Chapter 14 God Speaks through Daniel
The great and cruel Babylonian empire had overwhelmed Israel, laid it waste, taken all of the wealth out of the country and the Temple and taken the cream of the young people to Babylon in order for them to be educated in Babylonian ways as a means of social control.
Why had this happened to Israel? On the surface, the Babylonians knew that simply to occupy Israel was futile because there would be continuous uprisings. Israel was in a strategic position at the head of the Mediterranean and was at a significant crossroads for military and commercial trade routes to Egypt and North Africa. The Babylonian leadership wanted to immerse the political and social elite of Israel in a brainwashing exercise that would dilute their national identity. Daniel is one of the young men who were taken along with his family into captivity.
However God gives a different perspective on this captivity that takes place from about 600 BC. He has spoken to the Jewish people for nearly 400 years about the consequences of their continuous desire to sell out their faith and adopt the idolatrous and immoral practices of the other nations around them. He warns them that to continue down this path will mean that they will face the discipline and punishment of going into exile as a people for over 70 years – an entire generation!
The book of Daniel is about a people in exile and how God speaks to Daniel and through him to His people. I want therefore to look at certain incidents in Daniel’s life that were to define his relationship to Babylon and to God:
“3 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility— 4 young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians. 5 The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service.
6 Among those who were chosen were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. 7 The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.
8 But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. 9 Now God had caused the official to show favour and compassion to Daniel, 10 but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you.”
11 Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, 12“Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” 14 So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days.
15 At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. 16 So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.
17 To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.
18 At the end of the time set by the king to bring them into his service, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. 19 The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s service. 20 In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.” Daniel 1:3-20
Many want to hear God’s voice and direction but we do not put ourselves in the place where that becomes possible. Look at Daniel’s prime motivation – to dedicate his life to God and honour him with all his heart. The food that would have been on offer at the King’s table would have been the finest of meat and drink but it would have first of all been dedicated in the temples and offered to the gods. Daniel did not want to defile himself in any way and so asked to take a vegetarian option. This was an expression of his devotion to God and God was to honour this by blessing Daniel with exceptional insight and wisdom.
Daniel deliberately put himself in the place of honouring God in everything he did and by doing so was in a place where God’s blessings would flow into his life and from that to other people. This was not going to mean that Daniel’s life was always going to be easy – far from it – but that God would have the prime place in his life and all of his decisions and actions.
Are we looking for God to speak clearly to us and thus use us effectively in the service of his kingdom? Ask yourself if there are any issues that may be preventing God effectively getting through to us:
- Is there some unresolved anger in our lives creating a cloud that exists between us and God?
- Is there un-forgiveness being nurtured in our hearts that is preventing us from moving forward?
- Are there spiritual compromises we are making where we consider our own way more important than the will of God?
- Are we sold out to public opinion rather than pleasing our Father as Jesus did?
- Is there lust in our hearts towards someone other than our partner in life?
- Is there envy in our life?
- Is there any area in our lives where we are resisting God?
The above are just a few suggestions and it would be good to be in the presence of God and simply ask the Holy Spirit to examine our hearts and show us if there is any ungodliness there. Once the barriers are gone, it may then be that communication will flow freely from God to us and through us.
The following passage [Daniel chapter 3] shows that an authentic life of obedience does not always guarantee and easy life:
1 King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, sixty cubits high and six cubits wide, and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. 2 He then summoned the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials to come to the dedication of the image he had set up. 3 So the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials assembled for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up, and they stood before it.
4 Then the herald loudly proclaimed, “Nations and peoples of every language, this is what you are commanded to do: 5As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. 6 Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.”
7 Therefore, as soon as they heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp and all kinds of music, all the nations and peoples of every language fell down and worshiped the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
8 At this time some astrologers came forward and denounced the Jews. 9 They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “May the king live forever! 10 Your Majesty has issued a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music must fall down and worship the image of gold, 11 and that whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a blazing furnace. 12 But there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon—Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego—who pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up.”
13 Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, 14 and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? 15 Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?”
16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us[c] from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual 20 and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. 21 So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. 22 The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, 23and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.
24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?”
They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.”
25 He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”
26 Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!”
So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, 27 and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.
28 Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.”
It makes a great adventure story and the flow and meaning of the passage is very plain. A very vain man cannot see beyond himself to anything or anyone more important than him – we see such self-centred and self-obsessed lives all the time. Nebuchanezzer is effectively set up by his jealous advisors. What were Daniel and his friends to do? The offer was quite simple – keep the king sweet and all would be well for them or be faithful to God and their convictions and suffer the potential anger of the most powerful person in the world at that time!
They chose to obey God and anger the King and of course a miracle took place. Of course, they did not know God would save them. They knew God could save them, but they were also prepared to die rather than sell out their allegiance to God! This is such a difficult and challenging concept for us. We all make compromises but if our life is a life of constant capitulation to public opinion [to the “world”, as the New Testament would depict it] then how can our faith be authentic? What would we have done in their position faced with the choices they had before them? How might we have tried to rationalise taking a lower ground? What impact does this potentially have on our witness and integrity? There has to be a point at which we are challenged to make difficult choices that will test our authenticity. On what basis will, or do, we make our decisions?
A miracle took place and God was to speak powerfully to the king through what happened. Many commentators would argue that the pre-incarnate Christ was in the furnace with the men and that he was protecting them from the fire. It is an astonishing passage. But here is the nub – where was God speaking to these men? In the fire!! If they had not chosen the more difficult way of sacrifice then they would not have been in the place where God could have spoken to them!!
Daniel is not finished with difficult situations. We must not fool ourselves into believing that the above experience made Daniel popular with everyone in the King’s court. The following passage in chapter 6 is another crisis point:
1 It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom, 2 with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss. 3 Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.4 At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. 5 Finally these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.”
6 So these administrators and satraps went as a group to the king and said: “May King Darius live forever! 7 The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers and governors have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or human being during the next thirty days, except to you, Your Majesty, shall be thrown into the lions’ den. 8 Now, Your Majesty, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered—in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.” 9 So King Darius put the decree in writing.
10 Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. 11 Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help. 12 So they went to the king and spoke to him about his royal decree: “Did you not publish a decree that during the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or human being except to you, Your Majesty, would be thrown into the lions’ den?”
The king answered, “The decree stands—in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.”
13 Then they said to the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, Your Majesty, or to the decree you put in writing. He still prays three times a day.” 14 When the king heard this, he was greatly distressed; he was determined to rescue Daniel and made every effort until sundown to save him.
15 Then the men went as a group to King Darius and said to him, “Remember, Your Majesty, that according to the law of the Medes and Persians no decree or edict that the king issues can be changed.”
16 So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!”
17 A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel’s situation might not be changed. 18 Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him. And he could not sleep.
19 At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den. 20 When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?”
21 Daniel answered, “May the king live forever! 22 My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.”
23 The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.
Daniel has a new King, Darius. The other advisors around the king were plainly jealous of Daniel and tried to find a way to discredit him. They played on the vanity of the king and asked him to pass a decree that stated that the only prayers that could be made would be to him – what a position to take! He was positioning himself to be a god! Daniel simply continued his habit of praying three times a day to God and on this basis of faithful prayer he was accused.
It is worth noting that this incredibly busy man was never too busy to pray – indeed he was in the habit of doing so three times a day. As someone wisely said – “If we are too busy to pray, we are too busy!” Indeed, it was the prevalence of prayer that was the essence of Daniel’s success! He was putting himself in a place where God could speak to him and he could speak to God. He found a quiet place three times a day to pray. A recent poll among ministers found that the majority of them found it difficult even to consistently find one time in the day for disciplined prayer – and we wonder why our churches lack power??
Again Daniel remains faithful and God delivers him. Again God speaks to Daniel and through him to the other people who witnessed this great miracle. There are then times when God does extraordinary things in order to get our attention; however, there are times when God chooses to speak powerfully and we need to listen carefully. When Jesus stood on trial before Pilate, he told Pilate very clearly that even as Roman Governor, he was powerless. Jesus could have commanded a legion of angels to come to his rescue but God had already decided to display the most awesome power ever seen in the earth through the Cross and Resurrection. God was going to deliver people from the guilt and penalty of their sins, reconcile them to Himself, make them His children, deliver them from the power of death and give the gift of eternal life. Now, in the space of only three days, God acted in the most awesome way – it was quite unique and extraordinary but never appeared that way! So God, in His power might deliver as he did with Daniel, in a very obvious and spectacular fashion, and yet choose apparent weakness to show His greatest power!
One final passage where The Lord speaks to Daniel is found in chapter 10:
1 It was the third year that Cyrus, the king of Persia, ruled over Babylonia. At that time I was living in Babylon. There the people called me Belteshazzar. A message came to me from God. It was true. It was about a great war. I had a vision that showed me what it meant.
2 At that time I was very sad for three weeks. 3 I didn't eat any rich food. No meat or wine touched my lips. I didn't use any lotions at all until the three weeks were over.
4 I was standing on the bank of the great Tigris River. It was the 24th day of the first month. 5 I looked up and saw a man who was dressed in linen clothes. A belt that was made out of the finest gold was around his waist. 6 His body gleamed like chrysolite. His face shone like lightning. His eyes were like flaming torches. His arms and legs were as bright as polished bronze. And his voice was like the sound of a large crowd.
7 I was the only one who saw the vision. The men who were there with me didn't see it. But they were so terrified that they ran and hid. 8 So I was left alone as I was watching that great vision. I felt very weak. My face turned as pale as death. And I was helpless.
9 Then I heard the man speak. As I listened to him, I fell sound asleep. My face was toward the ground.
10 A hand touched me. It pulled me up on my hands and knees. I began to tremble with fear. 11 The man said, "Daniel, you are highly respected. Think carefully about what I am going to say to you. And stand up. God has sent me to you." When he said that, I trembled as I stood up.
12 He continued, "Do not be afraid, Daniel. You decided to get more understanding. You went without food as you worshiped your God. Since the first day you did those things, your words were heard. I have come to give you an answer. 13 But the prince of Persia opposed me for 21 days. Then Michael came to help me. He is one of the leaders of the angels. He helped me win the battle over the king of Persia.
14 "Now I have come to explain the vision to you. I will tell you what will happen to your people. The vision shows what will take place in days to come."
15 While he was telling me those things, I bowed with my face toward the ground. I wasn't able to speak. 16 Then someone who looked like a man touched my lips. I opened my mouth. I began to speak to the one who was standing in front of me. I said, "My master, I'm greatly troubled because of the vision I've seen. And I'm helpless. 17 How can I talk with you? I feel very weak. In fact, I can hardly breathe."
18 The one who looked like a man touched me again. He gave me strength. 19 "Do not be afraid," he said. "You are highly respected. May peace be with you! Be strong now. Be strong."
When the Lord starts to explain what will happen at the end of time Daniel has the breath taken away from him and barely knows what to say. God assures him that He will come in judgment and it will be a terrible day for everyone who has rejected God. Strength only returns to Daniel when he is personally assured of God’s love for him. God does speak to us of an end to our world and when this happens it will be terrible for those people who have chosen to reject God – He still speaks to us of this awesome time in order that we might be prepared for its coming. He also wants us to be motivated to go out and tell people the Good News in order that they might escape the judgment of God by receiving from Christ the gift of eternal life. These are solemn warnings that ought to motivate us to excellence for Jesus and at the same time reach out to a needy world with the only hope to be found - Christ.