Today, I am switching it up a bit, writing about the person for whom this book is named, Daniel. He seems remarkably confident.
I’ve wanted to wait long enough that we might get a little bit of a view of him in a variety of situations.
In the prior post, there was video of which sought to communicate the grandeur of the city Daniel and his companions found themselves. It is this city where we find our 20 something.
Consider these episodes:
· After being dragged away from his home as a teenager, he is emasculated, re-named, and thrust into a “re-education program”. After all that, we read in 1:8-16 the episode of him asking to not have to eat the king’s food. He doesn’t demand. He asks the chief eunuch. After hearing the concern of the steward, he suggests a 10-day trial.
· Next, we read about the king’s threat to kill all the wise men. We read in 2:12-16 that Daniel engaged the captain of the King’s Guard with prudence and counsel.
· Immediately after this Daniel engages his companions and tells them (sounds like he directed them) to “seek mercy from the God of heaven.”
· God answers the prayer. The mystery is revealed. Daniel’s first act? To give praise to God in 2:19-23.
· Then, in verse 2:24, he doesn’t ask permission, instead he tells the Captain of the Guard to not destroy the wise men of Babylon and to bring him to the king. I hear confidence.
· In 2:27 he reinforces what the king’s other advisors said: that no human can show the king his mystery in their own power. (I would think the king might have stopped Daniel’s speech right at that moment and ordered his head cut off.) Daniel presses on making the point that it is the God of heaven who alone can reveal mysteries.
· Finally, chapter 2 continues with Daniel telling the king his dream, and the king once again hearing that all this is from God, in 2:47 himself praises God.
Why the “instant-replay”? To consider the path to Daniel’s confidence. He:
1. Engages others, even those in authority over him. He is respectful but does not back down. He engages in a way where they share their concerns with him.
2. Carries himself with discretion and prudence. In your mind’s eye, what does that look like?
3. Seeks God’s hand as he goes to those he truly trusts, asking for intercession. Do I?
4. Acts when he believes he is in the will of God. If I do, what does that look like?
5. Maintains his place relative to God, by always pointing to God, even in the most extreme situation. There is no sense of pride, but neither is there a sense of false humility. If I had had a moment of such success, would I point to God?
I am staring at these five characteristics. One thing I am thinking about is the tone in Daniel’s voice as he says to the king (and wondering what my tone would be):
“The secret which the king has demanded can’t be shown to the king by wise men, enchanters, magicians, or soothsayers; 28 but there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and he has made known to king Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days.
The point, for me, is to ask the Lord to reveal to me (much as Daniel asked for revelation) what needs to change in me.
The path to confidence is to place my confidence in God more than myself.
The aim of this path is so that I might serve him more, without pride, without false humility, and with confidence.
Which of the five characteristics that we have seen so far in Daniel, might you pray to God about? Where does your confidence spring from?