Daniel 2:24-30 The Answer

Amen. Please remain standing and turn once again to the book of Daniel. Daniel chapter 2, and we'll pick up our reading in verse 24. Daniel 2, starting in verse 24. Hear now the word of God. Therefore, Daniel went into Ariok, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon.

He went and spoke to him as follows. Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon. Take me into the king's presence, and I will declare the interpretation to the king. Then Ariok hurriedly brought Daniel into the king's presence and spoke to him as follows.

I have found a man among the exiles from Judah who can make the interpretation known to the king. The king said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen and its interpretation?

Daniel answered before the king and said, As for the mystery about which the king has inquired, neither wise men, conjurers, magicians, nor diviners are able to declare it to the king. However, there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will take place in the latter days.

This was your dream and the visions in your mind while on your bed. As for you, O king, while on your bed your thoughts turned to what would take place in the future, and he who reveals mysteries has made known to you what will take place.

But as for me, this mystery has not been revealed to me for any wisdom residing in me more than in any other living man, but for the purpose of making the interpretation known to the king that you may understand the thoughts of your mind.

Daniel's Prayer, Hermeneutics, and the Need for Divine Guidance

Let's pray. Father, once again, as we look into this book of Daniel, a book of wisdom, a book of mystery, we pray, Father, that you would open our eyes and our hearts, just as you did to Daniel, that we would understand what you have to say to your church, and that understanding it we would obey it, and that, Father, we would advance your kingdom and become more like Jesus Christ.

It's in his name we pray. Amen. Please be seated. One of the first textbooks that I had to buy when I entered college was a book that was titled, How Does a Poem Mean? It was required for my Humanities 101 course, and the purpose of the book was to teach students how to interpret the meaning of a poem by analyzing the various literary devices that are used by poets.

Now, this proved to be very useful to a young engineering student whose humanities professor was obsessed with the poetry of Emily Dickinson. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Emily Dickinson, listen to this description.

Emily Dickinson is considered one of the leading 19th century American poets, known for her bold original verse, which stands out for its epigrammatic compression, haunting personal voice, and enigmatic brilliance.

I had trouble interpreting that, let alone her poetry. My point is that I needed help to understand her poetry. And I think that's true for most of us, isn't it? But it's equally true of the Bible, and perhaps even more so, because the Bible is a unique book.

It's a one-of-a-kind book. It is both human and divine at the same time. And to fully understand the content of the Bible, you need divine guidance. If you're going to understand the spiritual aspects of the book, you need the Holy Spirit.

But the Bible is also written in various literary styles. Therefore, study and careful interpretive skills are essential if you're going to obtain the maximum benefit from your Bible study. Now, while the gospel message is simple, in fact, simple enough for a child to understand it, but there are portions which are very difficult to understand.

That's why Paul encourages young Pastor Timothy in 2 Timothy 2 .15, he says, Study. Be diligent, he says, to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth.

And then Peter cautions readers to be careful when approaching difficult portions of Scripture. And he says in 2 Peter 3,. And regard the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters speaking in them of these things in which some are hard to understand, which the untaught, the unstable distort as they do the rest of the Scriptures to their own destruction.

That's why in our introductory sermon to Daniel, we reviewed some of the principles of hermeneutics, some of the principles of biblical interpretation. And we caution that we must be careful because Daniel contains mysteries.

Some of which are revealed to Daniel and others are not. In fact, listen to Daniel in the last chapter of this book. In chapter 12, verse 8, he says, As for me, I heard but could not understand. So I said, my Lord, what will be the outcome of these events?

He says, go your way, Daniel. In other words, it's not for you, he says, for these words are concealed and sealed up until the end time. So how then do we approach a book like Daniel? Well, first in interpreting any text of Scripture, determine the clear purpose first.

A lot of people go in looking for the deep things. No, do the plain text. What is what is the main intent of the text? And that's accomplished by using sound biblical principles. Once you have determined what the purpose of the text is, you can look at the imagery, the metaphors and all the figures of speech that God uses to enrich the text.

Let me give you an example using the text before us. The king has a dream that frightens him. He wants to know, what does this mean? Now, let me answer, ask a question. Can we discern that easily enough from the text?

The answer is absolutely yes. This text is clear. He wanted to know the meaning so earnestly that he was willing to put to death the entire court of his counselors. And though this text is rife with symbolism and figures of speech, the purpose of the vision is simple to understand because it's just given in plain language.

The king has been given privy to the events of latter days. But the text is given in beautiful imagery and figures of speech as we look at the vision itself. But begin with the simple, revealed meaning first.

Let me give you something not to do. Don't go looking for meanings and messages that aren't there and have nothing to do with the text. You may chuckle at that, but there's a lot of pulpits this morning that are doing that very thing.

There are some who propose that there's a code in the Bible. And those who propose that the Bible contains hidden messages that can be discovered by counting the number of letters from a certain margin and up and down and crossways and sideways and inside out.

In fact, these messages are supposed to be indicators of some significant historical event. In fact, those who advocate the Bible code, the last one they predicted was, guess what? The Bible predicted the COVID pandemic.

Not overtly, but it's in there if you know what to count. How can I put this? That is a total misuse of Scripture. The imagery and style of a passage of Scripture is meant to enhance the clear meaning.

Take Isaiah 52. We actually sang this this morning. What a coincidence. Oh, I asked them to do it. The clear meaning. But look at what Isaiah 52 7 says. How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace and brings good news of happiness, who announces salvation and says to Zion, your God reigns.

That's a song of praise to the sovereign God right smack in the middle of the God. I always call it the Gospel of Isaiah. The poetry, the structure of that enhances the beauty of the message. So you have the content wrapped in this beautiful poetry.

And it lends itself to a song. You sang that song. Does not that song lift your spirit when you sing our God reigns? But whether it's read out loud or sung, the message doesn't change. Just that it's wrapped in a more beautiful package.

Daniel uses different a different literary device to enhance the meaning of his text. It's called a chiasm. A chiasm is a writing style which repeats certain facts in a in a way designed to emphasize or clarify the point.

All of chapter two is written in this form, but I'm going to give you a shortened version just so you have an idea of what a chiasm is. Verses 10 to 30 is a chiastic structure. Now, these verses tell the story of the king demanding an interpretation of the dream.

If I were to ask you, what is the most important fact in those verses? I think it would be unanimous to say the most important point is Daniel interpreting the dream. Anybody disagree with that? Let me show you how the chiastic style enhances and emphasizes that.

A chiasm usually follows this pattern. Point A, B, C and D. Each one moving towards that D point and then coming out from it C, B, A. So you see it pointing down to this main point and then coming away from it, pointing back to it.

Let me give an example. Point A is verses 10 to 11. Man cannot answer the king, only God. Point B, Ariac brings Daniel to the king. That's point B. Point C, Daniel and his friends pray. Point D, here's the main point, God answers Daniel.

Now coming out of that point D, Daniel and his friends praise God. Notice how that corresponds to they pray for an answer. Then point B, Ariac brings Daniel before the king. We've seen that before. He brings him to the king first and then afterwards he brings him back to the king.

Then it comes to the last point, man cannot answer the king, only God. Notice the structure? It's beautiful. When you read it, it helps you to understand this is the most important point. It's right there in the center.

Everything points to it. As you read these verses, and I would encourage you, especially in these books, read them aloud. Even if you're sitting there, but especially in a group, read them aloud. And listen and hear what the Bible is saying to you.

Not some special thing, but enhancing the main clear point. Reading aloud has become almost a lost art. A number of years ago in our prayer meeting, we read the book of Pilgrim's Progress. We assigned parts to the congregation.

We sat there and we read through the whole book, emphasizing the parts, almost like play acting without the acting. We're going to do it again because it's such a benefit. Number one, that book is so important to our Christian walk.

But to get you maybe more excited about reading and reading aloud. That's why we read so much of the scripture aloud. You may be saying, Pastor, we've read Daniel chapter 2 for almost a whole chapter every week now for about three weeks.

And you're probably going to hear it some more. Because reading aloud helps us to hear besides seeing and using all our senses when we're studying the scriptures. In fact, many of the Psalms are written chiastically, which I think that's a word, chiastically.

Which makes them even more suitable to sing. You realize that Psalms were meant to sing. I'm going to give you a voluntary homework assignment. Daniel's prayer in verses 20 to 23 is a chiasm. When you go home, see if you can diagram it.

Just just give it a shot. I think it'll help you in your study. Now, back to the text. Last week, we concluded with the prayer of Thanksgiving of Daniel and his next action is also extremely significant.

Daniel Springs into Action After Prayer

Look at chapter 2, verse 24. Therefore, Daniel went into Ariak, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. And he went in and spoke to him as follows. Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon.

Take me into the kingdom present and I will declare the interpretation to the king. Here's my point. First point. When Daniel gets off his knees, he springs into action. This is a matter of life and death.

Not just for him and his friends, but for all the wise men in the king's court. So Daniel immediately finds the chief bodyguard, Ariak, and petitions him, take me to the king. Notice how he begins the request.

Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon. Daniel is concerned about even the lives of the Chaldeans. These men were self-centered charlatans and yet Daniel has regard for their lives. See, Daniel has not only a sense of justice, but of mercy in his character.

You know, he could have easily have rationalized just letting them go to the gallows. He could have argued before the king. Look, your majesty. They couldn't answer your request, so put them to death.

Listen to me. I got it. Isn't that the way our depraved human natures think often? Two men competing for the same job. Smear the reputation of your opponent while exalting yourself. But that's not godly character.

Daniel's concern was for the safety of everyone, even his enemies. Ariak, he says, stop the king from following through on his command. Take me to him. I have the answer. Before we move on, there's an important comment on these events.

Notice that when Daniel prays, he immediately springs into action. Too often, Christians pray about a matter and then sit back and wait for the miracle. Now, don't get me wrong. There's nothing wrong with praying for miracles.

But after praying, if there is action available for you to do, get off your knees and spring into action just as Daniel did. If you're in the middle of a flood and the waters are rising, pray for God's deliverance.

Then get in the boat. If someone's shooting at you, pray, then duck. In fact, let me revise that. If somebody's shooting at you, pray while you're ducking. Ronald Reagan forgot that. In fact, he told his wife when she says, what happened?

He says, I forgot to duck, honey. That's a true story. If you have a big test ahead of you, pray for wisdom, then study hard. See, Daniel took all the appropriate steps. He prays. He receives the answer.

He praises and thanks God. Then he springs into action. He finds Ariak, the man slated to execute the king's command. And he stops the executions and asks for an audience with the king. Look at verse 25.

Then Ariak hurriedly brought Daniel into the king's presence and spoke to him as follows. I have found a man among the exiles from Judah who can make the interpretation known to the king. Notice what the text says.

Ariak hurriedly brought Daniel to the king. There's an urgency to this matter. Life and death for many people. So Ariak brings Daniel forthwith. Let's look at Ariak for a minute. I have to tell you, he's one of my favorite characters in this short story.

And not just because he was a cop. Well, that's part of it. He was. He is the ranking law enforcement officer in the king's court. Chief of the bodyguards. So yes, he's a cop. And apparently a pretty good one because he's trusted by the king.

He's the one the king entrusted to carry out the execution order. But he was not a bloodthirsty man. For when he gets the news from Daniel that there's an answer to the king's dream, he hurries to get Daniel before the king.

That tells me he wanted to avoid bloodshed. He was interested in saving the lives of the risemen. I like this guy. And apparently he had a relationship with Daniel as well because Daniel trusted him to bring him before the king with an important message.

Now he does have one flaw that's noted in here. He's very much like the police brass today. He's ambitious and he's looking to get ahead. He wants to garner favor with the powers that be. And I'm not speculating here because look what he tells the king.

I have found a man among the exiles from Judah who can make the interpretation known to the king. That's not really accurate. Daniel found him. He didn't find Daniel. But I'm willing to overlook that because he had an opportunity for career advancement.

I mean, come on, this is exactly what happens today. You ever watch a press conference after a major crime has been solved? The mayor or the county executive takes the podium and behind him are all the chiefs jockeying for positions so they can be seen by the camera.

They're almost pushing each other off the podium. And where are the detectives that solved the case? They're in the back room. So we'll have to overlook. Ariak's got this little character flaw. That's politics and it hasn't changed since Babylon.

But then we see in verse 26 the king speaks. The king said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen and its interpretation? Remember, that's the centerpiece.

The purpose of this whole portion of scripture is right here in verse 19. God answered Daniel's prayer. Everything beforehand leads up to that and everything up to verse 30 looks back to it. But these details are nonetheless important.

The author of this section in the book reminds us very subtly who Daniel is. The king addresses this man whose name was Belteshazzar. Remember, that's the Babylon name given to Daniel. But don't forget, though his name has been changed to a Babylonian name, he's still Daniel, the faithful servant of the Lord God Jehovah.

And the king speaks. Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen and its interpretation? The king's question, his demand, has not changed throughout the whole affair. So he doesn't mince words here either with Daniel.

Remember, he has been told by his chief counselors that no man on earth can do what he asks. But he remains steadfast in his demand. Can you do it or not? And then Daniel responds in verse 27. Daniel answered before the king and said,.

As for the mystery about which the king has inquired, neither wise men, conjurers, magicians, nor diviners are able to declare it to the king. Here we see again Daniel's boldness and yet humility. I think he took a little chance here by not just saying yes, right?

Get that right out of his mouth. But he wants the king to know that it's not him. He wants him to know that it was God who gave the answer. Notice he even names the various types of wise men in the king's courts.

The conjurers, the magicians, the diviners. You know there's really very little known about these different styles. One can imagine based upon their name. But it's not necessary really for our study. The point is that any of the so-called mystical artists are not able to peer into the mysteries of God.

John Calvin comments on this. I'm going to give you a short quotation from Calvin. He says, This appears to me the whole intention. The king's dream was not subjected to human knowledge, for mortals have no such natural skill as to be able to comprehend the meaning of the dream.

And God manifests those secrets which need the peculiar revelation of the spirit. When Daniel says the magi, astrologers and the rest cannot explain to the king his dream and are not suitable interpreters of it, the true reason is because the dream was not natural and had nothing in common with human conjectures but was the peculiar revelation of the spirit.

So says John Calvin. That's why Daniel gives the response to the king in more than just one word. He demonstrates boldness and humility, two great qualities. And once again we see Daniel's wisdom come through as he continues to speak.

God Reveals Mysteries and Gives Nebuchadnezzar a Vision of the Future

Verse 28. However, there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will take place in the latter days. This was your dream and the visions in your mind while on your bed.

First, he relates the source of the vision was God. And more specifically, the God in heaven. God just didn't reveal the answer but he is the source of the dream in the first place. And this is really important for Daniel to make clear because it separates him from the other wise men and gives glory again to God.

Second, he introduces Nebuchadnezzar to the concept that God is revealing a secret to him as the king. In other words, the king has been selected by God to be the recipient of revelation of future world events.

We'll pick that theme up a little while later, not today, but in a future message. But that's an important point. The thought that he would have insight into the future had to be exciting for the king.

There's a lot of literature out there concerning time travel and having knowledge of the future. Think about it. If you really could know the future, it could mean money, fame, success in many ways. Nebuchadnezzar was an ambitious man so this had to be going through his mind.

The thought must have been appealing to him. I'm going to get a glimpse of the future. Next, Daniel lays the foundation for the dream. He says, this was your dream and the visions in your mind while on your bed.

As for you, O king, while on your bed, your thoughts turned to what would take place in the future. And he who reveals mysteries has made known to you what will take place. Ever wonder what people think about when they lay down to go to sleep?

What do you think about when you lay down to go to sleep? When I was a detective, especially when I was preparing to testify in court, I laid down and all I could think of was I was rehearsing my testimony for the next day.

How was I going to answer this? What if I was asked this question? What if I was asked that question? I wanted to be as prepared as possible. But I'm not going to court anymore. Now that I'm a pastor, I go to sleep pondering the scripture I'm preaching.

I always think about what does this mean? What does that mean? How can I get this point across? I dwell on it and meditate on it. And that's usually how I fall asleep at night. By the way, I sleep very well.

It's a great way to go to sleep. I wonder what the rich and famous think about when they lie down on their beds. We're told here what the king thought about. He thought about the future. What does the future hold?

Knowing the future. Think how that could benefit a king. Wow. And Daniel tells him God has revealed some of the future of the latter days. And then Daniel says something surprising. Look at verse 30. But as for me, this mystery has not been revealed to me for any wisdom residing in me more than in any other living man, but for the purpose of making the interpretation known to the king that you may understand the thoughts of your mind.

First, Daniel reiterates that the revelation doesn't come from any inherent wisdom in himself. The interpretation comes from God. Daniel is meticulous to avoid taking any glory to himself. When I was reading this, I immediately thought of the Isaac Watts hymn which we sang earlier today.

When I survey the wondrous cross on which the prince of glory died, my richest gain I count but loss, and poor contempt on all my pride. Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast, save in the death of Christ my Lord, all the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to his blood.

But knowing Daniel, that humility shouldn't be surprising to us now. What is surprising is the purpose for which God revealed the answer. Look at verse 30 again, the last part. For the purpose of making the interpretation known to the king that you may understand the thoughts of your mind.

You would think that the revelation would be to help Daniel and his three friends. To help the nation of Judah who has been defeated and oppressed by Nebuchadnezzar. And there is no doubt that both of those are true to some extent.

But the primary purpose, Daniel says, is that the king, the pagan king, would understand the dream and its interpretation. Now why would God do such a thing? Why would he give special revelation to a pagan?

Let me caution you once again about ascribing motivation for God's actions. That's always a tenuous process. You can easily go astray. But I think we're on safe ground by saying that God had a purpose reserved for Nebuchadnezzar in the history of his kingdom.

This is just one step in God's plan to humble him and get him ready to proclaim the sovereignty and majesty of Almighty God. I can't wait till we get to chapter four and hear that wonderful declaration by Nebuchadnezzar.

But for now, God has revealed part of his plan for the nations. Next week we'll begin looking at the vision and the meaning of it itself. But before we close, there are some comments that are necessary as we look at this chapter.

God's Sovereignty, Second Causes, and the Meaning of the Latter Days

First, there are some recurring themes. The one that I'm going to keep reminding you of is the sovereignty of God. I keep bringing it up because it's so prevalent in this book. Especially in this chapter, God gives the king this vision.

God gives Daniel the answer to the interpretation. In Daniel's prayer, he acknowledges the sovereignty of God. God raises up kingdoms, he tears them down. He is the Lord over the nations. He is light as opposed to darkness.

The sovereignty of God over all things. Second, God uses second causes to accomplish his sovereign purpose. He uses individuals such as Daniel to interpret the vision. He could have used a variety of methods to give the meaning to the king.

But for his sovereign purposes, he uses Daniel. And as we will see, Daniel is exalted in this pagan land which accomplishes God's purpose in so many ways. And we'll examine them as we come to them in the text.

Third, another repeating theme. If you look at this chapter, following after the world and its wisdom brings death. The wise men of Babylon couldn't answer the king. And that meant death for everyone.

Listening just as listening to the serpent in the garden brought death for everyone. Listening to God brings life everlasting. In Daniel, the king put demands upon the wise men that they couldn't bear.

All the wise men were condemned to death. God gives the answer to Daniel and listening to God brings life. Not just for him, but for all the wise men. What is impossible for man is possible with God. Fourth principle which I want to introduce again.

God uses human governments to accomplish his purposes. Let me say that again. God uses human governments to accomplish his purposes. Therefore, the Christian should see that there is a purpose in this world regardless of the status of the society in which we live.

That's why we pray for our governing officials right from this pulpit every week. We pray for them on Wednesday. See, just as God was working his sovereign purposes for the people in that pagan nation of Babylon, he is working his purpose in every nation today.

Not just the United States of America. Sometimes we have a tendency, we get a tunnel vision and all we think is the society we live in. God is working all around this world in many nations that we don't even know of.

One of the things in one of our trips to Ukraine, we had opportunity to speak to many pastors and governing officials. They told us that when the Soviet Union broke down and Ukraine obtained its freedom, they found out that the church had prospered under the Soviet Union.

We in the West didn't even know that. We thought that everything was so oppressive, the church was all but extinct. The church was vibrant. It's gotten weaker with our influence. Because unfortunately, we're not always bringing a godly influence but humanistic influence.

So just as God was working his sovereign purposes for people in Babylon, he's working in nations today. So, I have a question for you. Why are you discouraged? This is still Christ's world. Fifth, I want to introduce again the term latter days.

This term has become an eschatological buzzword. There are those who teach that every time you see this phrase, it's referring to the second coming of Jesus Christ, regardless of the context it's used in.

That is just plain poor hermeneutics. Daniel uses the phrase here in verse 28, he says, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will take place in the latter days. Now since this vision is what will explain what will take place in latter days, we should let that tell us what he means by the latter days.

Now we haven't seen the vision yet, so I'm just introducing. We'll expand on it later on. But we will see that this vision tells us what's going to happen in the world, on the world stage from Babylon to Rome, which is when Christ comes to earth.

That's the extent of the vision. So what are the latter days? In this text, the latter days end with the kingdom of God crushing all other kingdoms, the rock cut without hands. And we'll see that as we go, I know I've been throwing out a lot this morning.

The kingdom of Christ came to earth and began to spread in the first century, and it continues to spread. That gives us a time frame to keep in mind as we expound the vision. And then one last thought, and this is supreme.

Remember, the centerpiece of scripture is always Jesus Christ. With all the visions and the fantastic occurrences in this book, never lose sight of the fact it's all about Jesus. Mankind is impotent to save himself and his fallen world.

The only hope is Jesus Christ. Our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. Where have we heard that? You know, I'm grateful for that book, that textbook. How does a poem mean?

Because it helped me get through. I didn't get an A, but it helped me get through that class on Emily Dickinson. I didn't develop a love for reading, however, until quite a few years later. But learning how to read scripture and see the beauty of not just the content itself, but the style and the imagery that it's wrapped up in is truly a blessing.

I would encourage you to look for the biblical poetry and the images found in this truly unique book, this one-of-a-kind book, to learn how to enjoy reading the Bible, for it is truly the word of God.

Keep studying and reading as we pursue the wisdom in the book of Daniel. After all, I promised you, it is a fantastic book. If you're here today and you're not a believer, take a lesson from Daniel. If you follow the wisdom of this world that leads to death, follow Christ and receive life everlasting.

Let's pray. Father, we bow before you again and we thank you for your word, the very words of life. Father, help us to follow in the example of Daniel and his character, that we would be single-mindedly following Christ.

He teaches us how to live in a pagan world as a believer. May we truly honor you in how we live day by day, even if we have to stand before kings and presidents. I pray, Father, for anyone who doesn't know you, that today would be the day of salvation.

Take away their heart of stone, give them a heart of flesh, that they might repent and believe. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.