God Positions Daniel & His 3 Friends for Greater Use.
| A Troubled King |
| Vs. 1-13 |
Nebuchadnezzar is troubled about the future (vs. 29). He is tired of false, insincere, unreliable advisors. His cynicism causes him to make a radical decision to rid himself of all his counselors, including the good ones!
Note: From verse 4b to 7:28 the book of Daniel is written in Aramaic. |
| A Triumphant Counselor |
| |
Daniel responds to the crisis by turning to the Lord. His godly character is seen in the following: |
| Vs. 14-16 |
Bold – Confident in God. Daniel did not fear the king (Proverbs 21:1) |
Proverbs 3:25-26; 28:1; 14:26,27; Psalm 23:4; Ephesians 6:10-13; Philippians 4:13 |
| Vs. 17-18 |
Humble – Sought prayer support. |
Proverbs 3:5-6,34; Psalm 31:19-21 |
| Vs. 19-23 |
Reverent – Paused to thank God.
Cp. Dan. 6:10 (vs. 1-9) |
Psalm 18:46-49; 34:1; 103:1-2; 119:62,164; 140:13; Luke 17:11-19; Philippians 4:6 |
| Vs. 24 |
Kind – Sought to save the lives of his enemies. |
Leviticus 19:17-18; Matthew 5:43-48; Proverbs 25:21-22 |
| Vs. 25-30 |
Faithful – Giving God the glory. |
Romans 11:33-36 cp. Psalm 139:1-2,23-24; Proverbs 20:24,27; Jeremiah 17:9-10; Hebrews 4:12-13 |
| Vs. 31-45 |
Straightforward – God’s Ambassador; Not controlled by Fear of man. |
Proverbs 29:25-26; Isaiah 2:10-11; 50:4-10; Jeremiah 1:4-10 |
| Vs. 46-49 |
Wise – When success brings honor & power(Proverbs 22:4), he surrounds himself with wise & godly people. He promotes the other servants of God. |
Psalm 101:6; Proverbs 11:14; 20:18; II Timothy 2:22; Romans 12:3-10; I Corinthians 12:4-27 |
Where Does God Invest His Wisdom & Knowledge? (Daniel 2:21)
- Proverbs 1:5-7 (cp. 13:13)
- Proverbs 8:4-9 cp.Psalm 111:10
- Proverbs 9:8-10
- Proverbs 28:5
- Psalms 97:11
- Psalm 112:4
- Luke 8:18 (study the parable of the sower in Luke 8:4-18 ~ especially vs. 15-18.)
- John 7:17
- James 1:2-8; 17-25
- James 3:13-18 cp I Corinthians 8:1-3
A Look at the Kingdoms to Come
Daniel 2:24-25
See the special supplemental page entitled, “Six Kingdoms Revealed in the Book of Daniel.” When men look at the World’s kingdoms (chapter 2 – Nebuchadnezzar’s dream) they see precious metal / valuable mineral. When God sees this world’s kingdoms (chapter 7 – Daniel’s vision from God) He sees beasts / animals. See Psalm 49 (esp. vs. 12, 20); Psalm 9:16-20; 46:6-11; Isaiah 40:12-24 (esp. vs. 15, 22-23).
Consider Matthew 4:8-10. What did Jesus see when he beheld the kingdoms of this world?
See also Psalm 2:1-9; Revelation 11:15; 19:11-16.
Note: Christ’s Future Kingdom: The stone (Daniel 2:34) strikes at the feet (not legs) of the image which represents the kingdoms of this world. Christ’s earthly kingdom will be established in the future, after the Kingdom of Anti-Christ, not during the Roman Empire and the times of the Apostles / Church-Age.
See Daniel 2:34-35, 44-45 cp. Matthew 21:42-46. What stone is Jesus talking about? What difference is there between falling on the stone and the stone falling on someone? |
