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.
In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar cannot sleep and cannot remember his dream. So he calls in every expert his empire can supply — and behind that command stands a bigger question: who really governs the world's greatest throne?
A Sleepless Night That God Arranged
The dream was no accident. One writer sets the whole scene under a hand that never lets go of the controls:
Edward DennettMan may look supreme — think of Nebuchadnezzar over his empire. But always remember this: God never gives up the reins of government. He may control by His own hand or through others, but He does control the smallest events on earth as well as the greatest. So it was no chance that Nebuchadnezzar had his dreams in the second year of his reign.
Who the King Sent For
The four groups named in the verse were not harmless court advisers. (Where the ESV says "enchanters", older translations say "astrologers".) Their knowledge came from a particular source:
F. B. HoleBabylon got much of its "science" through arts in which men dealt with demonic powers. So Daniel and his companions were up against a "science" that comes from Satanic sources, as well as one that clever men had worked out. And the verdict, given by the pagan king himself, was that the knowledge and science and wisdom that comes from God was ten times better.
The Man He Did Not Call
Nebuchadnezzar already had the answer inside his own palace. He had tested Daniel and ranked him above every one of these men — and still he called for them instead:
Hamilton SmithGod allowed all of this to force the king to acknowledge Him through His servant Daniel. The king had already found Daniel ten times wiser than all the wise men of Babylon. Still, he forgot or rejected Daniel and turned to the magicians, astrologers, sorcerers and Chaldeans. He demanded that they not only interpret the dream, but first tell him the dream he had forgotten.
One writer sees the same pattern in all of us:
Edward DennettBut man must always come to the end of his own resources before he becomes willing to turn to God for help and direction… So all the wise men of his kingdom gathered to hear the commands of Nebuchadnezzar — men of knowledge and experience, the philosophers and scientists of the day.
Why the Dream Itself Had to Be Told
Asking them to name a dream the dreamer had forgotten sounds cruel. But it was the one test they could not fake:
Edward DennettThey could give an interpretation without trouble. If it dealt with future events, it might pass unchallenged, because until the time came for it to happen, no one could say whether it was true or false. So God's purpose — to expose how empty their claimed skill and knowledge were — would not have been reached.
And set against what these men claimed for themselves, the demand was fair:
Hamilton SmithBut when we remember the huge claims these wise men of Babylon made for themselves, the demand does not look so outrageous.
The Collapse of the World's Wisdom
The gathering of experts sets up a public test. Babylon's finest training is about to fail in front of everyone:
William KellyBut turning to this first great scene, we see the complete failure of the wisdom of the world. At the court of Babylon they took unusual care to train men in all wisdom and knowledge. Now the time had come to put that training to the test… while, on the other hand, the king was made to feel how utterly powerless all human resources are. It was God's opportunity to display His own power, and the perfect wisdom for which even a poor captive was made the channel.
A Challenge Thrown Down
This was more than a test of skill. God was confronting the powers Babylon trusted:
James BoydThe truth is, this was simply a challenge thrown down by the God of heaven before these men, who stood for the wisdom of a world deceived by the devil. The same challenge goes out word for word in Isaiah 41: "Set forth your case, says the LORD… Tell us what is to come hereafter, that we may know that you are gods… Behold, you are nothing, and your work is less than nothing."
Summary
- Arranged — The sleepless night of the world's most powerful man was no accident. God never hands over the reins of government. He controls the smallest events as well as the greatest.
- Summoned — The four groups named were not neutral scholars. Much of Babylon's "science" came from dealings with demonic powers.
- Overlooked — The king had already found Daniel ten times wiser than all of them. In trouble he still turned everywhere else. Man reaches the end of his own resources before he turns to God.
- Exposed — Demanding the dream itself closed every escape route. An interpretation alone could never be checked. Their own huge claims made the test fair.
- Answered — The failure of the world's wisdom became God's opportunity. He displayed His power through a captive, and told the pretended gods, "you are nothing."