Daniel 2: Faithfulness and rewards.

As we finish our study of Daniel 2, let’s not skip over a couple of very significant verses right at the end of the chapter, verses 48 and 49. These verses are particularly significant in light of the title and purpose of our study (“It’s All About Him”). Although verse 48 begins with “Then the King…”, this is clearly an act of God. Don’t make the mistake of equating the king with God but understand that nothing happens without God’s direct intervention, or at least with His approval. So, when the king gives Daniel and high position in the government and then appoints Daniel’s three friends to similar positions right under him, this is really an act of Almighty God.

Recall that just a few verses earlier the king is laboring under a false assumption perpetrated by the king’s other wise men. They had asserted that God is too big to be interested in the affairs of men or the things of this earth. Daniel had to set him straight on this matter, letting the king know that God is very interested in the things of this earth and that He is never too big or too busy to communicate with men.

So now, the king acts as a servant of the very God that he knew little or nothing about just a short time before. He exalts Daniel and his friends to positions of great prominence, influence, and authority in the kingdom. This would not be the ordinary, expected response of a pagan leader. By taking this action, he was officially acknowledging that the God of Daniel, the God of Heaven, and the God of Creation is and was a true God. He was acknowledging the personal yet powerful nature of an almighty, Creator God.

In Hebrews 11:6, the author writes that God is “a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (KJV) This is representative of a theme that runs through all of Scripture. God likes to give rewards to people. In the closing verses of Daniel 2 we see a practical example of how God rewards those who seek Him, those who are faithful to Him. In this case, He exalted Daniel and his three friends to these prominent positions. If that is not a reward, especially after all that they had been through, then I can’t imagine what would be a reward. It reminds me a little of the stories I read as a child where the king would offer the hero anything he wanted “up to half of (my) kingdom”.

Thought: We tend to complain frequently about how God treats us. We even look at all of the evil in this world and begin to doubt that a loving God can exist. However, perhaps we would be better to examine ourselves, our motives, and our behaviors to see whether we are in a position of faithfulness to Him. If we have not been faithful, if we have not been loyal to Him, how can we legitimately expect Him to do anything for us?

Mark 8:38 says, “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels.” (NIV)

Daniel and his friends were not ashamed of who they were or of the God that they worshipped. In return, God rewarded them for their faithfulness. What will God have to say to you when you finally stand before Him? Will it be, “Well done.”? Will you also be rewarded?

By His grace, there is more to come….