Scripture:
Daniel 2:1-9
Wed, 1 March 2023

The King Is Demanding

Observation:

What does Nebuchadnezzar’s action in verses 4 to 9 tell us about him?

Deeper Reflection
Kings get to ask the impossible. When Nebuchadnezzar ordered the wise men in his court to interpret his dreams, he made an unreasonable demand on them. With “royal dreams in Babylon, there was a protocol that allowed for interpretation. It required the king to inform the professional interpreters of the content of his dream” 1 .But Nebuchanezzar refused to follow the protocol: He commanded the wise men, “Declare the dream and its interpretation”, otherwise they would be severely punished (v.5); if they succeeded, they would be greatly rewarded (v.6).People above us may make unreasonable demands on us. There are three kinds of expectations: Our own expectations, people’s expectations and God’s expectations. Only God’s expectations are always true and reasonable, and He knows whether we can meet them or not. God’s expectations could be His commandments that we are to actively obey, or trials according to His will that we are to passively endure. Our own expectations and people’s expectations can at times be higher than God’s.The wise men appealed to the king to change his order, but he refused (vv.7-9). Behind Nebuchadnezzar’s unreasonable demand was a reasonable distrust in these men. He knew that they were stalling for time (v.8), and had “conspired to tell me lies, hoping I will change my mind” (v.9, NLT). It was “as if Nebuchadnezzar suspected all along the emptiness of the diviners’ alleged ability to foretell the future and was determined to put them to test” 2 .Unbeknown to anybody, behind this royal unreasonableness and stubbornness stands the divine intention, which we only know as the story unfolds.
1 Tremper Longman III, Daniel, The NIV Application Commentary (Zondervan, 1999), 77 2 Iain M. Duguid, Daniel, Reformed Expository Commentary (P&R, 2008), 20-21
Application:

How do I respond to unreasonable demands made on me?

Prayer:
Write a prayer to God as your response from your meditation on and application of the Scriptures.
Prayer Pointers:
  • Give thanks and praise
  • Pray for leaders
  • Pray for significant people
  • Pray for the Nations: That God will raise up governments of integrity in the nations
  • Pray for self
 

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Daily Devo
Daily Devotional Journal
Scripture:
Daniel 10:11-12, 14-19
Tue, 26 September 2023

A Man of High Esteem

Observation:

What significant observations can you make about Daniel being called “man of high esteem” (vv.11, 19)?

Deeper Reflection
One of the heavenly beings called Daniel “man of high esteem” (v.11). This honour was bestowed on Daniel emphatically, in that it was repeated twice (v.19). This “high esteem” did not come from man, but from God Himself. God gave this honour to Daniel toward the end of his life when God called him to “enter into rest” (Dan 12:13). As a youth, Daniel “made up his mind not to defile himself with the king’s choice food” (Dan 1:8), and as an old man, he was faithful to God in spending time with Him in his “three times a day” devotion, even if it means to be thrown into the lions’ den (Dan 6:10). Daniel was finishing well in his life with “humbling yourself before your God” (v.12). When we think of finishing well in terms of successful accomplishments, we must be careful that we are not exalting ourselves.It is not for us to see ourselves in any way as a person of high esteem before God. It is for God to say that to us (2 Cor 10:17-18). Daniel never saw himself as a “man of high esteem”. A key emphasis in Daniel 10 is Daniel being greatly overwhelmed by the holiness and glory of God represented by the heavenly being with an awesome appearance (Dan 10:5-10, 15-18). And it was in this encounter with God when he was called “man of high esteem” that Daniel said, “How can such a servant of my Lord talk with such as my Lord?”50 (v.17). The man highly esteemed by God saw his unworthiness before God.
50 I have theologically translated “my lord” to “my Lord”, since the heavenly being is a representation of God.
Application:

What does being highly esteemed by God mean to me?

Prayer:
Write a prayer to God as your response from your meditation on and application of the Scriptures.
Prayer Pointers:
  • Give thanks and praise
  • Pray for pastors and staff: To be able to see oneself as God sees
  • Pray for significant people
  • Pray for those in need
  • Pray for self

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