May 16: WISER
And in all matters of wisdom and understanding about which the king examined them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in all his realm. Thus, Daniel continued until the first year of King Cyrus. Daniel 1:20-21
With these two statements, the first chapter of Daniel comes to a close. King Nebuchadnezzar, though not yet a follower of the LORD, possessed a genuine recognition of excellence. The character traits of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were deeply ingrained, being impactfully augmented by the essential trait of humility. Each of us would be wise to learn that even a lengthy list of positive traits under the heading of intelligence and knowledge is drained of influence in the absence of humility.
Following his detailed examination of the young Hebrew men, the king was impressed by the poise, polish, humility, intelligence, and knowledge of Daniel and his friends. He found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in all his realm. These two categories of servants, magicians and astrologers, were at the highest rank among the “wise men” of Babylon. Magicians claimed the power to perform miracles, and the astrologers claimed the power to foretell the future by study of the stars. But, in the king’s mind, even these two high-ranking groups did not compare favorably to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
It is interesting that the boys’ Babylonian education began with a ten-day test (v.12) of their requested diet. The king’s assessment: ten times better than high-ranking, experienced advisors, once again highlights the number ten. Could it be that we are being directed to the tablets of the Testimony, as spoken by the mouth of the LORD in Exodus 20:2-17? After announcing them verbally from the top of Mount Sinai, He followed up by writing them Himself with His finger in stone (Exodus 24:12; 32:16; 34:29). This is the one passage of the entire Written Word that He did not entrust to the Bible writers. Though the writers were Spirit-led (2 Peter 1:21), the Ten Commandments are uniquely set apart by the Lord GOD. Why not memorize them?
The first year of King Cyrus… After the Persian King overthrew Babylon, he pronounced a decree that the Jewish captives were free to return to Judah (see Ezra 1). This event launched what some call “the second exodus” though much less impressive, for only a remnant chose to return to Jerusalem. This foreshadows the reality today. Most people prefer Babylon, and God is pleading with His people to come out (Revelation 18:4). The ministry of Daniel, as we will see, stretched over the decades of captivity under God’s mighty hand, running parallel to steady opposition, which was (and is) glamorously presented as the superior religion.
You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies. Psalm 119:98
Note: Be aware that there is a widely circulated version of the Ten Commandments that has been dramatically altered. In it, the second commandment prohibiting idolatry has been deleted. The fourth commandment regarding the Sabbath is the longest of the commandments, identifying the God we serve as LORD of the Sabbath and the Maker of all. His jurisdiction is also specified: the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them… These identifiers, like a seal, specify: Name, Title, and Territory. The altered version is shortened to only eight words and becomes third in the lineup due to deletion of the second. The last commandment is divided into two in order to keep the total number at ten. The system behind these changes also claims authority to change the Lord’s Day to the first day of the week, though Jesus and His followers honored the seventh day, as commanded in His Word.