In considering the events recorded in Daniel 2 and 3, it is comforting and enlightening to recall the prophecy of Isaiah 9: "the government shall be upon his shoulder". Impossibly dogmatic and cruel consequences seem to threaten the whole field, but Daniel and his friends do not entangle themselves in such consequences. Rather they turn confidently and wholeheartedly to acknowledge God's absolute omnipotence -
Praise the name of God forever and ever,
for he has all wisdom and power.
He controls the course of world events;
he removes kings and sets up other kings.
He gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to the scholars.
He reveals deep and mysterious things
and knows what lies hidden in darkness,
though he is surrounded by light.
I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors,
for you have given me wisdom and strength.
You have told me what we asked of you
and revealed to us what the king demanded.
(New Living Translation)
What a beautiful prayer.
Faced with the death penalty, Daniel now confidently strides in to speak directly to the king, whose confusion and perplexity he is able to calm and relieve.
But the struggle is not over. An impossibly dogmatic new law is promulgated. Factions spread propaganda and are persuasive in their loud and demanding insistence. All the world seems to be pressuring Daniel's three friends to conform...or else. The king seems to have turned violent.
Until.
Until he sees something startling: alongside Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace is a fourth man who he can only describe as "like a son of the gods" (English Standard Version). Another crisis has passed. A bad law is repealed. Wisdom reigns.
Julie Swannell
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