Daniel 2:46–49

He became sharply aware that he stood in the presence of the supernatural. Here was a power he had found completely missing in the Chaldeans and his magicians. But, true to his pagan upbringing, he cared mainly about the man who displayed that power. He did admit that Daniel's God was "God of gods and Lord of kings." Yet he gave his worship to Daniel, not to the God in whose name he spoke. So we see here an illustration of Romans 1:25, where the heathen "worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen."

The king's own words prove that he did not take Daniel for a god. And Daniel refused any such blasphemy, just as Paul and Barnabas did… Nothing here looks like the sacrifice offered at Lystra. The word translated "oblation" is often and rightly used for "a present," whether the true God or a false one is in view. In the same way, bowing down and worshipping often expressed no more than ordinary respect.

The king could not escape this conclusion… Once Daniel told him his own secret, one conclusion was unavoidable: Daniel's God was above all gods. The confession was remarkable. It owned the supremacy of God in heaven and on earth, and it came close to owning that He knows everything. Yet far as it went, it seems to have touched neither Nebuchadnezzar's conscience nor his heart. Only his mind bowed to the evidence in front of him. It was the same with those in the days of our Lord who believed in His name when they saw the miracles He did (John 2:23).

The fact that the king fell on his face and worshipped Daniel, and commanded that an offering be made to him, sufficiently shows that neither his heart nor his conscience had been reached. Heart and conscience at work would have enlightened the monarch as to what was suitable to God.

He paid Daniel special honour in Daniel 2. In Daniel 3 he ordered his subjects to honour the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Neither lasted long. It was only a passing feeling, and like the morning cloud it faded from the king's mind.

Then he was on his face in the presence of Daniel, and to fall on one's face is to efface oneself, figuratively speaking. Now he is on his feet and so full of fury that his very face was transformed with savage resolution.

And notice another result of Daniel's holy separation… Here is earth's proudest and most powerful king at the feet of a captive exile. What magnificent fruit of faithfulness! It is precious proof that God will always honour faith that rises, even a little, to the height of His thoughts… On that memorable day Daniel saw God's ancient promise come true in himself, as fully as it ever came true: "And all the peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they shall be afraid of you… And the LORD will make you the head and not the tail, and you shall only go up and not down." (Deuteronomy 28:10, 13)

But where did Daniel get the power to reveal the king's secret? Verses 17 and 18 supply the lovely answer… Here we have a prayer meeting in Babylon. These dear men were of one heart and one mind… By the grace of God they had decided to walk the holy path of separation, even as captive exiles in Babylon. They met together to pray, and God answered them abundantly.

There was no escape for the king from this conclusion. He alone had the dream, and so he alone could test Daniel's claim that God reveals secrets. When his secret was told back to him, the conclusion could not be resisted: Daniel's God was above all gods. The confession was remarkable. It admitted God's supremacy in heaven and on earth, and it amounted to saying that He knows everything.

These examples are enough to show what Scripture calls a "mystery." It may be a dream, a vision, a parable or a spoken prophecy. The key feature is this: what God communicates cannot be understood without a later communication from God that explains the first… A mystery is a secret thing, and it would stay secret if God did not reveal it.

The revelation left him sharply aware that he stood in the presence of the supernatural — a power he had found completely missing in his wise men and magicians. But true to his pagan upbringing, he was mainly concerned with the man in whom the power was shown. He did acknowledge that Daniel's God was "God of gods and Lord of kings." Yet he offered his worship to Daniel, and not to the God in whose name Daniel spoke. So here we see an example of what Romans 1:25 describes: pagans who "worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen."

Neither his heart nor his conscience had been reached. Heart and conscience at work would have shown the king what was suitable to God. But if the conscience is not reached, the mind of the king is at least convinced that God is supreme and all-knowing.

So he acknowledged Jehovah as greater than all other gods. But he was not yet ready to give Him his allegiance. He was Daniel's God — "your God." Nebuchadnezzar could not yet call Him "my God." The second step comes in Daniel 3, when the three Hebrews are rescued from the fiery furnace… There is progress there compared with chapter 2. He has come to respect Jehovah, and will not allow anyone to speak wrongly of Him, but still he does not know Him. He is "the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego," but not yet the God of Nebuchadnezzar.

So in His mercy God subdued the proud heart of this mighty ruler. He humbled him before Himself, and made him confess His name to everyone in his vast empire. If a record of judgment, it is yet a story of unbounded grace.

And notice a further result of Daniel's holy separation. Here we have earth's proudest and most powerful monarch at the feet of the captive exile. Magnificent fruit of faithfulness! Precious evidence of a truth: God will always honour faith that rises, even a little, to the height of His thoughts!

The sentence of death had gone out against them. In this way God rescued His servants and brought them out into the full light of day, working out His own purposes in testimony and blessing. They were captives from Judah. Now the king gives them the most prominent places in Babylon, raising them above all his courtiers and nobles in running public affairs.

Like Pharaoh, the king felt that "a man in whom the Spirit of God" was (Genesis 41:38) would be a valuable helper in government. So he promoted him to great honour. Daniel had neither sought nor asked anything for himself.

And notice a further result of Daniel's holy separation. Here we have earth's proudest and most powerful monarch at the feet of the captive exile. Magnificent fruit of faithfulness! Precious evidence that God will always honour faith that can in any measure rise to the height of His thoughts... On this occasion Daniel knew God's ancient promise in his own person, as fully as anyone ever has: "And all the peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the LORD... And the LORD will make you the head and not the tail, and you shall only go up and not down" (Deut. 28:10, 13).

True to his heathen upbringing, he cared most about the man the power worked through. He did admit that Daniel's God was "God of gods and Lord of kings." But he aimed his worship at Daniel, not at the God in whose name Daniel spoke.

The king's own words show that he did not regard Daniel as a god. And Daniel certainly refused any such blasphemy, just as Paul and Barnabas did... The word translated "oblation" is often and rightly used for "a present," whether the gift is toward the true God or a false one. In the same way, bowing to the ground and worshipping often meant no more than civil respect.

He himself is rewarded and lifted high, yet he does not forget those who were at the prayer meeting. He shares everything with them.

Earlier, at the end of Daniel 2, Daniel had accepted the honours placed on him. Now he treated them with contempt. The meaning of the four fateful words had already sunk into his heart. He knew that God had rejected Belshazzar, and that his kingdom was about to crash in ruin. So the honours offered him were worthless.

In the end, the king promotes Daniel to great honour. This faithful man has borne a witness for God before the king, and becomes a means of blessing both to the world and to his own companions. He had not sought or asked anything for himself. Yet now he is free to use his high position to ask for his companions.

Rewarded and exalted himself, he does not forget those who were at the prayer meeting. He shares everything with them.

Gates protected a city, but "in the gate" was also where people settled many important matters. When Boaz wanted the question about Ruth and the inheritance settled, he went up to the gate. He talked it through with a nearer relative, then closed the matter, and the elders witnessed it. Ruth 4:1-12... To "sit in the gate" was a place of honour: "they that sit in the gate speak against me." Ps. 69:12. It should have been the place of true judgement and justice, but was not always so... It was, at least at times, the king's chief place of audience.

"Daniel" is said to mean judge of God — one who acts as judge in the name of God. Daniel was allowed to do exactly that, in a very marked way. This high honour was his: he "sat in the gate of the king". And the Christian, taught by God and trained to tell good from evil, will have the mind of Christ, and can help others into the mind of God as revealed in His written Word. In this way he too is allowed to judge for God, and becomes a "Daniel."

So, when the sentence of death had gone out against them, God rescued His servants. Working out His own purposes in testimony and blessing, He brought them out into the full light of day. They were captives from Judah. Now they hold the most prominent places in Babylon, for the king raised them above all his courtiers and nobles in the running of public affairs. Daniel himself was higher still, for he "sat in the gate of the king."

This fact that Daniel was a stranger to Belshazzar speaks volumes. Whatever the pride and daring of the great Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel sat in the gate of the king. He was ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men. His degraded and degenerate descendant did not know Daniel.

Daniel was a man of prayer and praise, and then, sharing everything he received with his brothers, he prospered (see also Dan. 6:28). Here is the secret of a prospering saint. Note this: if I have light, it is not for myself, it is for others. We are only vessels, and God puts the light in us. So whether it is the gospel or the truth about the Church, we are responsible to circulate it and pass it on. And I believe that if we do not use the truth you and I gather, and pass it round, it will soon rot away in our very souls. We become subjects of spiritual dry rot. Many of God's dear children are suffering from this disease. They acquire truth, but no one else benefits.