The most powerful king in the world awoke from a dream, shaken, and made a request that would lead to the execution of all wise men if they failed to interpret the dream and reveal its meaning. In the Bible, we are introduced to one of the most fascinating stories in Scripture when Daniel, the young exile, unravels the mystery of the king's dream and tells the king what he dreamed in the first place. It is a story of a king who had a dream about a statue made of gold, silver, bronze, and iron, and a heavenly power that can unveil the deep mystery of the dream and bring the king eternal happiness.
A Young Exile in a Foreign Court
Daniel was one of the young men of Judah carried off to Babylon when the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem. Because he was found to be a particularly able young man, Daniel and some other young men were brought into the Babylonian king's service. Notwithstanding his exile, Daniel remained faithful to his Jewish beliefs and quietly but firmly obeyed God despite being far from the Jewish homeland and among a foreign idolatrous people. God gave Daniel the ability to perceive visions and, in time, Daniel was to face a crisis, indeed, in which his gift was to enable him to reveal an amazing secret.
The Most Powerful King in the World Was Bewildered by a Dream
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, the most powerful king in the world at the time, was deeply distressed about a dream that had disturbed his nights and left him completely exhausted. The king summoned all the wise men to his court and ordered them to disclose the meaning of the dream to him. To his great dismay, the king learned that all the wise men were unable to unravel the mystery of the dream. Nebuchadnezzar flew into a rage and had all the wise men executed for their impotence. But the king made a strange order; he decreed that unless the young men could reveal what he had dreamed and unveil its meaning, all the wise men of Babylon would be executed. This order was most terrifying to Daniel and his friends because it was not known what the king had dreamed, and they had no opportunity even to guess what it might have been.
Nevertheless, Daniel, a young exile, boldly approached the king's palace, and without showing fear, requested permission to be granted time to tell the king what he had dreamed and disclose its meaning. Daniel prayed to his God, and God revealed to Daniel the secret of the king's dream in the night. The God of Daniel is a wise God, and Daniel was overwhelmed with gratitude to his heavenly king for revealing the mystery of the dream. Noticeably, Daniel did not glory in his own wisdom for unveiling the mystery but attributed the wisdom to God. Daniel told the king what he had dreamed, and thus, it was revealed that the God of Daniel was able to disclose the secrets of the heart and minds of men.
With every wise man in Babylon under a death sentence, Daniel asked the king for time and then gathered his friends to pray. That night, God revealed the secret dream in a vision.
The Statue of Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Iron
Daniel told the king that the image he had seen in his dream represented a series of successive kingdoms. The head of gold represented the king's Babylonian empire, which was the most powerful kingdom at that time. Following Nebuchadnezzar's Babylonian Empire would be another kingdom, inferior to Babylonian but still considerable, which would be represented by the chest and arms of silver. Next, another kingdom of bronze would arise, and it would be inferior to the previous ones. After it, another kingdom of iron would emerge and become even stronger than all previous ones. The feet of the statue were to be a mixture of iron and clay, signifying a kingdom of mixed qualities that would be strong and enduring but with some weakness.
The stone cut out without human agency but from heaven was to strike the feet of iron and clay, and the whole statue would be broken to pieces. "And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor shall be left to another people; it shall break in pieces all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever." Daniel tells Nebuchadnezzar that this is to be the work of God's kingdom, the one that cannot be destroyed but shall last for ever. It is a wonderful message about God's kingdom and its lasting power, but it also explains history and the succession of empires.
The statue Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream had a head of gold, arms of silver, belly of bronze, legs of iron, and feet of mixed iron and clay — and a stone from heaven that shattered it and grew to fill the earth.
A Proud King Falls Before Daniel's God
The proud king was most delighted that Daniel, a foreigner and an exile, had saved his life. Daniel told the king what he had dreamed and unveiled the mystery of his dream. Nebuchadnezzar was amazed that Daniel had disclosed the secrets of his own mind and was astonished that such wisdom had been granted to Daniel. The king fell on his face before Daniel in great admiration and praised God for making such a wonderful man. He declared, "Of a truth thy God is the God of gods, and the Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, for thou couldest reveal this mystery." The king ordered rich gifts to be given to Daniel, appointed him ruler over all the wise men in his kingdom, and gave him a chief position in the Babylonian government. Daniel's other companions also received rich rewards from the king. It is indeed amazing that an exile from Judah can rise to such power and prestige in Babylon through the wisdom God gave him.
The king of the world's mightiest empire bowed before a young Jewish exile and declared that Daniel's God was the God of gods. Daniel was then appointed to rule over all the wise men of Babylon.
Faithful From the Very Start
Daniel's faithfulness bore fruits of great significance even when he was in the Babylonian service. When he and the other young men first came to Babylon, they were given a choice of either eating the food provided or eating vegetables with water. Daniel politely refused the rich food and opted for vegetables with water because it would not be right to feast at the expense of the king. The chief of the eunuchs grew anxious about Daniel's decision, and Daniel suggested a test to prove that his diet would not make him look any worse than the food given to the king's servants. Daniel and his friends asked to be put on a trial diet for ten days. At the end of the ten days, Daniel and his friends appeared to be healthier than the other men who ate the rich food from the king. God rewarded their faithfulness, and Daniel, in particular, was gifted with the ability to receive revelation from God. They graduated from the Babylonian school of learning with the best results, for the king himself found none equal to them.
Why Nebuchadnezzar's Secret Dream Still Fascinates Us Today
Nebuchadnezzar's secret dream and Daniel's interpretation of it remain fascinating to us for several reasons. First, the story is about an exile who remained faithful to his God despite being in Babylon, one of the most feared and powerful countries of the ancient world. Daniel did not change his ways even when he stood before the most powerful king of that time who sought to execute all the wise men for failing to reveal his dream. Daniel was faithful to his God even when the life of his country depended on him, and it was this faith that enabled him to deliver his message to the king. Daniel also demonstrated extraordinary humility when interpreting the dream to the king. He repeatedly attributed his wisdom and the source of his knowledge to God, emphasizing that he was only an instrument in God's hands.
Another reason why Nebuchadnezzar's secret dream and its interpretation fascinate us is that it speaks to us about history and God's wonderful plan. Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar that the statue in his dream represented successive kingdoms that would rise to power after the Babylonian Empire fell. These kingdoms were destined to fall one after another until the arrival of God's kingdom. Nebuchadnezzar was a proud king who ruled the largest and most powerful empire of his time, but he had to acknowledge the supremacy and power of Daniel's God. Nebuchadnezzar's dream and Daniel's interpretation of it speak to us about redemption and God's wonderful plan — that He will bring about His will and purposes on earth, and nothing, not even the most powerful king, can stop Him.
