DANIEL 2
25 Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste and said thus to him: “I have found among the exiles from Judah a man who will make known to the king the interpretation.” 26 The king declared to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream that I have seen and its interpretation?” 27 Daniel answered the king and said, “No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, 28 but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these: 29 To you, O king, as you lay in bed came thoughts of what would be after this, and he who reveals mysteries made known to you what is to be. 30 But as for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because of any wisdom that I have more than all the living, but in order that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your mind. – Daniel 2:25-30
DANIEL 2 DANIEL PRAISES GOD BEFORE A PAGAN KING
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
Brave Daniel stands before Nebuchadnezzar
He humbly faced the king without a tinge of pride
He told him that no human can accomplish what he wants
Only his Almighty God who is divine and omniscient can
Daniel praised the Lord boldly before he began to explain
He never took credit for the interpretation of his dream.
In this account, we witness the great courageous and humble Daniel. He had the boldness to approach the king to volunteer to interpret his dream even after the king commanded to kill the wise men of Babylon for not knowing and interpreting his dream. Once again, we are given a glimpse of the impossible demand of the king and his character. His unrealistic expectation from any human being is so apparent in these verses.
We witness an extraordinary scene here because a Jewish young exile of Babylon had the audacity to stand before the king to free those wise men whom the king had ordered to kill. It was God who gave him the revelation and interpretation of the king’s troublesome dream. Only God can do what the king requires from any human being. What is amazing in this scene is that Daniel praised the God whom Nebuchadnezzar had no knowledge of. He exhibited no fear to tell a pagan king about his God’s omniscience.
REFLECTION
· When have you boldly praised God in front of unbelievers? How did it go?
