19/09/21 – Daniel 2:19-25
Daniel 2:19 – Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
the secret – raz
(Aramaic) (secret) This Aramaic word is used
9 times altogether in the OT, 8 of them from Daniel 2:18 to 2:47.
night vision – probably referring to a
dream while asleep, as per Job 4:12-13 – 12Now a thing was
secretly brought to me, and mine ear received a little thereof. 13In
thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth
on men,
A vision though does not necessarily equate to a
dream, noting Numbers 12:6 – And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, [I] the
Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, [and] will speak unto
him in a dream.
Daniel does suggest that this night vision may have
been a dream in Daniel 2:28b – Thy dream,
and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these;
Also note Job 33:14-16 – 14For God speaketh once, yea twice, [yet man] perceiveth it not. 15In a dream, in a vision of
the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed; 16Then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth
their instruction,
revealed – gᵉlah
(Peal tense) (to reveal (secrets), be revealed)
Aramaic. Used 10 times altogether, 3 times in Ezra and 7 times from Daniel 2:19 to 2:47.
blessed – bᵉrak
(blessed; praised) (Aramaic) The participle
form of this word can mean to be kneeling (down). Used again in Vs 20 below (“blessed”).
The Hebrew equivalent barak is widely used throughout the OT. It is interesting to note that barak is translated “curse” 3 times (Job 1:11; 2:5; 2:9). “cursed” once (Job 1:5) and “blaspheme” twice (1 Kings 21:10; 13)
Job 1:11 – But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he (Job) will curse (barak) thee (God) to thy face. Literally it says that Job will bless God to His face. This is because it was considered blasphemous to use “curse” in relation to God’s name, so the opposite was used instead.
King Ahab has Naboth put to death for literally blessing God in the following:
1 Kings 21:13 – And there came in two men, children of Belial, and sat before him: and the men of Belial witnessed against him, [even] against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth did blaspheme (barak) God and the king. Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones, that he died.
It has been correctly translated as “blaspheme”, even though the Hebrew word actually means the opposite: to bless.
barak (Hebrew) can mean to kneel (down) and is translated “made to kneel down” in Genesis 24:11 – And he made his camels to kneel down (barak) without the city by a well of water at the time of the evening, [even] the time that women go out to draw [water].
Solomon kneeled before God in 2 Chronicles 6:13b – and upon it he stood, and kneeled down (barak) upon his knees before all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven,
Also note Psalm 95:6 – O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel (barak) before the Lord our maker.
barak is used twice in the one verse to denote “in blessing I will bless” and translated “will abundantly bless”.
Psalm 132:15 – I will abundantly (barak) bless (barak) her provision: I will satisfy her poor with bread.
Daniel is ensuring that God is given all the credit for the answer he receives. All too often we may try to take credit for something we do well when it may have been God who actually did it well through us. In fact, this was satan’s problem, that he desired some of God’s glory for himself.
The Ezekiel 28:11-19 and Isaiah 14:12-15 passages are both
generally accepted to refer to satan’s fall into sin. In particular, Ezekiel 28:16
refers to the multitude of his merchandising. The word “merchandise” means merchandise, traffic, or
trade. Thus, by his trafficking or trading, satan has been filled with violence
(wrongness, cruelty, injustice). Ezekiel 28:17 talks of his heart being lifted
up because of his pride. Satan wanted some of God’s glory for himself. He
considered that he deserved some praise for his beauty. It seems that satan was
holding back some of God’s glory for himself; this was the multitude of his
merchandise. Ezekiel 28:18 mentions “the iniquity
of thy traffick” where “traffick”
is the same word translated “merchandise”
in Ezekiel 28:16.
Satan was the covering (or protecting) cherub (Ezekiel 28:14), probably the one who
protected and watched over the throne of God. He would have had immense power
and authority, all as a result of having been created like that. All creation
was to demonstrate God’s glory, and satan, being possibly the most beautiful
being that God had ever created, should have given all the glory he gained to
God. But it appears that he trafficked this merchandise (which here would have
been that glory that he should have passed on to God on the throne). He wanted
his cut of the glory, the praise and honour that he felt he deserved to have a
part of.
Ezekiel 28:16-18 – 16By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. 17Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. 18Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.
It is clear that Daniel was giving all glory to God
and not withholding any for himself. If your ministry is effective, then don’t
claim credit for it but give the glory to God alone.
Daniel 2:20 – Daniel answered (responded) and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his:
wisdom – chokmah
(Aramaic) (wisdom; prudence; shrewdness; skill
in war) This is a different term to the one translated “wisdom” in Daniel 2:14 (where it meant tact or
diplomacy). Here it has the idea of having knowledge and understanding.
Its Hebrew form (chokmah)
is used twice in Job 12:12-13 – see below.
might – gᵉbuwrah
(Aramaic) (might)
The Hebrew equivalent is gᵉbuwrah
(strength; might; valour; bravery; mighty deeds)
translated “strength” in Job 12:12-13 – 12With the ancient [is]
wisdom (chokmah); and in length of days understanding. 13With him [is]
wisdom (chokmah) and strength (gᵉbuwrah), he hath counsel and
understanding.
It could also mean “for wisdom
and majesty are his” according to one LXX translation.
blessed – bᵉrak (bless or praise especially while kneeling) (Aramaic) See Vs 19 above for more on the use of this word.
Daniel has prayed for God’s answer and has received it. Far too many Christians pray for God’s assistance, yet fail to acknowledge it when God answers them. Just because we don’t actually hear God say anything to us doesn’t mean that He hasn’t answered us. We should never assume that our thinking alone has come up with the answer. Our thinking itself can be influenced by God’s prompting.
Daniel 2:21 – And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:
wisdom – chokmah as per “wisdom” in Vs 20 above
wise – chakkiym (wise
man; wise) (Aramaic) Derived from chokmah (wisdom).
Translated as “wise” 7 times in Daniel 2. Note that where it says “wise men” the word “men” is not in the original text.
giveth wisdom to the wise – God can cause even the wise to grow in wisdom.
knowledge – manda‘ (knowledge; power of knowing) (Aramaic) Translated “reason” in Daniel 4:36a – At the same time my reason returned unto me
Its Hebrew equivalent madda‘ is
translated “science” in Daniel 1:4.
manda‘ (Aramaic) appears to be a useful or working knowledge, a knowledge that can be used.
know understanding – or “know discernment”
An equivalent Hebrew phrase is used in Proverbs 4:1 – Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. (where “to know understanding” probably means to gain understanding, to grow in discrimination or discernment)
God can change everything to do with His creation because He is the Creator.
All things are possible with God.
Matthew 19:26 – But Jesus beheld [them], and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
If He wishes to change anything at all with His creation, times, seasons, floods, earthquakes etc, then who is going to say He cannot?
Romans 9:20a – Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God?
Isaiah 45:9 – Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! [Let] the potsherd [strive] with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?
Kings may only rule by God’s permission.
Romans 13:1 – Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
1 Samuel 2:6-10 – 6The Lord killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. 7The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up. 8He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, [and] lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set [them] among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth [are] the Lord’s, and he hath set the world upon them. 9He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail. 10The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the Lord shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed.
Proverbs 8:15-16 – 15By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. 16By me princes rule, and nobles, [even] all the judges of the earth.
Note also that Nebuchadnezzar was king only by the authority of God.
Jeremiah 27:5-7 – 5I have made the earth, the man and the beast that [are]
upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have
given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me. 6And now have I given all
these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant;
and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him. 7And
all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son’s son, until the very
time of his land come: and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves
of him.
And God can cause even the discriminating or discerning person to have even more discernment. And interpretations of dreams belong to God.
Genesis 40:8 – And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and [there is] no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, [Do] not interpretations [belong] to God?
Daniel 2:22 – He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what [is] in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.
deep – or “mysteries” In a way it could refer to esoteric knowledge: that knowledge which may only be known by those qualified, in this case, God.
secret – hidden or removed from sight, obscure.
There is nothing hidden from God’s sight, and no secret can be kept from God.
Hebrews 4:13 – Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things [are] naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
Luke 8:17 – For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither [any thing] hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.
Psalm 139:7-12 – 7Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? 8If I ascend up into heaven, thou [art] there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou [art there]. 9[If] I take the wings of the morning, [and] dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; 10Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. 11If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. 12Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light [are] both alike [to thee].
God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all.
1 John 1:5b – God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
1 Timothy 6:16a – Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto
John 8:12 – Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the
world: he that followeth me shall not walk in
darkness, but shall have the light of life.
John 1:4-5; 9 – 4In him was life; and the life was the light of men. :5And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. 9[That] was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
God reveals those things that are hidden from people. He can see even in darkness because God is light and He dwells in unapproachable light.
Daniel 2:23 – I thank thee,
and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might,
and hast made known unto me now what we desired of
thee: for thou hast [now] made known unto us the king’s matter.
thank – or “praise”
praise – (to laud, praise,
adulate, adore)
wisdom – the same “wisdom” (chokmah) that is God’s (Vs 20 above) and He gives to the wise
(see Vs 21 above)
might – the same “might” that is
God’s in Vs 20 above.
matter – millah (word;
thing; utterance; command; affair; matter) (Aramaic) Used a number of times already
in Daniel Ch.1 & 2.
What Daniel has been given is effectively a portion of that which God already has (wisdom, might, knowledge etc) such that Daniel is really speaking for God. It is a pity that so many Christians boast of their own ability when it is God who provides for their ministry. God who calls us to ministry will also perform in us that which is necessary to fulfil that ministry. God calls and God does it!
1 Thessalonians 5:24 – Faithful [is] he that calleth you, who also will do [it].
God has required Daniel to be the one who reveals God’s wisdom to Nebuchadnezzar (who will only discover this wisdom by paying attention to Daniel who is now effectively the mouthpiece of God.
Daniel 2:24 – Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king had ordained to destroy the wise [men] of Babylon: he went and said thus unto him; Destroy not the wise [men] of Babylon: bring me in before the king, and I will shew unto the king the interpretation.
ordained – or “appointed”
Now Daniel has fully prepared what he is to say to the king, he asks Arioch (who had been ordered to destroy [cause to perish] the wise men) to hold off his destruction of those men because he has the interpretation that the king demanded of those wise men. Obviously this also includes what the dream is about as well. Daniel appears to demand an audience with the king but it is likely, noting Daniel’s diplomacy (“wisdom” – Daniel 2:14) that there would have been no arrogance in Daniel’s attitude here. Daniel has been given the required answer and he knows he must reveal this to the king in order to save the lives of all the wise men under penalty of death (including himself and his three companions).
Daniel 2:25 – Then Arioch
brought in Daniel before the king in haste, and said thus unto him, I have
found a man of the captives of Judah, that will make known unto the king the
interpretation.
in haste – This is the first time this word is used in Daniel, and not the word used in Daniel 2:15 for “hasty” (urgent; harsh) which has the idea of getting the job done as quickly as possible.
“in haste” here simply means to be in a hurry, and may refer to having to act quickly if there’s trouble about to happen, especially when alarmed or frightened.
Arioch clearly recognises the urgency of the matter. It is obvious that he has held off at least some of the executions while awaiting Daniel’s response, and if he waits too long, it will be of little benefit if Daniel reveals the dream and interpretation, especially if the king decides to see if his orders have been carried out as decreed.
the captives – This is actually 2 words literally meaning the sons (ben) of the exile or captivity.
Daniel, a son of the captivity (a captive of Judah), will make known what the king has demanded to be told.
To Messages and Teachings page
List of all my posts on this site
Hoppers Crossing Christian Church homepage