Daniel is able to relay to the king not only his dream but
also the interpretation thereof and the king accepts the interpretation and
exalts both Daniel and his God. Daniel
affirms that Nebuchadnezzar sits on a throne given to him by Daniel's God. That is an affirmation both of the king and
of the sovereignty of God that would have been difficult for most of us to
share. His words concerning this
kingship are, "You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven
has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory, and into whose
hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the children of man, the beasts of the
field, and the birds of the heavens, making you rule over them all…" I am not sure he could have piled up the
compliments more than that but ultimately the king has this because it was
given to him by God. The king receives
all this and speaks well of both Daniel and his God. Daniel is a man who is both bold and a good
friend, presuming to ask a favor of the king for his friends as well.
Luke certainly gives us enough details about the timing of
John the Baptist's ministry in those first verses doesn't he? Can you imagine what would happen if I called
those who came to be baptized a brood of vipers? John seems a bit unapproachable and harsh but
his message is one we neglect too often, that sin is serious business and the
judgment of God very real. John says
also that it isn't simply a matter of feeling sorry for sin and asking God to
forgive, it requires not only confession but contrition and repentance. Repentance, John says, has a measurable
quality to it, fruits born in keeping with it, life change not just mental
assent to God's law. The changes in
keeping with repentance are practical, they are ethical and moral changes. Loving a neighbor requires us to extend
ourselves on their behalf when possible and our work is held to a higher
ethical standard than others doing the same jobs. All we have, like Nebuchadnezzar, comes from
God.
We live in a world where people call themselves Christian
but consider Jesus to be nothing more than a man, a moral example, a great
teacher. John says that anyone who
denies Jesus is Christ is a liar and an antichrist. Strong language but truthful language. We are too sensitive to say such things about
people but John wasn't afraid to use such language because he didn't want
anyone led astray by these people. If
the truth is this is the spirit of antichrist, a denial of Jesus as Christ,
then people should know that to follow them is not to be slightly misguided but
following a liar (and we all know who is the father of lies). Perhaps we should, as Prime Minister John
Major suggested some time ago concerning crime, "perhaps society should condemn
a little more and understand a little less." Eternity is at stake, should we not be less
afraid of political correctness in such matters. Daniel gave the king an interpretation that might
have gotten him into some trouble, the king wasn't actually all that, there was
one greater than he and even as great as he was, his kingdom was going to pass
away. We need to be bold like Daniel to
make the Gospel clear.
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