Background
Some time ago, I was studying the Book of Daniel, chapter 2. This is the chapter where God puts Daniel in a position of influence in the nation of Babylon. Daniel had just finished his 3 year training in Babylonian culture and joined the king’s court. At that time, King Nebuchadnezzar had a very disturbing dream and Daniel was able to interpret it. (I tell an interesting aspect of that story in my article, Daniel Honors God.) Because Daniel was able to tell the king his dream and its interpretation, the king promoted him over all of the province of Babylon.
During my time of study, I started seeing that God’s relationship with Daniel unveils certain qualities of God. Some of these become apparent to the reader as the narrative unfolds. and some are stated in the text.
Qualities of God
1. God is Sovereign.
God orchestrated events and lives to coincide at just the right time. Nebuchadnezzar had a dream, Daniel could interpret it. Just a coincidence? I don’t think so.
The Apostle Paul talks about God’s sovereignty in 1 Timothy 6:14-16. Here, Paul is urging Timothy to stand firm in the faith. Paul says that Timothy should,
“keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which He will bring about at the proper time—He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords; who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light.”1
Jesus is described by Paul as He, “who is the blessed and only Sovereign” – God, who is the ruler over all. The word used here is the Greek, dunastēs, which means one who is “mighty”. It is applied here to God as the mighty ruler over the universe.
The King of kings – Who claims dominion over all the kings of the earth.
Lord of lords – “The idea here is, that all the sovereigns of the earth are under his sway; that none of them can prevent the accomplishment of his purposes; and that he can direct the winding up of human affairs when he pleases.”2
2. Giving Nebuchadnezzar a dream of the future.
God is able to do this because He is Omniscient. Charles Ryrie defines omniscience in this way: “God knows everything, things actual and possible, effortlessly and equally well.”3
God’s omniscience is demonstrated throughout the Bible, but I will give just one example. In Psalms 139:16, the psalmist understands that God was not surprised by his birth. The psalmist says of God,
“Thine eyes have seen my unformed substance;
And in Thy book they were all written,
The days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them.”
3. Daniel knew he could depend upon God.
Daniel had already established a relationship with God, and knew that God was Faithful and dependable. This Deuteronomy passage describes God’s dependability. Deuteronomy 7:9,
“Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments.”
This passage from 2 Timothy 2:13 lets us know that God’s faithfulness does not depend on us:
“If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.”
God’s faithfulness rests upon His own nature and not upon any human contingencies.
4. Revealing truth to Daniel by Grace
God enlightened Daniel about the dream and its meaning so he wouldn’t perish. This shows us God’s Grace toward Daniel.4 Grace is a gift from God out of His love for us. As Paul declares in Ephesians 2:8 concerning salvation,
“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.”
5. Daniel graduated at just the right time
Daniel finished his Babylonian training and entered the king’s service just in time to interpret the dream. God is Timely in that He is able to use time to bring His purposes to fulfillment. As a wise, powerful and loving Creator, God sees that everything happens at the right time to maintain the world for the benefit of His creatures.
Ecclesiastes 3:11a, “He has made everything appropriate in its time.”
6. God had Compassion
Daniel recognized that God has compassion and answers prayer. Daniel also had his friends pray. As the text says in Daniel 2:18a,
“in order that they might request compassion from the God of heaven concerning this mystery.”
God answered their prayers, and provided Daniel with the explanation of the mystery.
Charles Buck explains that God’s compassion is, “the infinite greatness of His mercy and love, whereby He relieves the miseries of His people.”5
7. Wisdom and Power
In Daniel 2:20, Daniel acknowledged that God is the source of wisdom and power. He says,
“Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever,
For wisdom and power belong to Him.”
Then, in verse 23, Daniel says,
“For Thou hast given me wisdom and power;
Even now Thou hast made known to me what we requested of Thee,
For Thou hast made known to us the king’s matter.”
Daniel and his friends had requested compassion from God. God responded by giving Daniel the gift of wisdom and power.
Conclusion
In this paper we have seen qualities of God during His interaction with Daniel. We saw that God is:
- Sovereign – God is the mighty ruler over the universe.
- Omniscient – God knows everything, things actual and possible.
- Faithful and dependable – God is the faithful God.
- Gracious – God’s favor toward man is unmerited.
- Timely – God fulfills His purposes at the right time.
- Compassionate – God is compassionate and answers prayer.
- Wise and Powerful – Wisdom and power are God’s.
Daniel’s faith and devotion to God put him in position to benefit from these qualities. God worked in Daniel’s life, and God elevated him to prominence in Babylon.
1 Words and phrases are emboldened in the text for emphasis (throughout)
2 Barnes’ Notes (Commentary on the Bible)
3 Charles C. Ryrie, Basic Theology, (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 1986), 47
4 Grace -unmerited favor of God toward man.
5 Charles Buck Theological Dictionary