DANIEL 2
31 “You saw, O king, and behold, a great image. This image, mighty and of exceeding brightness, stood before you, and its appearance was frightening. 32 The head of this image was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its middle and thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. 34 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. 35 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. 36 “This was the dream. Now we will tell the king its interpretation. – Daniel 2:31-36
DANIEL 2 DANIEL NARRATES THE KING’S DREAM
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
The dream showed a great image that was so bright but frightening
Its head was made of gold and its chest and arms were of silver
Its middle and thighs were made of bronze and its legs of iron
Its feet were partly iron and partly clay and broken in pieces
Then all of the materials it was made were all broken
It became like chaff on the threshing floors during the summer.
In this account, God displays his omniscience and power. No human being can read someone else’s mind, let alone one person’s dream. Notice the details of the dream that was explicitly declared by Daniel. In the later part of this chapter, we will also hear God’s interpretation through Daniel what each aspect of the dream meant.
I could imagine Nebuchadnezzar’s jaw dropping shock to hear the details of his dream as if it was a movie being played in front of his very eyes while Daniel narrated his dream. What an extraordinary experience it must have been to witness the magnitude and sovereignty of God through Daniel. Surely, one’s heart will be touched no matter how cold and hardened it is. But, let us see how Nebuchadnezzar’s reaction would be in the following part of this chapter.
REFLECTION
· How is this narrative more about the divine rather than humans?
