Daniel Chapter Two

It's been a while since I've been with you and gone through the book of Daniel. We're going to do that today. I've used the preacher's outline and sermon Bible commentary as well as the expositor's Bible commentary in preparation for the sermon. Since it's been about a month since we've covered this, I want to go through and give just a little bit of review regarding the book.

On January 2nd, I gave a sermon entitled, Why We Study the Book of Daniel. In that sermon, we went through and discussed Mr. Herbert Armstrong's three major points of emphasis in his ministry. We also discussed Mr. Melvin Rhodes' great caution regarding prophecy. We looked at four major keys to prophecy the Church of God understands but is lost to the world. We looked at the fact that prophecy is positive. So many times people think prophecy is a negative thing. But prophecy is positive. It's positive in that its central focus is the establishment of the Kingdom of God. It's positive in that prophecy should strengthen our faith. And it's positive in the sense that it helps us to watch world news in our individual spiritual conditions. I may mention in that sermon there are four great lessons to be learned in the book of Daniel. You think of the book of Daniel, you think about prophecy. But this book is heavily front-loaded with Christian living principles. Four great principles we find in the book of Daniel is, number one, the absolute sovereignty of the great God. Number two, his second great lesson is the mighty power of prayer. That's what we'll be discussing today as we go through Daniel chapter 2 and other portions of Daniel. A third great lesson in the book is how God's plan is being worked out. A fourth great lesson is the mighty grace of God. All of those are Christian living areas. So let's not think that because we're in the book of Daniel that it's all prophecy, as I said. The front six chapters or so are heavily front-loaded with Christian living principles. On January 9, they gave a sermon entitled, Daniel, the Man of Conviction. We took a look at the young man Daniel. He may have been as young as 15 years of age when he was taken captive by the empire of Babylon. He may have been as old as 20, but in either case he was a relatively young man. They murdered many thousands of his countrymen in Judah. They also deported many thousands of young Judeans to Babylon. One of those, four of those, were Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, as well as Daniel.

In the first chapter of Daniel, what we learned was that he was a young man of tremendous conviction. I would say it appeared tremendous conversion and certainly tremendous courage in what he did. Here he is standing up to the greatest power of the world, the Babylonian Empire, Nebuchadnezzar, one of their greatest kings.

The king wanted to change his name and did change his name, wanted to change his diet, wanted to change his language, wanted to change everything about him. But Daniel held firm. He was a man of conviction, even if he was only 15 years of age. There were certain things he was not going to eat, and he wouldn't eat those things. He stayed convicted to God. As we see this young man with his convictions, in the face of somebody who had thousands of his countrymen executed, who could have had him executed, he was stood the king and said, you know, I want to eat these things. He did it in a humble way. He didn't do it in a provocative way. The study of the book of Daniel shows how you can use tact, how you can use diplomacy, and use the spirit of God in a powerful way. And he did that. And so he showed his convictions. It also showed that God blessed him because of his faithfulness. And it also showed that no matter where we're at in life, God can use us as a tool in his hands. Okay, that brings us up to where we want to start today. We're going to look at Daniel 2 and other chapters, because we're looking at a particular theme. It's not going to be a prophetic thing. As we mentioned before, some people think prophecy is the meat and potatoes of the Bible. Prophecy is not the meat and potatoes of the Bible. Salvation is the meat and potatoes of the Bible. Prophecy is nothing more than maybe some dessert afterwards. It's not the main thrust. But what we're going to see here in Daniel chapter 2 is how he was a tremendous man of prayer. Now, before we turn to Daniel, let's take a look at John chapter 17 for a moment.

John chapter 17.

John chapter 17 and verse 8. In My New King James, this is all red lettering. John chapter 17 and verse 8. Notice what Christ said, For I have given to them the words which you have given me, And they have received them, and have known surely that I have come from you, And that they have believed that you sent me. I want to draw attention to that first phrase there, For I have given to them the words which you have given me. Brethren, we appreciate the fact that our great God is an architect, a designer, a creator, a sustainer. But He's not only the architect of the universe, He's also the architect of this word, the Bible.

And to me, it's interesting how He's constructed the book of Daniel, a book of prophecy, And how so much of the first six chapters of the book of Daniel, the first half, has to do with Christian living. And so that shows us how God views the whole subject of prophecy. Here in chapter 17 of John, we take a look at verse 14. For I have given them your word, and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world. Just as I am not of the world. As I was making mention, God is a designer. And He's designed how the book of Daniel was written. Every word in the Scriptures is put there just the way God wants them to be put, to teach us a powerful lesson. And we see here in verse 17 of John 17, Sanctify them, set them apart by your truth, your word is truth. Now, we're going to see some real truth today about how God views a individual who is a faithful, praying individual. And the power that is there at our disposal. God is no respecter of persons. If you are having issues with a next-door neighbor, or a coworker, or your boss, or a relative, or whoever, somebody is really a pain in your neck. No one could have been any more of a pain than Nebuchadnezzar to Daniel. At any time, he could have taken that young man's life and not even lost a wink of sleep. But we're going to see how God opened one door after another as a result of a young man who was faithful and who prayed. So, let's turn now to Daniel 2. We'll be going through about half of this chapter. There is some prophetic importance in chapter 2. I'm not going to get to that until next week. Next week, I'll give you the second portion of Daniel 2. I'll have a nice chart for you regarding prophecy. But we're going to save that for next week. This week, we're going to talk about the man Daniel as a man of prayer. Chapter 2, verse 1. Now, in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams, and his spirit was so troubled that his sleep left him. Have you ever had sleep leave you? I've had plenty of sleep leave me. I don't know what it's been, but since my surgery, I find myself... I can go to bed anytime I want to go to bed. I can go to bed at 9.30 or at 12 midnight, but it seems that lately, over the last number of months, I go to bed. And whatever time I go to bed, four hours later, I wake up. And I'm wide awake. Now, when you've had open-heart surgery, you need more than four hours' sleep at night. I was accustomed to getting six hours before the surgery, but for whatever the reason, that wasn't happening.

One of the issues that I personally have is that from my bed to where my computer is, where my office is, is only about ten steps. And so I'm laying there four o'clock in the morning or three o'clock in the morning, depending upon what time I started, after four hours of sleep. I said, well, I might as well get up and do something. Not too many of you have caught that, but a number have, where they said, you know, Mr. Dale Sandra, we're seeing you sending these emails out, and it's like four o'clock in the morning.

Go back to bed!

But thankfully, thankfully, over in the Ann Arbor congregation, we've got some ladies, and my wife is one of these lovely ladies, who have gotten to doTERRA. DoTERRA are these boils. It's aromatherapy. And there's one called serenity, and I waff some of that on my neck, front of my neck, back of my neck, on my cheeks. I lay down. I'm getting eight hours of sleep now.

That's amazing what aromatherapy can do for a person. Just, you know, a few drops of oil. I don't want to slather it all over the place, but a few drops of oil. But here we've got poor Nebuchadnezzar. He didn't know about doTERRA. The poor man couldn't get asleep. Verse 2, Then the king gave the command to call the magicians, the astrologers, the sorcerers, the Chaldeans, teleking his dreams. So they came and stood before the king. Now, again, this guy is powerful. He just subdued a whole nation, murdering thousands, taking other thousands captive. And here's a king who says, you know what? I've been having these disquieting dreams. I'm calling all my wise men. And you know what, wise men? You're going to tell me what I'm dreaming. You're going to tell me what I'm dreaming. I'm just not going to tell you what I'm dreaming, and you're going to make up some story out of whole cloth. You're going to tell me what I'm dreaming. And if you don't tell me, well, there's going to be consequences. There's going to be consequences to that. Verse 3, And the king said to them, I have had a dream, and my spirit is anxious to know the dream. Then the Chaldeans spoke to the king, and Aramaic, O king, live forever. Now, in England, what they would say is, Long live the king. Same idea. Long live the king. Tell your servants the dream, and we will give the interpretation.

Now pause here for a second. These guys have got the brass to say to the king, Hey, now we don't want to do it on your terms. You tell us what you're dreaming, and we'll tell you the interpretation. Now, the king's not going to have any of that. Verse 5, The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, My decision is firm. Don't think you're going to worm your way out of this. If you do not make known the dream to me and its interpretation, you should be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made as an ash heap. However, if you tell me the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive me from me gifts and rewards and great honor. Therefore, tell me the dream and its interpretation. Now, these people were really brassy here. Notice, verse 7. They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we'll give his interpretation. You know, it's like that old TV thing that we saw years and years ago. Slowly I turned, step by step. Verse 8, The king answered and said, I know for certain that you would gain time. He said, I know you're stalling. You don't know what to do with my request, because you see my decision is firm. If you do not make known the dream to me, there is only one decree for you, for you have agreed to speak lying and corrupt words before me until the time has changed. Therefore, tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can give me its interpretation.

You know, Nebuchadnezzar didn't get to be the king because he was stupid. He was a very astute political individual who knew people. Verse 10. And here's something that we want to really take a very good look at here, verse 10 and 11. The Chaldeans answered and said to the king, There is not a man on earth who can tell the king's matter. Therefore, no king, lord, or ruler has ever asked such things from any magician, astrologer, or Chaldean.

So, once again, these guys have got their hackles up. They are brushing back against the king and saying, What you're asking is impossible. Furthermore, king, you are being totally unreasonable. Now, would you go before a traffic judge and say that? I don't think you would go before a traffic judge and say that. And they are coming before a guy who had their life right in his hands.

Verse 11. It's a difficult thing that the king requests, and there is no other who can tell it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh. Well, you know, it's like they say about a broken clock. Twice a day it's going to be right. And these guys actually stumbled onto a little bit of truth here when they said, No man on earth can tell the king's matter. Well, not unless God intervenes. And we're going to see in a moment how God is going to intervene.

The true God is going to intervene. Verse 12. For this reason the king was angry and very furious and gave the command to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. So the decree went out and they began killing the wise men. Now, the people there were right in front of the king. They went first. They learned a real powerful lesson. You don't cross the king like that. Their lives were lost. And they were coming after Daniel and his companions, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, to kill them.

Now, notice here, verse 14. Then with counsel and wisdom, Daniel answered Ariach, the captain of the king's guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon. And Ariach was coming to kill Daniel and his three companions. But notice, it says here, verse 14. Then with counsel and wisdom. Where did that counsel and wisdom come from? It came from God to a young man who had shown conviction, had shown courage, had shown faith, had shown he was not going to compromise in any way, shape, or form with the truth of God or the law of God.

Now, if you want to have wise counsel, if you want to have wisdom, if you want God to intervene in your life and be there for you, or be there for me, then we need to follow the example of Daniel. Remember, the Bible says that he was one of the three most righteous men who ever lived. He and Job and Noah. They weren't sinless, but they were very righteous people. Verse 15, he answered and said to the king, Well, first of all, in your notes, and not that I have you turn there, but in your notes, you might want to jot down Mark 13 and verse 11.

I don't want to get ahead of myself too much here. Mark 13 and verse 11, let me read that for you. It says, But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given to you in that hour speak that. For it is not you who speaks, but the Holy Spirit. That's Jesus Christ talking to his disciples. He said, I'll be there for you. My Spirit will be there for you. If you're faithful, if you're going to do what I ask you to do in life, then I will back you up. And so we see that here in the book of Daniel.

We see it in the New Testament as well. Verse 15, He asked it and said to Ariak the king's captain, Why is the creed from the king so urgent? And then Ariak made the decision known to Daniel. So Daniel went in and asked the king to give him time, and he might tell the king his interpretation.

Now the other guys asked for time, and they lost their heads. Daniel, because he was inspired by God, because he had the wisdom of God, the tact given to him from God, he was able to ask for time, and it was granted to him. It wasn't granted to the other guys, it was granted to him. See, God opened that door for a man who was a praying man, a man who was a convicted man, had convictions, a man who was a follower of the great God, didn't compromise in any of his ways.

And why did Daniel want time? Because he wanted to go back home, discuss the situation with his companions, and all four of them pray about it. Verse 17, Daniel went to his house and made the decision known to Hazaniah, Mishael, and Azariah as companions. Of course, they were given the names of Shabrak, Meshach, and Abednego by the Babylonians. That they might seek mercies from the God of heaven concerning this secret, so that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

So here we've got a situation where prayer is going to save Daniel's life. It's an urgent situation. And God is already blessing him by giving him time, letting him go over to his companions, asking them to pray. And this is why, brethren, we do ask if prayer requests a church. It's important that we pray for one another and pray with one another. Verse 19, Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. So what did Daniel do? The secret revealed to him that he dropped everything, ran to the palace, and tell King Nebuchadnezzar, Here's the answer.

Is that what he did? No. What were the priorities in Daniel's life? His priority was to properly worship God. So instead of just running right over to the king, claiming all sorts of things for himself, No. The first thing Daniel does here, So Daniel blessed the God of heaven. And we're going to see. He took some time with this. He blessed the God of heaven. Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are His.

Wisdom is God's, and as mighty as Nebuchadnezzar thought he was, God was more powerful, much more powerful. And he changed the times and the seasons. He removes kings, raises up kings, and gives wisdom to the wise, and now to those who have understanding. Brethren, if you are looking for a verse that epitomizes what the book of Daniel is all about, verse 21 is that verse. If you like to mark your Bible or underline verses, you want to underline verse 21, because that is one of the big themes of this entire book.

In fact, our God is sovereign over everything. That His power and wisdom is powerful than anybody or anything. Verse 22, He reveals deep secrets, deep and secret things. He knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with Him. Notice, not only is He blessing God and praising God, verse 23, I thank you and praise you, O God of my fathers.

So here's a man, and again, brethren, understand this. We can read through this so quickly and not get something that is important here. What is the priority for Daniel here? The priority before he goes to the king to rescue his life. His priority is to praise and thank God. God is number one, not Nebuchadnezzar. I thank you and praise you, O God of my fathers. You have given me wisdom and might, and have made known to me what we've asked of you, for you have made known to us the king's demand.

So here we see a young man, no more than 20 years of age, maybe a great deal younger than that, and the power of prayer in his life and what takes place. How he regards God, all that works together to show the character of the man. Verse 24, Therefore Daniel went to Ariach, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said to him, Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon. Now think about that for a moment. These are the guys, first of all, they were pagan. They probably were dabbling in the spirit world.

They may have been mediums, the sorcerers. They certainly were his enemies. They were Babylonians. These are the guys that gave the king counsel. These are the guys that told the king to go destroy Daniel's nation. And yet, what do we see here? We see the golden rule. We see turning the other cheek. We see where Daniel views life is precious, life as important. Do not destroy those men. Now, Daniel's not saying that what they were doing, with their source reason, that they're correct. As we go through the book of Daniel, we'll find time and again we'll see it today.

Time and again, the kings of Babylon would go to these guys, these wise men of the realm, and they were of no use whatsoever. But again, Daniel didn't want them to die. He wanted life. In the middle of verse 24, Take me before the king, and I will tell the king the interpretation. Then Aria quickly brought Daniel before the king, and thus said to him, I have found a man of the captives of Judah, who will make known to the king the interpretation.

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? And Daniel answered in the presence of the king and said, The secret which the king has demanded, the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the sous-sayers, cannot declare to the king. Now again, pause. We can read right through that, and now get the weight of what's happening here.

The king was the one who appointed these wise men of the realm. They had his mark of approval, and basically what Daniel is saying is, You know what, king? Your guys, they just don't cut it! They're no good! Basically, the king could say, you say that about my guys, you're saying that about me! So Daniel here is showing not only conviction, he is showing courage. Now, you got that courage from what source? From the great God.

Verse 28, But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets. Notice verse 28, he didn't say, and you know what, you knew I was one of the bright guys. You brought me from my nation over here because I was so smart, and because I'm so smart, I know what the answer is. No. Daniel says, there is a God in heaven. Daniel's not taking any credit himself. He's saying God is the one. But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets.

He's made known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head upon your bed were these. And so what we see here, and the rest of this we'll cover next week. But basically, Daniel is not self-promoting. He could have probably made a lot of money. But that wasn't in his mind. His mind was to be faithful and humble and true to the great God, and to give God the great credit. Now, let's move forward in the book, the chapter four. Because we're going to follow a thread about the idea of being a man of prayer.

Daniel chapter four is an interesting chapter so far as the Bible is concerned. It's interesting because it is not written by Daniel. It is not written by one of the high holy people of Judah. Daniel chapter four is written by a pagan. Daniel chapter four is written by Nebuchadnezzar. What we have here in Daniel chapter four is a letter that King Nebuchadnezzar sent out to the entire realm. He sends us out to the entire Babylonian empire. And it's interesting when you read this and understand this man and where he's coming from. He's one of the great kings of history. Let's start in verse one. Nebuchadnezzar the king, to all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell on all the earth. In other words, this is to his whole empire, the first world ruling empire. Peace be multiplied to you. I thought it good to declare the signs and wonders that the most high God has worked for me.

Now, we're going to see a very strange mix here between Nebuchadnezzar praising the great God, but him still holding on to his own gods. And when you are dealing with people in the world, understand that's where they're coming from. That's where Nebuchadnezzar is coming from. So I think we can relate to this. Verse three, how great are his signs and how might his wonders. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. His dominion is from generation to generation. Boy, you think a guy who's saying things like this would be totally sold on the God of Israel or God of Judah. Nebuchadnezzar was at rest in my house and flourishing in my palace. And I saw a dream which made me afraid in the thoughts on my bed and the visions in my head troubled me. Now, this is another vision. The first vision that Daniel gave the interpretation to told him what it was and then gave the interpretation. That dream was showing Nebuchadnezzar is the great golden portion of that symbol. So that particular chapter two's vision was very flattering to Nebuchadnezzar. Now, this prophecy is just the opposite. This prophecy is going to show where Nebuchadnezzar is going to basically go insane for seven years. His fingernails are going to be like bird claws. His hair is going to be all feathers, it says. He's going to be all sweaty and dirty. He's going to be crawling around eating grass. Daniel was a little hesitant to tell the king, This prophecy is not one that you're going to like. And Nebuchadnezzar himself said, Daniel, don't worry. I just want to know the truth.

So once again it shows how Daniel was a man of great courage. So he saw these dreams that troubled him. Verse 6, Therefore I issued a decree to bring in all the wise men. So there he goes again. Not learning his lessons and bringing these guys who were failures the first time. Well, no, I guess he can't bring those guys in. They're dead. There's a new set of guys who are probably going to die. Therefore, I, you know, unless we've got the walking dead here. Therefore, I issued a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me. It probably took some courage for them to assemble as well. I'm thinking, man, the last group didn't fare too well, did they? That they may make known to me the interpretation of the dream. Then the magicians, verse 7, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, the suicers came in, and I told them the dream, but they did not make known to me the interpretation. But it'll ask Daniel, isn't this interesting regarding human nature? Go to the world. What's the world have to say? Look at the world. Oh, yeah, it's kind of the last thing. We want to know what God has to say. We want to get God in the picture. But at last, Daniel came before me. His name, Belshazzar, according to the name of my God. See, notice the mixing we've got here. According to the name of my God, and him is the spirit of the holy God. So, Nebuchadnezzar recognized that Daniel had God's Holy Spirit. There was something really different about this young man. And what was different was that he was a man of prayer. And I told him the dream, saying, Belshazzar, the chief of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy God is in you, and no secret troubles you. Explain to me the visions of my dreams that I've seen in its interpretation. These were the visions of my head while on my bed. And so, here you've got the man here. He says, I want to know. And then again, we see Daniel verse 18 here. Verse 18, This dream, King Nebuchadnezzar, you have seen, now you, Belshazzar, declare its interpretation, since all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation. But you are able, for the spirit of the holy God is in you. Then Daniel, whose name was Belshazzar, was astonished for a time, and his thoughts troubled him. In other words, Daniel was troubled because he realized, and this is not going to tell you the king's not going to hear this one. So the king spoke and said, Belshazzar, do not let the dream or its interpretation trouble you. Belshazzar answered and said, My lord, may the dream concern those who hate you and its interpretation concern your enemies. So you see Daniel here being very diplomatic. He said, I wish this was coming upon your enemies, O great king, and not you. But the bottom line is, here we see where Nebuchadnezzar realized that Daniel had got spirit, that he was a praying man, and God answered his prayers. We move to chapter 5. Chapter 5, we've got a new king. Nebuchadnezzar is gone. We get out of the second king that Daniel is going to work under in Babylon, Belshazzar. This is the famous handwriting on the wall chapter. We'll go back and cover these in more detail in future sessions, future sermons. Let's just take a look at this. Again, we're talking about prayer. Chapter 5, verse 1. Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his lords, and drank wine in the presence of the thousand. While he tasted the wine, Belshazzar gave the command to bring the gold and silver vessels, which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple, which had been in Jerusalem. These are things that were of great note to God, to the people of Judea.

Here we've got this Babylonian king just having a great drunken feast, and using these things that came out of God's temple. He had taken from the temple, which had been in Jerusalem, that the king and his lords, his wives and his concubines might drink from them. Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken from the temple of the house of God, which had been in Jerusalem. The king and his lords, his wives and his concubines drank from them. They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone.

How do you think God was viewing all this at the time? In the same hour the finger of a man's hand appeared and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace, and the king saw part of the hand that wrote, and the king's continents changed. You bet his continents changed. I'm sure his eyeballs were on his cheeks.

He was having all sorts of issues when this was taking place. His thoughts troubled him so that the joints of his hips were loosened, his knees knocked against each other. We would probably say today he may have had to use the restroom real quick about that point. Verse 7, the king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Caledians, the soothsayers, in other words, those who practiced in the satanic arts, those who practiced with horoscopes, mediums, all those kinds of people.

The king spoke, saying to the wise men of Babylon, whoever reads this writing and tells me the interpretation shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom. High prizes here! High prizes! Now all the king's wise men came. They could not read the writing or make known the king's interpretation.

Then King Belshazzar was greatly troubled. His continents was changed, and his lords were astonished. But notice here, verse 10, the queen, because of the words of the king and his lords, came to the banquet hall. Now she has a solution. The queen spoke, saying, O king, live forever, and along live the king. Do not let your thoughts trouble you or let your continents change.

There is a man in your kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy God. Now brethren, notice over and over how people of the world see the spirit of God working in Daniel. Again, because he was a man of conviction, he was a man who wouldn't compromise, he was a man who was obedient, he was a man who prayed.

God answered his prayers, and he was growing in stature, even in a worldly kingdom. The queen knew of him and said, you know, the place you need to go is this Daniel fellow. She continued on in the same verse, And in the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him, and Daniel.

And king Nebuchadnezzar, your father, your king, father the king, made him chief of the magicians, astrologers, chaldeans, and soothsayers. In terms of what Nebuchadnezzar thought, Daniel was number one in his mind. Inasmuch as an excellent spirit, knowledge, understanding, interpreting dreams, resolving riddles, and explaining enigmas were found in Daniel, whom the king named Balthus Shazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will give the interpretation. So, again, we see here's a young man who, even the world saw that he believed in prayer, he was strong with God as prayers were answered.

Interesting thing here in verse 17, chapter 5, verse 17. Then Daniel, you know, the king says, you know, you do all these things, I will make you wealthy. I will give you position, power, and wealth. But notice verse 17. Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another. Yet I will read the writing to the king, and make known to him the interpretation.

Now, does that phrase there bring anything to mind to you? Here's Daniel being offered, you know, a king's ransom. And he says, you know what? Keep your money. Keep your money. If you would, or you don't just leave a marker here, or you can let me read it for you. Matthew, chapter 10, verse 8. Let me read to you Matthew, chapter 10, verse 8. Christ is talking to his disciples, he's commissioning his disciples.

Matthew, chapter 10, verse 8. It says, Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. And now notice what Christ said to his disciples, Freely you have received, freely give. Freely you have received, freely give. That has been the model that Mr. Armstrong used back in the 20s. We've used it to this day, where people can get our literature, they can get everything we've got absolutely free.

When I do a wedding, when I do a funeral, when I do some sort of service for the members, I don't ask for anything. I've done my share of ceremonies for people not in the world, you know, some of your relatives. I don't ask for anything. We do it freely. We do it freely, as it says in Matthew, chapter 10, verse 8. Second Corinthians, chapter 11, verse 7. I'll read this to you, 2 Corinthians, chapter 11, verse 7.

Paul talking there to the church in Corinth. He said, I preached the gospel of God to you free of charge. I preached the gospel to you free of charge. Here we see in the fifth chapter, excuse me, of Daniel, where he didn't want any money from the king. God gave him information, and he was passing that along, free of charge. Chapter 5, verse 18. O King, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your Father a kingdom and majesty, glory, and honor. And so this is again one of the great themes of the book. And because of the majesty that he gave him, all peoples, nations, languages, trembled and feared before him, before Nebuchadnezzar, whomever he wished he executed, whomever he wished he kept alive, whomever he wished he set up, and whomever he wished he put down.

God allowed for all of that. But also notice what God also did with Nebuchadnezzar. Verse 20. But when Nebuchadnezzar's heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened in pride, he was disposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him. Then he was driven from his sons of men, his heart was made like beasts, his dwelling was with the wild donkeys, they fed him with grass like oxen, his body was wet with the dew of the heaven, till he knew that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men.

It goes back to the prophecy that Daniel told the king about in the previous chapter. But here we see that God could either make people or break people. That's not for us to do. We think we go to the voting booth and we're going to cast our vote for the next president of the United States.

Well, maybe you are, maybe you're not. The bottom line is, God is going to make a determination of who he wants, who he or she should be the next president of the United States. You could do all the voting you want to, but God's not going to be the one who puts that person in office. We can think that it's up to us, but it's not up to us. Now, the prophecy here in Daniel 6, we'll get into some time in the future, and we're not going to go through it now, but notice the end of the chapter here, verse 29.

Then Belshazzar gave the command, May you clothe Daniel with purple and put a chain of gold around his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom. So even though Daniel was not looking for great power or wealth, he was given power and wealth. Verse 30, that very night Belshazzar, the king of the Caledon, was slain, and Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.

So here we now have Daniel having gone through two of the great rulers of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar and his son, Belshazzar, and now he's going to go into yet a third ruler and be working under him. Chapter 6. Still talking about God answering Daniel's prayers. Chapter 6, verse 1. Please, Darius, it's no longer the Babylonian Empire, it's now the Medo-Persian Empire, but the Empire of Silver, we saw in that great statue.

It pleased Darius that over the kingdom one hundred and twenty satraps to be over the whole kingdom, and over these three governors, whom Daniel was one. Does being faithful to God in the long run pay? Yes, it does. Now, we're not faithful because we want pay. But God says, I will bless you as you are faithful to me, as you are obedient to me, as you do those things that are pleasing in my sight. And over these, there are three guys over the whole kingdom under Darius, the king.

Verse 3. Then Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps because an excellent spirit was in him, and the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm, just kind of like a prime minister. Kind of like a prime minister because this is a man whose prayers were answered. Verse 4. So the governors and the satraps sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom, but they could find no charge or fault because he was faithful, nor were there any error or fault found in him.

Now, remember, brethren, the Bible says there are other, apart from Jesus Christ, the three most righteous men who ever lived, Job, Noah, and Daniel. His enemies, who had power and influence, I'm sure had spies that they said, here, I'll give you X number of bucks, give me some dirt on Daniel. They couldn't find it because it wasn't there. They couldn't find it because it wasn't there. Verse 5. Then these men said, we shall not find any charge against this Daniel, unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God.

So they're saying, the only way we get at this guy is through his church. We get at him through his church. Verse 6. So the governors and the satraps threw on before the king and said to the king, King Darius lived forever. Long live the king. You know, they're bowing down. They're doing all sorts of things to, you know, the apple-polishing people here.

Verse 7. All the governors of the kingdom, the administrators, satraps, the counselors, advisors, have consulted together to establish a royal statute and to make a firm decree that whoever petitions any God or a man for 30 days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. Now, why did these guys come up with that? Because they knew that Daniel was a man of prayer. There was nothing else. He was not trying to be subversive to the Babylonian or to the kingdom of Persia there.

They found no character flaws in him. And remember, in the Bible, when we read about Abraham's shortcomings and David's shortcomings and Moses' shortcomings, you cannot find any place in the Scriptures that talk about Daniel's shortcomings. And it's not that he was a sinless man. Nobody's sinless. But it just shows the kind of person he was. And so we've got to get after him regarding his faith. And the thing we really see that we can get him for is he prays. And, O king, we know that you're a deity. No one should pray except to you, O king. Verse 8.

Now, O king, establish the decree and sign the writing so it cannot be changed according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which does not alter. Now, remember, in this particular kingdom, the Medes and the Persians, they were so arrogant. They were so vain. They thought that once they put something in writing, a decree in writing, couldn't be changed because it was perfect. We're perfect. It's perfect.

Not going to change it. Verse 9. Therefore, King Darius signed the written decree. Now, when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. What did he do? Go to the lowest part of his house in the basement someplace, close the doors, close all the windows, make sure no one could see he was in there. No. When Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. He went to his upper room with his windows open toward Jerusalem. He knelt down on his knees three times that day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as his custom was since the early days. He said, You want to spy on me? You want to have a good look? I will give you a good look. See, everybody, I'm praying. You want to come after me because of my prayers? I'll give you the ammunition. Here I am. I'm praying. And you know what? It's going to be a duel between my God and you fellows. And Daniel says, I know who's going to win that one. Verse 11, then he's been assembled and found Daniel praying. They were spying on him and making supplication before his God. They went before the king, verse 12, and spoke concerning the king's decree. Have you not signed a decree that every man who petitions any God or man within 30 days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the lions then? The king answered, that's right. And they said, well, Daniel is doing it, and now we've got to throw him into the lions. Verse 13, verse 14, and the king, when he heard these words, was greatly displeased with himself. The king realized he had been deceived. They pulled a wool over his eyes. He hated that. And again, he was like Nebuchadnezzar. He was a king. He was a great king. He was a warrior. He didn't like the fact that somebody got the best of him. And he didn't like the fact that they were getting the best of Daniel, because he liked Daniel. He was greatly displeased with himself and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him, and he labored till the going down to the sun to deliver him. But there was no way that he can contravene the edict that he had himself assigned.

Verse 16, so the king gave the command, and they brought Daniel and cast him into the den of lions. But the king spoke, saying to Daniel, Your God, whom you serve continually, He will deliver you. Wouldn't you like it if Putin were to say, you know, use your name and say, Well, I know that using your name, God is with that person. Or any world ruler today, anybody who's really in power today. Again, it shows you the stature that Daniel had as a man of God. So the king goes back to his palace. I'll cut the story short a little bit. You know the story. They throw Daniel into the lions den. Those creatures, what, they have 1,200 pounds, 1,500 pounds each. Hungry as all get out. And don't, you know, maybe they came over for a pat, you know, high lion. How are you doing? Didn't touch him. And then when the king, verse 19, the king rose very early in the morning, went and hasted the den of lions. Verse 20, when he came to the den, he cried out with a lamentation, a lamentating voice to Daniel. The king spoke, saying, Daniel, Daniel, servant of the living God, as your God whom you serve, continues to have been able to deliver you from the lions. And out of the den, you hear the words, Long live the king. And it wasn't the lions who were ventriloquists, you know. Daniel lived. And so what did they do? They took and they threw the fellas down into the lions then. But it wasn't just the guys who were against Daniel. It was their wives and their children. Now, that also teaches us a lesson. As parents, as grandparents, we have a responsibility before God. And as we see several times in the Scriptures, what we do as family members affects other family members. So we've got to be very careful about how we follow God or don't follow God, because what we do has tremendous impact on others. Verse 24, Chapter 6, The king gave the command, and they brought those men who had accused Daniel. They cast him into the den of lions. Them, their children, their wives, the lions overpowered them, broke all their bones and pieces, before they even hit the bottom of the den. They are ripped apart. Then came Darius' road to all people. Again, here's another edict that goes out into the whole kingdom, the whole empire.

To all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell on all the earth, peace be multiplied to you. I make a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom men must tremble in fear before the God of Daniel. For he is the living God, and steadfast forever. His kingdom is the one which shall never be destroyed, as dominion shall endure to the end. He delivers and rescues, and he works with signs and wonders in heaven and on earth. Who has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions? Daniel prospers in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian. Again, if you are a man or a woman of prayer, then God really respects you. We see something else. Let's just drop over here to chapter 9. We're coming to a conclusion here, just a little bit. Daniel chapter 9 verse 21.

Yes, while I was speaking in prayer, notice he's praying still. That's always a man of prayer. It's a big part of his life. Yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel. Now, this is not a man. This is the archangel. The archangel Gabriel, whom I've seen in a vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering.

He informed me and talked to me and said, Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand. At the beginning of your supplication, the man went out, and I have come to tell you that you are greatly beloved. Therefore, consider the matter and understand the vision. One of the jobs of the archangel Gabriel is to deliver messages. He brought several messages in this book to Daniel. He brought the message to Mary that she was going to have a son who was going to be the savior of the world. That was Gabriel's job. Michael's job was a warrior to defend the nation of Israel. Lucifer's job was to overprotect the mercy seat of God. But here we see where, as a praying man, Gabriel says, you know, God loves you so much. And one of the reasons you are so beloved is because you are a man of prayer.

Chapter 10 of Daniel 10 Verse 10, Daniel 10, 10 Suddenly a hand touched me, which made me tremble on my knees and on the palms of my hands. And he said to me, O Daniel, man greatly beloved, understand the words I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you, again, this is Gabriel, while he was speaking this word to me, I stood trembling.

Then he said to me, Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words, your prayers were heard, and I have come because of your words. So, brethren, let this be an encouragement to you. Maybe you've not been the person you would like to be spiritually. But here we see that when God helps us to get our heart right, when He grants us repentance, when He helps us to see ourselves, and when we use God's grace and mercy, and we get right with God, with God's help and God's power, that God loves us. And it says, from that point, He loves hearing our prayers. And we've seen how that works so powerfully in Daniel's life. We're not talking some guy who is some little guy, some nobody in history. Here we see somebody who, in two of the four great world-ruling kingdoms, had a tremendous say in power, because he was a man of God who didn't compromise. Brethren, when any trial confronts us, we need to do exactly what Daniel did. We need to go to God immediately in prayer, immediately in prayer. When we pour our hearts out to Him, when we seek His help, God promises to come and aid us to help us. No matter what the pressure, no matter what the distress, the grief, no matter what, if we are doing those things that are pleasing in God's sight, He will be there for us. Let me read you three scriptures in conclusion. Perhaps one of my favorites in the whole of the Bible is 2 Chronicles 7, verse 14. You can jot that down in your notes if you like. 2 Chronicles 7, 14. It says, Tremendous scripture, so much in that scripture. Jeremiah 29, verse 13.

Find me when you search for me with all your heart. With all your heart. Obviously, that would include our prayers. Jeremiah 33, 3. Last scripture for today, Jeremiah 33, 3. Call to me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things which you do not know. Isn't that the story of Daniel? Daniel called to God, God answered him, God showed him great and mighty things, which he had no knowledge of before God revealed them to him. All that is a result of getting on our knees and praying to the great God and living a life that God wants us to live. Okay, so next week we'll go back and we'll cover the prophecy of Daniel, chapter 2.