# Daniel Chapter 2
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## Summary
Nebuchadnezzar has a dream that troubles him and he commands his enchanters and magicians to provide the interpretation without knowing the dream. They object and Nebuchadnezzar orders their execution. The magicians and enchanters lay the problem before Daniel who agree's to interpret the dream. Daniel interprets Nebuchadnezzar's dream and Nebuchadnezzar's response is one of awe at Daniels God and he rewards Daniels efforts with high honours, gifts and ruler over the province of Babylon. Daniels friends sit over the affairs of Babylon and Daniel sits within the Kings court.

## Imagery and Themes

Within this chapter we see tensions have arisen within the court of Nebuchadnezzar. Evidently he is distrustful towards the magicians, enchanters and Chaldeans and puts them to the test. If these individuals profess to have knowledge and power that warrants presence within the Kings court then surely they can not only interpret dreams but provide the details of the dream without foreknowledge. Yet the king remains deaf to the claims of the Chaldeans despite protestations that the King demands of men what only the Gods can deliver.

Yet Daniel here acts in faith to arrange an appointment with the King to deliver the interpretation before he has even sought God, or the counsel of his friends for assistance. When the vision is revealed to Daniel in a dream we are treated to a poetic interlude in which Daniel's outpouring of worship in response to the faithfulness of God highlights Daniels recognition that all knowledge and understanding emerges from the Lord. Daniels presentation to the King also highlights this dependency upon the God in Heaven. Interestingly the rationale for the provision of this interpretation is (a) that the King may know it's interpretation, and (b) that the King may know his own mind. 

This suggestion makes it almost appear as though the King is disturbed in spirit but cannot articulate what it is that disturbs him. It makes you wonder if this recurrent nightmare so disturbed Nebuchadnezzar that he did not recall it's details. Certainly his response to Daniels interpretation is one in which his heart appears to be laid bare.

As to the dream the vision seems to speak of four successive empires God has given Nebuchadnezzar as a unity. That he will raise up four successive empires that he will later overthrow. The statue itself has great symbolism beginning at the top [heaven] with precious and less common metals, and moving down towards very common and increasingly more robust metals [earth]. There is some disagreement among scholars as to which empires these represent with liberal scholars generally favouring Babylon, Media, Persia and Greece. Whilst more conservative scholars suggest Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome. In any case the stone cut that smashes the image and later becomes a mountain seems to allude to the Christ. These great successive empires play a role prior to the ascension of Christ that they do not do afterwards.

In any case Daniel demonstrates his skill not only in oneiromancy but also his total dependency upon God to reveal what *"no one can show to the king except the gods"*[^1]. There are parallels that we can draw with the story of Joseph's ascension to a position of power through the interpretation of dreams. Yet perhaps a critical difference here is the response of the King. Nebuchadnezzar recognises that it is God and not Daniel that has acomplished this feat and he is almost submissive to the possibility of being a servant of God.

[^1]: [Daniel 2:11](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Daniel+2%3A11&version=ESV)