May 20: AHA! (THE COMMAND TO DESTROY)
The Chaldeans answered the king and said, “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 of any magician, astrologer, or Chaldean. It is 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.” Daniel 2:10-11
As the pressure builds and the tension rises, we can begin to see another purpose of God in the scenario of Nebuchadnezzar’s impressive-yet-forgotten dream: to expose the greed and dishonesty of those claiming connections with the gods. Also, as we will see, He is setting the scene to demonstrate His own power to see and reveal the future.
The struggle between the king and his wise men not only increased the king’s anxiety at every turn, but it was helping him to understand that the ones in whom he had trusted to reveal mysteries by virtue of their close connections with the Babylonian gods were frauds. As their mask came ever closer to being pulled off, they attempted—in desperation—to shame the king. Another delay tactic (from the king’s perspective) could prove to invite a full-on catastrophe, especially if the dream was of a time-sensitive nature. Whatever action may be required to avert impending crisis made it crucial to deliver the dream and its interpretation immediately, or all might be lost! Their own web of lies was closing in upon the wise men, and their attempt to shift the blame for their ineptitude onto the king’s unreasonable disposition was crowned with an admission of their own: “…and there is no other who can tell it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.”* Aha! This statement confirms the suspicion of the king that these charlatans have only a pretended connection with the gods. This admission resulted in the very command that they most dreaded. For this reason the king was angry and very furious, and gave the command to destroy all the wise men of Babylon (v.12).
At this point, Daniel and his companions had not been involved in the king’s matter. Only the older and more experienced, highest-ranking leaders had been called in. The categories of wise men summoned were those with the most advanced knowledge of occult practices. In addition, the four young Hebrews, in faithfulness to God, were not a part of these groups. However, they were lumped in with the rest of the wise men when the command to destroy all the wise men of Babylon went forth from the king’s lips. The severity of the penalty was in keeping with the customs of the day. However, this decree was particularly bold on the part of the king, for to order the deaths of his entire cast of counselors and advisors was to do away with the most highly educated classes of Babylonian society.
At such a bleak moment, it may be difficult to imagine the wonderful, behind-the-scene workings of our God and Savior. Nevertheless, we are taught to keep the faith through uninterrupted trust and obedience to the Giver of Life.
His work is perfect. Righteous and upright is He… Through the greatness of Your power, Your enemies shall submit themselves to You. Among the gods there is none like You, O Lord; Nor are there any works like Your works… The works of the LORD are great, Studied by all who have pleasure in them. His work is honorable and glorious, And His righteousness endures forever. Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 66:3; 86:8; 111:3 (*for a contrast w/Daniel 2:11, see John 1:14)