38. Nebuchadnezzar's Troubled Dream

Time: 604 BC
Place:  King's Bedroom
Event:  Nebuchadnezzar's Troubled Dream
Scripture: Daniel 2:1-16

Read Daniel 2:1-16 - I highlighted some wordings in "red" so that you can visually see the significant points as you read the passage:

"In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his spirit was troubled, and his sleep left him. 

2 Then the king commanded that the magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans be summoned to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king. 

3 And the king said to them, “I had a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream.” 

4 Then the Chaldeans said to the king in Aramaic, “O king, live for ever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.” 

5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, “The word from me is firm: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you shall betorn limb from limb, and your houses shall be laid in ruins. 

6 But if you show the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts and rewards and great honour. Therefore show me the dream and its interpretation.” 

7 They answered a second time and said, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show its interpretation.” 

8 The king answered and said, “I know with certainty that you are trying to gain time, because you see that the word from me is firm— 

9 if you do not make the dream known to me, there is but one sentence for you. You have agreed to speak lying and corrupt words before me till the times change. Therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can show me its interpretation.” 

10 The Chaldeans answered the king and said, “There is not a man on earth who can meet the king's demand, for no great and powerful king has asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or Chaldean.

11 The thing that the king asks is difficult, and no one can show it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.” 

12 Because of this the king was angry and very furious, and commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be destroyed.

13 So the decree went out, and the wise men were about to be killed; and they sought Daniel and his companions, to kill them. 

We will note a few points here and you can watch the video:

• Nebuchadnezzar had several 'dreams'.
• These dreams were so alarming and disturbing that he was unable to sleep for nights.
• He was devastated and called in the magicians and enchanters to tell him his dreams.
• He could not even 'verbalize' his dreams.  
• In his anxiety, he isolated to one dream that he wanted the interpretation.
• He was strickened with panic as he could not remember much of the details.
• He wanted his dream to be made known.
• No one could tell him what his dream was and its interpretation
• In his fury, Nebuchadnezzar commanded all the wise men to be killed.

This was how 'desperate' and 'deeply troubled' Nebuchadnezzar was with his dream:

Tomorrow we will look into the content of his dream.

Daniel 2:14-16

14 Then Daniel replied with prudence and discretion to Arioch, the captain of the king's guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon. 

15 He declared to Arioch, the king's captain, “Why is the decree of the king so urgent?” Then Arioch made the matter known to Daniel. 

16 And Daniel went in and requested the king to appoint him a time, that he might show the interpretation to the king."

:)