THE HANDLING OF A CRISIS "Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would show the king the interpretation." -- Tomorrow:
"And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain. Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom to Arioch the captain of the king's guard, which was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon: He answered and said to Arioch the king's captain, Why is the decree so hasty from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel. Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would show the king the interpretation. Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions: That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon." (Daniel 2:13-18)
Devotion 10 of 28
Once again, the Holy Spirit leaps from pinnacle to pinnacle, showing us the working of the Lord. We are suddenly transported from where Daniel was residing, confronting an intent executioner, to the court of the king who sent the executioner. We learn from this that Daniel's words were received by Arioch. Again, God is working everything together for the good of Daniel. He is leading the man of God step by step, for that is precisely how faith operates.
DANIEL WENT IN
"Then Daniel went in . . . " Knowing the fierce anger of the king at the time of the edict (2:12), it is remarkable that Arioch allowed Daniel to come before Nebuchadnezzar. People did not simply stroll into the court of the kings in those days. You may remember how cautious Esther was about appearing before the king – and he was her husband, and was not in a state of anger like Nebuchadnezzar was (Esth 4:10-11). Nehemiah was also cautious before the king (Neh 2:1-4). Now Daniel, in the boldness of faith, comes before the kind who has ordered his death.
Daniel did not enter before the king under the umbrella of free speech and inalienable rights, such as exist in the United States of America! That is a luxury that did not exist in the Babylonian monarchy. From an earthly perspective, he could very well lose his life. However, that is not the perspective that faith embraces. Faith sees things from a different perspective.
Daniel enters the presence of the king more mindful of the King of kings than the king of Babylon. He knows the rule of heaven is superior to the governments of this world, for "the heavens do rule" – really (Dan 4:26). He therefore enters confidently into the presence of the inferior ruler of an inferior kingdom. That is the perspective of faith.
It is a principle of sound thought that the circumstances that prevail over the superior circumstances also hold true in the inferior ones. In other words, if Daniel could trust God in the presence of earth's greatest king, and within the world's greatest government, can you not trust the Lord in your circumstances?
DESIRED OF THE KING
" . . . and desired of the king . . . " Other versions read, "and asked the king" (NKJV), "and requested of the king" (NASB), and "and besought the king" (NRSV). Daniel was not presumptuous before the king, nor did he come in the confidence of the flesh. The boldness of faith is not the same as the brashness of the flesh. Confidence in God does not equate to carnal arrogance. Faith will give honor to whom honor is due (Rom 13:7), and does not take privilege for granted.
Daniel does not say to the king, "See here, you had no right to decree my death without even giving me an opportunity to fulfill your demands!" He does not come in the name of personal rights, but humbly bows to the authority of the king, asking for an opportunity, not his "rights." Instead, Daniel asks Nebuchadnezzar "would give him time." He did not have an instant answer as he did at other times. This time, he would have to seek the Lord more extensively, and asked for time to do so. His request was not an expression of unbelief, but of faith.
We ought not to despise the political and social rights that have been vouchsafed to us. They are not usual, and therefore ought not to be taken for granted. However, neither must we allow them to make us demanding and inconsiderate. When the Lord grants us uncommon privileges, we are not to use them as an occasion to be insolent, complaining, or seeking our own ways. There is a certain amount of social unrest that has arisen in our country because the national privileges have been viewed with greater respect than the favor of God Almighty. It is unfortunate that this tendency has even crept into the church. There are far too many people who fall apart if they do not get their own way. In such an atmosphere faith does not function, and flesh is given the ascendency.
Far better for those who have no immediate resolution to their problem to seek for more time to beseech the Lord of glory, rather than pushing forward in the wisdom of the flesh.
PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, teach me to know when to ask for time, and when to go forth into the battle.