Read Together: Daniel 2:24–45

We saw on Sunday in the parables of the Mustard Seed and the Leaven that though God’s kingdom has seemingly small and unimpressive beginnings, its growth will be great in the end. God will build his kingdom, and it will be great. In Daniel 2, we find another illustration about the coming of God’s kingdom that parallels Jesus’s parables in Matthew 13.

Daniel 2 records a story about King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream about a statue. This is no ordinary statue. The head is gold, the chest and arms are silver, the waist and thighs are bronze, and the legs are iron and the feet are iron mixed with clay. A rock strikes the feet of the statue, and it is destroyed and blown away like chaff in the wind. But the rock becomes a mountain that fills the whole earth.

Daniel is able to interpret this dream for the king: the parts of the statue represent different kingdoms, starting with Babylon itself. The rock represents God’s kingdom that overcomes all earthly kingdoms and will one day fill the whole earth. This is no manmade kingdom. It is set up by God himself, it will stand forever, and it will never be defeated.

Jesus, ultimately, is the rock in the dream. He is the King who establishes a kingdom that topples all other kingdoms. This kingdom is not like the powerful kingdoms of the world. It is not manmade and does not advance through worldly power. It is established through the cross: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone . . . . and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him,” (Luke 20:17–18).* God will set up his kingdom in his way, and his kingdom will be great. God has set all of this in motion in the first coming of Christ, and he will complete it when Christ comes again.

Discussion Questions

1. What does the statue in the king’s dream represent?
2. What does the rock represent?
3. What do we learn about God’s kingdom from this dream?

Ideas for Younger Kids

• Read Daniel 2:24–45 with your kids. Consider providing extra context and paraphrasing some sections as needed. Talk about what a “kingdom” is—a place and a people ruled by a king or other leaders. Jesus came to bring God’s kingdom. And God’s kingdom is forever, it wins in the end even if it sometimes seems small.

Memorization: “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe.” (Hebrews 12:28 ESV)

Song: Listen to “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” (performed by Norton Hall Band). The last line captures our hope: “His Kingdom is forever!”

Pray Together

• Praise God that his kingdom is forever!
• Confess before God that we often serve our own little kingdoms instead of God’s forever kingdom.  
• Give thanks to God that Jesus is coming again to complete his work of setting up the Kingdom of Heaven.
• Pray that God would help us to trust God’s work in setting up his kingdom and that we would rely on him as we seek to serve his kingdom purposes in this world.

Go Together

• Take some time to reflect together on the question: “What kingdom am I serving? Am I serving God’s forever Kingdom or my own little kingdom or another manmade kingdom?” Write down a few ideas for how you can better serve God’s kingdom this week.

*Iain Duguid, Daniel, Reformed Expository Commentary Series, pp. 40–41.