Deeper Reflection
Through Daniel, God “has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will take place in the latter days” – “what would take place in the future” (vv.28-29). What God has revealed is His plan for world history from the time of Nebuchadnezzar’s supreme reign until the end of history.Who did God reveal His plan to? God “has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar” His plan (v.28). Nebuchadnezzar? Shouldn’t God have revealed it to one of His own people? He didn’t. Not even to Daniel. God spoke to Nebuchadnezzar in his dream and Daniel was there only to interpret the dream. It is quite puzzling that God chose to speak to the man who had deported Daniel and his friends, and who, in the near future, would destroy Jerusalem and God’s temple, and deport most of the population to Babylon (2 Kin 25:8-11). But this underscores the sovereignty of God. It is simply God chose Nebuchadnezzar. Period. It is purely God’s prerogative.Why did God reveal such a plan? While God chose to speak to Nebuchadnezzar to reveal His plan, Nebuchadnezzar was not God’s primary audience. God’s primary audience was His people who were ruled over by Gentile superpowers for centuries, living under their totalitarian claims and suffering increased persecution, as Daniel 7 to 12 shows. Knowing “what would take place in the future” as revealed by God assures them that He is in sovereign control and is at work in history fulfilling His purposes. And the fact that God chose to reveal His plan to Nebuchadnezzar, it shows that God controlled this “king of kings” (Dan 2:37).