Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream-Part 1
“Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, his legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. Thou sawest till a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.” Daniel 2:31-34
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, had a dream in the second year of his reign which greatly troubled him. He called his magicians, astrologers, sorcerers, and anyone else that had an ability to interpret dreams. However, the king could not remember the dream and desired that someone tell the dream and then interpret it. None could, and the king decreed that they all should be killed. Daniel, the captive from Israel, to save the lives of these men, volunteered to tell and interpret the dream, and Nebuchadnezzar agreed. Daniel told Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, asking them to pray that God have mercy and reveal this dream. In a night vision, God revealed the dream and the interpretation to Daniel, who went to the king and told him that it was God from whom the interpretation would be made known. God desired the king to know and understand his dream thereby giving the king insight into his own heart.
The image, as described in the verse above, was of a man made up of precious and semi-precious metals. Nebuchadnezzar was no different than any other secular king–all about image, appearance, wealth, and power. The image represented the kingdoms of the earth, beginning with the Babylonian empire, a great and powerful kingdom exerting influence and reign over many of the nations of the world, including Israel. It might be helpful to get a little further background information on Babylonia. After Noah and his family survived the great flood, his sons and wives began to repopulate earth. Noah’s son, Ham, had a grandson named Nimrod who was a mighty hunter (Genesis 10:9). Nimrod and his descendants settled in Shinar which was located between the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers, now known as southern Iraq about 50 miles south of Baghdad, but then as Babylon.
During ancient times, all people spoke the same language which made it easier for them to communicate with one another. They began construction on a tower with which they believed they could reach heaven and become their own gods. However, God put a stop to this “tower of Babel” by breaking their speech up into many languages which caused confusion. From Babel, which means “confusion”, we get the name Babylon, which means “gate of God”. According to Bible-history.com, all false systems of religion began in the land of Babylon and will have their consummation from the spirit of Babylon in the last days. The northern neighbor of Babylon, Assyria, defeated them and ruled them for 700 years. Nebuchadnezzar’s father, Nabopolassar, led Babylon to independence. Under Nebuchadnezzar’s rule, Babylon became one of the wealthiest and powerful nations in all the earth. Daniel boldly claimed to the king that it was the God of heaven who had given the king this kingdom, power, strength, and glory. Nebuchadnezzar had likely never heard of the God of Israel, but he would experience the power and might of Almighty God in due time. Every ungodly king, ruler, president, potentate, or leader has experienced or will experience the sovereign judgment of God at the appointed time.
Daniel emphasized to Nebuchadnezzar that God had made him ruler over man, beasts, and fowls of the heavens. No one did anything without the king’s permission. He claimed ownership of people’s lives, livelihoods, cattle, land, and all they held in their possession. In Jeremiah 27:5-7, God foretold of His plan to give Nebuchadnezzar men, lands, and beasts until such time as he would lose his power. Nebuchadnezzar was called God’s servant, not because he honored God, but because God chose him to be a part of His plan for the redemption of His chosen people, Israel. One does not have to be a believer in the LORD for God to use him or her to fulfill His purposes. God did not force Judas to betray Jesus. Judas was chosen to do his wicked deed because his heart was evil. Even those who think they can remain neutral in this battle between good and evil will either be used by God or by Satan for their respective purposes. There is no “straddling of the fence” between heaven and hell.
Because Nebuchadnezzar was probably the most powerful Gentile to rule a major part of the known world, his reign and kingdom were represented by the head of gold. Gold is a precious metal useful for many purposes. Babylon was a city with much wealth and grandeur. Its magnificence has given it the title of one of the “seven wonders of the ancient world”. There was not another Gentile dynasty that was as rich, powerful, or victorious as Babylonia. However, gold is not indestructible.
To be continued next time.