Nebuchadnezzar's Dream
Somrtimes dreams can be scary. Sometimes they can be pleasant. Sometimes they come and go, and; we do not even remember parts of them. But we know some dreams mean something to us, but ; it is hard to figure them out. So we wish we knew someone we could turn to and have them enlightened us. But this cannot be, because in the end, dreams are personal and have meaning only to the dreamer. Nebuchadnezzar has been chosen by God (Everything is under God's control remember.) to be the leader of the first world empire. There have only been four that Our LORD recognizes and has had dealings with. All other empires have been fractions of the originals. OUR LORD gives Nebuchadnezzar a dream, but God has also provided the dream interpreter, Daniel. Only the LORD!
Daniel Chapter 2 verse 1 In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezar had dreams; his mind was troubled and he could not sleep. So the King summoned the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers to tell him what he had dreamed. When they they came in he said to them, "I have had a dream that troubles me and I want to know what it means."
They are the hired help and their heads and their lives depend on obeying the king victorously. They have to come up with the answer. They supposedly knew divination. Then divine what the dream was and what it meant and tell it to the king. The hired help tries to weasel out of the hard truth, that they were powerless to comply.
Then the astrologers answered the king in Aramaic, "O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will interpret it." The king replied to the astrologers, "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 into pieces and your houses turned into piles of rubble.
Now this is a real dictatorial king, one who truly answers to no one. Modern kings are held in check by their people and world events. Nebuchadnezzar was the one and only world event of the time. He could do what he said and no one would dare to question him on this earth. He continues.
But if you tell me the dream and explain it, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. So tell me the dream and intrepret it for me." Once more they replied, "Let the king tell his the dream, and we will intrepret it." Then the king answered, "I am certain that you are trying to gain time, because you realize that this is what I have firmly decided: If you do not tell me the dream, there is one penalty for you. You have conspired to tell me misleading and wicked things, hoping the situation will change. So then, tell me the dream, and I will know that you can interpret it for me.
The hired help could never do this because the divination they did was from well versed interviewing of a subject and his subject matter. Police do it all the time. Perhaps they might have guessed bits and pieces of the dream but not all. God had placed in Nebuchadnezzar's heart the knowledge that this was a very special dream and he had better not miss the interpretation. Our LORD was also preparing the ground for Daniel to come forth. And this he did.
Daniel Chapter 2 verse 1 In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezar had dreams; his mind was troubled and he could not sleep. So the King summoned the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers to tell him what he had dreamed. When they they came in he said to them, "I have had a dream that troubles me and I want to know what it means."
They are the hired help and their heads and their lives depend on obeying the king victorously. They have to come up with the answer. They supposedly knew divination. Then divine what the dream was and what it meant and tell it to the king. The hired help tries to weasel out of the hard truth, that they were powerless to comply.
Then the astrologers answered the king in Aramaic, "O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will interpret it." The king replied to the astrologers, "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 into pieces and your houses turned into piles of rubble.
Now this is a real dictatorial king, one who truly answers to no one. Modern kings are held in check by their people and world events. Nebuchadnezzar was the one and only world event of the time. He could do what he said and no one would dare to question him on this earth. He continues.
But if you tell me the dream and explain it, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. So tell me the dream and intrepret it for me." Once more they replied, "Let the king tell his the dream, and we will intrepret it." Then the king answered, "I am certain that you are trying to gain time, because you realize that this is what I have firmly decided: If you do not tell me the dream, there is one penalty for you. You have conspired to tell me misleading and wicked things, hoping the situation will change. So then, tell me the dream, and I will know that you can interpret it for me.
The hired help could never do this because the divination they did was from well versed interviewing of a subject and his subject matter. Police do it all the time. Perhaps they might have guessed bits and pieces of the dream but not all. God had placed in Nebuchadnezzar's heart the knowledge that this was a very special dream and he had better not miss the interpretation. Our LORD was also preparing the ground for Daniel to come forth. And this he did.