Daniel 2:24-49: Daniel's Confidence: Lessons from Daniel's Approach to the King

Daniel 2:24

"Therefore Daniel went in to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said to him, "Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon. Bring me before the king, and I will show the king the interpretation."

This comes right after God gave Daniel the revelation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream. Daniel's first response was to give God the glory and praise due his name. Only after that did he go in to the king's man, the one appointed to destroy the wise men who couldn't satisfy the king's demand, and tell him with great confidence that he could interpret the dream.

The first thing that stands out to me here is the confidence Daniel has after earnestly seeking God and the wisdom he provides. That's something we should learn from. God doesn't always give us an answer to our questions through dreams, but he has revealed far more to us through the gospel. Colossians tells us he has made known the mystery hidden for ages and generations, but now revealed to his saints (Colossians 1:26-27). That mystery is Jesus. If God revealing the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream produced this kind of confidence in Daniel to approach the king, how much more confidence should we have knowing the far greater mystery: the problem of sin and the separation it created between man and God, now resolved through Jesus Christ. His sacrifice on the cross and his resurrection give us hope and confidence that sin has been defeated and that there is no longer any distance between God and man on account of it. We can approach daunting situations with confidence because we know the answer to the great mystery is Jesus. Our future is secure.

That confidence shows up again in verse 27, as Daniel speaks to Nebuchadnezzar. "No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked. But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these." Daniel wastes no time turning attention off himself and his own ability, even though he clearly had a great amount of it from his formal training, and redirects it to God, who gives wisdom (James 1:5). What I love about this is how quickly Daniel makes sure the king knows what he's about to say isn't from man, but from God.

We should take something away from that. We should be just as quick to attribute to God the glory he deserves. There's real opportunity here for us evangelistically, to actively look for ways to tell people what God has done, from the simple things, like a hectic schedule somehow falling into place into an orderly day, and recognizing God's hand in it, all the way to bigger provisions, like needing thousands of dollars for hospital bills and the Lord providing it. Whenever God moves, we should be quick to tell people about it.

Then there's the beauty of the interpretation itself. It's easy for us to find confidence, especially living where many of us do, as citizens of the United States. But if there's one thing to take from the dream God gave Nebuchadnezzar and the interpretation Daniel gives him, it's that no kingdom is lasting except the kingdom of heaven. No matter how powerful, no matter how advanced, these kingdoms rise and fall. God's rule, his reign, his dominion, is forever. Jesus sits on the throne, and his kingdom only grows until it consumes all things. Nothing can crush it. That's where real confidence comes from, because our identity isn't in the physical location, the country, or the institution we live in. Like Daniel, we're exiles. And as exiles, we have to find our citizenship in something greater than the country we physically live in. We have to find it in the one we live in spiritually.

The last thing to take from this part of Daniel 2 is the result. Daniel's confidence, his telling of God's glory, his clear communication of God's will and plan, leads Nebuchadnezzar to give glory to God. God's glory will always result in our good. It may not end up the way it did for Daniel, with elevation and exaltation in Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom, but it will result in our contentment. As John Piper says, God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him (Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist, 1986). There's no better way to get there than attributing to him the glory due his name.