Daniel (Greek) 2:1-6: a reflection

1In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams; and his spirit was troubled, and his sleep went from him. 2Then the king commanded that the magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans be called to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king. 3The king said to them, “I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream.” 4Then the Chaldeans spoke to the king in the Syrian language, “O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.” 5The king answered the Chaldeans, “The thing has gone from me. If you don’t make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you will be cut in pieces, and your houses will be made a dunghill. 6But if you show the dream and its interpretation, you will receive from me gifts, rewards, and great honor. Therefore show me the dream and its interpretation.”

Nebuchadnezzar rules a vast empire, and he cannot sleep. A dream has troubled him, his spirit is restless, and, oddly, he cannot even recall it. He summons all his wise men and demands the impossible: tell me both the dream and its meaning, or be torn limb from limb.

Notice the picture of the man at the top. All his authority, and he is tormented by something in the night he cannot grasp or command. The empire cannot give him peace of mind; his own wise men cannot reach into his dream. There is a restlessness here that rank and wealth do not cure, a hunger for meaning that no amount of control can satisfy.

And notice the limit of human wisdom. The magicians and enchanters, the experts of the age, are helpless before what only God can reveal; the answer is not in them. The passage sets up a truth the whole chapter will make plain: there is a God in heaven who reveals what no human wisdom can reach. If you are restless in the night, hungry for an answer your own resources cannot supply, the cure is not more control. It is the God who knows the dream. Take your restlessness to him.

Lord, no amount of control cures the restlessness of a heart made for you. When I lie awake hungry for answers my own resources cannot give, quiet me with yourself, the God who knows and reveals and gives the peace no crown can buy.