Turning to God in Crisis | Daniel 2:1-49

You're listening to The Bible Guys, a podcast where a

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It's a little presumptuous, but I agree. But hey, welcome

to the Bible Guys. I'm Chris, this is Jeff, and

today we are about to dive into Daniel chapter two, Yes,

which is very exciting.

Yes.

But before we do that, we have a segment.

This is one of your favorite segments.

I like it a lot. Who's most likely? You know why?

Because it's fun to think about, it's quick, it's easy,

it's simple. And I think, by the way, some of

the best board games are the board games that are

just completely simple, simple games. Apples to apples. It's like, uh,

think on, It's like, you know, it's just boom there

it is, yes, know catchphrase, you know, just simple rules.

Those are the most fun. So who's most likely number one,

who's most likely to intentionally give the wrong directions to tourists.

That's mean, mean I would I don't think I've ever

done that.

I don't think I've ever done that either. Although I

just told a story the other day about us going

into a store and saying, Hey, this is really important

that we buy the right thing, and I think the

person in the store was messing with us and intentionally

gave us the wrong thing. Yeah, like just to mess

with this how hah, Yeah, I really do, like based

on everything. You know, it's just too long of a

story to tell. But I think this is sort of mean.

I I wouldn't do it.

How about we say no but nobody okay, zero because

although you have to pick one, though, and we have

to pick one who's most likely. Okay, how about this?

How about this? The old Chris would definitely do it.

I'm gonna pick me old Chris. Yeah, old Chris.

If you fire me up, yeah, if you really really

do something, yeah, yeah, then yeah I might be able

to do it. Okay, So.

Let's let's just go neutral on that one. I don't

think the old Chris should take the blame for.

This, Okay, all right, I appreciate that. Yeah, number two,

go ahead.

Who's most likely to cry over a TikTok made by strangers?

You will. There's no question you did this morning.

Well you don't.

I know you did this morning. Anything I do, sometimes

I tear up. Sometimes, yeah, I hate you were at

my dad's funeral. I teared up.

Oh yeah, well then, well you know if you don't

on that one. Yeah that was a gibraltar if you

know on that one. But but but I cry over

aspirin commercials.

Yeah, yeah, did you cry this morning already?

Yes? Yeah, I thought, yes I did. Of course I didn't.

So I watch things all the time and I'm and I'm.

Uh, last night, that's why people love you.

It's last night. Last night, I ever going to bed.

Sometimes I'll just wind down by watching something. And I

was all by myself and is this thing that happened

on a show? And uh, and it was so unlikely,

it was so it was like a comedy. But there

was this tender moment and I literally out loud. I

was like, oh, by myself, I audibly made a gurble bad.

Well, so it's one of the things people love about

you so much? Is that? Do they know well, yeah,

because it makes you so it's clear that you're very empathetic,

and people like like to know that they're seen and

heard and that you are feeling what they're feeling with

them is. They love it. It's one of the things.

They love it. It's one of the endearing qualities.

Of christar bummt Yeah, okay, all right. Number three.

And I hire people who cry for me.

I feel like.

You're you're going to be the crier. One is in

your job description. Cry when it's appropriate.

I need somebody who's a counselor over here. I need

a crier, anybody, anybody. Okay, that's funny. Okay. Number three.

Who's most likely to regift a present?

I have never done that?

Oh I do this all the time. I just did

this Sunday.

Yes, I've never done it.

Oh, it's it's the best cheat in the world. It's

like a you know, a game cheat or a life hack. Right,

somebody gives you a present and you're like, and by

the way, it could be a great present. You know.

Somebody gave me a gift card and it was like

a fifty dollars gift card. You're a fancy restaurant. I

was like, this is amazing, thank you. And then on

the way out, I'm like, oh, we need to bring something,

and I reach over into my gift card box and

there it is, don't have my name on it, and

it has and I presented it like it was all mine.

So somebody gave you a gift, it was a great gift,

and you handed the gift on somebody. Elsea's a gift.

There's nothing wrong with that because it is mine to

give to givet Yeah, yeah, I think it's great.

All right, it's most likely to tell the best dad joke? Well,

I think you are. You're more committed to him than

I am.

I'm definitely more committed. In fact, this morning I woke

up and the first thing that I did was I

told Torri our dad jokes last night, really because we

fel last week and we had four of them that

were really good, and so out of the ten, did

she approve? She liked? Before I said yes, she said,

what are the other ones? I said, you don't want

to know? Yes, those are really bad.

Good you get to read the next one.

Okay, old wish who's most likely to get start starstruck

while meeting Zach Effron? But by the way, that is

such an old.

Joke, but it's great. So if you weren't, if you

didn't know zar Ba has this, Nope, I do not.

You made many this affection for Zach Effron, and.

One time I picked him to represent me in a

Chris Arbo movie.

I said, in the inevitable movie that's made of Chris

sarbas life, who would you choose? And you said, oh,

without a doubt, don't even think about it, and without

a doubt, and you said and then you said it.

And then you said, specifically, specifically the Zach Effron from Baywatch,

and I said, wasn't And I never saw the movie,

but I know that the Rock was in Baywatch. But

you chose Zach Efron listen, not the Rock.

This is so distorted.

And then you also mentioned he sings and dances.

Listen. I know how the conversation went, because my logic

is still my logic. And I said, zac Effron. He

said why, I said, because he's a tough guy. With

also like he's an artsy guy. And then you said

he what do you mean a tough guy? And you

refering to a high school musical Zach Effron. And then

that's the only reason why. I said, Hey, if you

watch Baywatch, you can see he's the longer the high

school musical Zach Effron. And then you said, wasn't the

Rock Watch? And I said yes, and you said so

you And I'm like, how did graduate to somehow me

picking Zach Epfron over the Rock.

Well, well, here's the other part of who's most likely

get starstruck? What meeting Zach Effron? I think if he

walked in the room right now, I would not recognize him.

Oh really, Yeah, there is no question that I would

probably like be starstruck, wouldn't be able to speak because

he's awesome. I love him and everything he's in.

Yeah, so I don't even know that I would recognize him.

Yeah, but that's the same with Tom Hanks or Tom Cruise.

Oh I would recognize Tom Hanks and Tom Cruise.

But would you be starstruck? I don't know. It probably

wouldn't be.

Maybe, I don't know. I don't know, although I have.

To say this though, to be honest, we didn't. We

need to move on. But I have actually met several

famous people and I haven't been starstruck yet. Actually, So,

like you know, like should I Twain at one time

was like, you know, like I was like my favorite

sing in the world, should I Twain? And I met her,

you know, slapped her hand high five twice two different

years at concerts, and I was like, Hey, what's up,

what's up? What's going on? I've talked with stars before

because and up in starstreuks, So maybe maybe I wouldn't

be stars.

Trekbe, but most likely, most likely I wouldn't even recognize him.

So there you go.

But how about Desiree hanging on today?

Okay, she brings it back. Some of the best comedy

is callback comedy. So that's great. All right, well we

are in talking about callback comedy. Oh wow, we're Yesterday

we mentioned Nebbe Kinezzer. We're going to talk about him

again today.

There's a callback.

Wow. Maybe Canezer is the king of Babylon. Yes, he

is in as we're reading through the Book of Daniel

now and uh he has a dream?

He does, Yes, I have a dream.

There you go. I knew you were going to do it.

All I had to do is pause.

Did you know that Martin Luther King Jr. Gave the

very first time he gave the I have a dream

speech you know where it was?

Detroit?

Yes?

Yes?

And do you know which building?

I knew it? One time? I forgot was it? So

it was a version of it? Yes? Well, okay, so Daniel.

Chapter two, it says his first draft. One night, during

the second year of his reign, Nebbie Kinnezzer had such

disturbing dreams that he couldn't sleep. He called his magicians

and enchanters, and sorcerers and astrologers, and he demanded that

they tell him what he had dreamed. As they stood

before the king, he said, I have had a dream

that deeply troubles me, and I must know what it means.

Then the astrologers answered the king in Aramaic, long live

the King. Tell us the dream and we'll tell you

what it means. But the King said to the astrologers,

I am serious about this. If you don't tell me

what my dream was and what it means, you will

be torn limb from limb, and your houses will be

turned into heaps of rubble. Okay, wow, he's no joke.

He don't play, no doubt. But the King said, but

if you tell me what I dreamed and what the

dream means, I will give you many wonderful gifts and honors.

Just tell me the dream and what it means. Then

they said again, please, your majesty, tell us the dream

and will tell you what it means. The King replied,

I know what you're doing. You're stalling for time because

you know I am serious when I say if you

don't tell me the dream, you are doomed. So you've

conspired to tell me lies, hoping I'll change my mind.

But tell me the dream, and then I'll know that

you can tell me what it means. The astrologers replied

to the king, no one on earth can tell the

king his dream, and no king, however great and powerful,

has ever asked such a thing of any magician, enchanter,

or astrologer. The King's demand is impossible. No one except

the gods can tell you your dream, and they do

not live here among people. King was furious when he

heard this, and he ordered that all the wise men

of Babylon be executed, and because of the King's decree,

men were sent to find and kill Daniel and his friends.

When Arioch, the commander of the king's guards, came to

kill them, Daniel handled the situation with wisdom and discretion.

He asked Arioch, why is the king issued such a

harsh decree? So Arioch told him all that had happened,

and Daniel went at once to see the king requested

more time to tell the king what the dream meant.

Then Daniel went home and told his friends Hanna and Iah,

Michel and a Israah what had happened. He urged them

to ask the God of Heaven to show them his

mercy by telling them the secret, so they would not

be executed along with the otherwise men of Babylon. That night,

the secret was revealed to Daniel in division. Then Daniel

praise the God of Heaven. He said, praise the name

of God forever and ever, for he has all wisdom

and power. He controls the course of world events. He

removes kings and sets up their kings or other kings.

He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the scholars.

He reveals deep and mysterious things, and knows what lies

hidden in darkness, though he is surrounded by light. I

thank and praise you, God of my ancestors, for you've

given me wisdom and strength, and you've told me what

we asked of you and revealed to us what the

king has demanded. Do you want me to go on

and tell the dream? Okay, this is a good one,

all right. Then Daniel went in to see Ariac, whom

the king had ordered to execute the wise men of Babylon,

and Daniel said to him, don't kill the wise men.

Take me to the king and I will tell him

the meaning of this dream. Arioch quickly took Daniel to

the king and said, I have found one of the

captives from Judah who will tell the king the meaning

of his dream. King said to Daniel, also known as

Belta Shazar, is this true? Can you tell me what

my dream was and what it means? Daniel replied, there

are no wise men and chanters, magicians or fortune tellers

who can reveal the King's secret. But there is a

god in heaven who reveals secrets, and he has shown

kig nebu Canezer what will happen in the future. Now

I will tell you your dream and the visions you

saw as you lay on your bed while your Majesty

was sleeping. You dreamed about coming events. He who reveals secrets,

has shown you what is going to happen, and is

not because I am wiser than anyone else that I

know the secret of your dream, but because God wants

you to understand what was in your heart. In your vision,

Your majesty, you saw standing before you a huge, shining

statue of a man. It was a frightening sight. The

head of the statue was made of fine gold, His

chest and arms were silver, Its belly and thighs were bronze,

Its legs were iron, and its feet were a combination

of iron and baked clay. As you watched, a rock

was cut from a mountain, but not by human hands,

and it struck the feet of the iron and clay,

smashing them into bits. The whole statue was crushed into

small pieces of iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold. The

wind blew them away without a trace, like chaff on

a threshing floor. But the rock that knocked the statue

down became a great mountain that covered the whole earth.

That was a dream. Now we will tell the king

what it means. Your majesty, you are the greatest of kings.

The God of Heaven has given you sovereignty, power, strength,

and honor. He has made you the ruler over all

the inhabited world and has put even the wild animals

and birds under control. You are the head of gold,

But after your kingdom comes to an end, another kingdom

inferior to yours will rise to take your place. After

that kingdom has fallen, yet a third kingdom, represented by bronze,

will rise to rule the world. Following that kingdom, there

will be a fourth, one as strong as iron. That

kingdom will smash and crush all previous empires, just as

iron smashes and crushes everything it strikes. The feet and

toes you saw were a combination of iron and baked clay,

showing that this kingdom would be divided like iron mixed

with clay. It'll have some of the strength of iron,

but while some parts of it will be as strong

as iron, other parts will be as weak as clay.

This mixture of iron and clay also shows that these

kingdoms will try to strengthen themselves by four alliances with

each other through inner marriage, but they will not hold together,

just as iron and clay did not mix during the

reigns of those kings. The God of Heaven will set

up a kingdom that will never be destroyed and conquered

it will crush all these kingdoms into nothingness, and it

will stand forever. That is the meaning of the rock

cut from the mountain, though not by human hands that

crushed the pieces the statue of iron, bronze, clay, silver,

and gold. The great God was showing the king what

will happen in the future. The dream is true and

its meaning is certain. Okay, that want me to read

the last three verses? Think? King Nebu Kenezer threw himself

down before Daniel and worshiped him, and he commanded his

people to offer sacrifices and burned sweet incense before him.

The king said to Daniel, truly, your God is the

greatest of gods, the Lord over kings, a revealer of mysteries,

for you have been able to reveal his secret. And

then the king appointed Daniel to a high position and

gave him many valuable gifts. He made Daniel ruler over

the whole province of Babylon, as well as chief over

all his wise men. At Daniel's request, the king appointed

Shadrack Mishah and a bed to go to be in

charge of all the affairs of the province of Babylon,

while Daniel remained in the King's court.

There you go, Oh, I'm really glad you read those,

last man, because the king's reaction is awesome. Yeah, and uh,

you know what, I am so glad that we actually

read this, we.

Read the whole thing, because that's a story.

Well, it's it's it's a little obscure. You know, you

don't necessarily always hear sermons about Nebukadnezzar's dream, right, right,

but you know you can probably start off by saying,

there's a lot of sermons in here. So the first

one is when you want wisdom, don't look for it

in astronomy, astrology, astrology or fortune tellers, right or all

the above. That's right, So you know it's it's it's

it's the wisdom of God. And Daniel is really clear

about that. And Daniel could have taken the glory for himself,

couldn't you. Yes, he could have. He could have talked

about how wise he was, or maybe hey, for some reason,

God has blessed me, you know, I'm blessed. But but

Daniel doesn't do that. Daniel says, it's not because I'm wiser,

it's not because I'm it's not because of anything else.

It's because God has chosen to give you wisdom. And

then he makes it sound like and it's actually true,

but he actually puts the glory out of respect onto

the king and says, God wanted to bless you by

giving you this knowledge, o King, and this is what

God has chosen to do. So somehow he gives glory

to God. He respects his authorities, and he takes the

focus off of himself in humility. And I'm thinking to myself, gee, whiz,

that is a phenomenal posture, right, there's so much wisdom

there because it does actually say he responded in wisdom

and knowledge.

Well, so the astrologers admit, listen, our gods aren't even

here on earth, right right, nobody on earth can tell

you what you're dreamed, because this is an impossible request.

He's trying to figure out, are these advisors aroun This

is early in his reign, right, You're trying to figure

out who can I trust? These astrologers and these you know, sorcerers.

They've got a lot of influence and power over in EBYG. Canizer.

But this is a great opportunity for Nebug Canizer to testamacy.

Are they legit or not? So all right, guys, before

you give me, Before I tell you what my dream was,

you tell me what my dream was, right right, that's impossible,

and so they admit it. Hey, our gods can't tell

us that because our gods don't live on this earth.

And Daniel goes, let me tell you, there's a god

in heaven who knows these things, and so he immediately

gives credit to God, and then he solicits shadrack me

shake in a bed and goes, hey, we need to pray.

So they have a prayer meeting. Then God, we need help.

We're all going to die.

And that's a whole nother sermon all together too. So

how wise is it to say, hey, before you carry

out this harsh punishment, just give us time to pray

about it. And there is wisdom. Think about like your

next board meeting or conundrum where everybody in the room

needs to find a solution to something and instead of

just sort of, you know, reacting and carrying out something

in the moment, there's wisdom and saying, okay, guys, let's

go ahead and let's take a break and let's all

carve out some time. Because that's what it says. It says,

we need more time. He begged the king for more

time for wisdom, and then he went home and said, okay, God,

we have a night, please reveal wisdom. And there's something

to be said about that. You know a lot of times,

you know, I've grown up in church world a very

very long time, thirty years, three decades, and I think

there are times where we should have said, you know what,

this has been a heated discussion. It's been a great discussion.

We all have different opinions. Let's all go ahead and

let's pray about it and let's come back tomorrow, right.

But a lot of times we're like, well, okay, let's

make a decision. It's like no, no, no, no, no. You know,

just you feel it in the room. You feel like,

you know there's a time where you need to go

to God again because you know, we need God's wisdom

on this.

So then he was very smart. Also the diplomacy again

of Daniel. So these guys are going out executing all

the sorcerers and astrologers and advisers, and it doesn't say

what Daniel said to them, but they decided to give

him some time. And I think he probably had to

have said something about, you haven't given me time to

go to my God yet, so just give us tonight.

Because the five of the four of us worship a

different God. So let us go to our God tonight

and we'll come and give the answer to the king

in the morning. He gave something where he put all

the pressure on God because they trusted him. In that

moment where they were executing all the other a strologers,

he did something, he said something there that made them decide,

all right, we're going to give a little bit of time.

Well, think about this. How did he even have that

conversation in the first place. And it's because he already

had the respect of the guy who was assigned to

go kill.

Him, right right, everything else that Daniel had done and

turned out well, so.

Yes, right, So the guy instead of walking in and

going hey, y you know expirium or killing him with

the sword or whatever, Daniel says, hey, answer me this,

and the guy literally answers him so that he has

an intelligent conversation because the guard obviously respects Daniel. This

is a guy who is wisdom and knowledge, and because

God has blessed him with this, so he's obviously a

very impressive individual, right, and so God has given him

this influence over those who are above him in authority.

So then he's pretty Joseph like, isn't he?

Yes very much? And then he pulls in Shaderick meschecking

and bed and to go, which was so smart because

then Daniel's not going to only take credit himself. He's

going to say, I know the meaning of this, but

you know, the four of us we prayed to our

God about this, right, So he saves his friends' lives

as well by being able to come and say, hey,

we all prayed about this thing. So then the thing

God gives Nebu Kenezer the supernatural vision of the future.

So the head obviously Daniel said, that's you and your kingdom.

That's Babbel. And then the next one down I looked

this up. The next one down, the chest and arms

of silver, is the meato Persian kingdom. That would have

been like Darius king. Darius comes next, right, that's that kingdom,

very powerful, just right, that's just it's not quite as shiny,

not quite as impressive, but pretty pretty great. Then the

belly of bronze and the thighs of brons that that's

going to be Greece, and that was a kingdom ruled

over the whole earth. That was Alexander the Great Bronze

was a big part of their kingdom at the time.

That was the next one that came after, was known

for its very widespread influence. The Legs of Iron, obviously

is Rome. Roman came and broke everything, crushed everything right,

just just sheer force, right, and this unbelievable dominance. And

then the Feet of Iron and Clay is the really

nuanced one. That's the Divided Kingdom. That's when Rome split

in half and you had the Eastern and Western thing

and they were trying to and it just ran out

of gas during that time. And it was in this season,

the Rome and the Divided Kingdom Rome. This is when

Jesus comes. They're in the Roman one, and this is

when when the church begins to be established in the

second one, which is in the last one, right, and

the rock rolls in obliterates it all, and then now

Jesus is going to set up his eternal kingdom. We're

playing that last phase out right now. Yeah, And you

know which is amazing, isn't it cool? Yeah, it's so cool.

So it's a really neat uh thing. And it's basically

there was no purpose behind that dream other than for

God to establish his dominance over this strongest king in

the world. That's what it was, right.

Yeah, And and and just think about that from six

hundred BC is what this was when this took place,

all the way until now.

So we're talking and into the thousand year reign of Christ.

That's right, coming, that's right. And so it's a three thousand.

Year six thirty six hundred.

Year old Yeah, thirty thirty six hundred year old.

Twenty six I'm sorry, twenty six hundred year old. So far. Wait,

so we're twenty twenty five after Christ.

In twenty five plus six twenty five hundred plus.

Well, we're only two thousand years og.

Oh what am I thinking? Twenty twenty five? My math? No,

wonder why my math was so bad.

I'm like seven thousand, yeah, yeah, So twenty twenty five

plus the.

Two thousand, yeah, something like that. Chris, I don't know

if you know this, but twenty twenty five means two thousand.

Years at this point. There's a note in our study

Bile says that at this same time, you know, he's

over in Babylon, but the Temple of Artemis was constructed

in Ephesis about that same time. So oh, we've got

this this Greek Turkish kind of world being built up

there at the same time. Pretty neat. Yeah, so very significant,

and uh, we're going to move on from there. Daniel

winds up getting promoted. Yeah, chad Wreck me shack in

a bed and to go get promoted. He advocates for them.

Right at Daniel's request, the king appointed Chadwick me shack

in a bed to go. Good leaders care about the

people that are working with them, care about right, they

work in teams. And that's what's happening with these four.

Guys, and the strongest person in the world at that time,

King Nebuka Nezar h is able to recognize that Daniel's

God is truly God. So so that's that's a that's

an unbelievable accomplishment that God is able to use Daniel

for such great things. So I'm glad we read all

the way to the end because to see nebukad Nezar's

reaction is pretty impressive. It's the it's the drop of

the mic moment. How God can use, you know, somebody

like Daniel listen, he was a he was sort of

a slave at this moment, right, he was he was

taken captive from Judah under you know, and they had

obviously had, you know, taken all of Israel captive. They

kidnapped him pretty much because he was fair and good

looking and wise and they and then they pretty much

forced him to be a servant to the king. And

and now he's in training. So here he is in

total captivity. And uh and and so God can use you.

You don't think that God can use you because you

don't have any influence. Well, guess what, stand up, do

the right thing, pray about it, get God's wisdom, be faithful, true,

and have courage and watch what God can do.

Daniel is the embodiment of Solomon talking about the power

of wisdom in a person's life. Right, Everything Daniel does

is so wise and discerning. And I think that's one

of the reasons why we need to spend so much

time in God's word. When you know God's word, you

develop his wisdom. You're asking God for wisdom, he gives

it to us. And you get to see a guy

navigating through almost impossible circumstances over and over and over

again and rising above them. And it's the wisdom that

God's given him that's great. Yeah.

Well, hey, that's our time, so we'll see you next time,

hopefully on the Bible. Guys,