Daniel 2: Not Stupid – Just a healthy dose of skepticism!

At first glance, King Nebuchadnezzar seems like he’s lost his mind. It’s a tall order to ask someone to give you an accurate interpretation of a dream that you may have had. To ask that they first tell you the dream (for verification) and THEN to give its interpretation seems like a set-up. This goes way beyond mind-reading, doesn’t it?

In this case, the king was so adamant about his command that he started out telling his “wise” men what the penalty for failure would be. It was no small thing, since the king promised that they would die and even their houses would be destroyed. Wow! How terrible is this, and the only way to avoid it was to first tell the king what he dreamed and then to give an accurate interpretation. It is almost as though the king had got tired of hearing silly things from his supposed “wise” men, as though he had received poor advice one too many times. He told them that he had already made up his mind, that there was no avoiding what he had already determined.

Apparently, the “wise” men didn’t quite “get it.” They really thought that this was going to be business as usual. They must have thought that this was one of the king’s jokes because they certainly did not take him seriously. Instead, the merely asked him a second time to tell them the dream and offered to give an interpretation of whatever dream he laid out before them. But this made the king angry. I think maybe he was becoming tired of being taken for granted by some of his top advisors. So, when they asked him the second time, he replied by accusing them of trying to buy additional time.

What kind of a man (because the king was first a man and only second was he a king) asks ANYONE to reveal out loud what he only knew from the recesses of his mind, and then in a dream while he was sleeping? What kind of a man makes this kind of a demand of his most faithful, his most trusted and closest advisors? What kind of a man uses this demand as a set-up, already believing that these men were in their positions more for their own good than for his?

This was not a righteous man, but he exhibited some of the qualities that God calls His people to have. In this case, the king exhibited a gift of discernment in that he was skeptical about the motivations and even the wisdom or abilities of the “wise” men who had been called to serve him and he was not about to put them in a place of power and then just take whatever they might dish out. He was going to make them accountable, in a verifiable sort of way, for their actions. In the end, the king’s skepticism served to work the will of the Lord God of Heaven, as he revealed both the dream and its interpretation through Daniel.

Thought: As professing Christians, we should be more careful to “test” the things that we hear. If even pagans can benefit from discernment and God uses it in their lives, how much more should we be discerning if only as an act of honor and obedience to Him? Will He not also bless and benefit us if we heed His word and cultivate an attitude and habits of discernment?

I challenge you, this week, to challenge the things that you hear, not merely to be a skeptic but to practice discernment as all godly people are instructed to do. And remember to be always on your guard. Nebuchadnezzar listened to his advisors later when he should have been more discerning. Daniel ended up sleeping with lions.

By His grace, there is more to come….

Daniel 1 (continued)

Isn’t it odd that Nebuchadnezzar picks from among his captives, his new slaves, to send some to “Nebuchadnezzar University of Babylon” (so to speak)? There is no indication that any tuition would charged of them. However, he did not pick just any slaves for this assignment. He had his men pick from among the Israelites the best of the very best. These were men who were young both in mind and body. This would ordinarily mean that they would be impressionable and quick learners. Those qualities would seem quite desirable for a King who was about to send his enemies back to school. Further, it was his stated intention, from the beginning, that these young men would be trained so that they would eventually be qualified to serve him, in his palace.

In today’s world, this would be looked on as a great privilege indeed. Most Americans today, especially in our current economic condition, would immediately accept an offer like this and would be willing to abandon all that they have and, in many cases, all that they believe so that they could succeed in their new position. After all, they would be in a position of tremendous influence in an empire that was already very influential for its day and time. This is an opportunity for power as well as for great wealth!

The king, being accustomed to having nothing but the best, especially at his table, made arrangements for these young men to eat food prepared for him. This would have been some of the best cuisine of the day, prepared by some of the best chefs of the day. It would have been an envious position indeed for any young man just beginning his career. We’re not talking cafeteria food but haute cuisine! Wow!

They turned it down. That’s right. It would have violated the dietary laws set down for them by God if they had eaten the food the king had selected. Surely, God wouldn’t argue about eating whatever was set before them would He? Is He such a difficult task master that He would regulate the daily ration while in captivity?
In this case, that is not the issue. God might very well have forgiven them for eating what the king set before them. Rather, this is an issue of a deliberate decision to be faithful, obedient to the God whose they were. They did not make excuses or ask for permission (of God) to deviate from His prescribed plan. It might have made more sense (and would certainly have been more desirable) to just go along with the plan set forth by their captors but these were no ordinary men. If they had been, they would not have been selected for these positions (see vv 3-4).

Thought: Over the past several years, I have frequently heard the sentiment, “It is easier to ask forgiveness than permission.” While the factual truth of this statement may seem obvious on the surface, our actions always have consequences and we need to think about those consequences before taking any action. In Psalm 106:15 it says, “And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.” (KJV) We sometimes make better choices when we know in advance what the price of our actions will be.

The question we must ask ourselves in the abundant activity of daily life is whether we are being true to His calling on our lives. If He has not called you to a vocation, you can be assured through Scripture that He has called you to holiness. As we examine our lives to determine where we stand with Him, we ought to ask ourselves whether our thoughts and actions bring Him honor. If they do not seem to be immoral but they fail to honor the One who gave His all for us, we give Him less than our best and much less than He deserves.

By His grace, there is more to come…

Beginning a study...

Daniel 1

We often ask ourselves the unrelenting question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” And we just as often walk away from the question knowing no more than we did when we asked it. We become perplexed and anxious, even doubting, because surely this is a question that the Lord would want us to have an answer to. Isn’t it?

In the opening words of Daniel Chapter 1 we have a similar and equally perplexing situation unfolding. We know and accept that God has chosen a people for Himself and these people are the Jewish nation or race. At the time of Daniel 1, the Jewish nation was divided into two kingdoms, north and south, the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, besieges Jerusalem and God gives His people into the hands of a conquering (enemy) king. That’s right, in verse 2 the Scriptures say that “the Lord delivered [them] into his hand…”

If such a thing occurred today, we would immediately ask whether God does indeed love us at all. After all, if He chose us and made us His own, why would he not defend and protect us from all our enemies? But here, the question does not appear to have been asked and the answer certainly was not given. In fact, the insult went further and apparently with God’s permission. Some of the articles from God’s temple were also allowed to be taken back to Babylon by their king and his men. When he got home with these articles, he immediately put them “in the treasure house of his god.” What an offense to God and His people; and yet, God permitted it without so much as an argument with or from His chosen people.

Having set the tone for this fascinating book, we might expect that the story can’t get any worse. Stick with me because it certainly does at times. And while we are looking for answers to our everyday problems and issues, we may not find that God is ready to reveal them to us. After all, are we better than His chosen people?

Thought: God always does what is best. He does whatever serves his purposes best. He does not ask our permission nor does He need to. He permits us to bring our requests to Him but that is more than we deserve. We certainly have no innate right to expect that he will give us what we ask. It is all about Him, and not about us at all.

Whatever our circumstances may be today, let’s remember to give Him thanks, as He has commanded. Let us not question His authority, His judgment, or His wisdom. Rather, in a humble spirit of thanksgiving, let’s meekly follow Him with a heart full of gratitude for His faithfulness and His gracious gifts of love and mercy to us.

By His grace, there is more to come…