Balls and Strikes

 

Daily Reading:  Daniel 2:31 – 49

The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings…

                                                            Daniel 2:47

               Daniel’s life was not ideal by any measure.  He was living as a free man in Jerusalem when he watched the city fall. After the fall, he was captured and taken to Babylon.  There he was recognized for his learning, wisdom, and understanding, only to face execution with the rest of the wise men.  Following the telling and interpretation of the king’s dream, the king, who had ordered his execution, withdrew the order, and set him up as a ruler over the entire province of Babylon. The pendulum swings of Daniel’s life were wild and would continue, but we would do well to take stock of the circumstances surrounding this shift from nearly executed to ruler.

               Daniel was a man who sought to obey God no matter the fallout.  To the world around him, his obedience manifested as boldness.  He was willing to say and do what many would not. Boldness is not a natural attitude most men are born with.  The Apostle Paul was a zealous man, but even he prayed for boldness (Ephesians 6:19 – 20). Most men flee from boldness and settle for passivity like Adam in the garden.

               Daniel faced execution but asked for time to pray and wait on God.  After receiving an answer to his prayer, the path forward did not get easier.  The dream and interpretation were not exactly what King Nebuchadnezzar would want to hear. Nevertheless, Daniel boldly stands before him and informs him God had given him his kingdom (Daniel 2:37). This is significant because Nebuchadnezzar, the pagan god king had captured Jerusalem where God’s Temple sat.  It would not appear to Nebuchadnezzar like Daniel’s God had the power to give him his kingdom.  Daniel then informs the king that his kingdom would be replaced by an inferior kingdom (Daniel 2:39).  If that is not bad enough, Daniel finally tells the king that God will establish an eternal kingdom and that this all will happen with certainty (Daniel 2:44 – 45).

               This dream and interpretation had to be unsettling for the most powerful man in the world, but Daniel spoke to him with boldness.  He stood there and called balls and strikes with his life on the line. In the end, Daniel’s life is spared, but more importantly he demonstrated to all who will listen the obedience and boldness God desires from each of us.