeans tell him both the forgotten dream and its interpretation under threat of death, but they had no light to do so. Daniel asked the king for time, then joined Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah in seeking the mercies of the God of heaven concerning the secret. The secret was received in a night vision by the Spirit of the Lord resting upon them, and then Daniel related the facts so the dream came fresh to the king's mind and gave its interpretation showing remarkable events to transpire in prophetic history.
God gave Daniel the interpretation to help the king out of his difficulty. That intervention spared the lives of the king's wise men, Daniel among them, when they faced death. The inability of Babylon's wise men to recover the forgotten dream exposed their lack of discernment and showed the superiority of the wisdom given to those who worship God. This was a lesson God gave for people living in the present day about learned people without discernment from God to understand prophecy.
In wise providence God brought the idolatrous king into reasoning relation with Daniel to give him light, having a purpose in coming into close contact even with idolaters. Daniel's faithfulness in refusing any work against God fitted him for that reasoning relation with the king. He interpreted the dream in the light of the Scriptures and the living oracles.
God Gave Nebuchadnezzar Rule
The God of heaven gave Nebuchadnezzar his kingdom, power, strength and glory, including rule over the peoples and over the living creatures of the earth, and thereby made him the golden head of the image and the first of the kingdoms foretold in the dream. Babylon was thus shown as the first of the kingdoms of the world revealed in the night image, the head of gold followed in succession by a second kingdom and then by baser metals down to iron mingled with clay. Those metals show the succeeding kingdoms deteriorating in value because their rulers made void the law of God and made God their strength only when harassed and perplexed, seeking men who honored the living God to unravel mysteries they could not understand.
Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar was the first of the four world-moulding empires represented by the image and stood at the height of its glory. It was the greatest and most powerful kingdom of its time, and God made it the head of gold for His glory. Nebuchadnezzar instead used his position to exalt himself and sought to make his kingdom still greater.
A king's kingdom and power come from God, not from human greatness, and the history of the kingdoms in Daniel shows God humbling proud rulers and directing the rise and fall of earthly powers. The ruler's kingdom, power, strength and glory are given by God, while human glory is brought low and God alone is great and will establish His everlasting kingdom. That status was an honor granted by God, not grounds for self-glorification or worship, and the succeeding kingdoms of baser metals show decreasing value as nations separated further from God; setting up the golden image magnified both Babylon and its ruler. The God of heaven is Ruler over all monarchs and kings of earth, His name is God over all gods, and rulers of earthly kingdoms have a Ruler in the heavens who gave the king his kingdom, power, strength and glory; through Daniel and the Hebrew captives idolatrous Babylon was given light from God's throne and knowledge of the kingdom the Lord would establish and by His power maintain against all the power and craft of Satan, and God's faithfulness in rescuing the three captives from the flames further vindicated that power. Nebuchadnezzar's rule and royal authority came from the God of heaven who governs earthly kingdoms, and God's recognition above earthly rulers and His kingdom above earthly kingdoms is the truth the king's experience brought to light.
Babylon's prosperity was entrusted to the king for God's glory, and its place as head of gold did not make it everlasting. His greatness would last only for its appointed time before a second kingdom replaced it, for God rules world affairs, removes and sets up kings, and tests kingdoms by whether they honor Him through obedience. The kingdoms foretold in the image would rise and fall under God's rule, each facing a test of obedience, and those that failed to exalt the true God would lose their glory and place. Nebuchadnezzar was warned to consider the end of earthly kingdoms and the establishment of God's everlasting kingdom, but pride led him to seek an even greater earthly empire.
Succession and Fall of Kingdoms
Babylon would not stand forever or last forever, but would pass away and be followed by another kingdom. Though then so strong, magnificent and far-reaching that no foe seemed able to take its scepter, its magnificence could not preserve it. After Babylon a second kingdom would arise, then a third, then a fourth strong kingdom that would subdue the nations. The metals from gold to silver to brass to iron mingled with clay show the succeeding kingdoms declining in value and in earthly power and glory as they cast off God and His law and separated further from Him. That deterioration in value also pictures a deterioration in religion, morality and moral worth, for as nations forget God and make void His law they become morally weak in the same proportion.
Each nation was given a period to fulfill God's purpose and allowed to rule for a time as a test of whether it would fulfill His purposes and exalt the true God. Each failed the test, lost its glory, power and place, and was replaced by another. Babylon, the first and greatest world-moulding empire to receive this revelation and warning, fell in 538 B.C. under the weaker rulers Nabonadius and his son Belshazzar, in the same generation that the revelation was given.
Earthly kingdoms are temporary and must pass away, while the eternal, indestructible kingdom that will never pass away belongs to Christ, the Living Stone. He alone is great and will establish His everlasting kingdom throughout the earth, replacing all earthly powers in turn after they have ruled. The rise and fall of kingdoms are under God's authority, for He gives rulers their kingdoms and power and directs their rise and fall. He humbles proud rulers and brings human pride and glory low, so that rulers who think they are carrying out their own purposes still fulfill what God foretold through His prophets.
Certainty and Clarity of Prophecy
Thou, O king, art a king of kings stands as the first link in a connected chain of prophecy whose fulfillment in recorded history and the historian's record has been wonderful in exactness and most literal in the rise and fall of kingdoms. That exact fulfillment gives testimony to the inspiration of the Scriptures and anchors faith against rationalism and skepticism. Its exactness strengthened confidence in Scripture and helped lead from skepticism to faith, as seen in Gaussen's experience. When shown together with the signs of the times it gives tangibility to faith in the second coming of Christ and makes a deep impression on those who have been interested in prophecy but have had no definite idea when it was fulfilled.
The prophecy presents through figures, symbols and pictures a figurative outline of prophetic history extending from Daniel's time to the close of the world and the close of earth's history, whose events are to be studied in their historical order. God Himself employed pictures and symbols to represent lessons to His prophets for them to give to the people, appealing to the understanding through the sense of sight so that truth could be better understood than in any other way. These symbolic prophecies were to be represented plainly upon tables, that he who read might understand. This use of pictures does not violate the second commandment, which prohibits image worship.
The verse is part of the sure word of prophecy God gave to guide all who wish to know their Maker's will. It was made known to Daniel by angels and by Christ Himself to show things that must shortly come to pass concerning salvation. It was not left in mystery nor revealed to perplex and mislead the honest seeker after truth. It is plain to all who study it with a prayerful heart and can be understood and explained even by children. Every truly honest soul seeking truth as hid treasure will come to its light of truth and advance in holiness.
When listened to with interest and pleasure it draws a wider circle of hearers to sit down and study. Its investigation leads to belief that the coming of the Lord is at hand, a truth of great value and solemn importance to be brought before the people. Through Daniel and the Hebrew captives idolatrous Babylon was given light from the throne of God and knowledge of the kingdom the Lord was to establish and by His power maintain against all the power and craft of Satan. Through Daniel's faithfulness the truth that God rules over all kingdoms and is more powerful than earthly rulers was brought to the king's attention.
Nebuchadnezzar, the proud despot king, was shown that the God of heaven is Ruler over all monarchs and kings of earth, that His name is God over all gods, and that rulers of earthly kingdoms have a Ruler in the heavens who gave him his kingdom, power, strength, and glory. God's faithfulness in rescuing the three captives from the flames further vindicated and displayed that wonderful power to him.
Pride, Idolatry, and Present Warning
Nebuchadnezzar read the interpretation through his own idolatrous mind and human understanding rather than in the light of the living oracles, Scripture and providence, perverting the light given him by taking the kingdom, power, strength and glory granted him as the excellency of himself and Babylon. He followed his own dreams, fancies and ambitions instead of the meaning God intended, which exalted Jehovah as more powerful than any earthly kingdom. His counselors flattered him with the image and encouraged him to exalt himself.
Though warned to consider the end of earthly kingdoms and the establishment of God's everlasting kingdom, pride led him to seek an even greater earthly empire. Babylon's prosperity had been entrusted to him for God's glory as head of gold, yet instead of honoring the Giver he used his position to exalt himself and to make his kingdom still greater. His later pride and renewed idolatry showed he forgot his acknowledgment of the living God who had given him all.
This led him to set up a golden image in the plain of Dura representing the kingdom of Babylon and more particularly himself. He hoped thereby to convert all nations to worship it and demanded that all nations worship it. Setting up that golden image magnified both Babylon and its ruler, treating a God-granted honor as grounds for self-glorification and worship.
Making the image entirely of gold and demanding its worship directly opposed the dream's message. The dream had shown his kingdom was only the head of gold, that the kingdoms following would be of less and less value in baser metals as nations separated further from God, and that earthly kingdoms would not endure but be followed by God's kingdom throughout the earth. By building a gold image of his kingdom he set up an idol in place of God, misused the revelation of God's purpose for the nations and future events to glorify human power, and hindered people from learning what God wanted them to know.
In spite of warning he went on in his own strength until God took from him the talent and wisdom of understanding, to bring him to see and acknowledge the living God as One able to create and to destroy. Babylon passed away because in prosperity she forgot God and ascribed the honor and glory of her prosperity to human achievements. The kings who succeeded him failed to profit by his experience, and Babylon fell at an hour of feasting and revelling.
So today when men forget God and refuse to obey His law they are humiliated. God tests them, and if they do not humble their hearts and confess their sins they receive the penalty of transgression.
The great men of Babylon were willing to be benefited by Daniel's instruction in the interpretation given to help the king out of his difficulty, while wanting to mix their heathen religion with the faith of the Hebrews. Daniel and his three companions would have looked complete as statesmen fit to be entrusted with the affairs of the kingdom if they had consented to that compromise, but they entered into no such arrangement and stayed true to God. God upheld and honored them, showing true science and Bible religion in perfect harmony and teaching to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.