OTHER KINGDOMS DANIEL 2: 39-49

OTHER KINGDOMS   DANIEL 2: 39-49

photo courtesy of Revelation: Faith and the Furnace

   (39) "After you, another kingdom will rise, inferior to yours.  Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth.  (40) Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron--for iron breaks and smashes everything--and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others.  (41) Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay.  (42) As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle.  (43) And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay.

   (44) "In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people.  It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.  (45) This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands--a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces.

   "The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future.  The dream is true and the interpretation is trustworthy."

   (46) Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate before Daniel and paid him honor and ordered that an offering and incense be presented to him.  The king said to Daniel, "Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery."

   (47) Then the king placed Daniel in a high position and lavished many gifts on him.  He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men.  (49) Moreover, at Daniel's request the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego administrators over the province of Babylon, while Daniel himself remained at the royal court.  Daniel 2:39-49 (NIV)

LIFE APPLICATION STUDY BIBLE COMMENTARY

   2:36  When Daniel says "we," he is referring to himself and his three friends.  Just as Daniel involved them in praying for God's help, he gave them credit when he presented the interpretation.  Because they helped Daniel in the prayer, he was careful to share the credit with them.

   2:44 God's kingdom will never be destroyed.  If you are upset by threats of war and the prosperity of evil leaders, remember that God, not world leaders, decides the outcome of history.  (See the post at http://omaspolitics.blogspot.com about Korea.) Under God's protection, God's kingdom is indestructible.  Those who believe in God are members of His kingdom and are secure in Him.

   2: 47 Nebuchadnezzar honored Daniel and Daniel's God.  If Daniel had taken the credit himself, the king would have honored only Daniel.  Because Daniel gave God the credit, the king honored both of them.  Part of our mission in this world is to show unbelievers what God is like.  We can do that by giving God credit for what He does in our lives.  Our acts of love and compassion may impress people and if we give God credit for our actions, they will want to know more about Him.  Give thanks to God for what He is doing in and through you.

   2:49 After being named ruler over the whole province of Babylon and placed in charge of the wise men, Daniel requested that his companions.  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, be appointed as his assistants.  Daniel knew that he could not handle such an enormous responsibility without capable assistants, so he chose THE BEST MEN HE KNEW--his three Hebrew companions.  A COMPETENT LEADER never does all the work alone; he or she knows how to delegate and supervise.  Moses, Israel's greatest leader, shared the burden of administration with dozens of assistants.

MY THOUGHTS

      I have been told by someone that he did not believe that God is involved in everyday activities, that He set up the world and left us to our own devices.  This is just one piece of evidence that God is involved in details.  He knows all things and is not bound by time.  The Book of Daniel was written more than five centuries before Jesus.  God revealed this to a pagan king through a Hebrew believer.  Praise to God for showing us centuries later that WE can trust HIM.

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