Dan2:35 The stone that smote the image became a mountain and filled the whole earth
Continuing the Daniel study. Here in this second chapter of Daniel :-
- King Nebuchadnezzar had s strange dream of a giant made of 4 different materials from head to toe! Start from a gold head, silver arms and breast , iron legs and clay cum iron feet!
- Daniel's interpretation of this imagery dream to the 4 kingdoms -prophetic then during his time in 606 BC. 3 had since been fulfilled - thru the empires of Medo=Persian (king Cyrus, Darius etc) , then the Grecian (the well known Alexander the Great..) and Roman empires (Julius Caesar etc)
The yet to be fulfilled - The 4th Kingdom
Ever played the childhood game of scissors, papers, Stone? Guess this chapter of Daniel's interpretation reminded me of the strength of that rock or stone that conquers all.
The dream that Nebudchadnezzar had was a warning dream. What was God - the revealer of mystery effectively warning him? In simple terms - a warning " I am in charge of all the kingdoms. Prov 21 'The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water, he turns it whithersoever he wills". In other words, I cause kingdoms to rise and fall and I will bring these other kingdom empires after you" Dan2:21 and he changes the times and the seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings..
So history has spoken. We read about those conquering kings from Cyrus, Darius, Alexander and Caesar just to mention a few till the modern day. The world is still in the fluid stage where many countries declare their sovereignty over even a tiny little island (at times uninhabitated?) off the Pacific Ocean. Little red dot spends billions and allocated high percentage of the national budget in areas of defence above healthcare and education. So much so for the issue of 'Sovereignty" of a nation.
Yet in Dan 2:44 Daniel saw this 4th kingdom that has yet to come to pass. "And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in peices and consume all these kingdoms and it shall stand for ever" What a glorious hope!
That was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision! The stone/rock cut out of the mountain without hands and it broke all the iron, brass, clay and the gold giant!
Reflections
What do I learn from just this chapter 2 in Daniel book?
It is not about chasing what is happening in churches today - the chasing of dreams and visions and prophecy giftings. Do not get me wrong. I am not against that. God is a revealer of secrets to those whom He chose to. He also bestows the gifts of interpretation to people like Daniel. He gives dreams and also visions as He chooses. Dan2:21 He gives wisdom unto the wise and knowledge to them that know understanding.
But I learnt 2 things in this simple record of events that took place way back in 600Bc, more than 2600 years ago. The principle & foundation of our faith still stands .
1. Men/Women of Prayer - personal vs corporate
We must learn to keep on praying
- Daniel prayed (personal)
- Daniel enlisted his prayer helpers Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah to pray (corporate)
- Daniel's focus of prayer - first on God's character - His mercies even before intercession and plead for personal escape of the death sentence decreed. And followed with thanksgiving and praise to God
- Daniel's posture of humility and his refusal to take credit for interpretation of dreams & not that he had greater wisdom than other
- Daniel's exhortation and boast in His God in heaven -the rightful honour so that the king might know His God.
And because of that, Daniel was promoted & placed in high position during Nebuchadnezar's time. Daniel sat in the gate of the king v49. Not only that, his 3 friends were too empowered to be men of influence.
2. Christ - The Rock - The Chief Cornerstone
Dan2:35 The stone that smote the image became a mountain and filled the whole earth
We must learn to keep on focusing on the original Rock Himself , and not on the distraction of the types of granites or stones that carved out of it.
- Daniel saw the future of the 4th kingdom to come. None other than Jesus Christ - the Rock (Deut 32:4, 1 Sam 2:22 there is no rock like our God)
- All throughout many Psalms 18, 27,31,40,62,71,78,89,92,94 - Jesus is our Rock, fortress, deliverer
- Not just an ordinary rock or stone - but THE chief cornerstone : “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.” Eph 2:19-21
- Not just another rock or stone - but a tested & precious cornerstone. Isaiah 28:16-17: “So this is what the sovereign Lord says: ‘See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed. I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line.’” His precious Son—who provides the firm foundation for our lives, if we would but trust in Him.
We are in a very interesting season in history. Daniel couldn't have known about the empires that would follow to bring down the Babylonia empire. Yet the God of Daniel is a God a gods and a Lord of kings and a revealer of secrets. v47. Daniel has only 12 chapters. The first 6 are about miracles whereas the following 6 are mainly prophecy. The first half were written during his life and subsequent half after his life and concerning the future.
Question : Can we be like Daniel ? Passionate after Him wholeheartedly not halfheartedly and a warrior in Prayer? Can we not be distracted and pursue after the manufactured granites and tiles which may look beautiful in home buildings? But rather concentrate on building that house which is simply built on solid rock as in in Matt7. Such that when testing and trials and storms of our lives come at us, that house which was build not on sand will not collapse? Like the recent awesome sighting of the falling of the trumpet flowers from the pink and white trumpet trees - it seems that there is a trumpet call of awakening. Oh....
A beautiful song to end this morning thots. CORNERSTONE.
Christ alone; cornerstone
Weak made strong; in the Saviour's love
Through the storm, He is LordLord of all
Oh, may I then in Him be found;
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless stand before the throne.
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