Old Testament - Daniel 2 - November 1, 2022

11/1/2022 – Daniel 2

I’ll start with the synopsis of this chapter: “Nebuchadnezzar’s dream is revealed to Daniel—The king saw a great image; a stone cut from the mountain without hands destroyed the image; and the stone grew and filled the whole earth—The stone is the latter-day kingdom of God.

The king [Nebuchadnezzar] vivid dream that left “his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.” He worry over this dream even though he couldn’t remember the dream, only the worry he felt from it. He called all the magicians, sorcerers & astrologers and told them if they could tell him what he had dreamed, and then the meaning of his dream, then he would shower them with gifts. But if they couldn’t do this they “would be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill.” (v 4) As soon as David was aware of this, he went to Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard. David was able to go into the king, telling the king that if he would give David time, that David would “shew the king the interpretation.” 

We know from 1:17: “God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visons and dreams.” (v 17) “Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah his companions: That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret…(2:17-18)  We then learn that “Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision.” And we also learn that “Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven…’Blessed by the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his…He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelieth with him” (v’s 19-20, 22) Daniel asked for his Father’s help, and then immediately gave thanks for that help, and continues to thank Him.

The first thing Daniel did was to go to Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard, telling him to “Destroy not the wise men of Babylon: bring me in before the king, and I will shew unto the king the interpretation.” (v 24)

Daniel was not known to the king, but he went in, first explaining that the thing the king had demanded that it was not possible for his wise men to know what the king had dreamed. And then he went on “But there is a God in heaven that revealth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these:”(v 28) Daniel explains to the king that the Lord is all powerful and will come to the aid of those who seek him. Daniel repeats that he, himself, is not special, but it is the Lord who knows all.

Daniel now reminds the king that he saw a great image of a man with a head of gold, his breast and arms of silver, his belling and thighs of brass, his legs of iron, and his feet a mixture of iron and clay, and then the image of this man broke into pieces and was blown away. Daniel then explained that each part of the man’s body represented a different kingdom in times to come. He told the king that the head of gold represented the kingdom that the Lord had given him, but that each kingdom that would come after his would be inferior to the one before.

And the Daniel told him that the time would come when “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 pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.” (v 44) When I read that the kingdom will break into pieces, I think of all the stakes and wards and branches that are growing throughout the world.

Daniel then told the king of the second part of his dream: “Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold: the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.” (v 45)

The king then knew that “of a truth it is that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets” (v47)  As a result, the king made Daniel the ruler over Babylon, and Daniel asked that Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego might also help in the affairs of Babylon.(v 49)

President Harold B. Lee: “By faith in God you can be attuned to the Infinite and by power and wisdom obtained from your Heavenly Father harness the powers of the universe to serve you in your hour of need in the solution of problems too great for your human strength or intelligence”

President Spencer W Kimball: “This is a revelation concerning the history of the world, when one world power would supersede another until there would be numerous smaller kingdoms to share the control of the earth. “And it was in the days of these kings that power would not be given to men, but the God of heaven would set up a kingdom—the kingdom of God upon the earth, which should never be destroyed nor left to other people. “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was restored in 1830 after numerous revelations from the divine source; and this is the kingdom, set up by the God of heaven, that would never be destroyed nor superseded, and the stone cut out of the mountain without hands that would become a great mountain and would fill the whole earth.” (In Conference Report, Apr. 1976, p. 10.)

That millennial kingdom can also be properly referred to as the kingdom of heaven, as Joseph Smith did in his inspired prayer recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 65. The establishment of that kingdom is what the Lord taught the Saints to pray for in the Lord’s Prayer when He said, “Thy kingdom come” (Matthew 6:10; see also Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 1:230). The coming forth of the kingdom on the earth is what Daniel saw when the stone rolled forth and smote the image, eventually filling the whole earth. President Brigham Young taught: “The Lord God Almighty has set up a kingdom that will sway the scepter of power and authority over all the kingdoms of the world, and will never be destroyed, it is the kingdom that Daniel saw and wrote of. It may be considered treason to say that the kingdom which that Prophet foretold is actually set up; that we cannot help, but we know it is so, and call upon the nations to believe our testimony. The kingdom will continue to increase, to grow, to spread and prosper more and more. Every time its enemies undertake to overthrow it, it will become more extensive and powerful; instead of its decreasing, it will continue to increase, it will spread the more, become more wonderful and conspicuous to the nations, until it fills the whole earth.” (In Journal of Discourses, 1:202–3.) 

And one last quote: President Spencer W. Kimball summarized the qualities that Daniel possessed and the blessings his obedience to God brought him: “The gospel was Daniel’s life. . . . In the king’s court, he could be little criticized, but even for a ruler he would not drink the king’s wine nor gorge himself with meat and rich foods. His moderation and his purity of faith brought him health and wisdom and knowledge and skill and understanding, and his faith linked him closely to his Father in heaven, and revelations came to him as often as required. His revealing of the dreams of the king and the interpretations thereof brought him honor and acclaim and gifts and high position such as many men would sell their souls to get.” (In Conference Report, Mexico and Central America Area Conference 1972)