In this lesson based on "Daniel: Standing Firm for God" by Gene Getz, we examine Daniel 2 and Nebuchadnezzar's dream of the giant statue. Daniel's response to the king's threat is prayer, and he gives God all the credit and glory for the answer to the king's dream.

1. A MYSTERIOUS DRAMA
DANIEL 2:1-49
BASED ON DANIEL: STANDING FIRM FOR GOD BY GENE A. GETZ

2. TROUBLING DREAMS AND NEBUCHADNEZZAR’S
FRUSTRATION (2:1-11)
• This chapter of Daniel reads like a Shakespearean drama. With a
series of dreams, God invaded the heart and mind of a pagan tyrant.
• In this passage, there are several things you need to notice.
• V.1 Nebuchadnezzar must have had the same dream multiple times.
That’s why he speaks of a single dream (v.3).
• Nebuchadnezzar had already decided to command his wise men not
only to interpret the dream but to reveal what it was because he
could not remember it upon waking.

3. • Nebuchadnezzar was already angry. (Lack of sleep didn’t help!)
His penalty for not responding was death to the wise men and
leveling their homes (v.5).
• Why this bizarre level of anger? In verse 9, he accuses the wise
men of “lying and corrupt words.” He didn’t trust them
because of either a recent event or a long period of bad
experiences.
• If these wise men had actually been wise, they would have
admitted any conspiracy and begged for mercy. It would have
given them a chance at survival at least.
• Instead, they accuse the king of being unfair (v.10-11).

4. NEBUCHADNEZZAR’S DECREE AND
ARIOCH’S EXPLANATION (2:12-16)
• V.12 Nebuchadnezzar didn’t take their response well and ordered the
destruction of all the wise men in Babylon.
• V.13 This list included Daniel and his friends, the ones that were ten times
better than the other wise men (Daniel 1:20).
• Something interesting needs to be pointed out here. This dream occurred in
the second year of his reign, which began shortly after Daniel and the
Hebrews were taken captive.
• Either Nebuchadnezzar had this dream for almost a year and gave this order
just after the end of the three year schooling for the Hebrews, or Daniel and
his friends were already in some kind of apprenticeship “wise-men-in-
training” program for them to be included in the death order.

5. • Regardless, Daniel and his friends had already won the trust of the king and
Arioch, who was probably the King’s personal bodyguard (v.14).
• Why would Arioch even listen to Daniel’s questions and take time to explain
what had happened? Why would Daniel be granted an audience with the
King?
• This actually raises an interesting question: Is it possible that Daniel and his
friends had sowed seeds of doubt in Nebuchadnezzar’s mind regarding his
own pagan wise men?
• Daniel 1:17. Had Daniel already had opportunity to demonstrate God’s gift
in the king’s court?
• V.16 These questions actually help explain Nebuchadnezzar’s anger,
Arioch’s personal approach and explanation, and why Daniel was able to
obtain a private audience with the king and get time to discover the dream
and what it meant (and get a stay of execution for all the wise men in the
process!)

6. FOUR MEN’S PRAYER AND DANIEL’S
ADORATION (2:17-23)
• V.17 Daniel tells his friends and asks them to pray with him.
• V.18 The stakes were very clear, so their prayers were very focused
and urgent. The Bible word for this is “fervent.”
• James 5:16
• V.19 Daniel got the answer they needed that night.
• V.20-23 Daniel praises and thanks God for His wisdom and power.
He refers to the Lord 13 times in four verses. His focus is on God as
the source of all that had happened.

7. DIVINE MYSTERIES AND DANIEL’S
INTERPRETATION (2:24-45)
• V.24 Daniel lets Arioch know to hold the executions and take him to
the king.
• V.25 Arioch reintroduces Daniel to the king. This is a bit of self-
promotion, with Arioch taking credit for discovering Daniel, because
the king honored men who could outsmart others.
• V.26 Nebuchadnezzar puts Daniel to the test.
• V.27-28 Daniel takes no credit for himself, but explains to the king
that only God could reveal this information.

8. http://www.biblestudying.net/statue2.jpg

9. THE KING’S HONOR AND DANIEL’S
ELEVATION (2:46-49)
• V.46 Nebuchadnezzar worships Daniel by prostrating himself and
giving him an offering and burning incense. The word for worship
here is the same one used else where for worshipping idols.
• There is absolutely nothing Daniel could do to prevent this. That’s
why he gave God all the credit several times (v.27-28, 30, 45).
• V.47 Nebuchadnezzar acknowledges that Daniel’s God is more
powerful than any “god” he had ever worshiped.

10. • V.48 Daniel was placed in charge of all the wise men, given
gifts, and made ruler over the city of Babylon itself.
• V.49 Daniel recommended that Shadrach, Meshach and
Abednego be appointed as key administrators over the
province while Daniel occupied the position of chief counselor
to the king.
• All of this occurred when these kids were 18-19 years old! Can
you image being in charge of a city or being the advisor to the
President at 18?

11. 1. THOUGH GOD IS SOVEREIGN AND IN CONTROL OF
HISTORY, HE HAS CHOSEN TO USE OUR HUMAN
KNOWLEDGE, WISDOM, TACT, AND ABILITIES TO
ACHIEVE HIS DIVINE AND ETERNAL PURPOSES.
• Romans 11:33-36
• People always go to one extreme or the other: either
emphasizing God’s sovereignty and neglecting man’s
responsibility or emphasizing man’s free will and failing to give
a proper place to God’s preordained plans.

12. 2. THOUGH GOD IS SOVEREIGN, HE HAS CHOSEN TO USE THE PROCESS OF
PRAYER TO UNLEASH HIS MIRACULOUS POWER TO ENABLE US TO SOLVE
PROBLEMS THAT RANGE FROM THOSE SIMPLE ISSUES WE FACE AT THE PURELY
HUMAN LEVEL TO THOSE THAT ARE VERY COMPLEX AND FAR BEYOND OUR
HUMAN CAPABILITIES.
• When we pray, it makes a difference!
• Dick Eastman stated: “Somehow, the simple act of prayer links
the sovereign God to a finite man. When man prays, God
responds. Difficult situations change. Unexpected miracles
occur.”
• That’s why Paul tells us to “pray without ceasing” in I
Thessalonians 5:17.

13. 3. NO MATTER HOW MUCH WE CONTRIBUTE TO GOD’S
WORK IN THIS WORLD WITH OUR TIME, TALENTS, AND
TREASURES, WE SHOULD ALWAYS GIVE HIM ALL HONOR
AND GLORY FOR WHAT HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED.
• Ephesians 3:20-21
• Daniel did NOT want the credit and worship Nebuchadnezzar gave
him. That’s why he gave God the glory multiple times.
• It is difficult to balance feeling good about ourselves and our
accomplishments while honoring God and thanking Him for enabling
us to succeed in life.
• Daniel did not engage in “false humility;” he genuinely gave all the
praise, honor, and glory to God.