A Nightmare of a King
Statue of Nabu, god of wisdom and knowledge
The king asked Daniel (also called Belteshazzar), “Are you able to tell me what I saw in my dream and interpret it?”
Daniel replied, “No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come. Your dream and the visions that passed through your mind as you were lying in bed are these: - Daniel 2:26-28, NIV
“The most powerful pagan in the world lies prostrate before an exiled Jew.” – Tremper Longman III
In Daniel chapter 2, we begin to understand more about the people who surround Daniel. The portrait of Nebuchadnezzar is particularly startling. Here is the most powerful human ruler in the world (Daniel 2:37-38) reduced to conspiracy theories and murderous rage- over a dream. How truly fickle and fragile is human pomp and power? This is the mighty head of gold- and it isn’t very shiny in this moment. Even more startling is the reality of the dream itself- King big-shot might be the head of gold but, he can’t stop the silver, bronze or even iron/clay that is coming. Even less can he stop the stone- not cut by human hands, which will crush all of those kingdoms to dust. How often do we carefully consider the things that ‘ruin’ our days or months or years? How many nightmare scenarios do we play out in our minds? How much sleep do we lose worrying about what might happen? And yet in all of it, we too often forget- there is a God in heaven who does as He pleases. His plans cannot fail. His ways are perfect. I wonder, how much handwringing could I save this week if I refused to let the anxiety of what might happen unsettle me? I wonder, how much of my anger or anxiety really flows from a lack of letting the reality of God’s sovereignty settle in my soul? I am not calling for a cold fatalistic view- “whatever God does, God does” but I am calling for a far less frantic understanding of our world and what we think might happen next. If I had to name our ‘Nebuchadnezzar’ I think it would be AI. The power, possibility and history shaping potential of AI seems rather unprecedented in my lifetime (you’ve got to remember I barely remember the Cold War). Here’s where again, Daniel can be such a good teacher- the book, not the book’s namesake. No matter the ‘beast’ of human power and wisdom, there is no stopping God. No matter the potential for future shaping, no man or machine holds a candle to God’s true power and kind control. In all of it, we can join Daniel in praising God-
“Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever;
wisdom and power are his.
He changes times and seasons;
he deposes kings and raises up others.
He gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to the discerning.
He reveals deep and hidden things;
he knows what lies in darkness,
and light dwells with him.” – Daniel 2:20b-22