There is a God in Heaven: Boldness in the Midst of Babylon

Daniel had been taken from his homeland as a captive. Only the select few had been chosen for his particular group, so he was likely completely separated from friends and family.

The country into which he had been so rudely dropped was not just geographically far away; spiritually speaking, it was a far cry from the land of promise he had left. Even with the rampant idolatry, which had brought God’s hand of judgement upon it, the split kingdom of Israel was still a place where Daniel and others had learned about God. Then, all at once, he found himself in the midst of a culture built around the worship of idols, and unaware of the God Daniel served and loved.

It seems to us like the perfect opportunity to share with the Babylonians the truth of the one true God, but to serve one God necessarily entails the forsaking of all other gods. To take on the Babylonian religion was to take on its culture, its way of life, even the king himself!

We might be tempted to think that it would be enough just to stay true to God oneself, as Daniel and his three friends did on more than one occasion. But Daniel’s first interaction with the king of Babylon shows him doing more than just surviving, keeping low under the religious radar: rather, he was bold to speak of the one true God, even to the king himself!

The context of this encounter was that the king had a dream which he did not understand. He was suspicious of his counselors and would not tell any of his magicians, astrologers, or wise men what the dream had been about, (so none of them could come up with a fake interpretation.) He demanded that they tell him both the dream and the interpretation. None of them could.

Finally, the fitful king proclaimed in disgust that they should all be executed. When the soldiers came for Daniel, he plead for time to look into the matter (they had not asked him about the dream yet for some reason,) and it was granted.

After praying and being given the answer from God, Daniel was issued into the throne room of the great Babylonian emperor, Nebuchadnezzar.

There, the king asked Daniel, “Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?” (Daniel2:26)

 This was Daniel’s moment.

He could tell the king the answer to his riddlesome dream and gain prestige, status, riches—who knows what the king might do for the man who could solve the puzzle no one else had been able to unravel! But Daniel wasn’t there for prestige. He wasn’t there for honor or riches.  He was there to serve God.

He answered, “The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, show unto the king; but there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed are these; As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and He that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass. But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart.” (Daniel 2:27-30)

Instead of looking out for himself, Daniel was bold to make known the fact that his abilities were not of himself, but of God, and that God had given the Nebuchadnezzar the dream because there were things He wanted the king to know about the future.

But what about us? We, too, live in a culture built around the worship of idols, whether it be celebrities, wealth, fame, or simply the desire to have our own way. Our culture, too, is antagonistic to the truth that there is only one God, and to worship Him means casting away all others.

And yet, just like Daniel, we have the opportunity to share with a world perplexed and searching for meaning that there is a God in heaven, and that there are some truths He wants us each to know individually.

Daniel’s example shows us that the antagonism of society is no excuse to hold our tongue. May we be quick to point out to the lost and dying world that “there is a God in heaven”.