©Laura Haverkamp
Chapter 2:46-49 (ESV) - Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face and paid homage to Daniel, and commanded that an offering and incense be offered up to him. The king answered and said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.” Then the king gave Daniel high honors and many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. Daniel made a request of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of the province of Babylon. But Daniel remained at the king's court.
Question to consider: What other person in Israel’s history was able to obtain a position of power based on the interpretation of dreams?
Daniel was very clear to Nebuchadnezzar that the dream and explanation came from God and that there was nothing special about him (Daniel) in being able to relay this information to the king. This information did not seem to penetrate Nebuchadnezzar’s understanding, for he bowed down to him and offered him incense and an offering as if he were some physical manifestation of God.
The only positive in this action was his recognition that there was no other God which compared with the God of Daniel. Yesterday, I mentioned that the dream may have disturbed the king if it meant that his kingdom was divided and on the brink of fracturing. Hearing that his kingdom was the head of gold, and that the dream was about kingdoms that would come after his would have definitely been reassuring to a narcissist like Nebuchadnezzar.
All he really cared about was that he would remain successful and powerful. He didn’t seem to mind that the kingdom would fall sometime in the “latter days,” and he didn’t even seem curious about the stone hewn from heaven which would grow to become a mountain that filled the whole earth and endured forever.
God’s promise to the exiles in Judah, however, came to pass, for just as Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego prayed for Babylon and petitioned God for her welfare, so God had provided for their own welfare with positions of power. Daniel became chief of the Magi, and he remembered his friends along the way.
I believe that Daniel had such an impact on the Magi that generations later, there would be those who looked for the signs that he gave to announce the birth of this heavenly king. The apostle Matthew would capture the visitation of the Magi in his Gospel account (see Matthew 2:1-8). God working in this way was reminiscent of Joseph son of Jacob who interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh and became second in command of all of Egypt. Just as the LORD raises up and topples kingdoms so He puts His servants into positions of influence and authority.
Our Father in heaven, may we be Your instruments in bringing righteousness to the world. Help us to find favor with those around us so that we may effectively serve You and our neighbor in love. Amen.