A king troubled with bad dreams.
In accordance with the wide cosmopolitan interests with which the Book of Daniel is concerned, we are introduced thus early to the troubles of the Babylonian court. The most striking feature of the book—its apocalyptic character—is first shown in the dreams of a heathen king. Let us notice—
I. NEBUCHADNEZZAR AT THE HEIGHT OF HIS PROSPERITY IS TROUBLED WITH BAD DREAMS. In the previous chapter we saw the king triumphing over the Jews. He is now only in the second year of undivided supremacy. Yet the first glimpse we have of his court reveals the king in trouble.
1. No prosperity of external circumstances can secure the peace of mind which is essential to true happiness. Success in battle cannot ward off the invasion of bad dreams. Wealth and power cannot command the luxury of sleep.
2. High rank is especially subject to restless anxiety. Scripture more than once refers to the sleeplessness of great men (Esther 6:1; Ecclesiastes 5:12; Daniel 4:18). On the other hand, sleep is regarded as a boon (John 11:12), and a gift of God to "his beloved" (Psalms 127:2).
II. THOUGH NEBUCHADNEZZAR IS A HEATHEN KING, HIS DREAMS ARE MESSENGERS OF DIVINE REVELATION. Nebuchadnezzar is the victorious enemy of "the people of God," who has sacked the city of Jerusalem, robbed the temple of its sacred treasure, carried the flower of the nation captive, and entirely broken its ancient independence; and now he reigns over his vast domains as a cruel tyrant (verse 5). With this man God opens up mysterious communications.
1. Thus revelation is not confined to prophets, nor to Jews, nor to good men. God has not deserted the heathen world. He has not deserted bad men (Genesis 6:3).
2. Nevertheless, this revelation is imperfect. It is in a dream—the lowest form of revelation (Joel 2:28). The dream is so shadowy that it is forgotten on the king's awaking. The interpretation is beyond the power of the dreamer. This lowest form of revelation vouchsafed to a bad man is dim, vague, perplexing, and troubling; and the dreamer experiences it as a passive subject. It needs the higher revelation enjoyed by a true prophet—a good man in living active communion with God—to make it intelligible and profitable. Thus there are scintillations of Divine light in the darkness of heathendom; but these do little more than make the darkness visible and increase the terrors of its superstition. They call for the interpretation of the fuller scriptural revelation (Acts 17:28).
III. THOUGH THERE IS AN ELEMENT OF REVELATION IN NEBUCHADNEZZAR'S DREAM, THIS ONLY GIVES HIM THE GREATER TROUBLE. It is plain that the king regarded this as a dream of more than ordinary import (verse 2), and therefore it caused him sleepless anxiety. His trouble would arise from various sources; viz.:
1. The sense of mystery. The dream was gone. When present it was unintelligible. Thus a partial revelation may often bring only trouble. Perhaps if we knew more of the unseen world we should only be able to discern enough to fill us with dismay.
2. The apprehension of future calamity. Possibly the king saw enough to recognize a portend of future woe. It must be too often the case that a revelation of the future will bring only distress. We desire to pierce the veil of futurity. It is by God's mercy that it is impervious to our sight (Matthew 6:34).
3. The timidity of an evil conscience. An evil conscience peoples the unseen world with terrors. The Divine and the future are to it both clouded with apprehension.