Deeper Reflection
The wise men had pointed out to Nebuchadnezzar concerning his impossible demand that “there is no one else who could declare… except gods, whose dwelling is not with mortal flesh” (v.11). But didn’t the Babylonians have their own gods? And why didn’t the wise men seek their gods to reveal the matter to them? The wise men were “diviners and not prophets” ³. The prophets of Israel had access to God to inquire of Him and He would speak to them, like Micaiah (1 Kin 22:7, 19-23). But Babylonian diviners “sought to discern patterns in events and dreams that foreshadowed the future, but they claimed no access to the minds of the gods”⁴ . In Christ we can “come boldly and confidently into God’s presence” by His blood (Eph 3:12, NLT; Heb 10:19). However, many of us fail to appreciate this privilege and neglect in spending time with God. We can seek God for our security, but we choose not to, and work out our own ways instead. We can seek God’s Word to know God’s mind, but do we?Nebuchadnezzar became “indignant and very furious” and “gave order to destroy all the wise men of Babylon” (v.12). A dream was enough to make Nebuchadnezzar lose control of himself and act like an insane man. Here is anxiety out of insecurity, leading to extreme reactions to unexpected events. Fury can lead to folly. Nebuchadnezzar would have foolishly destroyed all his “political consultants, trend spotters and religious gurus”⁵ , and lost the best people who could assist him to rule His Kingdom. It would be foolish self-destruction.

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³ Iain M. Duguid, 21 ⁴ Iain M. Duguid, 21 ⁵ Tremper Longman, 77