June 17: THE REDEEMER’S HOPE
Therefore I issued a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. Then the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers came in, and I told them the dream; but they did not make known to me its interpretation. Daniel 4:6-7
Therefore… Here we go again! But this time, an even greater exposure of fraud awaits the collective wise men of Babylon than they experienced in chapter 2. The king had forgotten the particulars of the first dream that God gave him (2:3), even though he knew it was important. He had asked his wise men to supply him with both the dream and its interpretation. They insisted that they could give the interpretation if he would only tell them the dream (2:4,7). Their failure to supply any of what the king had asked exposed them as charlatans. But evidently, this exposure did not dislodge the king from his pagan roots, for here he is requiring their so-called divine abilities again. For King Nebuchadnezzar, holding on to his pagan roots was a “default” mode – not a conscious decision, as he had yet to make a personal, conscious decision to follow the LORD’s leading.
The king distinctly remembers this second dream given to him by God. But even after disclosing the full details of this second dream, his array of professed wise men failed the king ignominiously. They could not come up with, or invent, any sort of meaning, significance or interpretation. Once again, Nebuchadnezzar turned to Daniel, the prophet of God:
But at last Daniel came before me (his name is Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god; in him is the Spirit of the Holy God), and I told the dream before him, saying: “Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the Spirit of the Holy God is in you, and no secret troubles you, explain to me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and its interpretation.” (vv.8-9)
Daniel respectfully responded to the Babylonian name they had given him, but notice that he always refers to himself as Daniel. This signifies that Daniel actively chose to hold on to his Hebrew roots including, of course, his knowledge of and his love for the God of heaven. The very meaning of the name Daniel added to his life a proper perspective: God is my judge.
As we will soon see, this dream is about a judgment that is to fall upon the proud king. It is not a final judgment but a redemptive one—and one that would be avoidable under the condition of repentance. The fact that such redemptive judgments come into the lives of people is proof of the loving involvement of the infinitely great God of heaven. It is proof of His compassion and desire for our salvation. It proves that the work of the Redeemer is active. It testifies of the hope that He carries in his heart for every person alive.
I will praise You with uprightness of heart, When I learn Your righteous judgments. Psalm 119:7