God's Interpreter Series

King Nebuchadnezzar was wise in taking a stand that was fool

proof on getting a true interpretation of his dream. He demanded of

the interpreter that he also produced the dream. Too many people in

history have been gullible and they have accepted the lies of men for

the leading of the Spirit. Some objective test like he required is just

about the only protection there is against subjective revelations that

lead to dead ends. Many who have such revelations are sincere, and

they are anxious to be led of God. Like the woman in the nursing

home who felt it was the leading of God to not take any of the

medicine the nurse tried to give her. Her condition worsened, and

then she thought the Lord let her down. She had a purely subjective

experience, but she was sincerely wrong. We need to beware of

taking subjective revelation too seriously.

Gideon is the man to follow when it comes to personal

revelations. He tested the spirit to see if it was truly from God. He

was skeptical and cautious to the point where he even feared that

God might be angry with him. When God promised him he would

deliver Israel by his hand Gideon was not satisfied until he had

objective evidence. He heard the voice, but he did not want to take

any chances. He put out a piece of fleece asking that God would give

him objective proof of his revelation by filling the fleece with dew

while all the rest of the ground remained dry. When he woke in the

morning he wrung enough dew from the fleece to fill a bowl while the

rest of the ground was dry. Even one miracle was not enough, and so

he asked the Lord to reverse the process so he could be sure this was

not just an amazing coincidence. When this was also fulfilled he was

confident that the Lord had spoken, and so he marched in obedience.

Those who do not test and see if the message is truly from God

caused great grief for themselves and others. Joanna Southcott, for

example, heard voices and started a movement and gained a

following he England, Ireland and America. In 1794 the voice

revealed to her that she was the bride of Christ spoken of in the book

of Revelation. Later when she was 64 years old she said it was

revealed that she was to give birth to the Messiah. Her followers

were greatly excited when she actually showed signs of pregnancy.

When the time passed and she did not give birth she became ill and

was confined to bed. She confessed, "It all appears a delusion." She

died apparently of a broken heart. She sincerely believed she had

revelations from God. Had she been more objective she never would

have allowed herself to be so deceived. Her movement continued and

it led to British-Israelism, which has a large body of strange

interpretations of the Bible.

Nebuchadnezzar was a smart enough man to demand objective

proof of revelation from God, and Daniel was the man through

whom God produced it. Notice how Daniel keeps himself out of the

picture and gives all the glory to God. Daniel is concerned lest the

king think that human wisdom had anything to do with this. No wise

man could ever have fulfilled the kings demand, but he says in verse

28 that there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and that he

has chosen to reveal to the king what will be in the latter days. The

Pulpit Commentary says, "No nation in ancient times was so addicted

to the study of the stars of heaven and to the future as were

the Chaldeans." They looked to the heavens for guidance, but Daniel

now calls the kings attention to the real source of all wisdom, which

is the one true God of heaven who made the stars and all that is in

the heavens.

J. A. Montgomery wrote, "That there is a God in heaven, as

against man-made gods and deified men, is the supreme theme of the

book, even as it is the cardinal principle of the Bible." Daniel here is

being the strongest possible witness to the true God. If he can

convince the king that Jehovah is the true God he will have

accomplished a great service for the world. We see in the boldness of

Daniel what each of us needs to be in order to have an adequate

witness for Christ. That which made Daniel the great witness he was

is the same thing that made Peter speak boldly before the Jews. The

difference between a weak and a bold witness is found in a personal

encounter with God. Daniel was brave and confident because he had