Turning to God in Crisis | Daniel 2:1-49

Show Notes

Episode 677:
In this episode, Chris and Jeff dive into the fascinating narrative of Daniel chapter 2, exploring the story of King Nebuchadnezzar's troubling dream and the wisdom of Daniel. Chris and Jeff discuss the significance of Nebuchadnezzar's dream, which he demands to be interpreted without revealing its content. The king's harsh decree to execute all wise men in Babylon sets the stage for Daniel's remarkable display of wisdom and faith. The hosts emphasize how Daniel, faced with imminent death, seeks God's guidance through prayer, demonstrating the importance of turning to God in times of crisis.

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You're listening to The Bible Guys, a podcast where a couple of friends talk about the Bible in fun, in practical ways. Hey, everybody, we would appreciate it if you would share the Bible Guys, our link or our podcast or whatever it is to somebody that you think might appreciate it. Just make your friends day, Yes, saying I like the Bible Guys. Yeah, I think you'd like the Bible Guys too. It's a little presumptuous, but I agree. But hey, welcome to the Bible Guys. I'm Chris, this is Jeff, and today we are about to dive into Daniel chapter two, Yes, which is very exciting. Yes. But before we do that, we have a segment. This is one of your favorite segments. I like it a lot. Who's most likely? You know why? Because it's fun to think about, it's quick, it's easy, it's simple. And I think, by the way, some of the best board games are the board games that are just completely simple, simple games. Apples to apples. It's like, uh, think on, It's like, you know, it's just boom there it is, yes, know catchphrase, you know, just simple rules. Those are the most fun. So who's most likely number one, who's most likely to intentionally give the wrong directions to tourists. That's mean, mean I would I don't think I've ever done that. I don't think I've ever done that either. Although I just told a story the other day about us going into a store and saying, Hey, this is really important that we buy the right thing, and I think the person in the store was messing with us and intentionally gave us the wrong thing. Yeah, like just to mess with this how hah, Yeah, I really do, like based on everything. You know, it's just too long of a story to tell. But I think this is sort of mean. I I wouldn't do it. How about we say no but nobody okay, zero because although you have to pick one, though, and we have to pick one who's most likely. Okay, how about this? How about this? The old Chris would definitely do it. I'm gonna pick me old Chris. Yeah, old Chris. If you fire me up, yeah, if you really really do something, yeah, yeah, then yeah I might be able to do it. Okay, So. Let's let's just go neutral on that one. I don't think the old Chris should take the blame for. This, Okay, all right, I appreciate that. Yeah, number two, go ahead. Who's most likely to cry over a TikTok made by strangers? You will. There's no question you did this morning. Well you don't. I know you did this morning. Anything I do, sometimes I tear up. Sometimes, yeah, I hate you were at my dad's funeral. I teared up. Oh yeah, well then, well you know if you don't on that one. Yeah that was a gibraltar if you know on that one. But but but I cry over aspirin commercials. Yeah, yeah, did you cry this morning already? Yes? Yeah, I thought, yes I did. Of course I didn't. So I watch things all the time and I'm and I'm. Uh, last night, that's why people love you. It's last night. Last night, I ever going to bed. Sometimes I'll just wind down by watching something. And I was all by myself and is this thing that happened on a show? And uh, and it was so unlikely, it was so it was like a comedy. But there was this tender moment and I literally out loud. I was like, oh, by myself, I audibly made a gurble bad. Well, so it's one of the things people love about you so much? Is that? Do they know well, yeah, because it makes you so it's clear that you're very empathetic, and people like like to know that they're seen and heard and that you are feeling what they're feeling with them is. They love it. It's one of the things. They love it. It's one of the endearing qualities. Of christar bummt Yeah, okay, all right. Number three. And I hire people who cry for me. I feel like. You're you're going to be the crier. One is in your job description. Cry when it's appropriate. I need somebody who's a counselor over here. I need a crier, anybody, anybody. Okay, that's funny. Okay. Number three. Who's most likely to regift a present? I have never done that? Oh I do this all the time. I just did this Sunday. Yes, I've never done it. Oh, it's it's the best cheat in the world. It's like a you know, a game cheat or a life hack. Right, somebody gives you a present and you're like, and by the way, it could be a great present. You know. Somebody gave me a gift card and it was like a fifty dollars gift card. You're a fancy restaurant. I was like, this is amazing, thank you. And then on the way out, I'm like, oh, we need to bring something, and I reach over into my gift card box and there it is, don't have my name on it, and it has and I presented it like it was all mine. So somebody gave you a gift, it was a great gift, and you handed the gift on somebody. Elsea's a gift. There's nothing wrong with that because it is mine to give to givet Yeah, yeah, I think it's great. All right, it's most likely to tell the best dad joke? Well, I think you are. You're more committed to him than I am. I'm definitely more committed. In fact, this morning I woke up and the first thing that I did was I told Torri our dad jokes last night, really because we fel last week and we had four of them that were really good, and so out of the ten, did she approve? She liked? Before I said yes, she said, what are the other ones? I said, you don't want to know? Yes, those are really bad. Good you get to read the next one. Okay, old wish who's most likely to get start starstruck while meeting Zach Effron? But by the way, that is such an old. Joke, but it's great. So if you weren't, if you didn't know zar Ba has this, Nope, I do not. You made many this affection for Zach Effron, and. One time I picked him to represent me in a Chris Arbo movie. I said, in the inevitable movie that's made of Chris sarbas life, who would you choose? And you said, oh, without a doubt, don't even think about it, and without a doubt, and you said and then you said it. And then you said, specifically, specifically the Zach Effron from Baywatch, and I said, wasn't And I never saw the movie, but I know that the Rock was in Baywatch. But you chose Zach Efron listen, not the Rock. This is so distorted. And then you also mentioned he sings and dances. Listen. I know how the conversation went, because my logic is still my logic. And I said, zac Effron. He said why, I said, because he's a tough guy. With also like he's an artsy guy. And then you said he what do you mean a tough guy? And you refering to a high school musical Zach Effron. And then that's the only reason why. I said, Hey, if you watch Baywatch, you can see he's the longer the high school musical Zach Effron. And then you said, wasn't the Rock Watch? And I said yes, and you said so you And I'm like, how did graduate to somehow me picking Zach Epfron over the Rock. Well, well, here's the other part of who's most likely get starstruck? What meeting Zach Effron? I think if he walked in the room right now, I would not recognize him. Oh really, Yeah, there is no question that I would probably like be starstruck, wouldn't be able to speak because he's awesome. I love him and everything he's in. Yeah, so I don't even know that I would recognize him. Yeah, but that's the same with Tom Hanks or Tom Cruise. Oh I would recognize Tom Hanks and Tom Cruise. But would you be starstruck? I don't know. It probably wouldn't be. Maybe, I don't know. I don't know, although I have. To say this though, to be honest, we didn't. We need to move on. But I have actually met several famous people and I haven't been starstruck yet. Actually, So, like you know, like should I Twain at one time was like, you know, like I was like my favorite sing in the world, should I Twain? And I met her, you know, slapped her hand high five twice two different years at concerts, and I was like, Hey, what's up, what's up? What's going on? I've talked with stars before because and up in starstreuks, So maybe maybe I wouldn't be stars. Trekbe, but most likely, most likely I wouldn't even recognize him. So there you go. But how about Desiree hanging on today? Okay, she brings it back. Some of the best comedy is callback comedy. So that's great. All right, well we are in talking about callback comedy. Oh wow, we're Yesterday we mentioned Nebbe Kinezzer. We're going to talk about him again today. There's a callback. Wow. Maybe Canezer is the king of Babylon. Yes, he is in as we're reading through the Book of Daniel now and uh he has a dream? He does, Yes, I have a dream. There you go. I knew you were going to do it. All I had to do is pause. Did you know that Martin Luther King Jr. Gave the very first time he gave the I have a dream speech you know where it was? Detroit? Yes? Yes? And do you know which building? I knew it? One time? I forgot was it? So it was a version of it? Yes? Well, okay, so Daniel. Chapter two, it says his first draft. One night, during the second year of his reign, Nebbie Kinnezzer had such disturbing dreams that he couldn't sleep. He called his magicians and enchanters, and sorcerers and astrologers, and he demanded that they tell him what he had dreamed. As they stood before the king, he said, I have had a dream that deeply troubles me, and I must know what it means. Then the astrologers answered the king in Aramaic, long live the King. Tell us the dream and we'll tell you what it means. But the King said to the astrologers, I am serious about this. If you don't tell me what my dream was and what it means, you will be torn limb from limb, and your houses will be turned into heaps of rubble. Okay, wow, he's no joke. He don't play, no doubt. But the King said, but if you tell me what I dreamed and what the dream means, I will give you many wonderful gifts and honors. Just tell me the dream and what it means. Then they said again, please, your majesty, tell us the dream and will tell you what it means. The King replied, I know what you're doing. You're stalling for time because you know I am serious when I say if you don't tell me the dream, you are doomed. So you've conspired to tell me lies, hoping I'll change my mind. But tell me the dream, and then I'll know that you can tell me what it means. The astrologers replied to the king, no one on earth can tell the king his dream, and no king, however great and powerful, has ever asked such a thing of any magician, enchanter, or astrologer. The King's demand is impossible. No one except the gods can tell you your dream, and they do not live here among people. King was furious when he heard this, and he ordered that all the wise men of Babylon be executed, and because of the King's decree, men were sent to find and kill Daniel and his friends. When Arioch, the commander of the king's guards, came to kill them, Daniel handled the situation with wisdom and discretion. He asked Arioch, why is the king issued such a harsh decree? So Arioch told him all that had happened, and Daniel went at once to see the king requested more time to tell the king what the dream meant. Then Daniel went home and told his friends Hanna and Iah, Michel and a Israah what had happened. He urged them to ask the God of Heaven to show them his mercy by telling them the secret, so they would not be executed along with the otherwise men of Babylon. That night, the secret was revealed to Daniel in division. Then Daniel praise the God of Heaven. He said, praise the name of God forever and ever, for he has all wisdom and power. He controls the course of world events. He removes kings and sets up their kings or other kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the scholars. He reveals deep and mysterious things, and knows what lies hidden in darkness, though he is surrounded by light. I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors, for you've given me wisdom and strength, and you've told me what we asked of you and revealed to us what the king has demanded. Do you want me to go on and tell the dream? Okay, this is a good one, all right. Then Daniel went in to see Ariac, whom the king had ordered to execute the wise men of Babylon, and Daniel said to him, don't kill the wise men. Take me to the king and I will tell him the meaning of this dream. Arioch quickly took Daniel to the king and said, I have found one of the captives from Judah who will tell the king the meaning of his dream. King said to Daniel, also known as Belta Shazar, is this true? Can you tell me what my dream was and what it means? Daniel replied, there are no wise men and chanters, magicians or fortune tellers who can reveal the King's secret. But there is a god in heaven who reveals secrets, and he has shown kig nebu Canezer what will happen in the future. Now I will tell you your dream and the visions you saw as you lay on your bed while your Majesty was sleeping. You dreamed about coming events. He who reveals secrets, has shown you what is going to happen, and is not because I am wiser than anyone else that I know the secret of your dream, but because God wants you to understand what was in your heart. In your vision, Your majesty, you saw standing before you a huge, shining statue of a man. It was a frightening sight. The head of the statue was made of fine gold, His chest and arms were silver, Its belly and thighs were bronze, Its legs were iron, and its feet were a combination of iron and baked clay. As you watched, a rock was cut from a mountain, but not by human hands, and it struck the feet of the iron and clay, smashing them into bits. The whole statue was crushed into small pieces of iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold. The wind blew them away without a trace, like chaff on a threshing floor. But the rock that knocked the statue down became a great mountain that covered the whole earth. That was a dream. Now we will tell the king what it means. Your majesty, you are the greatest of kings. The God of Heaven has given you sovereignty, power, strength, and honor. He has made you the ruler over all the inhabited world and has put even the wild animals and birds under control. You are the head of gold, But after your kingdom comes to an end, another kingdom inferior to yours will rise to take your place. After that kingdom has fallen, yet a third kingdom, represented by bronze, will rise to rule the world. Following that kingdom, there will be a fourth, one as strong as iron. That kingdom will smash and crush all previous empires, just as iron smashes and crushes everything it strikes. The feet and toes you saw were a combination of iron and baked clay, showing that this kingdom would be divided like iron mixed with clay. It'll have some of the strength of iron, but while some parts of it will be as strong as iron, other parts will be as weak as clay. This mixture of iron and clay also shows that these kingdoms will try to strengthen themselves by four alliances with each other through inner marriage, but they will not hold together, just as iron and clay did not mix during the reigns of those kings. The God of Heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed and conquered it will crush all these kingdoms into nothingness, and it will stand forever. That is the meaning of the rock cut from the mountain, though not by human hands that crushed the pieces the statue of iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold. The great God was showing the king what will happen in the future. The dream is true and its meaning is certain. Okay, that want me to read the last three verses? Think? King Nebu Kenezer threw himself down before Daniel and worshiped him, and he commanded his people to offer sacrifices and burned sweet incense before him. The king said to Daniel, truly, your God is the greatest of gods, the Lord over kings, a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal his secret. And then the king appointed Daniel to a high position and gave him many valuable gifts. He made Daniel ruler over the whole province of Babylon, as well as chief over all his wise men. At Daniel's request, the king appointed Shadrack Mishah and a bed to go to be in charge of all the affairs of the province of Babylon, while Daniel remained in the King's court. There you go, Oh, I'm really glad you read those, last man, because the king's reaction is awesome. Yeah, and uh, you know what, I am so glad that we actually read this, we. Read the whole thing, because that's a story. Well, it's it's it's a little obscure. You know, you don't necessarily always hear sermons about Nebukadnezzar's dream, right, right, but you know you can probably start off by saying, there's a lot of sermons in here. So the first one is when you want wisdom, don't look for it in astronomy, astrology, astrology or fortune tellers, right or all the above. That's right, So you know it's it's it's it's the wisdom of God. And Daniel is really clear about that. And Daniel could have taken the glory for himself, couldn't you. Yes, he could have. He could have talked about how wise he was, or maybe hey, for some reason, God has blessed me, you know, I'm blessed. But but Daniel doesn't do that. Daniel says, it's not because I'm wiser, it's not because I'm it's not because of anything else. It's because God has chosen to give you wisdom. And then he makes it sound like and it's actually true, but he actually puts the glory out of respect onto the king and says, God wanted to bless you by giving you this knowledge, o King, and this is what God has chosen to do. So somehow he gives glory to God. He respects his authorities, and he takes the focus off of himself in humility. And I'm thinking to myself, gee, whiz, that is a phenomenal posture, right, there's so much wisdom there because it does actually say he responded in wisdom and knowledge. Well, so the astrologers admit, listen, our gods aren't even here on earth, right right, nobody on earth can tell you what you're dreamed, because this is an impossible request. He's trying to figure out, are these advisors aroun This is early in his reign, right, You're trying to figure out who can I trust? These astrologers and these you know, sorcerers. They've got a lot of influence and power over in EBYG. Canizer. But this is a great opportunity for Nebug Canizer to testamacy. Are they legit or not? So all right, guys, before you give me, Before I tell you what my dream was, you tell me what my dream was, right right, that's impossible, and so they admit it. Hey, our gods can't tell us that because our gods don't live on this earth. And Daniel goes, let me tell you, there's a god in heaven who knows these things, and so he immediately gives credit to God, and then he solicits shadrack me shake in a bed and goes, hey, we need to pray. So they have a prayer meeting. Then God, we need help. We're all going to die. And that's a whole nother sermon all together too. So how wise is it to say, hey, before you carry out this harsh punishment, just give us time to pray about it. And there is wisdom. Think about like your next board meeting or conundrum where everybody in the room needs to find a solution to something and instead of just sort of, you know, reacting and carrying out something in the moment, there's wisdom and saying, okay, guys, let's go ahead and let's take a break and let's all carve out some time. Because that's what it says. It says, we need more time. He begged the king for more time for wisdom, and then he went home and said, okay, God, we have a night, please reveal wisdom. And there's something to be said about that. You know a lot of times, you know, I've grown up in church world a very very long time, thirty years, three decades, and I think there are times where we should have said, you know what, this has been a heated discussion. It's been a great discussion. We all have different opinions. Let's all go ahead and let's pray about it and let's come back tomorrow, right. But a lot of times we're like, well, okay, let's make a decision. It's like no, no, no, no, no. You know, just you feel it in the room. You feel like, you know there's a time where you need to go to God again because you know, we need God's wisdom on this. So then he was very smart. Also the diplomacy again of Daniel. So these guys are going out executing all the sorcerers and astrologers and advisers, and it doesn't say what Daniel said to them, but they decided to give him some time. And I think he probably had to have said something about, you haven't given me time to go to my God yet, so just give us tonight. Because the five of the four of us worship a different God. So let us go to our God tonight and we'll come and give the answer to the king in the morning. He gave something where he put all the pressure on God because they trusted him. In that moment where they were executing all the other a strologers, he did something, he said something there that made them decide, all right, we're going to give a little bit of time. Well, think about this. How did he even have that conversation in the first place. And it's because he already had the respect of the guy who was assigned to go kill. Him, right right, everything else that Daniel had done and turned out well, so. Yes, right, So the guy instead of walking in and going hey, y you know expirium or killing him with the sword or whatever, Daniel says, hey, answer me this, and the guy literally answers him so that he has an intelligent conversation because the guard obviously respects Daniel. This is a guy who is wisdom and knowledge, and because God has blessed him with this, so he's obviously a very impressive individual, right, and so God has given him this influence over those who are above him in authority. So then he's pretty Joseph like, isn't he? Yes very much? And then he pulls in Shaderick meschecking and bed and to go, which was so smart because then Daniel's not going to only take credit himself. He's going to say, I know the meaning of this, but you know, the four of us we prayed to our God about this, right, So he saves his friends' lives as well by being able to come and say, hey, we all prayed about this thing. So then the thing God gives Nebu Kenezer the supernatural vision of the future. So the head obviously Daniel said, that's you and your kingdom. That's Babbel. And then the next one down I looked this up. The next one down, the chest and arms of silver, is the meato Persian kingdom. That would have been like Darius king. Darius comes next, right, that's that kingdom, very powerful, just right, that's just it's not quite as shiny, not quite as impressive, but pretty pretty great. Then the belly of bronze and the thighs of brons that that's going to be Greece, and that was a kingdom ruled over the whole earth. That was Alexander the Great Bronze was a big part of their kingdom at the time. That was the next one that came after, was known for its very widespread influence. The Legs of Iron, obviously is Rome. Roman came and broke everything, crushed everything right, just just sheer force, right, and this unbelievable dominance. And then the Feet of Iron and Clay is the really nuanced one. That's the Divided Kingdom. That's when Rome split in half and you had the Eastern and Western thing and they were trying to and it just ran out of gas during that time. And it was in this season, the Rome and the Divided Kingdom Rome. This is when Jesus comes. They're in the Roman one, and this is when when the church begins to be established in the second one, which is in the last one, right, and the rock rolls in obliterates it all, and then now Jesus is going to set up his eternal kingdom. We're playing that last phase out right now. Yeah, And you know which is amazing, isn't it cool? Yeah, it's so cool. So it's a really neat uh thing. And it's basically there was no purpose behind that dream other than for God to establish his dominance over this strongest king in the world. That's what it was, right. Yeah, And and and just think about that from six hundred BC is what this was when this took place, all the way until now. So we're talking and into the thousand year reign of Christ. That's right, coming, that's right. And so it's a three thousand. Year six thirty six hundred. Year old Yeah, thirty thirty six hundred year old. Twenty six I'm sorry, twenty six hundred year old. So far. Wait, so we're twenty twenty five after Christ. In twenty five plus six twenty five hundred plus. Well, we're only two thousand years og. Oh what am I thinking? Twenty twenty five? My math? No, wonder why my math was so bad. I'm like seven thousand, yeah, yeah, So twenty twenty five plus the. Two thousand, yeah, something like that. Chris, I don't know if you know this, but twenty twenty five means two thousand. Years at this point. There's a note in our study Bile says that at this same time, you know, he's over in Babylon, but the Temple of Artemis was constructed in Ephesis about that same time. So oh, we've got this this Greek Turkish kind of world being built up there at the same time. Pretty neat. Yeah, so very significant, and uh, we're going to move on from there. Daniel winds up getting promoted. Yeah, chad Wreck me shack in a bed and to go get promoted. He advocates for them. Right at Daniel's request, the king appointed Chadwick me shack in a bed to go. Good leaders care about the people that are working with them, care about right, they work in teams. And that's what's happening with these four. Guys, and the strongest person in the world at that time, King Nebuka Nezar h is able to recognize that Daniel's God is truly God. So so that's that's a that's an unbelievable accomplishment that God is able to use Daniel for such great things. So I'm glad we read all the way to the end because to see nebukad Nezar's reaction is pretty impressive. It's the it's the drop of the mic moment. How God can use, you know, somebody like Daniel listen, he was a he was sort of a slave at this moment, right, he was he was taken captive from Judah under you know, and they had obviously had, you know, taken all of Israel captive. They kidnapped him pretty much because he was fair and good looking and wise and they and then they pretty much forced him to be a servant to the king. And and now he's in training. So here he is in total captivity. And uh and and so God can use you. You don't think that God can use you because you don't have any influence. Well, guess what, stand up, do the right thing, pray about it, get God's wisdom, be faithful, true, and have courage and watch what God can do. Daniel is the embodiment of Solomon talking about the power of wisdom in a person's life. Right, Everything Daniel does is so wise and discerning. And I think that's one of the reasons why we need to spend so much time in God's word. When you know God's word, you develop his wisdom. You're asking God for wisdom, he gives it to us. And you get to see a guy navigating through almost impossible circumstances over and over and over again and rising above them. And it's the wisdom that God's given him that's great. Yeah. Well, hey, that's our time, so we'll see you next time, hopefully on the Bible. Guys,