The
Book of Daniel
by
Jack Van Impe
Beginning
this week we want to do a study on the book of Daniel. We will divide the study
into two
major
parts; Part I: A History of the Times...And the Set-up for Coming Attractions;
and Part II: Events
Prophesied...Prophecies
Fulfilled. These two parts will be broken down and delved into in detail.
Wanted:
Healthy, Good-Looking Lads
Daniel
1:1, 2
In
the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of
And
the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of
house
of God: which he carried into the
brought
the vessels into the treasure house of his god.
Swords
flashed wildly between the nations of
between
the two superpowers were visible proof that each was determined to seize full
control of
their
part of the world. Any observer then, or historian today, knew that a decisive
battle could not be
far
off, a conflict in which the ultimate victor would once and for all put his
opponent to flight. And
that’s
exactly what happened.
The
time was early summer in the year 605 B.C. The great army of
Nebuchadnezzar,
then crown prince, attacked the Egyptian forces in a place called
Babylonian
city on the
Egyptians,
who were forced to return to their country to lick their wounds and ponder the
weakness of
a
failed battle strategy that had brought them to their knees. With unparalleled
world dominance, the
Babylonians
now had free reign to step into the unguarded
605
B.C. they had wrestled control of the city of
Upon
the death of Nebuchadnezzar’s father, Nabopolassar, a short time after the
massive Babylonian
victory,
Nebuchadnezzar rushed home to be crowned king of
taken
from the holy temple in
sort
of in-your-face mockery to the Holy One, a Babylonian slap in the face of the
Jewish people, their
traditions,
and their most high God.
An
But
the man who would be king did not return with merely gold, silver, and temple
utensils. Among his
inventory
of rich booty were also human treasures, young, fit sons of
beloved
homeland and brought to
resemblance
to their beliefs. But those were the rules of war; Lose the battle, do what your
captor
says.
Among the choicest of Jewish young men in this group now being transported to
teenager
whose name was Daniel.
Daniel
1:3-7
And
the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring
certain
of the children of
Children
in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and
cunning
in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to
stand
in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of
the
Chaldeans.
And
the king appointed them a daily provision of the king’s meat, and of the wine
which
he
drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand
before
the king.
Now
among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and
Azariah:
Unto
whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of
Belteshazzar;
and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to
Azariah,
of Abed-nego.
Wise
Beyond His Years
Daniel
now found himself a captive in a strange land, learning the language of the
Chaldeans, the
elite,
privileged class of
of
a conquered people, forced to think no longer like a Jew, but like a Babylonian,
with the clear
demand
that he give his full allegiance to Babylonian gods. This was Daniel’s
greatest challenge.
But
in ways that even Daniel could not have understood, he was more than adequately
prepared for
his
new life. Of royal descent, Daniel had already been trained for palace service,
even at his young
age.
He was not overwhelmed by the pomp and circumstance, nor by the tough courses he
and his
friends
had to take in astronomy, natural history, mythology, or astrology. Gilded
thrones didn’t overly
impress
him either, he’d seen it all before.
Nebuchadnezzar
simply did not know what he had on his hands: Daniel might have looked like just
another
strong, able Jewish boy on the outside, but the king couldn’t discern who
Daniel really was on
the
inside, a man of God, loyal and faithful to his Creator. So unswerving was
Daniel’s righteousness
that
even in the polluted atmosphere of heathen
to
God, something we’ll observe again and again as our story unfolds.
The
Times of the Gentiles
Now
here’s a point that I want to make early on because it will be critical to
remember it as together
we
travel on this amazing, prophetic road of Final Mysteries Unsealed, Daniel is distinctly the prophet
of
the “times of the Gentiles.” This is significant because the “times of the
Gentiles” continues on
through
the termination of Gentile world rule.
Daniel
is not only the prophet of the Gentiles, but he’s also a prophet to his own
people, the Jews.
When
Nebuchadnezzar brought the vessels unto the treasure house of his god, this was
the beginning
of
“the times of the Gentiles,” which continues until the time when Messiah
returns. You may
remember
that Jesus said in Luke 21:24,
“And
they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be lead away captive into
all
nations;
and
Gentiles
be
fulfilled” (emphasis
mine).
This
will be a recurring theme for us throughout the book. In modern English, this is
what Jesus was
saying:
in
586 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar took
From
that time onward,
preceding
Christ’s return to set up His glorious thousand-year kingdom upon earth. The
exception
occurred
during the miraculous victory the Jewish army experienced as they captured
during
the Six-Day War, fought June 5-10, 1967. After this military conquest, the Holy
City of Jerusalem
was
in Jewish hands for the first time in 2,553 years.
The
victory in 1967 began the countdown to Messiah’s coming to rule and reign at
Psalm
2:6 and Matthew 5:35). Here’s why. Just before Christ appears upon the
establish
His glorious kingdom, all Gentile nations will gather together at the
then
march to the
Gentiles
temporarily retake the city.
But
their victory is short-lived, because then Christ appears and destroys the
Gentile armies, bringing
the
“times of the Gentiles” to its horrendous conclusion. Christ will then reign
from
capital
of the world, for a thousand years (see Revelation 16:16; Joel 3:2; and
Zechariah 14:2-16).
Now
here’s the clincher. The Gentiles cannot march against
battle
if the Jews do not control the city. The Jews must be in possession of the
attack.
This is why the Six-Day War of 1967 was so prophetically significant, it
prepared the way for
the
battle of Armageddon and Christ’s return. In a sense, I’m giving you the end
of the story first, but I
think
it’s important for you to understand this as we see the enormous impact that
the Book of Daniel
has
on the outcome of history.
A
Young Man of Influence
Whether
the heathen king Nebuchadnezzar knew it or not, young Daniel, probably no more
than
seventeen
years old at the time of his capture, was a teenager beyond reproach. No evil
motives are
ever
attributed to Daniel in Scripture. Daniel had great influence on his three
friends Hananiah,
Mishael,
and Azariah. His moral rectitude rubbed off on them, and they, too, began to
demonstrate
the
purity that God desires for everyone, young or old. With wisdom well beyond his
years, Daniel
had
become a mentor to his three friends.
The
Scripture tells us in Daniel 1:4 that Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were
already intelligent
fellows,
but mere knowledge is a far cry from a mature understanding of how to apply that
learning
where
it truly counts. But because of Daniel’s daily influence, the Hebrew boys
demonstrated much
more
than the accumulation of facts; they knew how to rely on God and to use those
facts because
the
Spirit of almighty God was upon them. They were also fulfilling a prophecy
written in Isaiah 39:7,
which
revealed that the offspring of the royal family of
where
they would hold high offices in the palace of the king. And this is exactly what
was happening.
Can’t
Have Those Jewish Names, Boys
But
Nebuchadnezzar had a problem. He had Jewish boys, with Jewish names, in a
Babylonian palace,
and
he figured he’d better do something about it, especially since their very
names shouted out
their
allegiance to their God. The name Daniel means “God is judge.” When someone
would call for
Hananiah,
that person would be shouting “Jehovah is gracious.” Mishael’s name asked
the provocative
question,
“Who is what God is?” And Azariah’s name was a constant reminder of
God’s mercy,
meaning
“Jehovah has helped.”
Nebuchadnezzar
couldn’t allow these names to be echoed in his great hall, so he changed their
names
to Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Nebuchadnezzar was the master
of the
quick
fix. His kingly logic was, if he changed the name, he would change the person.
What the king
did
not realize, however, was that you can change a person’s name as many times as
you want, but
you
will not necessarily change that person’s heart. So the name changes were
purely cosmetic, and
I’ve
got a feeling that when the boys were in their quarters, in the privacy of their
conversation, they
still
called each other Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
These
brilliant young Jews loved their God and, as we’ll look at in more detail
later, boldly proclaimed
His
presence in their lives three times a day in prayer with the windows wide open.
They didn’t care
who
heard them pray. They didn’t care who saw them with their heads lifted to
heaven. They loved
their
God, and they would honor Him at all costs. They remained respectful to the
king, but they had a
greater
God to serve. In one of the great “passive resistance” protests in history,
they agreed to
remain
unwavering in their beliefs, even if it meant taking certain life-threatening
risks.
Daniel
1:8-16
But
Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion
of the king’s
meat,
nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the
eunuchs
that
he might not defile himself
Now
God had brought Daniel into favour and tender love with the prince of the
eunuchs.
And
the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who hath
appointed
your
meat and your drink: for why should he see your faces worse liking than the
children
which
are of your sort? then shall ye make me endanger my head to the king.
Then
said Daniel to Melzar, whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over Daniel,
Hananiah,
Mishael,
and Azariah,
Prove
thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and
water to
drink.
Then
let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the
children
that
eat of the portion of the king’s meat: and as thou seest, deal with thy
servants.
So
he consented to them in this matter, and proved them ten days.
And
at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh
than all the
children
which did eat the portion of the king’s meat.
Thus
Melzar took away the portion of their meat, and the wine that they should drink;
and gave
them
pulse.
An
Unlikely Training Food
The
first challenge was what to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Imagine the
incredible feasts
available
to Daniel and his friends. Delicacies galore. Meat, fowl, wine, and fruit served
in gold and
silver
vessels. The king’s best. Who would have refused that kind of life-style?
Well, for starters, four
young
men with the names Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They
determined in
their
hearts they would not eat the rich, fatty, high-cholesterol foods from the
king’s table.
But
there was another reason they refused to defile their bodies: The king’s food
had already been
offered
to the Babylonian god Marduk, and to eat the king’s food would be to break the
second commandment.
They
knew what Exodus 20:4-5 said:
Thou
shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is
in
heaven
above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
Thou
shalt
not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a
jealous God,
visiting
the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth
generation of them
that
hate me.
But
this conviction created a problem. These four boys were in training, and
Nebuchadnezzar and his
trainers
were in charge. They were under strict orders to follow Babylonian rules, not
Jewish rules.
Nothing
kosher here. But-and this is why I hope young people are reading this book,
because this in
so
many ways is a young person’s book Daniel still found favor with the prince of
the eunuchs. Character
is
what counts. Sticking to your guns when everyone else says to do something that
dishonors
God
is what wins the day.
Now
it was Melzar, the eunuch in charge, who had the problem. His job and his life
were on the line.
He
had a specific assignment-to make his charges obey the rules, follow the
instructions, color between
the
lines, do what they were told, and eat the king’s food like the other Jewish
boys. What
could
be so bad about that! “Come on, guys, please,” I can almost hear him say.
“I like this job, and I
really
don’t need to get into any trouble with the head eunuch.” I’m sure that
Daniel and his buddies
listened
to their eunuch friend with hearts of compassion for the predicament he was in,
but they still
remained
faithful to God’s agenda for their lives.
Acting
Like Gentlemen
Now
here’s a part I love. Rather than giving Melzar a tongue-lashing, Old
Testament lecture on the
evils
of giving good food to bad gods like Marduk, Daniel did something much more
effective: He
provided
an alternative. He presented the eunuch an option by suggesting, “Let’s just
check this other
idea
out, and see what happens.” Daniel came up with a “ten day plan.” And what
was the essence of
this
plan?
To
eat only pulse, another word for beans. Beans. Not meat, fish, exotic game from
the forest, rich
desserts,
wine flowing by the flagons-but beans . . . and water. I can just see Melzar’s
face turn
ghostly
white as he gently touches the side of his neck, wondering how long it will
remain attached to
the
rest of his head. “Beans! Surely you jest. We have beef, and you want
beans?”
Daniel
and his friends confirmed their resolve, and the diet plan was approved. While
the rest of
Jewish
captives were being wined and dined in the palace dining hall, Daniel and his
three friends ate
beans,
and amazingly were growing stronger and healthier in mind and body day by day.
They trusted
their
God to make them healthy and strong. They remained obedient to God when all the
odds were
stacked
against them. And when the ten day experiment came to an end, we read that
“their
countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did
eat the
portion
of the king’s meat. Thus Melzar took away the portion of their meat, and the
wine that
they
should drink; and gave them pulse” (vv. 15-16).
And
the palace scoreboard read:
Daniel-1
King-O
Daniel
1:17 - 21
As
for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and
wisdom: and
Daniel
had understanding in all visions and dreams.
Now
at the end of the days that the king had said he should bring them in, then the
prince of the
eunuchs
brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar.
And
the king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel,
Hananiah,
Mishael,
and Azariah: therefore stood they before the king.
And
in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king inquired of them, he
found them ten
times
better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.
And
Daniel continued even unto the first year of king Cyrus.
There
must be something about the power of beans. But for ten days? I think that’s
about the only
diet
I haven’t heard about in all the hype and hoopla of today’s weight
management programs. Of
course,
the beans and water didn’t make the difference, the food was simply the
vehicle of faithfulness
that
God used to prove that He was God, and that there was no other.
Now
that the experiment was over, Daniel and his friends began to focus on more
serious businesssuch
as
praying to God to help them develop their gifts of wisdom, ability to discern
truth from error,
and
the skill to differentiate between true dreams and false dreams. This was a lot
for young shoulders
to
bear, but God was faithful to his four righteous servants, and He gave them more
wisdom and
knowledge
than they ever could have imagined.
The
Best of the
We
can safely assume that Daniel and his compatriots did not dine at the king’s
table for the entire
three
years of their training. Yet, when the king took one look at Daniel and his
friends, he realized
there
were no others in his realm who were as healthy or insightful as these four
Hebrew boys. They
had
proved by their faithfulness to God-while maintaining an attitude of courtesy
and respect for their
foreign
ruler that God had sent them to the king’s palace, and that they were
committed to serving
their
God. The king quickly picked up on this, and we read that:
“in
all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king inquired of them, he
found them ten
times
better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm”
(1:20).
The
Message for Today
What
is the special word from God for us here? I believe God would have us understand
that our
heavenly
Father wants us to be faithful, regardless of our circumstances. What if Daniel
and his
friends
had chosen to compromise their ideals in that foreign environment? What if they
had decided
it
made no difference to put on rolls of fat from the king’s bounty, to play
around with foreign gods, to
engage
themselves with sensuous women, and to allow their active minds to accept the
ungodly
mind-set
of Babylonian life? If they’d taken the easy way out, they would have been
ineffective servants.
Just
four more captives doing their time.
And
the king would never have honored them by saying, “I would trade ten of my
best magicians and
astrologers
for one of these men because they have some supernatural power.” Ten times
better!
What
a recommendation. What enviable job security. And what a God-given opportunity
for Daniel
and
his friends to begin to influence a king and the affairs of an entire kingdom at
the highest level. All
this
was taking place because four young, God-fearing men were filled with the Spirit
of God and
were
determined to follow His commands.
As
we move from one exciting page of the Book of Daniel to the next, we’ll notice
that the expression,
“The
spirit of the gods” will appear often. As believers, we know there is only one
Spirit, the blessed
Holy
Spirit. And when our Savior returns, a theme we’ll investigate as we go
along-there will be only
one
power. The Nebuchadnezzar’s of the world will have had their day. The once
powerful, high, and
mighty
will take a backseat to the Divine Redeemer who will come for His own. At that
day there will
be
only one power, one driving force, and one Spirit. That’s why we are reminded
in Ephesians 5:18
to
“be
filled with the Spirit.”
The literal Greek reads, “Be being filled with the spirit.” It’s a
continuous
process.
The
kind of filling that will energize you and me, just as it provided the power for Daniel to remain
faithful
to God during his time of trials in a foreign land. And just as Daniel stood
boldly and confidently
before
King Nebuchadnezzar so we have received the mandate to demonstrate the boldness
of
Acts 1:8: “But
ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall
be
witnesses
unto me both in
of
the earth.”
In
Daniel’s day, the wisdom of the world, which was Nebuchadnezzar’s world was
put to shame by
the
wisdom of God manifested in the lives of four committed young men. That same
wisdom must be
exhibited
in our day, a time in history when a movement against the one true God is
picking up speed
and
will march us to the end of the age. Daniel is not just a prophet from history,
and his book is not
just
another book. It is our must-read guide to show us where we are heading, and the
Book of Daniel
will
take us to a fuller understanding of the latter days and the great mysteries
unsealed, beginning
with
Nebuchadnezzar’s amazing dream of a statue and Daniel’s fearless
interpretation.
A
King Dreams... A King Is Confused
DANIEL
2:1-13
And
in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed
dreams,
wherewith
his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.
Then
the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the
sorcerers, and the
Chaldeans,
for to show the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.
And
the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to
know the
dream.
Then
spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriac, 0 king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream,
and
we will show the interpretation.
The
king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if ye will
not make
known
unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces,
and your
houses
shall be made a dunghill.
But
if ye show the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me
gifts and rewards
and
great honour: therefore show me the dream, and the interpretation thereof.
They
answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will
show the
interpretation
of it.
The
king answered and said, I know of certainty that ye would gain the time, because
ye see the
thing
is gone from me.
But
if ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is but one decree for you:
for ye have
prepared
lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be changed: therefore
tell
me
the dream, and I shall know that ye can show me the interpretation thereof
The
Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth
that can
show
the king’s matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked
such things at any
magician,
or astrologer, or Chaldean.
And
it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can
show it before the
king,
except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.
For
this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the
wise men
of
And
the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel
and his
fellows
to be slain.
Perhaps
at some time in your life you’ve had a dream that was so unnerving and
perplexing that it
kept
you from sleeping through the rest of the night. You tried to figure out what it
might mean and
may
have even asked others to help you with an interpretation that made sense. If
this has happened
to
you and me, we know it’s happened to people throughout history.
In
the year 603 B.C., King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream so bizarre that he marshaled
his wisest
men
to his chambers to give him a reasonable interpretation. Not only did the crafty
king want an
interpretation
of the dream he could understand, but he went one step further: He demanded a
recital
of
the dream itself. Unreasonable? Of course. But Nebuchadnezzar was the king, and
just as the
gorilla
sleeps anywhere it likes in the jungle, so the king could make up his own rules
which he did
with
an impish look in his eye, I’m sure.
Nervous
Coughs and Furtive Looks
Did
the king really forget the content of his dream? I doubt it. I think this was
Nebuchadnezzar’s way
to
test the wisdom and alleged supernatural powers of his magicians, astrologers,
and sorcerers.
Heavy
has been the head that has worn the crown throughout history, and
Nebuchadnezzar’s crown
must
have weighed a ton. Kings come and go; their enemies are forever nipping at
their heels. What
if
Nebuchadnezzar’s dream were to portend evil for his realm? Superstitious as he
was, he demanded
an
interpretation.
But
there was a risk that one of the palace sorcerers might give the king
information he didn’t want to
hear.
So what does a wizard do? Equivocate? Beat around the bush? Try to buy some
time? After all,
the
wrong information would produce disastrous results for the wizards, like being
cut to pieces and
having
their houses made into a dunghill. But if they could state the dream and give
Nebuchadnezzar
an
interpretation he could live with, then all manner of blessings would fall on
the necromancers. So
the
stage was set.
I
can almost hear the nervous coughs and see the furtive looks as one magician
after the other would
say
something like, “0 King, that’s a marvelous idea, our telling you your dream
not that it will be easy.
Say,
would you mind running that dream by your servants just one more time, and then
I’m sure we’ll
be
able to come up with just the right interpretation.”
Paranoia
Abounds
The
king didn’t bite. He knew he had his magicians and wise men trapped, and he
accused them of
stalling.
Finally, probably with perspiration pouring from their brows, the wizards and
astrologers came
flat
out with the truth, saying that such an assignment was impossible certainly too
great a job for the
wisest
person in the realm, and one that could only be accomplished in cooperation with
the godswhose
“dwelling
is not with flesh”.
An interesting comment from savants who were supposed to be
able
to predict the future and come up with detailed and accurate answers to life’s
most perplexing
problems.
Yet, when push came to shove, they figured hearkening to the gods might not be
such a
bad
idea after all.
But
the king didn’t buy their delay and became furious. In a fit of rage he
demanded that all the wise
men
of
secular
and religious history. When frustration mounts in the palace, scapegoats are
found, and these
innocents
are often summarily done away with. It happened when a paranoid King Herod,
intent on
finding
an alleged usurper to his throne, put out a decree to kill all Jewish baby boys
in the land.
We
saw it with Hitler who, in his cruel attempt to create his Third Reich, killed
six million Jews, burned
all
books that threatened his reign, and more than decimated all non Aryans under
his control. We
saw
it again just a few years ago, in the mid to late 1960s, when an equally
paranoid Chairman Mao
threw
all of
that
was only an official excuse to kill and maim millions of dissidents, destroy any
semblance of
ancient
tradition that flew in the face of his hybrid communism, and put
history.
Will tyrants ever learn?
Now,
the net was thrown wide throughout the
wisdom
to their knees and ultimately to their collective death. Although it appears
that Daniel and his
friends
were not in this shouting session with the king, they were, in fact, to be
included in the king’s
order.
The great irony of the king’s manifesto as it related to Daniel was that once
again God was
setting
the stage for a display of His sovereignty over the affairs of men. Meanwhile,
the hunt was on.
Then
Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom to Arioch the captain of the king’s
guard, which
was
gone forth to slay the wise men of
He
answered and said to Arioch the king’s captain, Why is the decree so hasty
from the king?
Then
Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.
Then
Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he
would show
the
king the interpretation.
Then
Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and
Azariah, his
companions:
That
they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that
Daniel and his
fellows
should not perish with the rest of the wise men of
Then
was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the
God of
heaven.
Daniel
answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and
might
are
his:
And
he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings:
he giveth
wisdom
unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:
He
revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and
the light
dwelleth
with him.
I
thank thee, and praise thee, 0 thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom
and might,
and
hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made
known
unto
us the king’s matter.
Therefore
Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king had ordained to destroy the wise men
of
before
the king, and I will show unto the king the interpretation.
Daniel’s
Strategy
We’ve
now begun to see the sterling character of Daniel. Though still young, he was
wise beyond his
years;
though relatively inexperienced in the affairs of life, he demonstrated how God
can use a
servant
who gives his absolute loyalty to the Father. Now, it was again Daniel’s turn
to settle uncontrollable
waters.
Here’s where we as believers need to take careful note of Daniel’s spiritual
strategy.
·
First, he asked for time, always a good idea when we are trying to come up with
a solution to
one
of life’s challenges.
·
Second, he was bold enough to say that he would fulfill the king’s demand,
that is, he promised
to
do what the other wise men could not. Daniel knew that with God on his side he
was
not
stepping out on a partially sawed off limb. He knew his heavenly Father would
give him the
insight
required at the time he would need it.
·
Third and how often we fail to do this, Daniel went back to his quarters and
held an impromptu
prayer
meeting/counseling session with his companions Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
Proverbs
15:22 reminds us, “Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude
of
counsellors they are established.” Daniel knew the importance of feedback from his companions-
an
awareness that runs throughout the entire book.
Daniel’s
“Model Prayer”
Now
I want you to pay special attention to Daniel’s prayer, just one of the many
prayers of this great
man
of God we will discover in the pages of this amazing prophecy. Remember, Daniel
already believed
that
God would give him the answer he’d need when he would soon stand before the
king.
He’d
already conferred with his friends and received their counsel. But Daniel knew
that unless he
prayed
earnestly to his God for divine insight and wisdom, he would never be prepared
for his daunting
assignment
with a paranoid king.
For
years, I’ve felt this prayer of Daniel should be a model for our own time with
God, a prayer that
moves
me anew as I read it again, perhaps for the thousandth time. Daniel blesses God
for His
wisdom.
He acknowledges that earthly kings are just that, as common as dirt, and that
God alone
sets
up rulers and brings them crashing down from their man-made thrones. He
recognizes that only
His
God, not Marduk, or any other Babylonian idol gives wisdom to the wise and has
the necessary
resources
to bring light to that which is shrouded in darkness.
Then,
in a final burst of praise, Daniel thanks God for the wisdom and might He’s
given to His servant.
Daniel
thanks God, giving no credit to himself, for the answers he now has to King
Nebuchadnezzar’s
dream. Can’t you just hear Daniel’s prayer build with confidence as he moves
toward
his final crescendo-his glorious amen to his God?
Ready
to Meet the King
Daniel
has done his homework. He’s been patient. He’s prayed. Now he’s ready with
an exuberance
and
confidence that can only come to a believer in the one true God. Only after this
serious, preaudience
preparation
does Daniel finally say to Arioch, “All right, now’s the time. I’m ready
to enter
the
presence of the king . . . and by the way, make sure that the king spares the
lives of the wise men
of
is
now used by God to shape the destiny of an entire kingdom.
The
apostle Paul, hundreds of years later, would say to another young man, Timothy,
“Let
no man
despise
thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in
charity, in
spirit,
in faith, in purity”
(1 Timothy 4:12). In God’s eyes, age has little significance when it comes to
being
a wise servant. Just as He did then, all God demands from His people is
obedience. This spirit
would
be the hallmark of the man Daniel to the end of his days.
Daniel
2:25 - 30
Then
Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste, and said thus unto him, I
have found a
man
of the captives of Judah, that will make known unto the king the interpretation.
The
king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to
make
known
unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?
Daniel
answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath
demanded
cannot
the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the sooth sayers, show unto the
king;
But
there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the King
Nebuchadnezzar
what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon
thy
bed, are these;
As
for thee, 0 king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what Should come
to pass
hereafter:
and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass.
But
as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more
than any
living,
but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and
that thou
mightest
know the thoughts of thy heart.
Glory
to God Alone
Daniel
now had the king’s attention. He also continued to remind the king that the
wisdom he was
sharing
was from the one true God and not from his own knowledge. What integrity! Daniel
could
have
made this a public relations spectacular for himself by taking all the credit,
comparing himself to
the
other wise men (who failed to speak the dream or interpret it), saying, “Hey,
King, look at me. I’m
the
man. You can always count on me for the answers to your tough questions.”
But
that is not the Daniel of this book. He took no glory for himself, but instead
insisted that only God
in
heaven could do what the king had requested. I can almost see King
Nebuchadnezzar’s mouth
begin
to drop as Daniel set him up.
Nebuchadnezzar
was probably saying something like, “Come on, Daniel, enough of this ‘My
God’
stuff.
What’s my dream? More importantly, what does it mean? And why are you making
me wait?”
But
Daniel was not to be rushed. He was in control of this particular discussion
and, once again, the
king
was compelled to wait for the time when this young Jew would come forth with his
secrets, which
he
finally shared when he said:
Daniel
2: 31 - 35
Thou,
0 king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was
excellent,
stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible.
This
image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly
and his thighs of
brass,
His
legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.
Thou
sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon
his feet
that
were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.
Then
was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces
together, and
became
like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away,
that no
place
was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain,
and
filled
the whole earth.
I
imagine the king was startled, and dumbfounded, probably exclaiming something
like, “I can’t believe
this,
Daniel. You’re a genius! You’ve done what my most seasoned astrologers and
magicians
could
not do. You’re amazing. . . and you’re still so young!”
Daniel
just stood there and listened politely, continuing to assert that God gave him
the dream. He
probably
reminded the king of what he’d already told him, “But there is a God in heaven that
revealeth
secrets” (2:28). Wouldn’t
you like to have seen Nebuchadnezzar’s face as Daniel spoke the
dream
one scene at a time? The king’s heart rate must have increased as Daniel
talked about an
image
so large and brilliant that it was virtually impossible to look at for any
length of time. His blood
pressure
must have climbed as Daniel described the statue from head to foot, the head of
gold;
breast
and arms of silver; belly and thighs of brass; legs of iron; and feet and toes
of an unstable
mixture
of iron and clay.
The
Dream Interpreted
Then,
thundering from a distance came a stone cut out without hands, that is, not of
human origincrashing
into
the statue with such meteoric force that it dissolved the image into chaff,
blowing away
any
semblance of the statue. Where the image had stood, this is what had to give
King
Nebuchadnezzar
pause the stone, now a large mountain, “filled the whole earth” (2:35).
If
you were a superstitious Babylonian king constantly looking over your shoulder
at the slightest
movement
of your enemies, or wondering if inside the palace intrigue might one day do you
in, what
would
you think if you had a dream like this? Without waiting for the king’s
response, or perhaps
because
Nebuchadnezzar was too dumbfounded to respond, Daniel proceeded with the
interpretation
of
his dream.
Daniel
2: 36 - 45
This
is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.
Thou,
0 king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom,
power, and
strength,
and glory.
And
wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of
the heaven
hath
he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this
head of
gold.
And
after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third
kingdom of brass,
which
shall bear rule over all the earth.
And
the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in Pieces
and
subdueth
all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and
bruise.
And
whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of
iron, the kingdom
shall
be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength o the iron, foras much as
thou sawest
the
iron mixed with miry clay.