June 27 Daily Devotional

Daniel 2

At one time Nebuchadnezzar the king had a dream, which so troubled his spirit that he awoke from his sleep. But he could not recall what he had dreamed. Then the king commanded to call the magicians and wise men, and demanded that they should tell him the dream and interpret it. They came and replied, “There is not a man upon the earth that can show the king’s matter.” Then the king became very angry, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. And they sought Daniel and his companions to slay them. Then Daniel requested the king to grant him time, and he would show him the interpretation. Daniel went to his house and told his friends that they “would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret,” that they should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

Then was the secret revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night; and he blessed the God of heaven saying, “Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever … he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: he revealeth the deep secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth in him.” And Daniel went in unto the king and said, “God revealeth secrets and he maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and thy vision of thy head upon thy bed, are these … Thou, O king, sawest, and behold, a great image … the form thereof was terrible. This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, his legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them in pieces … And the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.”

This is the interpretation thereof. “Thou, O king … art the head of gold. And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron;” it shall at last be a divided kingdom, and partly strong and partly broken. “And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.” Then Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face and said, “Of a truth it is that, your God is the God of gods … and the revealer of secrets.” Then the king made Daniel great, and made him to rule over the whole province of Babylon, and to be chief governor.