November 4, 2020
To the saints of Grace Baptist Church of Dallas, Oregon
Blessings on you in the steadfast name of Jesus!
Well, November 3rd has come and gone and our country is still waiting. The election is close and at the time of this writing it is unclear who will win? Today, I’m taken back to the time of Daniel, 580 years before Christ. The nation of Israel was destroyed and many people were carried off to Babylon. I’m sure God’s people were wondering what was God doing? How could He let this happen in the first place? The reason of course, was that God’s people were unfaithful to Him and so God brought this judgment upon the nation according to His word spoken to Moses so many years before.
Daniel and his three friends had been taken captive and they were trained in all the ways of the Babylonians. I’m sure they didn’t like what was happening to them. Nobody likes change—especially the kind of change and destruction that they had seen. Daniel and his three friends found favor in King Nebuchadnezzar’s eyes in chapter one. But then in chapter two, the king has a dream and he calls for all his wise men to come and give him the meaning of the dream. He calls his magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers. They are quite a collection of experts. Then the astrologers asked the king to “Tell your servants the dream, and we will interpret it,” Dan. 2:4. But the king replied to the astrologers, “This is what I have firmly decided: If you do not tell me what my dream was and interpret it, I will have you cut into pieces and your houses turned into piles of rubble. But if you tell me the dream and explain it, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. So tell me the dream and interpret it for me,” Dan. 25-6.
They couldn’t do it. Nobody could, and the king’s servants told the king the same. It was too difficult. But the king would have none of it and he was furious. As a result he ordered the execution of all the wise men of Babylon. Daniel learned of the king’s order from Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard. Daniel spoke with Arioch with wisdom and tact and asked why the king had issued such a harsh decree? Then Arioch explained the whole matter to Daniel. Daniel then went to the king and asked for some more time so that he might interpret the dream for the king. Then Daniel asked his friends to pray for mercy and for God to reveal the dream so that they would not be executed. And God revealed the mystery to Daniel in the night.
So now we see with all of these things taking place that there was a lot of tension, fear for their lives, and maybe some questioning of God’s plan? Daniel went to bed that night hoping that in the morning he too would have an answer from God. And Daniel did get an answer. But now what I want to talk about is not the king’s dream, but what David learned as a result of God providing the mystery to the dream. His fear dissolved into praise. And we should be praising God at this time for what Daniel had learned in verses 19-23. Listen again:
19 During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven 20 and said: “Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. 21 He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. 22 He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him. 23 I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors: You have given me wisdom and power, you have made known to me what we asked of you, you have made known to us the dream of the king.”
Yes, God revealed that He is in touch with His people through prayer and God answers prayer. God is close to the broken hearted, downcast, and poor. He hears and answers prayer. Even though Daniel was a captive in a far off land—it doesn’t mean that God is far off. We can be encouraged that the same God who answered Daniel’s prayer is the same God who hears and answers our prayer. God is with us.
Then Daniel PRAISED THE GOD OF HEAVEN. He is exercising his faith. He knows that there IS a God, and this God has just provided His answer. The Bible tells us that “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that he exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek him.” See Heb. 11:6. Dear friends we are to live by faith in the God of heaven—and not according to who wins an election. There are far greater things in play here. And by faith Daniel is determined to praise this God for ever and ever. No matter what happens… let’s praise the Lord.
We can praise God because wisdom and power are His. This means we don’t have to have everything laid out in advance—we simply need to be in contact with the one who is all wise and all powerful. God is working out His plan and it will take some time. So let’s let Him work it out. Peter tells us to “Humble [ourselves], therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift [us] up in due time. We should cast all of our anxiety on Him because He cares for [us]. See 1 Peter 5:6-7. I find that whenever I think I have a better plan than God’s that I should just lie down until that goes away. The Bible says that “Christ has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption,” 1 Corinthians 1:30.How can we improve on that?
Not only are wisdom and power in God’s hands, Daniel declares what God can and will do with that wisdom and power: God changes times and seasons! In other words God is in control of human events—and the destiny of nations. God is involved with what is happening. Daniel spells it out: “He deposes kings and raises up others.” Now we have just had an election and this very thing is taking place, and I’m sure that no matter what the outcome is, half of the country will be upset and wonder why? Daniel tells us why.
God gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. The wise and discerning are those who turn to God for answers. Certainly it wasn’t Daniel’s wisdom and discernment that gained him the answer that the king wanted. Left to his own devices, Daniel could do no better than all the other enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers. Jesus tells us that apart from Him we can do nothing. See Jn. 15:5. So let’s stop going to the media, the world, our own fears and concerns over our current state, and instead turn to the Lord and praise Him and seek His wisdom for our time.
Why should we do that? Because Daniel learned and is telling us this very truth in verse 22. God reveals deep and hidden things; and He knows what lies in the darkness. These are things that are deep and beyond our grasp; they are hidden and out of our sight; and that which lies in the darkness that nobody knows about. God has a handle on all of that. If you want answers to these things—The Father is the only one who can reveal them to us. Light dwells with God, meaning all things are clear to God though people are surrounded by darkness. The Apostle John affirms this in 1 John 1:5-7: “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”
In Daniel 2:23, the Prophet sums up what he has learned from this experience. Once again he thanks and praises God, the God of his ancestors. The Apostle Paul tells us to “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus,” 1 Thess. 5:18. This was true in Daniel’s day, Paul’s day, and it is still true in our day. Thankfulness/gratitude is the language of honor. When we are thankful to God we are honoring Him. This is a good testimony to all who hear about our thankfulness.
Daniel affirms that God had given him wisdom and power. Now isn’t that interesting? First Daniel says that wisdom and power are God’s, in verse 20—but that now Daniel has been given wisdom and power. It wasn’t his own, but he received it from God. For the Christian today, this equates to “Christ in us.” We have to die to self in order to receive Christ in us. Like what Paul describes in Galatians 2:20 saying: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Of course if you keep reading the Book of Daniel, you will also realize that this wisdom and power is on display all through the book. Daniel was a man of faith, exiled in Babylon.
In the last two stanzas Daniel declares two things. 1. God had made known to him what he had asked of God. Now imagine had Daniel NOT asked? What do you think would have happened then? Maybe we would not have had the book of Daniel, because he would have been executed with all the other wise men? Ultimately we don’t know? But I find it curious that we are told in James that we “have not because we ask not.”? I think that perhaps there are a lot of things that God would like to give us, but we aren’t asking for things in faith. Do you see how critical walking by faith can be? What things should you bring before the Lord today? Don’t give in by not asking the Father! He loves you.
The second thing is, Daniel declares, “You have made known to us the dream of the king.” Before Daniel could tell the king the meaning of the dream, he first had to have the dream itself. Now aside from the king’s dream—I think God has a dream for you and me. Has He revealed that dream to you? Have you asked God what is on His heart for you. He made you special—unlike anyone else so that you could carry out God’s design for you? Many people have no clue about this, and I would venture that that is because they have never asked God about it. Yes, God has a plan for your life. It’s a plan to prosper you and not to harm you, a plan to give you hope and a future. And when we find ourselves experiencing His plan for us it is like a dream come true. Psalm 37:4 says, “Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
Now then, as we journey together into the future, let us fix our eyes on Jesus. He is the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. We must walk by faith in a Savior who has gone before us. A Savior who has become for us the wisdom of God, and who can empower us to accomplish all that He has designed for us to do. Don’t let your heart become weary through worldliness—rather, praise the God of heaven for ever and ever.
“Come, Thou Almighty King,” attributed to Charles Wesley
Come, Thou Almighty King, Help us Thy name to sing, Help us to praise:
Father all glorious, O’er all victorious, Come and reign over us, Ancient of Days.
Come, Thou Incarnate Word, Gird on Thy mighty sword, Our prayer attend:
Come, and Thy people bless, And give Thy word success; Spirit of holiness, On us descend.
Come, Holy Comforter, Thy sacred witness bear In this glad hour:
Thou who almighty art, Now rule in every heart, Never from us depart, Spirit of power.
To Thee, great One in Three, The highest praises be, Hence ever more!
Thy sovereign majesty May we in glory see, And to eternity Love and adore. Amen.
Benediction:
“Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” Hebrews 13:20-21
Pastor Russ Hilsinger
Grace Baptist Church of Dallas, OR
P.S. I would love to hear some of your thoughts, so please know that I’m available to talk with you by phone: 503.586.6727; text, or by email: rjhilsinger@gmail.com
Blessings on you all.