Dan the Man

All-age service at St Giles

Dan the Man – Children’s Playlet

Narrator

Bad King Nebuchadnezzar was on the throne in Babylon. He had many magicians, enchanters, soothsayers and wise men in his court. But Dan the Man was ten times cleverer than all the others.

One day, bad King Nebuchadnezzar had a troubling dream. He woke up in a sweat, and could not get back to sleep. So he sent for his magicians, enchanters, soothsayers and wise men.

King

I have had a bad dream. What can it mean? I want you my magicians, enchanters, soothsayers and wise men to explain it to me. I want to know what it means.

Narrator

The magicians, enchanters, soothsayers and wise men replied: ‘O King, live forever! Tell us your dream and we will interpret it.’ The King didn’t trust them. He thought the magicians, enchanters, soothsayers and wise men might just invent an explanation, like the royal horoscope that was printed in the Babylon Times. So bad king Nebuchadnezzar came up with a cunning plan.

King

This is what I have decided. I want you to tell me what my dream was. If you can’t tell me my dream, and then explain it, I will have all you magicians, enchanters, soothsayers and wise men cut in pieces and bulldoze your houses into piles of rubble.

Narrator

Once more, the magicians, enchanters, soothsayers and wise men replied: ‘O King, tell us your dream and we will interpret it. The King was angry.

King

You are just trying to gain time. If you can’t tell me my dream, there is only one penalty for you all, for you have conspired together to mislead me and tell me wicked things.

Narrator

The magicians, enchanters, soothsayers and wise men answered the King: ‘What the King asks is too difficult. No one can reveal the King’s dream except the gods, and they do not live among men.’ This made the King so angry he ordered the execution of all the magicians, enchanters, soothsayers and wise men. He sent for Dan the Man to put them all to death. Now the King favoured Dan the Man, because he showed wisdom and tact, but Dan the Man worshipped the one true God.

When Dan the Man heard about the decree, he asked why bad King Nebuchadnezzar was being so harsh. The King’s officer explained why, and Dan the Man went to see the King.

Dan the Man

O King live forever! I can explain the King’s dream to the King. Just give me some time, and I will return and explain all that the magicians, enchanters, soothsayers and wise men could not reveal.

Narrator

Then Dan went back to his house and consulted his friends. He asked them to pray for him and to plead for mercy from God concerning the mystery. That very night, the mysterious dream was revealed to Dan in a vision. When Dan awoke, he sung a hymn of praise to God.

Dan the Man

Praise be to the name of God. He reveals deep and hidden things. He knows what lies in darkness. He gives wisdom to the wise. I thank and praise you O God for answering our prayers. For you have made known what we asked of you, and revealed to us the dream of the King.

Narrator

Then Dan the Man went to see the King’s officer. Do not execute the magicians, enchanters, soothsayers and wise men he said. Take me to the King and I will interpret his dream for him. The King said:

King

Dan – are you able to tell me what I saw in my dream and explain it to me? All the magicians, enchanters, soothsayers and wise men have failed. Can you succeed where they all failed?

Dan

O King live forever! The magicians, enchanters, soothsayers and wise men cannot explain it, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries.

Narrator

So Dan interpreted the King’s dream and explained to him what it meant. The King was delighted, even though the dream spelled bad news.

King

You’re the Man, Dan! Surely your God is the God of gods, for through him you were able to reveal this mystery to me. I will promote you to a high position and lavish you with gifts. You will be ruler over the whole province of Babylon. You will take charge of all the magicians, enchanters, soothsayers and wise men.

Narrator

But bad King Nebuchadnezzar did not change his ways. He built a statue of gold and set it up in the province of Babylon. He made all his officials bow down and worship the image. But Dan and his friends would not bow down when all the others did. When they saw Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego would not fall down and worship the golden statue, the high officials, the magicians, enchanters, soothsayers and wise men reported them to the King for disobedience.

The King was furious, so when Dan ‘s friends still refused to obey he had them thrown into a blazing hot fiery furnace for refusing to worship the golden statue. The fire was so hot, the slaves who tied up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and threw them into the flames died at once from the scorching heat. The King looked into the fire and to his amazement saw four men walking around.

King

Look, are my eyes playing tricks? I see four men walking around in the burning fiery furnace. Yet we only threw three men into the flames. They look unharmed, and the fourth man looks like an angel. Open up the furnace and let them out.

Narrator

So the doors were opened, and the King shouted into the furnace.

King

Come out!

Narrator

So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out. Everyone could see they had not been harmed. Not one hair on their heads had been singed, and their clothes did not even smell of smoke.

King

It’s a miracle! Praise be to the God of Dan and his friends. Only God could have rescued his servants from the flames of fire. So I will promote Dan’s friends to positions of power in all the land, and everyone who says anything against them or their God will be torn in pieces and their houses reduced to piles of rubble.

Narrator

So that’s the end of the story of Dan the Man, his friends, bad King Nebuchadnezzar, his dreams and the burning fiery furnace. You can read more stories about Dan in the Bible. How he interpreted more dreams. How there was a great feast, and a spooky ghostly had wrote strange words high up on a wall. And how Dan was thrown into a den of roaring hungry lions but survived.