When Wisdom Is Needed
I wish I had bought stock in [insert mega-successful company name] when it was first issued. Hmmm…should I invest in cryptocurrency now?
Assessing one’s level of comfort in a high-risk investment is a first-world problem. But life presents daily opportunities for decision making. Many are inconsequential and of our own choosing. Some are monumental and thrust upon us.
Daniel’s story begins with the unthinkable: Israel’s capital city, Jerusalem, is besieged and captured by a Babylonian king in 605 BC. Nebuchadnezzar plunders the Temple and transfers the gold and silver utensils dedicated to the worship of the God of Israel to the treasury of a pagan deity. Rather than protecting the place which bore His name, “the Lord gave Jehoiakim, king of Judah into [Nebuchadnezzar’s] hand.”[1] Unfathomable!
Along with Jerusalem’s riches, Nebuchadnezzar captured choice sons of royalty and nobility. Taken from positions of privilege, these young men are enrolled in “Babylon U” to receive training in Chaldean language and literature. They are fed from the king’s table. Nebuchadnezzar’s wine cellars provide their libations.[2]
The first named among the best and brightest captives is Daniel (“God is my judge”). He is assigned a Babylonian name: Belteshazzar (“protect the king’s life”).
A new country. A new language, culture, and cuisine. A new identity. None of these were Daniel’s choices.
The text gives no hint of what doubts may have assailed Daniel and his companions. Why is this happening? Why didn’t God protect His Temple – and me?
We may assume Daniel applied himself in his new academic program. No indication is given that he protested his new name. He appears to “go along to get along” – until he didn’t.
The issue over which he balks may surprise us: he doesn’t want to dine on the king’s fine food. When meals are catered by the palace, what’s not to like?
The challenge for Daniel is simply this: the menu isn’t kosher. And the dietary laws were not simply a matter of Jewish culture. God specified “clean and unclean” foods at Sinai.[3]
A helpful principle is seen here. Where customs differ from our traditions or personal preferences, accommodation can be made to the prevailing culture. But “going with the flow” is not an option when God’s clear prohibitions are involved.[4]
But we may also glean insight from Daniel into how to “swim against the tide.” He is not operating from a position of strength. At this point, Daniel is far down the pecking order of authority. How does he avoid a major conflict with his captors yet still comply with God’s code?
Verse 8 tells us:
Daniel made up his mind, committing to do what was pleasing to the Lord.
He sought permission from the commander of the officials.
How is a slave able to negotiate an “outside-the-box” request from a person of authority? Verse 9 gives important insight: “Now God granted Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the commander of the officials.”
Verse 12 provides further details. Daniel offers a ten day “trial run” so the commander, who recognized his own head would be on the line,[5] could make an informed decision and have solid evidence to back it if questioned.
If you’re thinking, What a wise approach to a difficult situation, you’d be correct. But perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised. In Verse 4 the captive Hebrew youths, Daniel among them, are described as “showing intelligence in every branch of wisdom, endowed with understanding and discerning knowledge.”
But according to our text, only four youths are involved in the “kosher controversy”: Daniel, Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael.[6] No indication is initially given that these were the brightest in the class. We see more of their character than their brilliance revealed in the choice to follow God’s rules for life.
Clearly their decision to walk in faith and obedience is rewarded. “As for these four youths, God gave them knowledge and intelligence in every branch of literature and wisdom; Daniel even understood all kinds of visions and dreams.”[7]
Their abilities did not go unnoticed. “As for every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king consulted them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and conjurers who were in all his realm.”[8]
The rest of the Book of Daniel reveals further examples of the practical value of walking in God’s wisdom. In Chapter 2 the king’s counselors are under threat of death if they do not tell the king what he dreamed. Daniel speaks to the captain of the king’s bodyguard with “discretion and discernment,” earning an audience with the king to buy time before the executions are carried out.[9]
Daniel’s next step was to request prayer from his three compatriots, seeking compassion from the God of heaven amidst their dire circumstances.[10] What follows is a demonstration of Daniel’s deep humility and faith. First, he blesses the God of heaven:
Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever,
For wisdom and power belong to Him.
It is He who changes the times and the epochs;
He removes kings and establishes kings;
He gives wisdom to wise men
And knowledge to men of understanding.
It is He who reveals the profound and hidden things;
He knows what is in the darkness,
And the light dwells with Him.
To You, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise,
For You have given me wisdom and power;
Even now You have made known to me what we requested of You,
For You have made known to us the king’s matter.[11]
Then when standing before Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel credits God as the source of his insights.[12] And the wisdom Daniel exhibited in humility, faith, and obedience to God marked his reputation through a succession of kings and kingdoms.[13]
In days of cultural chaos, confusion, and conflict we are likely more concerned with how to navigate the whitewater of life than wonder what cryptocurrency to add to our portfolios. Daniel provides us with a great blueprint: acknowledge the sovereignty of God over the circumstances of life and seek His wisdom with a prior commitment to follow His guidance.
Written by Wes Taber, LIFE Global Ambassador
In what aspects of life do you most need wisdom? Where do you look to find it?
Psalm 9:10 reminds us, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Just as Daniel acknowledged God’s sovereignty over the affairs of mankind and entrusted himself to the Holy One of Israel, so should we.
James 1:5 instructs, “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” Let’s not be among the many who “have not because they ask not” (James 4:2-3).
May the Lord grant us His wisdom in the decisions we make this week as we actively seek to be led by His Holy Spirit.
Endnotes:
[1] Daniel 1:2.
[2] Daniel 1:5.
[3] טָהוֹר (tahor: ritually pure, thus edible) and טָמֵא (tameh: ritually unclean, thus forbidden) foods are delineated in Leviticus 11; see also Deuteronomy 14.
[4] To cite the followers of Messiah Yeshua in the first century, “We must obey God rather than man” (Acts 5:29).
[5] Daniel 1:10.
[6] Daniel 1:11.
[7] Daniel 1:17.
[8] Daniel 1:20.
[9] Daniel 2:14-16.
[10] Daniel 2:18.
[11] Daniel 2:20-23.
[12] Daniel 2:28-30.
[13] Daniel’s interaction with Nebuchadnezzar’s son, Belshazzar, is recorded in Chapter 5. Verses 11 and 14 testify to Daniel’s extraordinary wisdom. See further Daniel 6:3,28 (Darius the Mede and Cyrus the Persian).