The Successor - Joshua #2

The Lord said to me,.."I will test my people with a plumbline. Amos 7:8 (TLB)

The Plumbline is a blog to encourage the Body of Christ.

The Successor - Joshua #2

Joshua’s Orders to the People

The Precious Word of God

Joshua 1:10–11 Then Joshua gave orders to the officers of the people: ¹¹ “Go through the camp and tell the people, ‘Get your supplies ready. Three days from now you will cross the Jordan River and take the land the Lord your God is giving you.’ ”  (NCV)

Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people—These were the Shoterim (see on Ex 5:6 and De 20:5).

Command the people, saying, Prepare your victuals—not manna, which, though it still fell, would not keep; but corn, sheep, and articles of food procurable in the conquered countries.

Within three days you shall pass over Jordan—that is, the third day, according to Hebrew idiom—the time allotted for getting ready before the encampment in Abel-Shittim broke up and they removed to the desert bank of the river where no victuals were available. At the same time Joshua himself convened the two and a half tribes which had settled east of Jordan, to remind them of their promise (Nu 32:1–42) to assist their brethren in the conquest of western Canaan. Their readiness to redeem their pledge and the terms in which they answered the appeal of Joshua displayed to great advantage their patriotic and pious feelings at so interesting a crisis.

You shall pass … armed—that is, marshalled under five leaders in the old and approved caravan order (see on Ex 13:18).

All the mighty men of valour—The words are not to be interpreted strictly as meaning the whole, but only the flower or choice of the fighting men (see on Jos 4:12).

Joshua 2:1 (NCV)

Spies Sent to Jericho

Joshua 2:1 Joshua, son of Nun, secretly sent out two spies from Acacia and said to them, “Go and look at the land, particularly at the city of Jericho.”So the men went to Jericho and stayed at the house of a prostitute named Rahab. (NCV).

Faith is manifested by an active, persevering use of means (Jam 2:22); and accordingly Joshua, while confident in the accomplishment of the divine promise (Jos 1:3), adopted every precaution which a skilful general could think of to render his first attempt in the invasion of Canaan successful. Two spies were despatched to spying out the country, particularly in the neighborhood of Jericho; for in the prospect of investing that place, it was desirable to obtain full information as to its site, its approaches, the character, and resources of its inhabitants. This mission required the strictest privacy, and it seems to have been studiously concealed from the knowledge of the Israelites themselves, test any unfavorable or exaggerated report, publicly circulated, might have dispirited the people, as that of the spies did in the days of Moses.

Jericho- the two spies … came into a harlot’s house—Many expositors, desirous of removing the stigma of this name from an ancestress of the Saviour (Mt 1:5), have called her a hostess or tavern keeper. But Scriptural usage (Le 21:7–14; De 23:18; Jdg 11:1; 1Ki 3:16), the authority of the Septuagint, followed by the apostles (Heb 11:31; Jam 2:25), and the immemorial style of Eastern khans, which are never kept by women, establish the propriety of the term employed in our version. Her house was probably recommended to the spies by the convenience of its situation, without any knowledge of the character of the inmates. But a divine influence directed them in the choice of that lodging-place.

The unkept secret was told the king—by the sentinels who at such a time of threatened invasion would be posted on the eastern frontier and whose duty required them to make a strict report to headquarters of the arrival of all strangers.

Joshua 2:3 (NCV) So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab: “Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house. They have come to spy out our whole land.” 

Rahab took the two men, and hid them—literally, “him,” that is, each of them in separate places, of course previous to the appearance of the royal messengers and in anticipation of a speedy search after her guests. According to Eastern manners, which pay an almost superstitious respect to a woman’s apartment, the royal messengers did not demand admittance to search but asked her to bring the foreigners out.

The time of shutting of the gates—The gates of all Oriental cities are closed at sunset, after which there is no possibility either of admission or egress.

The men went out—This was a palpable deception. But, as lying is a common vice among heathen people, Rahab was probably unconscious of its moral guilt, especially as she resorted to it as a means for screening her guests; and she might deem herself bound to do it by the laws of Eastern hospitality, which make it a point of honor to preserve the greatest enemy, if he has once eaten. Judged by the divine law, her answer was sinful; but her infirmity being united with faith, she was graciously pardoned and her service accepted (Jam 2:25).

The Successor - Joshua #1

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The Successor - Joshua #1

The Word of God

God Commissions Joshua

After the death of Moses...the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, ² “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. Joshua 1:1–2 (ESV)

Now after the death of Moses—Joshua, having been already appointed and designated leader of Israel (Nu 27:18–23), in all probability assumed the reins of government immediately “after the death of Moses.”

The servant of the Lord—This was the official title of Moses as invested with a special mission to make known the will of God; and it conferred great honor and authority.

The Lord spoke to Joshua—probably during the period of public mourning, and either by a direct revelation to Joshua. This first communication gave a pledge that the divine instructions which, according to the provisions of the Lord.

Joshua—The original name, Hoshea, (Nu 13:8), which had been, according to Eastern usage, changed like those of Abram and Sarai (Ge 17:5–15) into Jehoshua or Joshua (that is, “God’s salvation”) was significant of the services he was to render, and typified those of a greater Saviour consider Hebrews 4:8 (NKJV) For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day.

Joshua 1:3 (ESV) Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses.

Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon that have I given you—meaning, of course, not universal dominion, but only the territory comprised within the boundaries here specified (see on De 19:8).

All the land of the Hittites—These occupied the southern extremities and were the dominant tribe of Canaan. Their superior power and the extent of their dominions are attested by the mention of them under the name of Khita, on the Assyrian inscriptions, and still more frequently on the Egyptian inscriptions of the eighteenth and nineteenth Dynasties. What life and encouragement must have been imparted to Joshua by the assurance that his people, who had been overwhelmed with fear of that gigantic race, were to possess “all the land of the Hittites”!

No man shall  be able to stand before you—Canaan was theirs by a divine grant; and the renewed confirmation of that grant to Joshua when about to lead the people into it, intimated not only a certain but an easy conquest. It is remarkable, however, that his courage and hope of victory were made to depend (see on De 17:18) on his firm and inflexible adherence to the law of God, not only that regarding the extirpation of the Canaanites, but the whole divine code.

Joshua 1:8–9 (ESV) ⁸ This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. ⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Joshua was again commanded to be strong and very courageous, being careful to obey all the Law of Moses. This command is based on God’s power through His Word. This is a stronger exhortation, indicating that greater strength of character would be required to obey God’s Word faithfully and fully than to win military battles! The emphasis in these verses is clearly on a written body of truth. Many critics argue that the Scriptures did not appear in written form until several centuries later but here is a clear reference to an authoritative Book of the Law.

To enjoy prosperity and be … successful in the Conquest of Canaan Joshua was to do three things with regard to the Scriptures: (a) The Law was not to depart from his mouth; he was to talk about it (cf. Deut. 6:7); (b) He was to meditate on it day and night, to think about it (cf. Ps. 1:2; 119:97); (c) He was to do everything written in it, to obey its commands fully and to act by it (cf. Ezra 7:10; James 1:22-25).

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

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# 9 Daniel – Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego and the Golden Image.

The Lord said to me…”I will test my people with a Plumbline, Amos 7:8 (TLB)

The Plumbline is a blog to encourage the Body of Christ.

# 9 Daniel – Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego and the Golden Image.

Daniel 3:6–18 (NLT) ⁶ Anyone who refuses to obey will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.” ⁷ So at the sound of the musical instruments,* all the people, whatever their race or nation or language, bowed to the ground and worshiped the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up…¹¹ That decree also states that those who refuse to obey must be thrown into a blazing furnace. ¹² But there are some Jews—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—whom you have put in charge of the province of Babylon. They pay no attention to you. They refuse to serve your gods and do not worship the gold statue.”

Jesus the Hope of the Wofrld

Nebuchadnezzar’s confession of God did not prevent him being a worshipper of idols, besides. Ancient idolaters thought that each nation had its own gods, and that, in addition to these, foreign gods might be worshipped. The Jewish religion was the only exclusive one that claimed all homage for Jehovah as the only true God. Men will in times of trouble confess God, if they are allowed to retain their favorite heart-idols. The image was that of Bel, the Babylonian protector god; or rather, Nebuchadnezzar himself the personification and representative of the Babylonian empire, as suggested to him by the dream (Da 2:38), “Thou art this head of gold.”

The interval between the dream and the event here was about nineteen years. Nebuchadnezzar had just returned from finishing the Jewish and Syrian wars, the spoils of which would furnish the means of rearing such a colossal statue. The colossal size makes it likely that the frame was wood, overlaid with gold. The “height,” sixty cubits or 90 feet, is so out of proportion with the “breadth,” exceeding it ten times, that it seems best to suppose the thickness from breast to back to be intended, which is exactly the right proportion of a well-formed man. It is believed that the height included the base.

No other nation but the Jews would feel this edict oppressive; for it did not prevent them worshipping their own gods besides. It was evidently aimed at the Jews by those jealous of their high position in the king’s court, who therefore induced the king to pass an edict as to all recusants, representing such refusal of homage as an act of treason to Nebuchadnezzar as civil and religious “head” of the empire. So the edict under Darius (Da 6:7–9) was aimed against the Jews by those jealous of Daniel’s influence. The literal image of Nebuchadnezzar is a typical prophecy of “the image of the beast,” connected with mystical Babylon, in Revelation 13:14 (NKJV) And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived.  The second mystical beast caused the earth, and them that dwell there, to worship the first beast, and that as many as would not, should be killed. Revelation 12:13,15 (NKJV) ¹³ Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. ¹⁵ So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood.

Then Nebuchadnezzar flew into a rage and ordered that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought before him. When they were brought in, Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, that you refuse to serve my gods or to worship the gold statue I have set up? I will give you one more chance to bow down and worship the statue I have made when you hear the sound of the musical instruments. But if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace. And then what god will be able to rescue you from my power?”

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power. But if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.

But suddenly, Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in amazement and exclaimed to his advisers, “Didn’t we tie up three men and throw them into the furnace?” “Yes, we did,” they replied. “Look!” Nebuchadnezzar shouted. “I see four men, unbound, walking around in the fire unharmed! And the fourth looks like a god*!” Then Nebuchadnezzar came as close as he could to the door of the flaming furnace and shouted: “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!”

So they stepped out of the fire. Then the high officers, officials, governors, and advisers crowded around them and saw that the fire had not touched them. Not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched. They didn’t even smell of smoke!

Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel to rescue his servants who trusted in him.

They defied the king’s command and were willing to die rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. Therefore, Nebuchadnezzar made this decree: If any people, whatever their race or nation or language, speak a word against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they will be torn limb from limb, and their houses will be turned into heaps of rubble. There is no other god who can rescue like this!” Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to even higher positions in the province of Babylon.

# 8 Daniel – Nebuchadnezzar Rewards Daniel

 

The Lord said to me…”I will test my people with a Plumbline, Amos 7:8 (TLB)

The Plumbline is a blog to encourage the Body of Christ.

# 8 Daniel – Nebuchadnezzar Rewards Daniel

Daniel 2:46-47 (NLT) 46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar threw himself down before Daniel and worshiped him, and he commanded his people to offer sacrifices and burn sweet incense before him. 47 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 this secret.”

Clayt Sheridan - Teacher

The king was so moved at Daniel’s interpretation that he prostrated himself before Daniel and ordered that an offering be made to Daniel, an honor that would normally have been given only to the gods of Babylon. Such was Nebuchadnezzar recognition of Daniel’s divine authority. Through Daniel’s revelation and interpretation of the dream, Nebuchadnezzars was led to confess that Daniel’s God is superior to all the gods of Babylon and that He is Lord over the earth’s kings. Daniel’s God was exalted in the eyes of Nebuchadnezzar because He through Daniel revealed the course of forthcoming history. God is, the king said, a Revealer of mysteries, as Daniel had said (cf. v. 28). Nebuchadnezzar apparently accepted the fact of his own appointment to power by Daniel’s God (cf. vv. 37-38) and recognized His authority.

Nebuchadnezzar appointed Daniel to a position of responsibility in the government and rewarded him materially with royal gifts. Babylon was divided into many provinces, each one under the leadership of a satrap (3:2). Daniel was evidently made a satrap over the province in which the royal court was located the province of the city of Babylon. Daniel did not forget his friends but asked that they be promoted too. So the king made Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego administrators to serve under Daniel in the same province. Daniel was able to remain in the royal court, perhaps as an adviser to Nebuchadnezzar.

In a remarkable way God elevated Daniel to a position in the royal court so that he could serve as a mediator between the king and the exiles from Judah who would shortly (in 597 and 586) be brought to Babylon.

Nebuchadnezzar Made A Gold Statue Ninety feet Tall and Nine Feet Wide.

Daniel 3:1-5 (NLT) 1 King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue ninety feet tall and nine feet wide and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. 2 Then he sent messages to the high officers, officials, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the provincial officials to come to the dedication of the statue he had set up. 3 So all these officials came and stood before the statue King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 4 Then a herald shouted out, “People of all races and nations and languages, listen to the king’s command! 5 When you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and other musical instruments, bow to the ground to worship King Nebuchadnezzar’s gold statue.

Nebuchadnezzar summoned eight classes of officials to the dedication of the image. The satraps were chief representatives of the king, the prefects were military commanders, and the governors were civil administrators. The advisers were counselors to those in governmental authority. The treasurers administered the funds of the kingdom, the judges were administrators of the law, and the magistrates passed judgment in keeping with the law. The other provincial officials were probably subordinates of the satraps. This list of officers probably included all who served in any official capacity under Nebuchadnezzar.

Nebuchadnezzar was demanding a public display of recognition and submission to his absolute authority in the kingdom. The fact that the officials were commanded not only to fall down before the image, but also to worship it, indicates that the image had religious as well as political significance. Nebuchadnezzar purposed to establish a unified government and also a unified religion. The king constituted himself as both head of state and head of religion. All who served under him were to recognize both his political and religious authority.

The officials summoned by Nebuchadnezzar to assemble in the plains of Dura it was then the king’s herald announced that the officials were to recognize Nebuchadnezzar’s political and religious power. So the officials’ act of obedience signified submission not only by the officials themselves, but also by those peoples they ruled.

Elaborate preparations in the construction of the image of gold made the occasion aesthetically appealing. To this was added musical accompaniment to make the occasion emotionally moving. The orchestra included wind instruments, a reed instrument, and stringed instruments. Failure to comply to the command to worship the image was penalized by sudden death, being thrown into a blazing furnace. The severity of the penalty indicates that submission on the part of every official was obligatory.

Overwhelmed by the king’s command, the awesomeness of the image, and the sound of the music, the assembled officials fell down and worshiped the image of gold. In this way the officials and the peoples they represented recognized the political and religious authority of Nebuchadnezzar.[1]

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[1] Adapted from The Bible Knowledge Commentary

# 7 Daniel - The interpretation of the dream

The Lord said to me…”I will test my people with a Plumbline, Amos 7:8 (TLB)

The Plumbline is a blog to encourage the Body of Christ.

# 7 Daniel - The interpretation of the dream (2:36-45a)

Daniel 2:36 (NLT) “That was the dream. Now we will tell the king what it means.

God's Source of "LIGHT"

Daniel’s interpretation makes it clear that the image revealed the course of Gentile kingdoms which in turn would rule over the land of Palestine and the people of Israel. Nebuchadnezzar, head of the Babylonian Empire, was represented by the head of gold (v. 38). His father had come to power in Babylon by military conquest, but Nebuchadnezzar received his dominion and power and might and glory from God (who sets up kings and deposes them, v. 21). Nebuchadnezzar’s rule was viewed as a worldwide empire, in which he ruled over all mankind as well as over beasts and birds. At the time of Creation the right to rule over the earth was given man who was to have dominion over it and all the creatures in it (Gen. 1:26). Here Nebuchadnezzar by divine appointment was helping fulfill what God had planned for man.

The second portion of the statue, the chest and arms of silver, represented the rise of the Medes and Persians (cf. 5:28; 6:8; also cf. 5:31). The Medo-Persians conquered the Babylonians in 539 b.c. The arms of silver evidently represent the two nations of Media and Persia that together defeated Babylon. Though that kingdom lasted over 200 years (539-330 b.c.),longer than the Neo-Babylonian Empire of 87 years (626-539), the Medo-Persian Empire was inferior to it, as silver compared with gold.

The belly and thighs of bronze represented the third kingdom to arise. This was the Grecian Empire (cf. 8:20-21). Alexander the Great conquered the Medo-Persians between 334 and 330 b.c. and assumed authority over its peoples and territory. By Alexander’s conquests he extended the Greek Empire as far east as the northwestern portion of India—an extensive empire that seemingly was over the whole earth.

The legs of iron represent the Roman Empire. This fourth kingdom conquered the Greek Empire in 63 b.c. Though the Roman Empire was divided into two legs and culminated in a mixture of iron and clay, it was one empire. This empire was characterized by its strength, as iron is stronger than bronze, silver, and gold. The Roman Empire was stronger than any of the previous empires. It crushed all the empires that had preceded it. Rome in its cruel conquest swallowed up the lands and peoples that had been parts of the three previous empires and assimilated those lands and peoples into itself.

The empire that began as iron regressed to a state of clay mixed with iron. This mixture speaks of progressive weakness and deterioration. Two metals together form an alloy which may be stronger than either of the metals individually. But iron and clay cannot be mixed. If iron and clay are put into a crucible, heated to the melting point, and poured into a mold, when the pour has cooled the iron and clay remain separate. The clay can be broken out which leaves a weak casting.

The Roman Empire was characterized by division (it was a divided kingdom) and deterioration (it was partly strong and partly brittle). Though Rome succeeded in conquering the territories that came under its influence, it never could unite the peoples to form a united empire. In that sense the people were a mixture and were not united. (Other views of this mixture of strength and weakness are suggested: [a] the empire was strong organizationally but weak morally; [b] imperialism and democracy were united unsuccessfully; [c] government was intruded by the masses, i.e., mob rule; [d] the empire was a mixture of numerous races and cultures.)

Daniel then focused on the overthrow of those kingdoms. The time of those kings may refer to the four empires or, more likely, it refers to the time of the 10 toes (v. 42) since the first four kingdoms were not in existence at the same time as apparently the toes will be (cf. comments on the 10 horns of the fourth beast, 7:24). Nebuchadnezzar had seen a rock hit and smash the image (2:34). The statue was destroyed by the rock, not by human hands. In Scripture a rock often refers to Jesus Christ, Israel’s Messiah (e.g., Ps. 118:22; Isa. 8:14; 28:16; 1 Peter 2:6-8). God, who had enthroned Nebuchadnezzar and would transfer authority from Babylon to Medo-Persia, then to Greece, and ultimately to Rome, will one day invest political power in a King who will rule over the earth, subduing it to His authority, thus culminating God’s original destiny for man (Gen. 1:27).

In Nebuchadnezzar’s dream the smiting rock became a mountain that filled the whole earth (Dan. 2:35). In Scripture a mountain is often a symbol for a kingdom. So Daniel explained that the four empires which would rule over the land and the people of Israel would not be destroyed by human means, but rather by the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, the striking Stone. When He comes He will establish the messianic kingdom promised to Israel through David (2 Sam. 7:16). At His return He will subjugate all... kingdoms to Himself, thus bringing them to an end (cf. Rev. 11:15; 19:11-20). Then He will rule forever in the Millennium and in the eternal state.[1]

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[1] Adapted from The Bible Knowledge Commentary:

# 6 – Daniel Interprets the Dream

The Lord said to me…”I will test my people with a Plumbline, Amos 7:8 (TLB)

The Plumbline is a blog to encourage the Body of Christ.

# 6 – Daniel Interprets the Dream

Daniel 2:24-45 (NLT) 24 Then Daniel went in to see Arioch, whom the king had ordered to execute the wise men of Babylon. Daniel said to him, “Don’t kill the wise men. Take me to the king, and I will tell him the meaning of his dream.” 25 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!”

You Can Count on the Bible for FACTS

Receiving from God the knowledge of the dream and its interpretation (v. 19) Daniel went to Arioch, the king’s executioner (cf. v. 14), and informed him that he was ready to interpret the king’s dream. Evidently the royal court knew of the king’s agitation for Arioch took Daniel... at once to the king. Officer Arioch wrongly claimed credit for having found an interpreter for the king’s dream. Actually it was Daniel who “went to Arioch.” Arioch evidently expected to be highly rewarded for finding someone who could alleviate the king’s agitation.

The king inquired whether Daniel was able to tell him what he had dreamed and then to interpret it. Daniel was subjected to the same test of his veracity the king had demanded of the wise men. They had previously said that only the gods could reveal the future to man (v. 11). Now Daniel asserted that what the wise men of Babylon could not do (v. 27) by consorting with their false deities, Daniel was able to do because there is a God in heaven (cf. comments on v. 18) who reveals mysteries (v. 28; cf. v. 47). Daniel took no credit to himself (cf. v. 23).

Daniel asserted at the outset that the king’s dream was prophetic (cf. v. 45, “what will take place in the future”), about things to come and what was going to happen. Nebuchadnezzar’s dream covered the prophetic panorama of Gentile history from his time till the forthcoming subjugation of Gentile powers to Israel’s Messiah. This time period is called “the times of the Gentiles” (Luke 21:24). This dream was given to Nebuchadnezzar, the first of many Gentile rulers who would exert power by divine appointment during the times of the Gentiles. God was not revealing spiritual truth to Nebuchadnezzar but facts concerning the political dominion that Gentiles would exercise. Everything in the dream would be readily understandable to Nebuchadnezzar.

The recitation of the dream (2:31-35)

The king’s dream was relatively simple. Daniel reported that the king had seen an enormously large statue. Its size and appearance were awesome. It made the king appear insignificant when he stood before it. The statue was dazzling because of the metals of which it was made. The head of the image was fashioned of pure gold, the chest and arms were of silver, the belly and thighs of bronze, and the legs were of iron, with its feet partly... iron and partly... baked clay. A casual glance would reveal the various parts of the statue.

The statue was not permanent; it was struck on the feet by a rock (cut... not by human hands) which reduced the whole statue like chaff that was blown away. Chaff was the light, inedible portion of grain stalks which blew away when the broken stalks were winnowed (tossed up in the air) on a windy summer day. The rock that destroyed the statue grew into a huge mountain that filled the whole earth. The dream itself was simple. It was the meaning of the dream that agitated the king.[1]

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[1] Adapted from The Bible Knowledge Commentary.

# 5 - Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream.

The Lord said to me…”I will test my people with a Plumbline, Amos 7:8 (TLB)

The Plumbline is a blog to encourage the Body of Christ.

# 5 - Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream.

Daniel 2:1-2 (NLT) 1 One night during the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had such disturbing dreams that he couldn’t sleep. 2 He called in his magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers, and he demanded that they tell him what he had dreamed. As they stood before the king,

The Plumbline

Soon after Nebuchadnezzar’s accession to the throne, he was plagued with a recurring dream. Since Daniel recalled and interpreted only a single dream (cf. vv. 24-26), the use of the plural here (dreams) seems to indicate a recurrence of the same dream. This dream evidently was perceived by Nebuchadnezzar as having great significance, for he was troubled by the dream and so agitated that he was unable to sleep.

The king summoned the wise men of his realm. They professed to be able to foretell the future by one means or another. If the method used by one failed to produce the desired result, hopefully the method employed by another would reveal the dream’s significance. They were called collectively to exercise their enchantments in order to give the king an interpretation that would placate him. The king challenged the wise men, saying, I want to know what it means.

Daniel 2:4-6 (NLT) 4 Then the astrologers answered the king in Aramaic, “Long live the king! Tell us the dream, and we will tell you what it means.” 5 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! 6 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!”

The desperation of the wise men (2:4-11)

Evidently the request to interpret a dream had been made of the wise men on other occasions for they were not surprised. The wise men confidently asserted that when the king revealed the dream to them, they would interpret it to him. They were confident that with their collective wisdom, they could satisfy the king with an interpretation.

Though the king may have made such a demand on the wise men previously and been satisfied with their answers, he evidently had never asked them to interpret a dream that he discerned had such significance. So he decided to test them. If they could predict the future by interpreting dreams, they should be able to reconstruct the past and recall the king’s dream. So he refused to share his dream with them. This does not mean he had forgotten it. Had he done so, the wise men, to save themselves from death, could easily have fabricated a dream and then interpreted it. The king reasoned that if they could not recall the past, their predictions concerning the future could not be trusted.

The king promised rewards and honor for the wise men’s recalling and interpreting the dream. But he put them under a death penalty (they would be cut into pieces) and their houses would be burned to rubble if they proved to be false prognosticators who could not recall the dream.

Again the wise men asked that the king share the dream with them, promising then to interpret it. The king complained that they were stalling for time. He again referred to the penalty for failure to tell him the dream. He felt that the only way he could trust their interpretation of the future was by having them first recall his dream. Otherwise he would conclude that they were conspiring to tell him misleading and wicked things. Also Nebuchadnezzar may have become impatient with the wise men who were presumably older than he as he had inherited them from his father. Another reason for the test may have been that he was suspicious of their claims to wisdom.

To defend themselves, the wise men asserted that the king was making an unreasonable request, one never asked by any other potentate. They attested that the future belongs to the gods, not to men. Interestingly this was an admission that they had deceived the king in their past interpretations, a startling revelation from those held in high esteem in the court.

# 4 Daniel and His Friends Meet the Test

The Lord said to me…”I will test my people with a Plumbline, Amos 7:8 (TLB)

The Plumbline is a blog to encourage the Body of Christ.

# 4 Daniel and His Friends Meet the Test

Daniel 1:18-21 (NLT) 18 When the training period ordered by the king was completed, the chief of staff brought all the young men to King Nebuchadnezzar. 19 The king talked with them, and no one impressed him as much as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they entered the royal service. 20 Whenever the king consulted them in any matter requiring wisdom and balanced judgment, he found them ten times more capable than any of the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom. 21 Daniel remained in the royal service until the first year of the reign of King Cyrus.

Daniel in the Royal Court of Babylon.

Our Royal Court

The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty. At the end of the time set by the king (i.e., at the end of the three years’ training; cf. v. 5), the king examined Daniel and his three companions and found that none equaled them. In fact they were 10 times better than all who practiced the arts of divination. (On magicians and enchanters, see comments on v. 17.) “Ten times” is an idiom meaning “many times” (cf. Gen. 31:7, 41; Num. 14:22; Job 19:3).

The king consulted magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, astrologers, wise men, and diviners. “Magicians” was a general word referring to men who practiced the occult. This word is also used in Gen. 41:8, 24; Ex. 7:11, 22; 8:7, 18-19; 9:11. “Enchanters” (used only twice in the OT, Dan. 1:20; 2:21) may refer to those who used incantations in exorcisms. The word “sorcerers” probably is from the word meaning “to bewitch, to cast a spell.” “Astrologers” seems to refer to a priestly class in the Babylonian religion who depended on revelation through the stars, which were objects of worship. “Diviners” may be those who sought to ascertain or decree the fate of others.

The practices of these five groups may have overlapped extensively. Several times Daniel referred to these men under the general rubric of “wise men” (2:12-14, 18, 24 [twice], 48; 4:6, 18; 5:7-8, 15).

Daniel’s ministry in the royal court of Babylon continued until the overthrow of the Babylonian Empire by Cyrus in 539 b.c. God had said, “Those who honor Me, I will honor” (1 Sam. 2:30). Daniel determined to honor God even though he was living where people did not have the high standards God demanded. And God honored Daniel’s obedience to the Law and promoted him in the king’s court. This incident would have reminded Israel that obedience brings blessing and that righteousness is a prerequisite for enjoying the covenanted blessings.

The fact that God gave Daniel the ability to understand and interpret visions and dreams (Dan. 1:17) meant that throughout Nebuchadnezzar’s long reign he depended on Daniel for understanding future events, revealed through dreams and visions. This anticipated the ministry Israel will one day fulfill. God had set Israel apart to be a kingdom of priests (Ex. 19:6). As such they were God’s light to the world (Isa. 42:6; 49:6). They were to receive God’s revelation and communicate it to nations that were ignorant of God. They were continually reminded of their role by the lampstand erected in the tabernacle. Daniel, during his tenure in the royal court in Babylon, fulfilled that function as God’s spokesman to the Gentiles. When Israel will enter her millennial blessing under the reign of the Messiah, she will fulfill the role for which she was set apart by God and will then communicate God’s truth to the Gentiles (Zech. 8:21-23).