“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are His. And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with Him…The secret which the king has demanded, the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, and the soothsayers cannot declare to the king. 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.” Daniel 2:20b-22, 28
In this chapter, Nebuchadnezzar has had a dream in which he saw visions of the future, but apparently forgot the details; when his advisers could neither recount the king’s dream nor provide a satisfactory answer of its interpretation (despite their alleged position as spokesmen of the supernatural), he orders them to be executed as frauds and deceivers. Despite the death-mark on his own head, Daniel boldly asks for time to meet the king’s request, and he meets with his three friends in captivity to pray to God for the revelation.
They pray for God’s mercy, and rightly so; they were facing a task that no human could hope to accomplish. According to one commentary,”Mercy is God’s response to a person’s need. Daniel here recognized his own inability in the circumstances and turned to God in confidence, expecting the Lord to meet his need.” God answers their prayer, not merely because they asked in humility, but because they were persistent and specific in their request; prayer is not just talking out loud or listing requests – at its most fundamental, intimate level, it is speaking personally with/to God Almighty.
The vision portrays the earthly kingdoms preceding the coming of God’s kingdom under Christ: Babylon’s absolute monarchy is the head of gold, the silver represents Medo-Persia’s constitutional monarchy, the bronze symbolizes Alexander the Great’s authoritarian empire, and Rome’s military dictatorship is as strong and unbending as the iron portraying it. This is their outward political glory, which will be overcome by the majesty of God in His everlasting Kingdom; we will see this vision portrayed in a different light later on in the book.
Even after God has given him the answer, Daniel acts with humility and wisdom. He gives God the credit due, and as part of the king’s reward Daniel requests positions for his three godly friends so that they can remain closely connected. Leadership can be/feel isolating; it’s always good to have close friends to hold one accountable, especially those who share faith in God.
Something I didn’t notice before: while listening to a teaching series by one of my Christian professors, it was said that faith is not religious duty; real faith is action, and actions in the cause of Christ always involves risk. God did not call us to be safe; it is no small thing to live for God’s glory in the midst of a world system that opposes Him. A constant theme throughout the book of Daniel is his faith, lived out boldly in situations when life was very much at risk. I’d say it’s that quality that has made Daniel one of the most famous and memorable people in the Bible.