DESPISE NOT SMALL THINGS Devotion 21 of 24 One of the most significant prophecies of Daniel relates to the establishment and dominance of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. Isaiah specifically associated the coming Messiah with power and authority: "Behold, a KING shall REIGN in righteousness" (Isa 32:1). "The government," he declared, "shall be upon his shoulder." That Kingdom would not be noted simply for splendor and magnificence, but for longevity and effectiveness. "Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever" (Isa 9:6-7). Daniel went into even more detail concerning that Kingdom. – Tomorrow:
"Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying: "The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; His hands shall also finish it. Then you will know That the LORD of hosts has sent Me to you. For who has despised the day of small things? For these seven rejoice to see The plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. They are the eyes of the LORD, Which scan to and fro throughout the whole earth." Zechariah 4:8-10, NKJV
During the second year of king Nebuchadnezzar's reign, he had dreams. His spirit was troubled over this matter, and he could not sleep (Dan 2:1). Surrounded with magicians, astrologers, sorcerers, and the Chaldean wise men, the king summoned them to identify and show the significance of his dreams (2:2).
In the process of the meeting, "the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream" (2:3). When asked to tell the dream, Nebuchadnezzar said he could not remember the dream. Therefore, they were required to tell him the dream, then give its interpretation. If they were not able to do this, he would have them cut into pieces, and their houses would become a dunghill (2:4-5). They finally acknowledged they were unable to fulfill the word of the king. He became furious, and "commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon" (2:6-12).
It was at this time that Daniel surfaced. He petitioned the king to give him some time to obtain the interpretation. After being granted the time, he went to his house and revealed the whole matter to "Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions" (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego). Together they sought mercies from the Lord that the meaning of the dream would be revealed, and that they perish not with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. Their prayer was answered, and the meaning of the dream was revealed to Daniel in a night vision (2:17-19). Daniel responded with an insightful prayer of praise. He then informed Arioch, who had been commissioned to destroy all the wise men, not to do so, for he now knew the meaning of the dream. Immediately, Daniel was brought before Nebuchadnezzar (2:23-24).
First, Daniel revealed the dream. The king had seen a great statue, large and extraordinary in splendor. Standing before him, its appearance was awesome. It was made of a mixture of materials, with the most valuable being at the top, and the least valuable and most vulnerable at the bottom. "The head of that statue was made of fine gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay" (2:31-32).
In his dream, as the king continued looking at the impressive statute, "a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces." Listing the materials from the bottom up, Daniel said "Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found." The unassuming little stone which struck the statute, however, "became a great mountain and filled the whole earth" (2:35). Something small decimated something large!
Daniel then revealed the statute stood for four impressive kingdoms. The greatest kingdom would be the head. Then the kingdoms would deteriorate, with each succeeding one being inferior to the one it replaced. These kingdoms started with Nebuchadnezzar, whom Daniel said was "this head of gold" (2:38).
Each kingdom would be global, ruling over "all the earth" (2:39). The fourth kingdom would be strong as iron, breaking in pieces and running roughshod over other kingdoms. However, that very kingdom would be neutralized by division, as pictured by feet that were "were part of iron, and part of clay" (2:40-42). The Kingdoms, it was later confirmed, were the Babylonian Empire, the Medio-Persian Empire (Dan 5:29), the Grecian Empire Dan 10:20), and the Roman Empire, which ultimately succeeded the Grecian Empire of Alexander the Great, which suffered demise during the reign of his four successors (Dan 8:22).
Daniel further declared that during the seemingly invincible reign of these global powers, "the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever." That kingdom, the prophet revealed, was depicted by the little stone, cut out without hands, which rolled and enlarged until it filled the whole earth (2:44-45). This was nothing less than the Kingdom announced by both John the Baptist and Jesus, and preached by the Apostles (Matt 3:1-2; 4:17; Acts 8:12; 20:25; 28:31).
What a small beginning that kingdom had! Ignorant of what was happening, some spoke of it as a mere "sect," everywhere "spoken against" (Acts 28:22). Others referred to it as "the sect of the Nazarenes" (Acts 24:5). They thought it too insignificant nothing but a "small beginning."
But where are all of those opponents now? Where are the kingdoms they represented? They have all been "ground to powder," and scattered by the wind of heaven to the threshing floor of history! Depise not the day of small beginnings!
PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank You for Your wisdom and power, and for the Kingdom that started small, but will eventually fill the whole earth.