Summary: Babylon's king, Nebuchadnezzar, is beyond sleepless due to a dream/vision/nightmare. He puts out an unusual if not impossible request: his wise men, magicians, and astrologers can tell him his own dream (as well as what it means) or be put to death en masse. The group is, of course, unable to do that and are so desperate, they call on their hated enemy, Daniel.
Daniel asks his three friends to pray for him as he asks for an audience with the king. In the night between, God reveals both the dream and its interpretation to Daniel, who praises God as he awakes.
In the king's chamber, Daniel relays what God has revealed to him: a vision of a giant statue, with a gold head and lesser materials below crumbling to dust at the feet of a rock that grows into a mountain. The head, Daniel explains, is the king, and the body is all who will rule after him, until the rock comes, a symbol of a nation that is eternal. The king thanks Daniel and his God, showering him with gifts and making him more or less second in command.
Response: First off, I wonder how much of these decisions the king made due to lack of sleep. Nothing further there, just curious.
Also, I admire that Daniel went to bat for his enemies (who would betray him and his friends, and he probably knows that). It's tough enough to be benign and to serve one's own interests or to protect himself and his friends, but he puts that all on the line for people that normally want him gone.
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