Daniel's Proclamation

The following incident from the life of George Müller is told by a man called, Mr. Inglis, who heard the story from the captain of the ship with whom Müller prayed. Mr. Inglis says “When I first came to America, thirty-one years ago. I crossed the Atlantic with the captain of a steamer who was one of the most devoted men I ever knew, and when we were off the banks of Newfoundland he said to me:” "Mr. Inglis, the last time I crossed here, five weeks ago, one of the most extraordinary things happened which, has completely revolutionized the whole of my Christian life. Up to that time I was one of your ordinary Christians. We had a man of God on board, George Müller, of Bristol. I had been on that bridge for twenty-two hours and never left it. I was startled by some one tapping me on the shoulder. It was George Müller: "'Captain, he said, 'I have come to tell you that I must be In Quebec on Saturday afternoon.' This was Wednesday. "'It is impossible,' I said. "'Very well, if your ship can't take me, God will find some other means of locomotion to take me. I have never broken an engagement in fifty seven years.' "’I would willingly help you. How can I? I am helpless.' "'Let us go down to the chart-room and pray.' "I looked at that man of God, and I thought to myself, what lunatic asylum could that man have come from? I never heard of such a thing. "'Mr. Müller,' I said, 'do you know how dense the fog is?' "'No,' he replied, 'my eye is not on the density of the fog, but on the living God who controls every circumstance of my life.' "He got down on his knees and prayed one of the most simple prayers. I muttered to myself: 'That would suit a children's class where the children were not more than eight or nine years old.' The burden of his prayer was something like this: 'O Lord, if it is consistent with Thy will, please remove this fog in five minutes. You know the engagement you made for me in Quebec Saturday. I believe it is your will.' "When he finished. I was going to pray, but he put his hand on my shoulder and told me not to pray. "First, you do not believe He will; and second. I believe He has. And there is no need whatever for you to pray about it.' I looked at him, and George Müller said.. "'Captain. I have known my Lord for forty-seven years, and there has never been a single day that I have failed to gain an audience with the King. Get up, captain, and open the door, and you will find the fog is gone.' I got up, and the fog was gone! Mr Inglis finishes by saying… "You tell that to some people of a scientific turn of mind, and they will say, 'That is not according to natural laws.' No, it is according to spiritual laws. The God with whom we have to do is omnipotent. Hold on to God's omnipotence. Ask believingly. On Saturday afternoon, I may add, George Müller was there on time."

Last week we looked at how Daniel was a man of prayer. When faced with a difficult situation, he didn’t freak out, he didn’t try to fix it on his own, he didn’t run away from it… He gathered up his friends and had a prayer meeting.

And before he even had 100% verification from N that he had revealed the correct dream… Daniel was so confident that God had answered their prayers that he praises God right then and there.

But it doesn’t stop there… Daniel doesn’t just praise God in private, but he also proclaims God in public… and that is what we are going to look at this morning…

Meat:

Daniel’s Proclamation

Daniel 2:24-30…

Now I realize that some are anxious to get into the revelation and interpretation of N’s dream… and I know that I have been dangling it in front of you like a carrot… or for those that are like me and don’t much care for vegetables… I’ve been dangling it like a doughnut…

But here’s the thing… so many people want to skip over this other stuff and get into the “mysterious” stuff… get into the “exciting” parts of the story… However, if you just focus on the mysterious or the “exciting” (I put that in air quotes because I believe that the Bible as a whole, is exciting!)… But if we just focus on these parts, then we will completely miss the reason these things happen or the reason that God uses the people that He uses during these events.

I believe that “ALL Scripture is given by inspiration of God”… meaning that every word came from the mouth of God… and in order to show respect and honor to what God has to say, we will look at this whole account… not just the mysterious or “exciting” events.

One of the things that I don’t want you to miss is…

Daniel’s proclamation reveals:

1. His Character

The reason that I am pointing this out is because if you know the character that Daniel had, you will know why God used him and blessed him in so many ways…

And if God used and blessed Daniel because he lived a certain way (a way that honored and glorified God), then we can be assured that God will use and bless us if we also live in a way that honors and glorifies Him!

We get a little glimpse of Daniel’s character from v. 24…

Daniel 2:24 “24 Therefore Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said thus to him: “Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon; take me before the king, and I will tell the king the interpretation.””

The first characteristic that I want you to see is the fact that Daniel is…

1.1 Submissive

I know that I have been using this word a lot… submission, obedience… you know… everyone’s favorite words…

But Daniel was submissive… v.24 says “Daniel went to Arioch… and said… take me before the king, and I will tell the king the interpretation.”

Daniel didn’t get all puffed up and march right into the King’s palace and demand to be seen, because he had an important message from God for N… He went through the proper channels of authority in order to see the King.

Daniel knew that just because he had been given a mission from God, did not mean that he could ignore those in authority over him… Folks, just because one has a right relationship with God does not give mean they can usurp those in authority over them… Actually, it is quite the opposite… If we are in a right relationship with God, then we will submit to the authority over us and go through the proper channels to complete whatever mission God has given to us.

Daniel knew this and so he made sure that he submitted to the authority of Arioch… … Daniel also…

1.2 Cared for Others

We are still in v. 24 … “Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said thus to him: “(Kill all the wise men of Babylon, except for Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah and myself…)”… … no, no, no... Daniel didn’t just care for himself and his friends…

Daniel said “Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon”

Daniel has the perfect opportunity to get rid of any rivals in the kings court. He has the answer and interpretation of the king’s dream. Daniel literally holds the lives of these magicians, astrologers, and Chaldeans in his hands.

These “wise men” were Satan’s puppets… They did not know God and certainly did not worship Him… Surely they deserved death anyway…

But Daniel cared for them… “If these men could just see that there is a God in Heaven and He is the One true God… maybe some will change their ways and start living in a way that would honor God instead of in a way that opposes Him”…

Daniel show’s us the example of caring for your enemies… I think someone else mentions that we should care for or love our enemies…

Matthew 5:44–45 NKJV

44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

Jesus says that when we care for others (especially our enemies)…

It is an example of spiritual maturity - proving that we are “sons of the Father” and not just little children.

It shows that we are striving to be more like our Heavenly Father - because He shares some of His good things with those who hate Him or oppose “He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good”

And when we care for others, it is a testimony from us to them… In a world where common practice is to return good for good or evil for evil… what an amazing testimony we can be if we return good for evil…

guy behind you at McDonald’s is cussing you out because you are taking to long to order… pay for his lunch… someone with a full cart at the grocery store complaining that there are only 2 out 25 lanes open… let them go in front of you… even if you only have a couple of items…

“love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,”… repay evil with good...

This is exactly what Daniel did… and it showed his true character…

The next part of Daniel’s Character that I want you to notice is his…

1.3 Humility

You could put “humbleness” if you want… or make note of his humble attitude…

look at v. 25…

Daniel 2:25 “25 Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel before the king, and said thus to him, “I have found a man of the captives of Judah, who will make known to the king the interpretation.””

I don’t want you to miss what is going on here… v.24 said that “Daniel went to Arioch”… but Arioch tell N “I have found a man of the captives of Judah, who will make known to the king the interpretation”… It would seem that Arioch is distorting the facts a little bit…

As Daniel was looking out for the well being of others… It would seem that Arioch was looking out for himself… He is trying to gain favor with King N… He knows that if Daniel is able to reveal and interpret the dream, that Daniel will receive a huge promotion… I think Arioch is fishing for a promotion as well by saying “I found him, it was me… here he is… don’t forget, I was the one who found him”…

Daniel could’ve said… “Now wait just a minute Arioch, I was the one who found you… I told you that the answer to N’s dream had been given to me....”

But instead… Daniel humbly remains silent. He lets Arioch say whatever he is going to say, because after he is done… Daniel is going to make sure that God is the One who receives the glory.

It is through these events or this discussion, leading up to Daniel’s proclamation that we are able to get a better view of Daniel’s Character.

Now we will get into, what I call, Daniel’s proclamation… and the first thing that Daniel proclaims is…

2. His Source of the Revelation

Daniel 2:26 “26 The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen, and its interpretation?””

N asks Daniel if he could reveal and interpret his dream…

Daniel could of said… (Proudly) “As a matter of fact I can!”… and maybe that's how some of us would’ve answered this question… proudly… in a way that puts us in the spotlight…

But remember, Daniel was a humble man… and it is with humility that he answers this question… but he doesn’t just give a quick yes or no answer… he answers in such a way that takes the spotlight off from him and puts it directly on God.

First, Daniel points out that the source was....

2.1 Not from the Wisdom of Man

Daniel 2:27 “27 Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, “The secret which the king has demanded, the wise men… cannot declare to the king.”

Daniel tells King N that “it is impossible for any man to tell you what you dreamed”.

But he didn’t stop there… … Daniel also points out the source was…

2.2 Not from Magical or Demonic Powers

Daniel 2:27 “… The secret which the king has demanded... the astrologers, the magicians, and the soothsayers cannot declare to the king.”

This was Daniel’s nice way of saying that “no branch of Babylonian religion, power or education is able to tell you what you dreamed”…

I believe the reason Daniel specifically wanted to say this was to prove a point to the king… The ones who he was trusting for an answer have no power to declare to the king what he needs to know… I believe that Daniel wanted to make it very clear to N that they are a false religion from Satan himself…

Daniel also wanted to make it very clear that his source was the One and Only…

2.3 God in Heaven

Daniel 2:28 “28 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 makes sure that N, all the other wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, and the soothsayers know... that it was not man’s wisdom that is able to reveal this dream, it is not magical powers that can reveal this dream… but that the revelation of this dream can only and has come from the One True God of Heaven…

Lastly this morning, Daniel’s proclamation reveals…

3. God’s Sovereignty

Again in v.28, Daniel says… Daniel 2:28-29 “28 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. Your dream, and the visions of your head upon your bed, were these: 29 As for you, O king, thoughts came to your mind while on your bed, about what would come to pass after this; and He who reveals secrets has made known to you what will be.”

Daniel informs N that God has a plan, God has the power to carry out that plan, and God (in His Sovereignty) has decided to reveal that plan to you…

God has revealed to N what will happen in “the latter days”… and ultimately is saying to N… “I am the one who is in control, not you”.

As we will see when we finally get into the dream… God shows N all the world powers that will exist from N’s reign all the way up until Christ returns at His 2nd coming.

As Daniel interprets this dream, N will realize that the mighty kingdom that he is building,… his pride and joy, will eventually fall… and there is nothing that he can do about it, because God is the One who is Sovereign over everything.

Closing:

As we close, I want you to notice Daniel says just before he reveals the dream… v.30…

Daniel 2:30 “30 But as for me, this secret has not been revealed to me because I have more wisdom than anyone living, but for our sakes who make known the interpretation to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your heart.”

Daniel once again speaks from his humble character and gives all the glory to God. He diverts the spotlight off from himself and places it fully on God...

The fact is, at this moment, Daniel was the smartest man in the room and I think it is safe to say he was the wisest man on earth at the time… but he makes it clear that he himself deserves no credit, because it was the All mighty, Sovereign, God in heaven that has revealed the dream.

Daniel’s proclamation reveals…

His Character - which is the character that every child of God should have.

It reveals His Source of Revelation - not from man, not from magical powers, but from God… Where do you go first for instruction, wisdom, financial advice, relationship advice…? … Social media? Books? tv shows? radio talk shows?…

Remember folks… 2 Timothy 3:16-17 “16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man (follower) of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

We have the same source that Daniel had… God’s Word…

3. Daniel’s proclamation also reveals… God’s Sovereignty…

God was working out His plan back then and He is still working out His plan today. He is in control of it all… and we need to make sure that He is the One who is receiving all of the honor, glory and praise as He works out His plan through us… You don’t take the glory and the credit for yourself, you give it to God… because that is where it belongs.

I hope that here at Pierson Bible Church, we will be a family that doesn’t just praise God in private, but we also proclaim God in public…