The Sovereign Stone

The Sovereign Stone

Daniel 2

His shirt was wet with sweat. It was 2 a.m., and the dream had just woken him up again. He laid in bed startled and gripped with fear. There was tightness in his chest, and his mind was racing. What could it mean? 

Have you ever had a nightmare? You wake up startled and alarmed only to feel a wave of relief when you realize it was only a dream. The dream seems significant, but you don’t know why. Well, you are not alone.

In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his spirit was troubled, and his sleep left him. Daniel 2:1

The dream unsettled Nebuchadezzar but, as we will see, it was an act of God’s kindness to expose his heart and bring him to repentance. 

In chapter 1, Daniel and his friends, along with a number of other Israelite teenagers, are taken from Jerusalem and sent into captivity. They are entered into a re-education program to learn the ways of Babylon. Yet, these four young men decided not to eat the king’s food and wine so as not to defile themselves and become like the Babylonians. Instead, they ate vegetables and drank water and appeared healthier than the other men who had eaten the king’s food. In fact, after three years, they stood before the king and appeared ten times better than all the other magicians and enchanters in the kingdom. 

By way of clarification, most scholars believe Nebuchadenezzar ascended to the throne in 605 BC. Daniel and his friends were taken into captivity in the same year. Daniel and his companions were tried after three years, while Nebucadenezzar started dreaming in the reign of his second year. It would appear that something doesn’t add up. According to Babylonian tradition, they did not begin counting a king’s reign until the year after his ascension. And the Israelites counted a quarter or half a year as a full year. So Daniel could have trained for 2.5 years, which may have counted as three years. Regardless, at the time Nebuchadnezzar began dreaming, Daniel had completed his training and was considered one of the wise men of Babylon. 

As the story begins, we see two relatively young men; Nebuchadanezzar would have been in his early thirties, and Daniel would have been in his late teens. This particular story reveals the character of both of these young men. As the Lord reveals things in the story, I pray he will also reveal things to you, as he is the one who reveals the deep and hidden things of the soul. 

The Unsettling Dream

One of the ways biblical authors reveal the main idea of a narrative is by using repetition. People did not have their own copies of the Bible like we do today, so authors used repetition to communicate meaning. In this passage, the word “dream” is used fifteen times, and the word “interpretation” is used thirteen times. The word “mystery” is used eight times, and the word “reveal” is used six times. It is clear that the dream and its interpretation (or how the interpretation is revealed) are the keys to understanding the narrative. 

In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his spirit was troubled, and his sleep left him. Then the king commanded that the magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans be summoned to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king. And the king said to them, “I had a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream.” Daniel 2:1-3

This dream troubled Nebuchadnezzar. The root word for “troubled” in this passage means “to strike as a hammer on an anvil”, and it most likely refers to the rapid beat of his heart. His sleep left him. The king had many magicians, enchanters, and sorcerers who made up the wise men of Babylon. This implies just how important dreams and their interpretation were to the Babylonians. Nebuchadnezzar probably believed the gods were trying to communicate to him through his dream. 

Nebuchadnezzar is a demanding and harsh king. He is irrational and driven by emotions. 

Then the Chaldeans said to the king in Aramaic, “O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.” The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, “The word from me is firm: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you shall be torn limb from limb, and your houses shall be laid in ruins. But if you show the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. Therefore show me the dream and its interpretation.” Daniel 2:4–6

He appeals to the vanity of the wise men by saying “You tell me the dream and its interpretation, and you will receive gifts and rewards and great honor. But if you don’t, I am going to kill you and your families.” One can begin to see how troubled he was by this dream. He was willing to give great gifts to anyone who could explain it to him, and he was willing to kill anyone who could not explain it to him. He had to know what it meant.

The Unfathomable Interpretation

Nebuchadnezzar commands his wise men to reveal the dream, but what he asks is impossible for mere men. 

They answered a second time and said, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show its interpretation.” The king answered and said, “I know with certainty that you are trying to gain time, because you see that the word from me is firm—if you do not make the dream known to me, there is but one sentence for you. You have agreed to speak lying and corrupt words before me till the times change. Therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can show me its interpretation.” The Chaldeans answered the king and said, “There is not a man on earth who can meet the king’s demand, for no great and powerful king has asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or Chaldean. The thing that the king asks is difficult, and no one can show it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.” Daniel 2:7–11

The king was irrational, but he was not a complete fool. The wise men had to tell him the dream and its interpretation so he would know it was true. So they said to the king, “There is not a man on earth who can meet the king’s demand…the thing that the king asks is difficult, and no one can show it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.” 

Nebuchadnezzar did not get the answer he wanted. Now, we may want to cut him a little slack since he did not get a good night of sleep, but his response reveals the idol in his heart.

Because of this the king was angry and very furious, and commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be destroyed. Daniel 2:12

Notice that Nebuchadnezzar did not get what he wanted, and he took his anger out on those who could do nothing about it. This is often true for those who suffer with anger; they direct their rage toward those who have nothing to do with it. 

Anger comes from within and reveals the idols of control and self-importance. If we do not get our way, we react out of emotion much like a toddler with no self-control. If you are prone to anger or violent verbal outbursts, you are not in good company. You are like the wicked Babylonian king who defies God and stands against righteousness. If you are characterized by anger, you need to repent. The problem is not your circumstances or your spouse, the problem is you. You need to deal with the idols of your heart. And friend, listen, we all have idols. We all need help. If you would like help, I or one of the elders would be happy to speak with you about dealing with your anger. Don’t be like Nebuchadnezzar. 

No one could break through the king’s irrational thoughts and behavior, and his mind would not be changed. 

So the decree went out, and the wise men were about to be killed; and they sought Daniel and his companions, to kill them. Then Daniel replied with prudence and discretion to Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon. He declared to Arioch, the king’s captain, “Why is the decree of the king so urgent?” Then Arioch made the matter known to Daniel. And Daniel went in and requested the king to appoint him a time, that he might show the interpretation to the king.
Daniel 2:13–16 

So they seek out Daniel, who knows exactly where to find the interpretation.

Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, and told them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions might not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night.  Daniel 2:17–19a

What a different response! Daniel and his friends sought mercy from the God of heaven, and the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. God was faithful to answer their prayers. 

These young men put their faith in God and sought him in prayer. Paul told Timothy

Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. I Timothy 4:12

I am so grateful that so many young people in our church are doing the same thing. They are responding like Daniel and seeking the Lord for mercy. Teenagers and young adults, please know how proud we are of you as elders and parents. We thank you for standing against the flow of our culture and setting an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity. You are such an encouragement! We adults are often so quick to criticize the younger generation, but we should rejoice when we see them act in faith. 

Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, (note the author is using their given Hebrew names), prayerfully seek the God of heaven for mercy, and he answers them. And then Daniel blesses the Lord and reveals the heart of this chapter and the whole book. 

Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. Daniel answered and said:

“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,

to whom belong wisdom and might.

He changes times and seasons;

he removes kings and sets up kings;

he gives wisdom to the wise

and knowledge to those who have understanding;

he reveals deep and hidden things;

he knows what is in the darkness,

and the light dwells with him.

To you, O God of my fathers,

I give thanks and praise,

for you have given me wisdom and might,

and have now made known to me what we asked of you,

for you have made known to us the king’s matter.” Daniel 2:19–23

The God of heaven, and only the God of heaven, is in control of the times and seasons. He sets up kings and removes them. He is the one who reveals deep and hidden things. He is the only Sovereign. The Bible teaches God’s sovereignty, his complete control, over this world. The doctrine of God’s sovereignty should be one of the most comforting doctrines in all of Scripture. The comfort and confidence we see in Daniel and his companions was built on the foundation of God’s sovereignty. You would be wise to do the same. 

The dream and its interpretation were revealed to Daniel so as to save the wise men of Babylon, which recalls the story of Joseph.

Therefore Daniel went into Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said thus to him: “Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon; bring me in before the king, and I will show the king the interpretation.” 

Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste and said thus to him: “I have found among the exiles from Judah a man who will make known to the king the interpretation.” The king declared to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream that I have seen and its interpretation?” Daniel 2:24–26

The king asks the question, and Daniel gives an incredible response.

Daniel answered the king and said, “No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these: To you, O king, as you lay in bed came thoughts of what would be after this, and he who reveals mysteries made known to you what is to be. But as for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because of any wisdom that I have more than all the living, but in order that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your mind. Daniel 2:27-20

Daniel takes no credit but gives it all to the Lord. It is the God of heaven who reveals mysteries. Remember, mysteries in the Bible are things that were once hidden but now have been made known. God is about to reveal the future to the king in verse 29, “of what would be after this,” and “what is to be.” These are very common phrases in apocalyptic literature and will later be used in Revelation. Here they’re used to reveal to Nebuchadnezzar what will happen to his kingdom. 

The Unrivaled Stone

Daniel goes on to reveal the dream and its interpretation, which tell Nebuchadnezzar what is going to happen to him and his kingdom. 

“You saw, O king, and behold, a great image. This image, mighty and of exceeding brightness, stood before you, and its appearance was frightening. The head of this image was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its middle and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly  of clay. As you looked, a stone was cut out by no human hand, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. Daniel 2:31-35

Daniel shares the dream, and he will repeat several things in the interpretation. But I want you to pay particular attention to how he references the stone in verse 34, “a stone was cut out by no human hand” and how it is repeated in the interpretation. 

“This was the dream. Now we will tell the king its interpretation. You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory, and into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the children of man, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens, making you rule over them all—you are the head of gold. Another kingdom inferior to you shall arise after you, and yet a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. And there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron breaks to pieces and shatters all things. And like iron that crushes, it shall break and crush all these. And as you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom, but some of the firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the soft clay. And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle. As you saw the iron mixed with soft clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage, but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay. And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever, just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.”  Daniel 2:36-45

The dream reveals what is going to happen in the future. Three kingdoms will rise after Babylon before a kingdom shall rise that will last forever. The first three kingdoms are almost undisputedly Babylon, the head of gold, Medo-Persia, the chest and arms of silver, and Greece with Alexander the Great as the middle and thighs of bronze. The next kingdom, which is not mentioned in Daniel but is almost undisputed, is Rome.
Many want to focus on the “who” of the first four kingdoms, but the main point is that after the four, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed. God will establish his kingdom through a stone not cut by human hand. Jesus Christ is the living stone, rejected by men, but chosen and precious in the sight of God. Jesus himself speaks of himself as the stone in Matthew 21 after sharing the Parable of the Tenants.

“Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and leased it to tenants, and went into another country. When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to get his fruit. And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them. Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’ And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”

Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:

“‘The stone that the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone;

this was the Lord’s doing,

and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.” Matthew 21:33-34

Jesus is the stone that the builders rejected. He has become the cornerstone of God’s eternal kingdom. In Daniel 2, the stone crushes the feet, causing the rest of the statue to fall on the stone and break into pieces. 

Jesus came to inaugurate his kingdom through his death and resurrection. Jesus was rejected by men and crucified. He died in the place of everyone who would trust in him. Although rejected by men, God made him the cornerstone through his resurrection from the dead. The Lord crushed him for us, and the Lord raised him for us. Jesus had to be rejected and die to establish his kingdom. He himself said in John 18:36, “My kingdom is not of this world.” The kingdom is for those who repent of their sins, trust in Jesus Christ as the true King of God’s forever kingdom, and then bear fruit in his name. 

If you are not a Christian, please understand no one will be able to stand against Jesus Christ. The kingdoms of this world, no matter how strong, will one day end. Daniel revealed that no one can stand against the stone. Jesus Christ is that stone. If you stand against him, you will be crushed and broken to pieces. The reality is that we have already stood against him in our sin, and we should be broken to pieces. Our only hope is to seek mercy from God.  If you trust in the sovereign stone, you will not be broken but will be welcomed into the kingdom that will never be shaken. It is an eternal kingdom offered to all who believe in the death, burial, and resurrection of the Son, who is the living stone, the cornerstone on which God’s kingdom is built. Friend, turn from your sins today and trust in Christ. 

Now, notice how Nebuchadnezzar responded to Daniel’s ability to know the dream and its interpretation.

Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face and paid homage to Daniel, and commanded that an offering and incense be offered up to him. The king answered and said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.” Then the king gave Daniel high honors and many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. Daniel made a request of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of the province of Babylon. But Daniel remained at the king’s court.
Daniel 2:46–49

Nebuchadnezzar was so close. He recognized that God revealed the mystery and was supreme as God of gods and Lord of kings. And yet, he did not turn to him in faith. Look at verse 47 again, “Truly your God is the God of gods.” Nebuchad- nezzar did not make Daniel’s God his God. It is not enough to recognize who God is and what he has done; we must turn to him in faith. Let me encourage you to do that today. 

The Unchanging Lord

As we conclude, let me draw out five specific truths that should encourage us today.

God is the sovereign Lord over all history. He sets up kings and removes kings. Nothing happens in all of history that surprises him. All of history is working towards its desired end. Therefore, we should not fret or worry. God is in control. If he is in control of kings and kingdoms, he is in control over the things in your life as well. Trust him.

God’s kingdom was inaugurated through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ came to bring the kingdom to us. Mark 1:15 reads “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” Repenting and believing the gospel is the entrance into the kingdom. And, as in Daniel 2:35, “the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.”, the kingdom of God will continue to grow until it fills the earth as the waters cover the sea “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” Revelation 11:15

The kingdoms of this world will all perish, but the kingdom of God will never be shaken. We cannot put our hope in politics. Too many Christians are consumed with the political world and gauge their emotional well-being by who is in office. We are called to live in the world but not be of the world. Reminds me of the old Gaither song

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, let all heaven and earth proclaim, 

Kings and kingdoms will all pass away, but there’s something about that name.

The kingdom of God is not of this world. It is cut from no human hand. It is divine and will not be shaken. 

Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. Hebrews 12:28–29

Daniel’s interpretation should cause us to worship God with reverence and awe. Our God is a consuming fire. 

One of the easiest ways to obey the command in Hebrews 12:28 is to covenant with a local church. The Bible speaks of the kingdom of the world and the kingdom of God. Receive the kingdom that cannot be shaken by giving yourself to a church. God has given you gifts to serve the body. Use them. Do not be satisfied with merely being around a church; commit to one. Let there be no doubt where your allegiance lies. If you are a Christian, show it by committing yourself to the visible manifestation of the kingdom of God in a local church. 

If you are a Christian and are not committed to a local church, why not? Let us not be unclear about our allegiances. Jesus is the head of the church, and we are members of his body. Therefore, let us be grateful that we have received a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and let us offer to God acceptable worship with reverence and awe. If Jesus died for the church, if he shed his blood to purchase the church, if he gave the keys of the kingdom to the church, I’d give myself to a church. 

God’s people must depend on him for wisdom in all trials. Whatever trials come, let us seek mercy from the God of heaven. God has promised to give us the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth. God wants to be known, and He wants to reveal himself to you. Daniel and his friends, even as young men, sought mercy from God, and God answered. God wants to give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him. He gives wisdom to all without finding fault. Whatever trial you are going through today, God does not change. Seek him for mercy, and he will give it. 

God’s kingdom will grow through the church living and proclaiming the gospel.  As I said earlier, the rock will grow into a great mountain and cover the whole earth. 

He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” Matthew 13:31–32

The kingdom of God will grow as the church testifies to the gospel in word and deed. There is a God in heaven who reveals deep and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him. We don’t want people just to know about our God; we want our God to become their God. God will save; we must share. Daniel shared the truth that was revealed to him and left the results to God. Beloved, let us do the same. What you have received from God, reveal to others.

When speaking to the Pharisees in Matthew 21, Jesus quoted Psalm 118:22-23. Let me share it again and add one more verse as our last application for today. 

The stone that the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone.

This is the LORD’s doing;

it is marvelous in our eyes.

This is the day that the LORD has made;

let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:22–24

Today is the day the Lord has made.  He has taken the sovereign Stone who was rejected and crushed and raised him to become a mountain of salvation for all. Therefore, let us rejoice and be glad in it.