2006-08-13 - Daniel

Installment 12

Verses 12-16: Well, this didn't sit well with the king. In fact, he was irate, that he was ready to put the entire intelligentsia of Babylon to death. And if Daniel and the others thought life was bad, it had just gone from bad to worse.

But something extraordinary was about to happen. When Daniel asked why he was about to get killed, he got the details of the situation from Arioch, the commander of the king's guard. Then Daniel fearlessly approached the king, who must have respected him greatly, to allow him to do so. Daniel requested the king would give him a little time, and he'd tell the king of his dream and interpret it.

Verses 17-18: The king's men were right about one thing, only the gods, actually the One True God, could provide the knowledge to tell the king the details of his dream and interpret it. And so Daniel went to the only place he could go, to God in prayer, with the help of his friends. Consider what was at stake. He needed to be able to satisfy the king, or they all would die. They needed God's intervention and mercy.

Verses 19-23: And God answers. Daniel, too, has a dream. And in this dream, God provides all the information Daniel required. Notice that Daniel doesn't just go to God when in need. He also goes to God to give Him the recognition for what He has done, and for what He is. So Daniel sings a song of praise. The elements included recognition of God:

As the God of Heaven;
As the God of wisdom;
As the God of power;
As the God Who controls nature;
As the God Who controls governments;
As the God Who provides wisdom to whom He pleases;
As the God Who is the source of revelation.

And as such, He is the God who could and did provide Daniel with what he needed to know, in order to satisfy the king and save the lives of all of Babylon's wise men.

To be continued.

Comments or Questions?
Geoff

GKragen@aol.com
http://www.cfdevotionals.org