(10-11) The wise men explain the impossibility of Nebuchadnezzar’s request.
The Chaldeans answered the king, and said, “There is not a man on earth who can tell the king’s matter; therefore no king, lord, or ruler has ever asked such things of any magician, astrologer, or Chaldean. It is a difficult thing that the king requests, and there is no other who can tell it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.”
a. There is not a man on earth who can tell the king’s matter: When the Chaldeans said this they admitted that true revelation comes from God down to man. They understood – perhaps against their own inclinations – that revelation was not the achievement of man.
i. Despite all their wisdom – real and imagined – these wise men had no answer for Nebuchadnezzar, because only God could bring an answer to the king.
ii. “They were like some modern ministers of our own day who spend their time studying philosophy, psychiatry, psychology, social science, political science, and then continue under the pretense of being God’s messengers to men.” (Strauss)
b. No king, lord, or ruler has ever asked such things: The strategy of the wise men was to convince the king that he was unreasonable, not that they were incompetent.
c. Except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh: As far as these pagan magicians, astrologers, and wise men knew, this was true. They did not know what we know so plainly since the revelation of Jesus – that He is Immanuel, God with us (Matthew 1:23).
4. (12-13) A furious Nebuchadnezzar sentences all his wise men to death.
For this reason the king was angry and very furious, and gave a command to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. So the decree went out, and they began killing the wise men; and they sought Daniel and his companions, to kill them.
a. The king was angry and very furious: Though he was a despot, Nebuchadnezzar knew that false religion is worse than useless. He knew that it was a curse, and he had no use for wise men that could not bring him wisdom from God.
b. Gave a command to destroy all the wise men of Babylon: As a new king, Nebuchadnezzar also perhaps used the situation to test the suitability of his father’s old advisors. The dream provided him with a good reason to clean house.
B. God reveals the dream to Daniel.
1. (14-16) Daniel reacts to Nebuchadnezzar’s decree by asking for a brief extension.
Then with counsel and wisdom Daniel answered Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon; he answered and said to Arioch the king’s captain, “Why is the decree from the king so urgent?” Then Arioch made the decision known to Daniel. So Daniel went in and asked the king to give him time, that he might tell the king the interpretation.
a. With counsel and wisdom Daniel answered Arioch: Daniel was obviously innocent in all this, yet he calmly and discretely dealt with the crisis. Daniel’s calmness in this crisis showed what kind of man he really was. In one sense, crises do not make the man. Instead, they reveal the man.
b. Asked the king to give him time: This wasn’t just a stalling tactic. Daniel knew that it takes time to listen to the Lord and to wait upon Him, and Daniel was willing to take the time if the king would grant it.
2. (17-18) Daniel asks his companions for prayer.
Then Daniel went to his house, and made the decision known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, that they might seek mercies from the God of heaven concerning this secret, so that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
a. That they might seek mercies from the God of heaven: Daniel was in the type of situation where only God could meet his need. Therefore, he knew how important it was for both him and his companions to pray.
i. The battle was won when Daniel prayed with his friends. Praying friends are a blessing, and “In prayer meetings such as this history has been made.” (Strauss)
b. Concerning this secret: Daniel had confidence that God could do an unprecedented miracle. Joseph had interpreted dreams with God’s help, but had not reconstructed the dreams.
c. Might not perish: Considering what was at stake, there is little doubt that their prayers were extremely earnest. God listens to earnest prayer.
3. (19) God reveals Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and its interpretation to Daniel.
Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. So Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
a. The secret was revealed to Daniel: This was not religion, but revelation. Daniel did not find it out, God revealed it to him.
i. Christianity begins with the principle of revelation. What we know about God is what He has revealed to us. We do actively seek Him, but we seek what He has revealed. Our job isn’t to figure things out about God, but to understand what He has revealed to us.
b. In a night vision: We don’t know exactly what this is. It may have been a dream, or a supernatural vision that happened at night.