Daniel 2:1

Daniel 2:1 says, And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.  Nebuchadnezzar had dreams that kept him from sleeping.  Nebuchadnezzar evidently put a lot of faith in dreams.  There are still those people today who believe that dreams foretell the future base their actions on these dreams.  Verse two adds, Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.  Nebuchadnezzar evidently had many people who served to interpret his dreams and give him spiritual advice.  We may have many people today who claim to have the ability to tell us what our future holds, but only God can do that.  Verse three continues, And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream.  Nebuchadnezzar told those that he had summoned that he had a dream that troubled him and they were to tell him what it was and what it meant.  This might seem a lot to ask, but if they were truly capable of doing what they claimed, then it should not have been a real problem.  The same is true for those who claim such power today.  Verse four states, Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation.  They started by flattering Nebuchadnezzar.  I do not believe that they thought that he would really live forever, but they wanted to continue to live successfully during his reign.  Then, they asked Nebuchadnezzar to tell them the dream so that they could tell him the interpretation of the dream.  If we tell people what we dream, it is easy enough for them to come up with what the say the dream means.  As followers of Christ, if God does speak to us through a dream, He will reveal to us what it means.  Verse five adds, The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill.  Nebuchadnezzar not only wanted them to tell him the interpretation of the dream, but he wanted them to tell him the dream itself.  I guess we could say that this alone put them under pressure, but to add to the pressure Nebuchadnezzar said if they could not then they would be chopped in to little pieces.  Even if it is not in this life, there will come a day when those who claim some mystical power will be held accountable for what they have claimed.  They will suffer a greater punishment though, and that will be everlasting separation from God.  Verse six continues, But if ye shew the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honour: therefore shew me the dream, and the interpretation thereof.  Though promised death for failure, they were promised great reward for success.  Those who claim to be able to tell the future today, by whatever method, do so for material gain and for personal acclaim.  We as followers of Christ should never look to them for guidance in any form.   Verse seven says, They answered again and said, Let the king telling his servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation of it.  These who had claimed to have special abilities to determine the future showed the limited power that they really had.  They needed to know the dream before they could come up with what they said was the interpretation of the dream.  Those today who claim to see the future are just as limited.  They must convince someone that they know what the future holds enough to get that person to believe them and act on that belief.  Verse eight adds, The king answered and said, I know of certainty that ye would gain the time, because ye see the thing is gone from me.  Nebuchadnezzar basically said that he knew they were stalling for time.  Verse nine coninues, But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is but one decree for you: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be changed: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can shew me the interpretation thereof.  Nebuchadnezzar told these magicians, astrologers and sorcerers that he knew that they had been lying to him, but if they told him his dream, then he would believe their interpretation of it.  I would say that is like someone who believes in astrology asking a person what their sign is.  If all these traits are determined by when we are born, then someone who can tell our future from them should be able to tell us our sign.  Verse ten concludes, The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king’s matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean.  They said the king was being unfair, because no one could do what he asked.  They were correct about the group they listed, which included them.  There are still no magicians or astrologer today who can tell the future.  We can only be certain of the future if we put our faith in God through Christ's sacrifice for us.