The Humble Rock
by Eric Engelmann
All content © 2024 Static Force, LLC
When are we?
It’s a little after 600 BC. That’s about 600 years before Jesus and about 700ish years after Moses and the law.
Where are we?
Babylon. Not far from the ancient Tower of Babel that’s referenced early in the Bible in Genesis 11.
Have we been here and now in a previous episode?
Yes. The theme of the first dream King Nebuchadnezzar has is one of the central messages to this podcast.
Why are we here now?
I’ve already made an episode about how thankful I am that Jesus fulfilled the dream about this rock. In this episode, I want to emphasize what I think is humble about the rock in King Nebuchadnezzar’s first dream.
Some History
Centuries earlier, Aaron made a golden calf so Israel could have something tangible to worship during Moses’ protracted absence at Mount Sinai. (This is recounted in Deuteronomy 9.)
When Moses came down from the mountain with two stone tablets containing the law, Moses broke those stone tablets. Then Moses destroyed Aaron’s golden calf and ground it to dust.
Scripture
Listen for indications that the rock in King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream might be humble.
Parts of Daniel 2:31-45
Verse 31 “You, O king, saw, and behold, a great image. This image, which was mighty, and whose brightness was excellent, stood before you; and its appearance was terrifying. 32 As for this image, its head was of fine gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet part of iron, and part of clay.
NOTE: The great image in this dream was made with many different kinds of materials. It was made with the intent to be bright and mighty. All the materials were shaped or molded to fit -- none of them were cut.
Verse 34 You saw until a stone was cut out -- without hands, which struck the image on its feet that were of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces.
NOTE: "Cut out" means there was an intent behind shaping this stone. It was shaped with a different technology than the image was.
Also note: There's no mention of anything inscribed on the stone. Neither is the stone a pedestal for anything.
The stone doesn’t appear to be any special jewel, like diamond. The stone is not mentioned as "mighty" or having "excellent brightness" or being “terrifying”.
Unlike the famous rocks of Moses’ time, there’s no mention of water coming out of this rock, and it doesn’t break like the stone tablets of the law.
There may be a disturbing plainness to this stone. I think it looks like a common stone cut for a purpose, probably like the stones that held up walls that King Nebuchadnezzar was used to pulling down.
Verse 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were broken in pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors. The wind carried them away, so that no place was found for them. The stone that struck the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.
Note: The stone gets its own turn to grow huge.
Skipping ahead, here's what Daniel said about the stone:
Verse 44 “In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, nor will its sovereignty be left to another people; but it will break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it will stand forever. 45 Because you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God has made known to the king what will happen hereafter. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.”
That's the end of the passage.
"Cut out without hands" means a divine intent behind the plain cut rock in the dream. The stone’s effects on the image -- representing the shiny intentions of rulers in this world -- was profound.
In the Future
Jesus will institute a kingdom that doesn’t rely on the glory of this world to win the hearts of its people.
After He ascends to the right hand of His Father, He will grow His kingdom to spread across the whole earth. No people or language will be excluded from His rule.
All content © 2024 Static Force, LLC