Neither Daniel’s miraculous revelation and interpretation in Daniel 2, nor the miraculous rescue of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego by the fourth man in the furnace in Daniel 3 had been enough to convert king Nebuchadnezzar. He had been impressed by Yahweh. He had praised Him as the God of gods and the Lord of kings (2:47) and had commanded that anyone who spoke against Yahweh would be cut into pieces (3:29). Yet, in Daniel 4:8, as Nebuchadnezzar recounts the events of his ordeal, he explains that Daniel was called Belteshazzar, “after the name of my god”. He had been deeply impressed but he was not yet converted.
In Daniel 4, Nebuchadnezzar’s dream was not all that difficult to interpret. God was at work in Nebuchadnezzar’s life. He had refused to humble himself and surrender to the lordship of the One True God. So God explained clearly in the dream that He would now humble him through circumstances, and that this would be done so that he would acknowledge “that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest of people.” (v.17)
Why could the other “wise men” not interpret this dream for the king? They could easily have given the interpretation, but they were unwilling to risk giving such an unpopular, uncomfortable, confrontational message to the king. Daniel’s courageous explanation of the dream included the very direct call to repentance: “Therefore, Your Majesty, be pleased to accept my advice: renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed.” (v.27) This was the logical point of the dream, and the pagan “wise men” had been unwilling to relay it to the king for fear of his reaction.
Heavenly Father, please empower and embolden me to stand for Your truth and to speak what you give me to share with others, regardless of how popular or unpopular that truth might be. I long to honour You and to please You in all things. Holy Spirit, make me brave! Amen.
Dave's Diary 
Leave a comment