The Statue & The Stone: A SOAP Journal based on Daniel 2

S = Daniel 2:20-22, 31-35, 44-45 Daniel answered and said:

“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,

to whom belong wisdom and might.

He changes times and seasons;

he removes kings and sets up kings;

he gives wisdom to the wise

and knowledge to those who have understanding;

he reveals deep and hidden things;

he knows what is in the darkness,

and the light dwells with him…

v. 31-35 

“You saw, O king, and behold, a great image. This image, mighty and of exceeding brightness, stood before you, and its appearance was frightening. The head of this image was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its middle and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay.

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. 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."

v. 44-45 

"And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever, just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.”

O = In these passages, we see that God was still answering prayers of his people in exile. So much attention over the years has been put on the statue in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and what it refers to in the past and what it might refer to in the future. Some scholars see a picture of four world empires (Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome) while others see references to four kings within the Babylonian empire. Some spend inordinate time talking about the significance of the toes of the statue. But the most important point is that God is sovereign over any kingdom, empire, or human government (v. 21). God is also the revealer of hidden things (v. 22). It is God’s kingdom that brings all human kingdoms to naught. In a remarkably short time the followers of Christ turned the powers of the world upside down…not through violence but through love. God’s kingdom is not so much a place as it is a people who will live forever in the presence of their God. His kingdom is not brought about by a violent revolution (e.g. by human hands [v. 34 & 45]) but by the mysterious work of God Himself. This happened through the incarnation, culminating at the cross and resurrection of Jesus.

A = Do I see worldly politics, economics, and military power as ends in themselves, or as something “too big to fail”? Am I able to see what is going on “behind the curtain” in the spiritual realm? Like Daniel, in times of plenty and in times of turmoil and crisis, I need to be a person of earnest prayer, uncompromising convictions, and a desperate trust in God as the One who is in control not just of my life but is the Lord of history. Do I really believe that God removes kings and sets up others? I need to be seeking direction, revelation, and deliverance for myself, and others from the Eternal LORD not some temporary human government. Political instability will not cause me to fear for I know the One who brings the kingdoms of the world to nothing. May this kingdom of God take root in my heart and guide my words and direct my hands this week. This means I need to continually fall in surrender upon the stone that has been rejected (Luke 20:17-18; James 4:6-10). It also means that God’s kingdom is not established by anger and violence (James 1:20). Am I comfortable with my role in God’s humble kingdom that works from the bottom up, or am I going to try to give myself an upgrade?

P = O Lord, you are the Ancient of Days, the Sovereign Lord of all. May I never fear man more than I reverence you. May you make me faithful like a Daniel, gifted to humbly speak your truth to those who ask. May I never seek to promote myself or advance my own kingdom but only to be a part of what it is that you are doing in the world. May you be glorified through me today! Amen.