5-28-2006
Integrity - Credit Where Credit Is Due
Daniel 2:1-49
West Glendale Baptist Church
Pastor Don Jones
Last week we looked at Chapter 1 of Daniel and found that we were dealing with a person of integrity. Daniel, in a most stressful time, stuck to his beliefs and did what God’s Word said. He persevered in the face of adversity. The result was that Daniel remained in the service of the king.
Today we are going to look at the amazing account of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and the young man who, by God’s power, not only saved others but gave testimony to Almighty God.
Cue slide - The Predicament - v. 1-13
Daniel once again found himself in a difficult spot. He was in the king’s court, one of the "wise men" serving with integrity, faithful to the Lord and faithful to king Nebuchadnezzar. Difficulty came to Daniel, a faithful servant, just as difficulty comes to us today.
Some this morning might be under the misconception that when you accept and follow Jesus, obey Him in your life, you will coast through life. God removes all the obstacles. Life becomes easy. I do not find that in Scripture nor in my personal experience. Our Lord died on the cross. Many of His followers were martyred. Old Testament prophets killed. Even Daniel went from the frying pan into the fire. He obeyed God and again, through no fault of his own, he was facing death.
The gist of the problem confronting Daniel and his friends was the following. Essentially, the wise men had not given the king what he wanted. They failed in meeting the request of the king to interpret his dream, impossible as it was. As Daniel explains, there was no man woman or child on earth who could have given the king what he wanted. They were doomed to failure from the beginning. Daniel and his friends, being a part of the wise men, were to face the punishment of the king like all the rest. They were to be executed. Verse 12-13 says,
"This made the king so angry and furious that he ordered the execution of all the wise men of Babylon. So the decree was issued to put the wise men to death, and men were sent to look for Daniel and his friends to put them to death."
Cue slide - The Plan - v. 14-16
Daniel dealt with the situation in a godly manner. He did not get angry and take it out on the official. He did not over react. He took specific steps to resolve the situation.
The first thing he did was to ask the questions that needed to be answered. He found out from a reliable source what the problem was. Put simply, he gathered information.
Secondly, he asked for time. Daniel knew he needed time to go before God in prayer. He was confident that he would get not only the time he needed from the king but also the answer he needed from his Lord.
Too often our first reaction is our worst reaction. We react out of self pity; certainly Daniel could have done this. He was being unfairly blamed and hadn’t even been given the opportunity to defend himself. He had every "right" to act that way. Instead of reacting with anger, Daniel reacted, or rather, acted in a calm methodical manner.
We need to cultivate that calm approach to problems like Daniel. It takes time. I do not believe that Daniel was suddenly able to deal with these life threatening emergencies. I believe it was due to the lifetime of dedication to God that enabled him to deal with the current crisis in such a calm methodical way.
Cue slide - The Prayer - v. 17-23
Finally, Daniel sought God’s wisdom in solving the problem. Daniel did a most common, yet unusual thing when he heard the news of doom. Verses 17-18 says,
"Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon."
Look at the simple truths revealed that are common throughout God’s word.
Cue slide - Prayer over panic - v. 19
First, Daniel went to his cadre of friends and asked for their prayer support. They had been with him from the beginning, a team of prayer warriors who would stand with him no matter what was coming. Question, do you have friends like these? If not, begin to cultivate relationships of trust and caring for your prayer team.
Daniel spent the evening in a state of prayer, not panic. Most of us would have been worrying ourselves sick, perhaps even trying to escape the king. We might have been so upset about the situation that we might not have had the concentration to pray. Daniel and his friends went before the Lord in prayer and petition. As a result, the vision of God revealed the answer that Daniel needed.
In the book: Stories for the Heart, Catherine Marshall tells this story. There once was a king who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The king looked at all the pictures. But there were only two he really liked, and he had to choose between them. One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror for peaceful towering mountains all around it. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. All who saw this picture thought that it was a perfect picture of peace. The other picture had mountains, too. But these were rugged and bare. Above was an angry sky, from which rain fell and in which lightning played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all. But when the king looked closely, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird had built her nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on her nest - in perfect peace. Which picture do you think won the prize? The king chose the second picture. Do you know why? "Because," explained the king, "peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace."
Jerry Falwell said, the size of your God, determines the size of your prayer request. The size of your prayer request, determines the size of your answers.
John Piper in “Let the Nations Be Glad” said, “Life is war. That’s not all it is. But it is always that. Our weakness in prayer is owing largely to our neglect of this truth. Prayer is primarily a wartime walkie-talkie for the mission of the church as it advances against the powers of darkness and unbelief. It is not surprising that prayer malfunctions when we try to make it a domestic intercom to call upstairs for more comforts in the den. God has given us prayer as a wartime walkie-talkie so that we can call headquarters for everything we need as the kingdom of Christ advances in the world. Prayer gives us the significance of front-line forces, and gives God the glory of a limitless Provider. The one who gives the power gets the glory. Thus prayer safeguards the supremacy of God in missions while linking us with endless grace for every need.”
Paul says in Philippians 4:6-7 says,
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in prayer and petition, with thangsgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus"
Cue slide - Praise for provision - v. 20-23
Secondly, when Daniel received the answer, he immediately began to praise the Lord.
Ted Sutherland tells the story of a country preacher who sold a mule to a friend, and told him the mule was trained to go when the rider said "Praise the Lord," and to stop when the rider said, "Amen." The buyer mounted the beast and commanded, "Praise the Lord," and the mule shot off like a rocket. The startled rider panicked. "Whoa!" he screamed. The mule was headed straight for a cliff, "Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" At the last second he remembered the minister’s instructions. "Amen!" he shouted, and the mule screeched to a halt right at the edge of the cliff. As the new owner peered over the precipice, he wiped his brow and sighed, "Praise the Lord."
Cue slide - The Proclamation - Credit Where Credit Is Due
Daniel could have easily taken credit for what he knew and told the king but verses 27-28 and 45b says,
Daniel replied, “No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, 28but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come. Your dream and the visions that passed through your mind as you lay on your bed are these:
The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and the interpretation is trustworthy.
Daniel gave God the credit. He knew that all he was was a direct result of who God was. As a result the king began praising God too.
Alex Axelrod tells a story of praise found in a most unlikely place, The Tonight Show. He says about 15 years ago, Orel Hershiser was pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers. They had just won the World Series. And Orel had been named the Most Valuable Player. One of the TV shows about the series showed him in the dugout just before the 9th inning started. He was leaning against the wall. And his lips were moving.
So when he was a guest on the Tonight Show, Johnny Carson asked him what he had been saying. "I wasn’t saying anything," Orel responded. "Well, then, tell us what you were doing." Finally Orel replied, "I was singing." Johnny said, "You were singing? I didn’t know you were a singer. Come on, let’s here it!" And Orel said, "Nah. I don’t want to." And the audience clapped and said, "Yeah! Let’s hear it! Wooooh!!!!" Finally, Orel Hershiser started to sing: "Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him all creatures here below. Praise him above Ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost! Amen!" And Johnny Carson was speechless. The whole audience was dead silent. Then one person stood up and started clapping. And soon, the whole audience joined in applause.
This was Orel’s way of saying, "Lord, the only reason I’m a Most Valuable Player is because you’re a Most Valuable God. You’re the one who gave me my ability. You’re the reason why my life has been so blessed. And I respect you. And I love you.
Cue slide - The Promotion - v. 46-49
Verses 48-49 says,
Then the king placed Daniel in a high position and lavished many gifts on him. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men. Moreover, at Daniel’s request the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego administrators over the province of Babylon, while Daniel himself remained at the royal court.
The result of giving God the glory, the credit, is that Daniel was given more responsibility in the king’s court and the king’s life was influenced by God. He was given a promotion. Because he glorified God and was faithful in life, he was given more. Matthew 25:23 gives us the Kingdom principle of faithfulness. Jesus tells us in the parable of the talents what this is all about. He says,
His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!
Are you being faithful with what you have? Are you giving the glory to God? Daniel took Godly steps, found and obeyed God’s solution, and gave Him the glory when he was successful. Are you?
Outline
Integrity - Giving God the Credit 5-29-2006
Daniel 2:1-49 WGBC
I. The Predicament
• The king’s dream
• The king’s demand
• The death sentence
II. The Plan
• Gather information
• Take time
• Seek God
III. The Prayer
• Don’t panic
• Inform others
• Praise God for the answer
IV. The Proclamation
• The answer revealed
• Daniel gave God the credit
V. The Promotion
• God was glorified
• Daniel was promoted
