DANIEL 2 CHPT STUDY GUIDE

 Daniel 2

And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him. Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king. And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream. Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriac, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation. The king answered and said the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make know unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made of dunghill.

The king Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, was the king that the Lord God raised up to fulfill the prophecies of the holy prophet Jeremiah. He, with the Chaldeans, besieged Jerusalem and took the children of Israel into captivity. This was the judgment of the Lord. Though the children were scattered and there was many deaths and destruction, the Lord spoke through His prophet that He would recompense his enemy and he would proclaim judgment upon King Nebuchadnezzar and that He would deliver His children.

In chapter 2 of Daniel, the Lord God begins to reveal His will for the children of Israel with dreams and visions to the king. The Lord shares in previous chapters as well as in the book of the prophet Jeremiah that no matter the circumstance or situation there will be a remnant and that even in the midst of adversity He will be with His children. He will speak with them and He will lead them and guide them according to His will. So, the Lord put His people in strategic places in the midst of the enemy to be prepared for an appointed time to perform His Word.

Psalm 1:1
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

The Lord has placed sound counselors in the midst of His children even though they had been taken into captivity. He will still have them utilize their gifts and talents given to edify and build up the kingdom of the living God.

After King Nebuchadnezzar dreamed a dream in the nigh, He needed an interpretation. The king of Babylon and the inhabitants were heavily into idolatry and falsehood. While the Lord God was in the process of judging sin, He at the same time was utilizing the opportunity to glorify himself among His people and prove himself as the true and living God.

Though the king had trained Daniel and the Hebrew boys and had found them better and wiser than all of His advisors, magicians, and astrologers, they weren't His first choice when He needed an
interpretation of His dream. Instead of calling upon the children of God to get the answer or to inquire of the dream, the king called upon the magicians, and sorcerers while promising gifts and rewards for making know the dream. He also threatened to kill those who could not.

And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and His fellows to be slain. Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom to Arioch, the captain of the king's guard, which was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon: