The King’s Dream
2: 31-35
The king’s dream DIG: What is the significance of the decreased density and value in the statue from head to foot? Why and when does the Rock strike at the feet of the statue? What does the mountain that fills the whole earth represent?
REFLECT: Why don’t we expect God to speak to us through dreams today as He did during Dani’el’s day? In the face of the chaos in the world today, how does the promised future Messianic Kingdom encourage you? Do you live in confidence or fear?
ADONAI begins to reveal to Dani’el the initial revelation regarding the Times of the Gentiles (see Ao – The Times of the Gentiles). He provides an initial overview of the four empires that will govern this period. As the book progresses, God’s revelation becomes increasingly specific, reaching their climax in Chapter 12.
Dani’el 2 gives us the perspective of the times of the Gentiles from a human viewpoint as something majestic. Dani’el then told Nebuchadnezzar his dream, which was precisely what the king’s wise men were unable to do. The dream began with the appearance of an enormous statue. How large it was is not reported, but the statue he built later was patterned after the one in his dream, and it was ninety feet tall and nine feet wide (3:1). “Your Majesty looked, and there before you stood a large statue – an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance.” The awesomeness of the statue was due to its extraordinary size and dazzling brilliance. It had human form, but it was unclear initially whether it represented a god or a man. The statue was most unusual in its composition. The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay (2:31-33). In his dream, the statue stood for the king, with his huge empire that he could scarcely hold, and symbolized his inadequacy in the face of threats from breakaway factions.72
When viewed from head to foot, the various metals decreased in value, but increased in strength. For example gold is more valuable than silver, silver is more valuable than bronze, bronze is more valuable than iron, and iron is more valuable than clay. Second, there is a decrease in position moving from head to feet, with the head being the most important element of the statue. Third, there is a decrease in the specific gravity of the elements. Pure gold has a specific gravity of 19.32; silver has a specific gravity 10.5; bronze has a specific gravity of between 8.7 and 8.4; and iron has a specific gravity 7.7. This shows that the statue was top-heavy and weak at its feet.73
The statue was not the only figure in the dream. While you were watching, a Rock was cut out, but not by human hands, implying divine origin. The verse does not specify where the Rock was taken from. It had always been a Rock, and it came with the purpose of smashing the statue. But with two characters, the statue and the Rock, we now have a plot. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay, and smashed them to pieces (2:34). Here, Dani’el depicts spiritual weakness. Prophetically, the dream predicted that the smashing of the statue would occur only in the last stage (see Be – The Ten Kingdoms Stage). Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were all broken to pieces and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. This recalls the prophecy of Isaiah in which the nations who oppressed Isra’el are reduced to chaff and blown away by the wind (Isaiah 41:15-16). The entire statue was pulverized, and the dust into which the statue had turned, could not be found. The wind swept it away without leaving a trace (2:35a).
But rather than breaking into pieces itself, the Rock that struck the statue mysteriously grew and became a huge mountain, growing continuously until it filled the whole earth (2:35b). The motif of the mountain that fills the entire earth echoes the vision of Isaiah in which the mountain of ADONAI’s Temple in Jerusalem, it will be raised above the hills, and all nations of the world will stream to it (see the commentary on Isaiah Ap – They Will Beat Their Swords into Plowshares).74
Some rabbis teach that the Rock mentioned here represents the Messiah. A midrash may serve as one of the numerous illustrations for this teaching: He (Dani’el) saw the coming of the Messiah (in the king’s dream), as Dani’el said: While you were watching, a Rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay, and smashed them to pieces (2:34). Rabbi Simeon, the son of Lakish, contended, “This verse refers to the Messiah. Smashing the statue refers to all the pagan kingdoms that serve idols. Why is the rule of Messiah likened to a Rock? It is likened to a Rock because of the Torah in which Isra’el labors, as it says: The two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone, written by the finger of God” (Exodus 31:18).75
There is an impressive sunken garden in front of the Beinecke Rare Book Library on Yale University’s campus. It is meant to simulate the universe. A large marble pyramid stands on one side, symbolizing time. On another side there is a large doughnut structure standing on its side. It signifies energy. In another part of the sunken garden is a huge die perched on one tip as if ready to topple any which way. It is the symbol of chance. This represents the world view of modern man, a self-existing universe consisting of energy, time and chance. And those who live in Babylon, ancient or modern, don’t know which way the die will fall. Chance is unpredictable. It’s the world of “Whatever!”
However, believers think the Yale garden is a lie. We hold that there is a God who knows and orders the course of history down through the rise and fall of nations until He sets up His Kingdom that will never be destroyed (see Bg – The Fifth Empire: The Messianic Kingdom). This is no brilliant insight. We only believe this because there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets (2:26-28a). And continues to do so. He has revealed this to us in Dani’el 2. But we who hold this Kingdom-view can easily forget how unbearably sad Joe and Jane Pagan might be, for they go out their front door in the morning and have no idea where history is heading, or if it is. Maybe it’s all too cerebral; but I can only say that if I didn’t believe in His future Kingdom, I could find the energy to place one foot in front of another.
To have a God who is the Revealer of Secrets (Romans 2:16), however, does not mean we have a God who reveals everything. He doesn’t show us which stocks are good, or whether we can avoid cancer until we’re ninety, or whether the place where we live will exist twenty years from now. He only reveals what we need to know. And yet, Dani’el’s praise helps us because he assures us that even though God doesn’t tell us everything, He knows what lies in the darkness (2:22). We can walk into the future with a God like that – who shows us that history is marching toward His inevitable Kingdom, and who assures us that even though we have many things that are uncertain in our lives, we follow a God who knows what lies in the darkness. So we can keep going with hope and without fear.76
Dear heavenly Father, praise You for being so wise, who not only knows the future, but also controls world powers. Someday You will set up a kingdom and Your Kingdom will endure forever! Now in the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will this kingdom be left to other people. It will crush and bring to an end all of these kingdoms. But it will endure forever (Dani’el 2:44).
What peace it brings to know that Your Word is totally trustworthy. When You promise, it will come to pass exactly as You said. There is no power that can stand in Your way. You never forget, nor do you ever make a mistake. You never promise what You cannot deliver, for You always fulfill to the smallest detail. The certainty of You setting up Your everlasting Kingdom, is a sure Rock to hold on to in this world of uncertainty with wars and fighting. You are in control. You will do what you have promised.
How wonderful that You, the King of kings, On Your robe and on Your thigh Your Name will be written, “King of kings, and Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:16). You will welcome into Your Kingdom all whom You adopt as Your children – those who trust and believe in You. But whoever did receive Him, those trusting in His name, to these He gave the right to become children of God. In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen
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