The Pulpit Commentary — Daniel — Section 264

HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vers. 1-12.-Brute rule. "Four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another" (ver. 3). We remark the transieion here from history to prophecy; the date, the first year of Belshazzar, that is, before the fall of the first of the world- powers about to be described ; the form, a dream,-before this Daniel had interpreted others' dreams, he now dreams himself; the fact that it was at once committed to writing, i.e. not set down after fulfilment; and that the prophecy is only an outline, so that we must not expect too much detail. All this in ver. 1. The nature of the prophecy rebukes dogmatism. It may be well to call attention here to the fact that all these expositions and homilies are written independently of each ether ; there may be, then, possibly some diversity of critical judgment; this, however, will be no disadvantage to the student. For our own homiletic purpose we treat this chapter under three sections-in the first, we have a. vision of brute rule; in the second, of Divine sovereignty; in the third, of a great rebellion. I. 1TB CONDITION. "The great sea " is distinguished from all inland seas. The ocean. 'l'he image of our troubled world (Isa. :xvii. 12-14:; Rev. xxi. 1). Out of the commotion and confusion of troubled peoples the four forms of brute rule arose. II. 1TB CAUSE. "The four winds of heaven strove upon the great sea." As the wind plays on ocean, so do supernatural powers (in this case evil) lash into fury the passions of a troubled world; and out of revolutionary confusion emerges oft brute despotism. III. ITs GENERIC NATURE. "Four beasts." Four great empires. Same as described in eh. ii. Why the different form? That vision gave the external glory; this the inmost nature. They had life in them, but it was a life less than human. Man sinks below the human when the 1rveii,u11 is no longer animated by the Spirit of God. As with man individually, so collectively, so with nations, governments. Government is of God, but may lose the Divine in it, and so become brutal. A beast may inspire terror; but its look is not heavenward, but earthward; hears no Divine voice; has no conscious relations with God. "Four beasts," but "diverse." All brutal. IV. SPECIFIC FORMS, 1. The lion-form. The Babylouian empire. Dominant, like the king of the forest; swift and reaching far, like the eagle. Then came deteriorations. The deteriorations developed slowly. "I continued looking" is the sense, Swift energy was crippled. Not even with the speed of a lion walking did the empire advance; but painfully, slowly, as a beast marching on hind legs aloue. 'l'hen instead of the lion-heart at the centre of government, the timid heart of a man. Here we have the glory of Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon, its gradual decay unJ.er hi~ successors, until it fell before one mightier than itself. So do governments without God go down. 2, The bear-form. 'l.'he Persian empire. Less noble than tho liou ; fierce, heavy, slow. Of these charnctcristics, the most striking illustration woul,l  230 THE BOOK OF DANIEL. [en. vn. 1-28.