Daniel 2 (Genesis 41): Dreaming of Heaven - Rock on!

 Presented to TSA Alberni Valley Ministries, 17 January 2026, by Major Michael 

 

A few hundred years before Daniel and in a different country, Joseph had a similar experience to his. I find it interesting that Joseph interprets his dream in Egypt just before Israel (Israel is Joseph’s dad) becomes a country in the narrative (a few hundred years in chronology) and Daniel interprets his dream in Babylon (607 BCE) just before Israel/Judah ceases to exist as a country (586 BCE). These dreams are like book ends for the existence, the story of the country of Israel/Judah.

 

Reading from Gensis 41:14-36 (NIV):

14 So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon. When he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh.

15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”

16 “I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.”

17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile, 18 when out of the river there came up seven cows, fat and sleek, and they grazed among the reeds. 19 After them, seven other cows came up—scrawny and very ugly and lean. I had never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt. 20 The lean, ugly cows ate up the seven fat cows that came up first. 21 But even after they ate them, no one could tell that they had done so; they looked just as ugly as before. Then I woke up.

22 “In my dream I saw seven heads of grain, full and good, growing on a single stalk. 23 After them, seven other heads sprouted—withered and thin and scorched by the east wind. 24 The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads. I told this to the magicians, but none of them could explain it to me.”

25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 26 The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years; it is one and the same dream. 27 The seven lean, ugly cows that came up afterward are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind: They are seven years of famine.

28 “It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. 29 Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt, 30 but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land. 31 The abundance in the land will not be remembered, because the famine that follows it will be so severe. 32 The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon.

33 “And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. 35 They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food. 36 This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine.”

 

Now, it is important to note before we compare these dreams that, though there were Judeans, Samaritans and others during the Roman Empire a few hundred years later, the nation of Israel/Judah, after the Babylonian conquest, had already ceased to be an independent country– never to rise again (with the possible exception of the time of the Maccabees) until Christ returns with the New Jerusalem at the eschaton. The country that calls itself Israel today is NOT the ancient Israelites. Today’s Israelis are predominately Eastern Europeans who set up their apartheid regime in 1948, the same year as the Western Europeans set up their apartheid regime in South Africa. These stories of Joseph and Daniel really are book ends on the life of the country of Israel.

 

In Genesis 41, you will notice that Joseph’s interpretation of Pharaoh’s dream was that in the good / prosperous times he, and by extension, we should save from our excess for when lean times follow. But more than that – just like all the people’s land and possessions belonged to Pharaoh, so too all the land in the world really belongs to God. The Bible is clear about this especially in Leviticus 25 (among other places) where Israel is reminded to honour the sabbatical years and the Year of Jubilee. Sabbatical years were years when the land was supposed to rest like the people were supposed to rest on Sabbath days. And Years of Jubilee were when debts were to be forgiven; and slaves and indentured servants were to be set free. Pharaoh's dream can be seen as, in part, laying out the blueprint for the foundation of the Kingdom of God. It shows us what God’s Dominion looks like: everything belongs to YHWH; we forgive one another, and the captives are set free.

 

That Pharaoh’s dream is about more than just saving wisely for a rainy day can be shown by Luke in his gospel (Lk 12:13-21). He recounts Jesus’ parable of the man who saved for his retirement and then had his life demanded of him before he could access the savings. Israel, likewise, like us, and like Adam and Eve, was supposed to care for the land and the people. Because they didn’t, they were removed from the land (cf. 2 Chronicles 36:20-21). This was a warning that Israel was given from the very beginning – even before they were a country and their failure to love God, the land, and their neighbour; led to God taking their promised land and giving it to someone else. This brings us to our passage today. Daniel Chapter 2.

 

When asked to tell Nebuchadnezzar what his dream was, the Chaldeans answered, Verse 11, “What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods, and they do not live among humans.” This is neat: the Chaldeans were correct. Only Jesus, the True God, can reveal this meaning and only Jesus, the True God, did live among men! (and He’s coming back!)

 

Daniel also shares this gospel; he says, Verses 27-28, “No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come.”

 

But first, Verses 14-23, before Daniel has this conversation with the king, he steps out in faith, speaks to the guard, and then speaks to the king, and then he prays. He goes to his house and tells his friends about what is needed and they pray. They pray for mercy and during the night God gives Daniel a vision of the dream and the interpretation. Daniel thanks and praises God and asks the captain of the guard to stop the executions of the wise men and take him to the king. They give Glory to God and Daniel tells Nebuchadnezzar his dream and what it means. Verses 37-38, “Your Majesty, you are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory; in your hands he has placed all mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds in the sky. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold.”

 

This is reminiscent, reflective of how God had given Pharaoh charge over Egypt and the land Israel occupied. This is reflective of how Israel was to care for the land they were promised. This is reflective of how the Amorites were responsible for that land prior to Israel and it notes in the text that Nebuchadnezzar is now (in his day) responsible for the land; It is also reflective of how Adam and Eve were given the land to care for but it was taken away from them for their disobedience / unfaithfulness; and it was later taken from the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Israelites, and it will be taken from Nebuchadnezzar's successors as well.

 

There will come a time though, when, Verse 44: “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.” We know what the Kingdom - like the Mountain in the dream - is that will endure forever, never be destroyed or given to another people. That is the Kingdom of God. Isaiah 9: 6-7 speaks of this Kingdom and, the rock its ruler:

“For unto us a child is born,

unto us a son is given,

and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the greatness of his government and peace

there will be no end."

 

We celebrated Christmas less than a month ago, the purpose of which is to celebrate the birth of Jesus the King and look forward to the full realization of His Kingdom! His birth was the rock being cut from the mountain. The mountain, His Kingdom will never end and there will always be peace! When Jesus returns with the New Jerusalem at the eschaton this will all be complete. And until that time, as His citizens, we need to keep serving our King.

 

Like Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, the Amorites, Jacob, and Adam and Eve were all supposed to do: we need to take care of the earth, everything, and everyone in it; we need to forgive debts and others and  we need to neither hoard nor sell God’s possessions for a profit but rather share with everyone in need all that God has given us stewardship over.

 

My friends, this is what we, like our foreparents, are called to do, and my friends this is what you, each of you here, with your individual, collective, and corporate ministries have been doing very well; and this my friends is what I pray we will be faithful to do until that day when the mountain in the king’s dream has finally reached its full height and the Rock of our Salvation, the True King of Kings, returns with the new Jerusalem to rule over us forever and ever. Amen.

 

Let us pray

 

 

 

New Life's Resolutions! (Ephesians 4:1-32)

Presented to The Salvation Army Alberni Valley Ministries by Major Michael Ramsay, 07 January 24 and 04 January 26

 

This is the 2026 version, to view the 2024 version, click here: 

https://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2024/01/new-years-resolutions-ephesians-41-23.html

 

We had New Year’s when we were away. New Year’s is often a time of reviews or quizzes. Today I have a Bible memory quiz for us. I am going to read or recite a verse, and you tell me the reference. Let’s see how we do:

1.     For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (Jn 3:16)

2.     In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)

3.     But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33)

4.     For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Ro 6:23)

5.     In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1)

6.     The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. (Ps 23:1)

7.     In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, (Ephesians 4:26)

 

I picked the Ephesians 4:26 verse because we used to talk about it almost every week in Sunday prayer meeting. it is one of Reinhard’s favourite verses. Does anyone have favourite verses? If so, call them out now…

 

Thursday was New Year’s Day. This is often a time of resolutions. Did anyone make any resolutions? I had one friend who said that they would give up drinking for January – and then they thought about it a while and declared that they would give up drinking on Wednesdays in January. This year I resolve to keep up my daily Bible readings (as I have done for many years) and exercises – mostly stretches. The older I get the more I need to stretch. I was injured during covid and walked with a limp for well over a year and it was through my exercises that God made it so that I could walk without a limp again. It is the same with exercising our spiritual disciplines - like prayer and study. They strengthen us so that we do not get injured spiritually, eternally. These are some of my (not new) resolutions.

 

If you are looking for some resolutions for the New Year or your life in general, Paul in Chapter 4 of Ephesians has some good suggestions. He says, “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” Therefore let us resolve to, Ephesians 4:2-3, “be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” Let us:

1.     Be completely humble and gentle (4:2a);

2.     be patient, bearing with one another in love (4:2b);

3.     Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace (v.3).

 

These are three very good resolutions. The first one is to be humble and gentle. We know what it means to be gentle. It means to speak calmly and quietly. It means to not use aggressive language such as ‘You Statements’; we know what those are, right? …Things like ‘You did this” or ‘You said that’ or even ‘you always say this’ or ‘you never do that’; often such statements can be accompanied by finger pointing or other non-gentle, non-verbal accessories. A gentle person also doesn’t interrupt people. Sometimes excited, even well-meaning people can do violence to others by cutting them off mid-sentence. Paul says we should resolve instead to be gentle with one another.

 

Paul says we should be humble. Humility helps us be gentle. When we are humble, we don’t come across as if we always have the right answer – we may actually have the right answer, but we don’t come across as if the other person’s perspective doesn’t matter. A humble person will often let the other person speak, validate their opinion, before sharing her own wisdom in an affirming rather than a demeaning or arrogant manner. Paul says, be completely humble and gentle with one another.

 

Paul also exhorts us to resolve to be patient with each other, bearing with one another in love. Sometimes this means we let someone finish talking and not cut them off just because we think we know what they are saying. Sometimes it means that we let someone complete a task, even if they are not as proficient at it as we are. You know how it feels when every time you try something it seems like it is not good enough – they either take over from you or criticize you. Paul says, ‘don’t do that’, 4:2b: rather be patient, bearing with one another in love.

 

Ephesians 4:3: ‘Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.’ This is important. Many times we argue about things that are adiaphoron, matters of spiritual indifference. It is really important to understand that whatever deep-seated matter we are arguing about: sports, politics, religion, theology, whether its pronounced tomato or tomato... as Christians we need to not be distracted by these things. It is really important, however, that we stick together on the matters of significant importance such as salvation for here and now and forever, and the rest we can work out in gentle conversation and study as we make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

·       Ephesians 4:21-24: “when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

 

4:21-24 is a great New Year’s and New Life verse – now is a great time to put on a new self as we are all created to be like God him/themself. Paul suggests some more resolutions too:

·       Ephesians 4:25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbour, for we are all members of one body.

·       Ephesians 4:26&27: “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.

·       Ephesians 4:28: Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.

·       Ephesians 4:29: Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

·       Ephesians 4:30-32 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.  Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

 

Ephesians 4:25: Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbour, for we are all members of one body. This is a good resolution for us all. Speak truthfully to each other. Don’t share a rumour. Don’t gossip. Don’t share wrong information. Don’t guess. This can actually be a temptation. I know that I have overheard many conversations where a person, well-meaning even, says something just straight up wrong. Paul tells us to resolve to slow down when we are chatting with one another and make sure that what we are saying is true. Put off all falsehood.

 

Paul also says, Verse 26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry”, Verse 27, “do not give the devil a foothold.” Alan often remembers this verse. Rheinhart used to remind us of this all the time in prayer meeting. How long have he and Christa been married? 70+ years? Rheinhart tells us that one secret to a good marriage – and probably any relationship is to not let the sun so down while you are still angry. Resolve to settle your dispute or at least calm down before the sun goes down. If you don’t, by morning you may find that things have already been blown far out of proportion – or worse – you may find that the issue never gets resolved. In that case it will nibble away at you forever or until you get divorced. Really, in your anger, don’t sin and don’t go to bed while you are still angry at anyone.

 

Paul also says that, Verse 28, anyone who has been stealing must resolve to steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands so they have something to share. I find this interesting. He not only says that we should resolve not to steal; we should also resolve to make something useful to share with others. I think that is important. It is not just that we shouldn’t take something from someone; that isn’t it. We should actually go out of our way to make something for someone else. This does two things – one it gives purpose to the one who had nothing to do but steal and two, it helps out someone else who themselves can then do something useful for others. We all have agency – take it from no one. I encourage us to always contribute and to help others to contribute.

 

Paul says we should resolve to not let any unwholesome talk come out of our mouths - only what is helpful for building up others. When we are chatting with one another, let us encourage one another, even when in disagreement, pointing out the value and benefit of each other and encouraging one another to continue to use their gifts to help out each other.

 

Let us resolve this year and always to not grieve the Holy Spirit. Verse 31, let us get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. And 32, Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

 

Forgiveness my friends is a key to so much in life. It is when we fail to forgive that we can be consumed by bitterness, rage, and anger which can lead to brawling, slander, malice and all the rest. Paul asks us to be kind and compassionate instead and it is only through forgiveness that we can do this.

 

We know what forgiveness is, right? Forgiveness is NOT something that we do for or to anyone else. I often hear people say, I can’t possibly forgive him or her for this terrible thing they did. Whether you forgive something or not has absolutely nothing to do with the person who hurt you. Also, protecting yourself, others, or themselves, from the person has nothing to do with forgiveness. Forgiveness is a state of heart and a state of mind. You can forgive someone and still protect everyone involved. We do need to remember though that when someone does something awful to us – lying, stealing, anything – they do that thing once. When we refuse to forgive, we hurt ourselves with that very same pain each and every time we fail to forgive. A person does violence to you once – you do violence to yourself each and every time you fail to forgive. Whether you forgive someone or not has nothing to do with them at all. Failing to forgive someone is like being so mad at someone for hitting you on the head that you hit yourself on the head over and over again until they have learned their lesson – the only one you are guaranteed to be hurt is yourself. Paul says, don’t do that. Instead, be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

 

Ephesians 4 has some great New Life resolutions for us: be humble, gentle, patient, honest, and unified in the Spirit; don’t sin even when angry; don’t steal; speak nicely to each other, get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, slander, and malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgive each other, just as in Christ, God forgave us. My friends, let us resolve to encourage one another in this way, not only in the new year but also in our new lives forever; let us resolve to love one another.

 

Let us pray.

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