Daniel Prophet and Man of God

(2:14-16)

Daniel was indeed a man of great wisdom which came from God, evident especially in times of crisis. Imagine being a highly regarded resident of Babylon, a part of Nebuchadnezzar’s government, and discovering there is a warrant out for your arrest. Worse yet, Daniel was marked for execution for something with which he had nothing to do. Did he know what was happening, or why?

Rather than reacting, Daniel approached Arioch, “with discretion and discernment,” asking the reason behind the haste and urgency of these recent events.¹ Arioch, like Ashpenaz before him (see 1:9-10), showed kindness to Daniel by answering his questions.

Prayer Works!(2:17-24)

Because for Daniel the demonstration of God's glory took precedence over his own safety, Daniel was confident that God would answer his prayer. But he also realized that the effectiveness of prayer may be heightened when believers unite in common supplication. So he gathered his three companions in a concert of prayer (v. 17), that they might "plead for mercy [rahamin] from the God of heaven concerning this mystery [raz]"

No evidence indicates Daniel wanted to be a hero. Daniel acted as he did because he was put “between a rock and a hard place.” He was forced to act. If he did not act, not only he, but his three Hebrew friends would die, along with all the other wise men of Babylon.

Daniel acted on faith. Once he understood the problem, he knew the solution. What was impossible for the wise men of Babylon was possible for the God of heaven, the God of Israel. God knew the future. More than this, God planned the future, in eternity past. Daniel had every confidence that the king’s dream not only came from God but would be revealed and interpreted to the king by God, if he and his friends but petitioned Him to do so.

Daniel hastened to his house, where he found his three friends. He told them what had happened in order that they might pray with him for God to have mercy on them and deliver them by revealing the dream and its message to Daniel.

As the dream came to Nebuchadnezzar in the night, so the dream and its meaning came to Daniel in a night vision (verse 19). Daniel’s response seems immediate. His prayer of praise reveals Daniel’s gratitude for receiving the answer to their prayers. It reveals more as well. Let us focus briefly on three dimensions of this prayer:

(1) What the king’s dream reveals about the superiority of God to the “gods” of Babylon;

(2) What the king’s dream reveals about God; and

(3) What the revelation of the dream and its meaning reveals about God’s love and care for His people.

First, Daniel’s praise focuses on the superiority of God to the “gods” of Babylon. Neither the wise men nor their gods could satisfy the king’s demands. They were too difficult for them. God revealed the dream and its meaning for the king. The God who answered the prayers of Daniel and his friends was the “God of heaven” (verse 19), the God about whom the wise men spoke but did not know. As opposed to the Babylonian gods, whose purposes and plans were determined by the stars and seasons, the God of heaven changes the times and epochs.²

Second, Daniel’s prayer gives insight into the message which God was giving to Nebuchadnezzar through his dream. As the king pondered the future, God informed him through his dream that the future is in God’s hands and is not determined by kings. Indeed, even the rise and fall of kings is the work of God and not men. Wisdom and power belong to God; and thus the king, who was looking to men, should have been looking to the God of Israel for wisdom.

Third, In v. 23 Daniel closed his thanksgiving on a joyous note. In a remarkable display of faith, he assumed in advance that the knowledge he had received was absolutely accurate, even before he told it to Nebuchadnezzar.

Most believers seldom have the faith to thank God in advance for his answers to prayer. But Daniel was no ordinary believer. He gladly gave God all the glory for the superhuman "wisdom" and "power" he was about to display as the interpreter of the king's dream. He also acknowledged that this revelation had been granted in response to the collective prayers in which his four companions had joined him: "You have made known to the what we asked of you" (italics mine).

Daniel Gives God The Glory
(2:28-30)

5. 
   28). "But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries," in contrast to all the imaginary gods of the heathen who are helpless to reveal anything.
   

This is prophetic even for Daniel himself - The mystery of the ages will be revealed through the prophecy God will give to Daniel in Chapter nine - about the Messiah!

"He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come" (beaharit yomayya, lit., "in the end of the days," a phrase generally pointing to the times of the Messiah, when human history will be brought to its close; cf. Notes). Then, having explained his ability to do what none of the others could do--all because of his wonderful God--Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar what he had seen in his dream.

In v. 29 Daniel reminded the king of the train of thought that had preceded his dream: "As you were lying there, O king, your mind turned to things to come."

So he implied that Yahweh had graciously taken note of the king's statesmanlike concern and had granted him a full answer to his inquiry (v. 30). Again Daniel disclaimed any personal ability in transmitting this revelation but openly and publicly gave God all the glory.

What a contrast between Arioch and Daniel in these verses. Arioch is quick to take the credit for something he did not do. He attempts to claim the credit for finding someone who could interpret the king’s dream. Nothing could be further from the truth.³ He may have attempted to find Daniel to arrest him, but there is no indication that he did find him. Daniel may have sought him out. Arioch’s words to Nebuchadnezzar expose his attempt to use the situation to further himself.

Daniel would have far greater opportunity to claim some of the credit for what he was about to do, and thus to gain from the gift God had given to him. Instead, at the outset of his meeting with Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel clearly stated that it was God who determines and reveals the future, not men. Daniel, simply an instrument of God, faithfully pointed to God as the One who should be the object of the king’s trust praise.