Daniel 2:14-23
Daniel 2:14-23
New King James Version (NKJV)
14 Then with counsel and wisdom Daniel answered Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon; 15 he answered and said to Arioch the king’s captain, “Why is the decree from the king so urgent?” Then Arioch made the decision known to Daniel.
16 So Daniel went in and asked the king to give him time, that he might tell the king the interpretation. 17 Then Daniel went to his house, and made the decision known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, 18 that they might seek mercies from the God of heaven concerning this secret, so that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. So Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
20 Daniel answered and said:
“ Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
For wisdom and might are His.
21 And He changes the times and the seasons;
He removes kings and raises up kings;
He gives wisdom to the wise
And knowledge to those who have understanding.
22 He reveals deep and secret things;
He knows what is in the darkness,
And light dwells with Him.
23“ I thank You and praise You,
O God of my fathers;
You have given me wisdom and might,
And have now made known to me what we asked of You,
For You have made known to us the king’s demand.”
My Thoughts:
So we continue on with the decree that the king has passed down, that all the wise men in Babylon were to die.
Daniel could have tried to hide or runaway but Daniel knew that God would provide the answer to the king’s dream if he would just ask. (Hebrews 4:13) “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”
I also had to stop and ask myself this question; why were Daniel and his companions not at this meeting? It had not been that long ago that the king had declared that Daniel and his friends were 10 times wiser than the other wise men.
The only thing I can think of is. If Daniel had been there the other wise men would have not been seen for what they were, frauds, and Daniel would have not been elevated to his position.
So the first thing that Daniel and his companions did was to come together in prayer and ask God for the answer, compare to what Christ said in (Matthew 18:19) says “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.”
Ellen White Statements:
“Daniel came before the king, and pleaded for time to bring this matter before the supreme court of the universe, from whose decision there could be no appeal. When his request was granted, Daniel laid the whole matter before his companions, who were united with him in worshiping the true God. The matter was fully considered, and on their bended knees they pleaded that God would give them the power and wisdom that would alone avail them in their great necessity….
“Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.” … I would impress upon the youth that Daniel’s God is their God, and whatever difficulty may arise, let them do as did Daniel, “desire mercies of the God of heaven.” God will not fail His church in the hour of her greatest peril. He has promised deliverance. {SD 216}
Last thoughts:
It is worth noting that after Daniel received the understanding of the king’s dream he did not jump up and tell the king, he stopped and praised God for the answer. How many times has God given us the answer we were looking for, and we just jump up and gone on our way, without even a thank you much less a praise.
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God is so Good. Not only did He give Daniel the dream but also the interpretation. Daniel knew his God was a God he could count on and when God gave him what he needed, Daniel did what he always did. He thanked God and he did so with love and enthusiasm. Daniel sang God’s praised at his morning worship. We should all be like Daniel. Like you said in your last thoughts, we don’t thank God for nearly enough.
I am not sure why that is, maybe it is our pride that says we do not need anyone, or maybe it just that we are just too lazy to stop and say thank you.
I like that quote you used from Matthew 18:19. When two or more agree on a matter, anything they ask it will be granted to them by our Father in heaven. That should encourage us to form fellowships with other God-fearing people to comfort, encourage and support us along the way. The more we study the more I see God really does what us to form family bonds with eachother. No man is or should feel he is an island. God doesn’t expect us to carry the burden alone. Not only were they helping Daniel stand firm for God, but he was encouraging them to increase their faith and take their stand as well.
There are times we all are faced with the choice to stand for Christ or act like we do not know him. I hope there will never be a day that I will say “Christ who”. I am very proud of who I am and hope my relationship continues to grow with Christ.