vi. The STONE “cut out
by no human hand” that becomes a Great Mountain (vv. 34-35, 44-45): the Divine Kingdom.
The Dream (2:34-35):
34"You
continued looking until a stone was cut out without hands, and it struck the
statue on its feet of iron and clay and crushed them. 35Then the
iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were crushed all at the
same time and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; and the wind
carried them away so that not a trace of them was found. But the stone that
struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.”
The Interpretation (2:44-45):
44"In
the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will
never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it
will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure
forever. 45Inasmuch as you saw that a stone was cut out of the
mountain without hands and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the
silver and the gold, the great God has made known to the king what will take
place in the future; so the dream is true and its interpretation is
trustworthy."
a. The Stone: our
Lord Jesus Christ—and by extension, His Kingdom.
Familiar imagery for God and Christ (cf., Gen.
49:24; Deut. 32:4, 15, 18, 30-31; Ps. 18:2, 118:22; Isa. 8:13-15, 28:16; Matt.
21:44; Rom. 9:33; 1 Cor. 10:4; I Pet. 2:7-8).
Ps.
118:22-23: The stone which the builders
rejected has become the chief corner stone. This is the LORD's doing; it is
marvelous in our eyes.
Luke
20:17-18: But Jesus looked at them and said,
"What then is this that is written: 'The stone which the builders
rejected, this became the chief corner stone'? Everyone who falls on that stone
will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like
dust."
Unto national
Israel, the stone is one that has been, and still is, a stone of
stumbling and great offence…
Isa.
8:13-15: Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself;
and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. And he shall be for a
sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the
houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And
many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be
taken.
Unto the Church,
however, He is the sure Foundation—the chief Cornerstone…
I
Pet. 2:6: For this is contained in Scripture:
"Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone, And he who
believes in Him will not be disappointed."
Unto the unsaved
nations, He is a grinding, destructive, smashing stone…
Matt.
21:44:
"And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on
whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust."
Rev.
19:11: And I saw heaven opened, and behold,
a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in
righteousness He judges and wages war.
b. v. 34: “a stone was cut out without hands…”
o The Stone is cut out
of the Mountain
(v. 45). In both Hebrew & Gentile, the symbol of a Mountain connoted the
Divine, as well as Kingly authority & dominion (e.g., Ziggurats, Pyramids,
Pagodas, etc.). Jesus is the true Ziggurat—or Stairway to Heaven (John 1:51).
o The Stone is of Divine
origin—not human.
c. v.34: “it struck the statue on its feet…”
o
NOT
on its KNEES (cf., v. 44: “In the days of those kings”)! This total
destruction is in concert with Jesus’ SECOND Coming, not the First Advent.
d. v. 35: “Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the
silver and the gold were crushed all at the same time…not a trace of them was
found.”
o
Recall
that each of the Four Gentile Kingdoms absorbed vital elements (e.g.,
cultural, institutional, religious & philosophical) of the preceding
Kingdoms.
o
The
Divine Kingdom, in contrast, finds no continuity with the Kingdom of
Man. No more absorbing, adapting, or modifying of the same worldly principles!
o
Humanistic
power, culture, & philosophy will be utterly swept away. A clean slate!
o
The
Fall of the Great Image is sudden and catastrophic—not the result of gradual
and moderating influences, leading to its conversion.
Isa.
11:4:
“And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and
with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked.”
Psalm
2:8-9:
“Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your
inheritance, and the very ends of the earth as Your possession. You shall break
them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.”
e. v. 35: “the stone…became
a great mountain and filled the whole earth.”
Isa.
2:2: “Now it will come
about that in the last days the mountain of the house of the LORD will be
established as the chief of the mountains, and will be raised above the hills; and
all the nations will stream to it.” [cf., Micah 4:1]
o
The
Stone’s influence becomes absolute & universal; a worldwide Kingdom.
Isa.
11:9: “They will not hurt or destroy in
all My holy mountain, For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD
As the waters cover the sea.”
Rev.
11:15: “Then the seventh angel sounded; and
there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has
become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and
ever."
o
The
Stone comes from Heaven—and brings Heaven to Earth.
Rev.
21:3: "Behold, the tabernacle of God
is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and
God Himself will be among them…”
f. v. 44: “In the
days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be
destroyed…”
o
The
Divine Kingdom is Eternal—in contrast to the previous four Kingdoms.
o
The
Divine Kingdom has two distinct phases: 1) the Mediatorial, 1,000 year
Millennial Kingdom of Old Testament expectations, and 2) the Eternal New
Heavens and New Earth. But the Divine Ruling Authority over both phases is the
same!
g.
Daniel’s concluding testimony (2:45b). “…so
the dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy."
Daniel speaks with full authority: The
dream’s miraculous recovery makes the trustworthiness of the interpretation
self-evident & self-authenticating (v. 47b).
4. THE AFTERMATH:
Daniel is honored & rewarded (2:46-49).
v.
46: “Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face and did homage to Daniel…”
a.
An amazing spectacle: the Head of Gold bows before a Hebrew
captive!
Prov.
16:7: “When a man's ways are pleasing to
the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.”
b.
Question: Did the King improperly render what
constitutes worship unto Daniel?
(cf., Acts 10:26, 14:11-15; Rev. 22:8-9). Authorities are divided.
i.
The Aramaic is inconclusive.
o Bowing can either be
an act of worship, or a gesture of respect.
o The offerings (46b)
may have been simply provided for Daniel to offer unto his God.
ii.
PRO: Nebuchadnezzar was
an ignorant polytheist who would have had no problem adding even Daniel
to his pantheon of gods! Bowing in such a manner is highly dramatic, and consistent
with worship.
iii.
CON: Worship is inconsistent
with this act…
o Daniel offers no word
of rebuke.
o Daniel had already
explained that he had no divine powers (v. 28).
o The King immediately
(v. 47) gives credit to the God of Heaven.
o The act is not
without parallel among vainglorious rulers.
o Josephus records
Alexander the Great bowing before the Jewish High Priest, in order to honor the
God of Israel.
o Nebuchadnezzar,
similarly, may have been bowing to Daniel as the invisible God’s visible
representative.
iv.
Foreshadows the final and ultimate triumph of the Stone!
Phil.
2:10: “…at the name of Jesus every knee
will bow…”
v.
47: "Surely your God is a God of gods and a Lord of kings…”
Nebuchadnezzar’s “confession” a mixed
matter: quite extraordinary—but deficient.
a.
Marvelous, and praiseworthy, that a vain foreign
conqueror would bow in humility to the God of Israel!
b.
Particularly praiseworthy, in that the content of
the message (the ultimate fall of his dynasty) was not to his liking!
c.
Nebuchadnezzar amazingly acknowledges the sovereignty
of the God of a conquered people.
d.
On the other hand, this expression of “faith” stops
short of a genuine conversion experience.
o Nebuchadnezzar sadly
remains a polytheist, willing to simply add a new deity to the pantheon.
o In chapters 3 &
4, he reverts to his former vanity, disregarding the message of the
vision…
2
Peter 2:22: It has happened to them according to
the true proverb, "A dog returns to its own vomit," and, "A sow,
after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire."
1
John 2:19: They went out from us, but they were
not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us;
but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.
o
A
demonstration that people will often have a moving—but passing—“experience” that results in a quick
trip down to the altar and a sinner’s prayer—but not in genuine conversion!
Matt.
7:21: "Not everyone who says to Me,
'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My
Father who is in heaven will enter.”
o
Nonetheless,
this incident does represent in an
important first step for the King that apparently does result in genuine saving
faith in his later years (4:37, 7:4).
v.
48: Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts, and he made
him ruler over the whole province of Babylon…
o Much like Joseph
under Pharaoh (Gen. 41:38-41):
Then
Pharaoh said to his servants, "Can we find a man like this, in whom is a
divine spirit?" So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has informed
you of all this, there is no one so discerning and wise as you are. You shall
be over my house, and according to your command all my people shall do homage;
only in the throne I will be greater than you." Pharaoh said to Joseph,
"See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt."
o
Daniel’s
fame and honor becomes so great that only a decade later that his fellow exile,
Ezekiel, holds him up before the nation as a proverbially wise man, in his
sarcastic rebuke of the Prince of Tyre:
Ezek. 28:3: Behold, you are wiser than Daniel; there is no secret
that is a match for you.
v.
49: And Daniel made request of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach and
Abed-nego over the administration of the province of Babylon, while Daniel was
at the king's court.
o Daniel remembers his
friends, partners in prayer and faith.
o The elevation of
these men sets the stage for the events of chapter three.
