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Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
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Matthew Henry |
D A N I E L.
CHAP. II.
It was said
that Daniel had understanding in dreams; and here we have an early and
eminent instance of it, which soon made him famous in the court of
Babylon, as Joseph by the same means came to be so in the court of
Egypt. This chapter is a history, but it is the history of a prophecy,
by a dream and the interpretation of it. Pharaoh’s dream, and Joseph’s
interpretation of it, related only to the years of plenty and famine
and the interest of God’s Israel in them; but Nebuchadnezzar’s dream
here, and Daniel’s interpretation of that, look much higher, to the
four monarchies, and the concerns of Israel in them, and the kingdom of
the Messiah, which should be set up in the world upon the ruins of
them. In this chapter we have,
I. The great perplexity that Nebuchadnezzar was put into by a dream
which he had forgotten, and his command to the magicians to tell him
what it was, which they could not pretend to do,
II. Orders given for the destroying of all the wise men of Babylon, and
of Daniel among the rest, with his fellows,
III. The discovery of this secret to him, in answer to prayer, and the
thanksgiving he offered up to God thereupon,
IV. His admission to the king, and the discovery he made to him both of
his dream and of the interpretation of it,
V. The great honour which Nebuchadnezzar put upon Daniel, in recompence
for this service, and the preferment of his companions with him,
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1 And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar
Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled,
and his sleep brake from him.
2 Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the
astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to show
the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.
3 And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my
spirit was troubled to know the dream.
4 Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriac, O king, live
for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will show the
interpretation.
5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is
gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with
the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your
houses shall be made a dunghill.
6 But if ye show the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye
shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honour: therefore
show me the dream, and the interpretation thereof.
7 They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants
the dream, and we will show the interpretation of it.
8 The king answered and said, I know of certainty that ye would
gain the time, because ye see the thing is gone from me.
9 But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is
but one decree for you: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt
words to speak before me, till the time be changed: therefore
tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can show me the
interpretation thereof.
10 The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is
not a man upon the earth that can show the king’s matter:
therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such
things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean.
11 And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there
is none other that can show it before the king, except the gods,
whose dwelling is not with flesh.
12 For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and
commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.
13 And the decree went forth that the wise men should be
slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain.
We meet with a great difficulty in the date of this story; it is said
to be in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar,
v. 1.
Now Daniel was carried to Babylon in his first year, and, it should
seem, he was three years under tutors and governors before he was
presented to the king,
How then could this happen in the second year? Perhaps, though
three years were appointed for the education of other children, yet
Daniel was so forward that he was taken into business when he had been
but one year at school, and so in the second year he became thus
considerable. Some make it to be the second year after he began to
reign alone, but the fifth or sixth year since he began to reign in
partnership with his father. Some read it, and in the second
year, (the second after Daniel and his fellows stood before the
king), in the kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar, or in his reign,
this happened; as Joseph, in the second year after his skill in dreams,
showed and expounded Pharaoh’s, so Daniel, in the second year after he
commenced master in that art, did this service. I would much rather
take it some of these ways than suppose, as some do, that it was in the
second year after he had conquered Egypt, which was the thirty-sixth
year of his reign, because it appears by what we meet with in Ezekiel,
that Daniel was famous both for wisdom and prevalence in prayer long
before that; and therefore this passage, or story, which shows how he
came to be so eminent for both these must be laid early in
Nebuchadnezzar’s reign. Now here we may observe,
I. The perplexity that Nebuchadnezzar was in by reason of a dream which
he had dreamed but had forgotten
(v. 1):
He dreamed dreams, that is, a dream consisting of divers
distinct parts, or which filled his head as much as if it had been many
dreams. Solomon speaks of a multitude of dreams, strangely
incoherent, in which there are divers vanities,
Eccl. v. 7.
This dream of Nebuchadnezzar’s had nothing in the thing itself but what
might be paralleled in many a common dream, in which are often
represented to men things as foreign as are here mentioned; but there
was something in the impression it made upon him which carried with it
an incontestable evidence of its divine original and its prophetic
significancy. Note, The greatest of men are not exempt from, nay, they
lie most open to, those cares and troubles of mind which disturb their
repose in the night, while the sleep of the labouring man is
sweet and sound, and the sleep of the sober temperate man free from
confused dreams. The abundance of the rich will not suffer them to
sleep at all for care, and the excesses of gluttons and drunkards will
not suffer them to sleep quietly for dreaming. But this recorded here
was not from natural causes. Nebuchadnezzar was a troubler of God’s
Israel, but God here troubled him; for he that made the soul can
make his sword to approach to it. He had his guards about him,
but they could not keep trouble from his spirit. We know not the
uneasiness of many that live in great pomp, and, one would think, in
pleasure, too. We look into their houses, and are tempted to envy them;
but, could we look into their hearts, we should pity them rather. All
the treasures and all the delights of the children of men, which this
mighty monarch had command of, could not procure him a little repose,
when by reason of the trouble of his mind his sleep broke from
him. But God gives his beloved sleep, who return to him as
their rest.
II. The trial that he made of his magicians and astrologers whether
they could tell him what his dream was, which he had forgotten. They
were immediately sent for, to show the king his dreams,
v. 2.
There are many things which we retain the impressions of, and yet have
lost the images of the things; though we cannot tell what the matter
was, we know how we were affected with it; so it was with this king.
His dream had slipped out of his mind, and he could not possibly
recollect it, but he was confident he should know it if he heard it
again. God ordered it so that Daniel might have the more honour, and,
in him, the God of Daniel. Note, God sometimes serves his own purposes
by putting things out of men’s minds as well as by putting things into
their minds. The magicians, it is likely, were proud of their being
sent for into the king’s bed-chamber, to give him a taste of their
office, not doubting but it would be for their honour. He tells them
that he had dreamed a dream,
v. 3.
They speak to him in the Syriac tongue, which was then the same with
the Chaldee, but now they differ much. And henceforward Daniel uses
that language, or dialect of the Hebrew, for the same reason that those
words,
are in that language because designed to convince the Chaldeans of the
folly of their idolatry and to bring them to the knowledge and worship
of the true and living God, which the stories of these chapters have a
direct tendency to. But
and forward, being intended for the comfort of the Jews, is written in
their peculiar language. They, in their answer, complimented the king
with their good wishes, desired him to tell his dream, and undertook
with all possible assurance to interpret it,
v. 4.
But the king insisted upon it that they must tell him the dream itself,
because he had forgotten it and could not tell it to them. And, if they
could not do this, they should all be put to death as deceivers
(v. 5),
themselves cut to pieces and their houses made a
dunghill. If they could, they should be rewarded and preferred,
v. 6.
And they knew, as Balaam did concerning Balak, that he was able to
promote them to great honour, and give them that wages of
unrighteousness which, like him, they loved so dearly. No
question therefore that they will do their utmost to gratify the king;
if they do not, it is not for want of good-will, but for want of power,
Providence so ordering it that the magicians of Babylon might now be as
much confounded and put to shame as of old the magicians of Egypt had
been, that, how much soever his people were both in Egypt and Babylon
vilified and made contemptible, his oracles might in both be magnified
and made honourable, by the silencing of those that set up in
competition with them. The magicians, having reason on their side,
insist upon it that the king must tell them the dream, and then, if
they do not tell him the interpretation of it, it is their fault,
v. 7.
But arbitrary power is deaf to reason. The king falls into a passion,
gives them hard words, and, without any colour of reason, suspects that
they could tell him but would not; and instead of upbraiding them with
impotency, and the deficiency of their art, as he might justly have
done, he charges them with a combination to affront him: You have
prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me. How
unreasonable and absurd is this imputation! If they had undertaken to
tell him what his dream was, and had imposed upon him with a sham, he
might have charged them with lying and corrupt words; but to say this
of them when they honestly confessed their own weakness only shows what
senseless things indulged passions are, and how apt great men are to
think it is their prerogative to pursue their humour in defiance of
reason and equity, and all the dictates of both. When the magicians
begged of him to tell them the dream, though the request was highly
rational and just, he tells them that they did but dally with him, to
gain time
(v. 8),
till the time be changed
(v. 9),
either till the king’s desire to know his dream be over, and he grown
indifferent whether he be told it or no, though now he is so hot upon
it, or till they may hope he has so perfectly forgotten his dream (the
remaining shades of which are slipping from him apace as he catches at
them) that they may tell him what they please and make him believe it
was his dream, and, when the thing which is going, is quite gone
from him, as it will be in a little time, he will not be able to
disprove them. And therefore, without delay, they must tell him the
dream. In vain do they plead,
1. That there is no man on earth that can retrieve the king’s
dream,
There are settled rules by which to discover what the meaning of the
dream was; whether they will hold or no is the question. But never
were any rules offered to be given by which to discover what the dream
was; they cannot work unless they have something to work upon. They
acknowledge that the gods may indeed declare unto man what is his
thought
(Amos iv. 13),
for God understands our thoughts afar off
what they will be before we think them, what they are when we do not
regard them, what they have been when we have forgotten them. But those
who can do this are gods, that have not their dwelling with
flesh
(v. 11),
and it is they alone that can do this. As for men, their dwelling is
with flesh; the wisest and greatest of men are clouded with a veil
of flesh, which quite obstructs and confounds all their acquaintance
with spirit, and their powers and operations; but the gods, that are
themselves pure spirit, know what is in man. See here an instance of
the ignorance of these magicians, that they speak of many gods, whereas
there is but one and can be but one infinite; yet see their knowledge
of that which even the light of nature teaches and the works of nature
prove, that there is a God, who is a Spirit, and perfectly knows the
spirits of men and all their thoughts, so as it is not possible that
any man should. This confession of the divine omniscience is here
extorted from these idolaters, to the honour of God and their own
condemnation, who though they knew there is a God in heaven, to whom
all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secret is
hid, yet offered up their prayers and praises to dumb idols, that
have eyes and see not, ears and hear not.
2. That there is no king on earth that would expect or require such a
thing,
This intimates that they were kings, lords, and
potentates, not ordinary people, that the magicians had most
dealings with, and at whose devotion they were, while the oracles of
God and the gospel of Christ are dispensed to the poor. Kings
and potentates have often required unreasonable things of their
subjects, but they think that never any required so unreasonable a
thing as this, and therefore hope his imperial majesty will not insist
upon it. But it is all in vain; when passion is in the throne reason is
under foot: He was angry and very furious,
v. 12.
Note, It is very common for those that will not be convinced by reason
to be provoked and exasperated by it, and to push on with fury what
they cannot support with equity.
III. The doom passed upon all the magicians of Babylon. There is but
one decree for them all
(v. 9);
they all stand condemned without exception or distinction. The decree
has gone forth, they must every man of them be slain
(v. 13),
Daniel and his fellows (though they knew nothing of the matter) not
excepted. See here,
1. What are commonly the unjust proceedings of arbitrary power.
Nebuchadnezzar is here a tyrant in true colours, speaking death when he
cannot speak sense, and treating those as traitors whose only fault is
that they would serve him, but cannot.
2. What is commonly the just punishment of pretenders. How
unrighteous soever Nebuchadnezzar was in this sentence, as to the
ringleaders in the imposture, God was righteous. Those that imposed
upon men, in pretending to do what they could not do, are now sentenced
to death for not being able to do what they did not pretend to.
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14 Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom to Arioch the
captain of the king’s guard, which was gone forth to slay the
wise men of Babylon:
15 He answered and said to Arioch the king’s captain, Why is
the decree so hasty from the king? Then Arioch made the thing
known to Daniel.
16 Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would
give him time, and that he would show the king the
interpretation.
17 Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to
Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions:
18 That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven
concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not
perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
19 Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision.
Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
20 Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for
ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his:
21 And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth
kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and
knowledge to them that know understanding:
22 He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what
is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.
23 I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who
hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now
what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us
the king’s matter.
When the king sent for his wise men to tell them his dream, and the
interpretation of it
(v. 2),
Daniel, it seems, was not summoned to appear among them; the king,
though he was highly pleased with him when he examined him, and thought
him ten times wiser than the rest of his wise men, yet forgot
him when he had most occasion for him; and no wonder, when all was done
in a heat, and nothing with a cool and deliberate thought. But
Providence so ordered it; that the magicians being nonplussed might be
the more taken notice of, and so the more glory might redound to the
God of Daniel. But, though Daniel had not the honour to be consulted
with the rest of the wise men, contrary to all law and justice, by an
undistinguishing sentence, he stands condemned with them, and till he
has notice brought him to prepare for execution he knows nothing of the
matter. How miserable is the case of those who live under arbitrary
government, as this of Nebuchadnezzar’s! How happy are we, whose lives
are under the protection of the law and methods of justice, and lie not
thus at the mercy of a peevish and capricious prince!
We have found already, in Ezekiel, that Daniel was famous both for
prudence and prayer; as a prince he had power with God and by man; by
prayer he had power with God, by prudence he had power with man, and in
both he prevailed. Thus did he find favour and good
understanding in the sight of both, and in these verses we have a
remarkable instance of both.
I. Daniel by prudence knew how to deal with men, and he prevailed with
them. When Arioch, the captain of the guard, that was appointed
to slay all the wise men of Babylon, the whole college of them, seized
Daniel (for the sword of tyranny, like the sword of war, devours one
as well as another), he answered with counsel and wisdom
(v. 14);
he did not fall into a passion, and reproach the king as unjust and
barbarous, much less did he contrive how to make resistance, but mildly
asked, Why is the decree so hasty?
v. 15.
And whereas the rest of the wise men had insisted upon it that it was
utterly impossible for him ever to have his demand gratified, which did
but make him more outrageous, Daniel undertakes, if he may but have a
little time allowed him, to give the king all the satisfaction he
desired,
The king, being now sensible of his error in not sending for Daniel
sooner, whose character he began to recollect, was soon prevailed upon
to respite the judgment, and make trial of Daniel. Note, The likeliest
method to turn away wrath, even the wrath of a king, which is as the
messenger of death, is by a soft answer, by that yielding which
pacifies great offences; thus, though where the word of a
king is there is power, yet even that word may be repelled, and
that so as to be repealed; and so some read it here
(v. 14):
Then Daniel returned, and stayed the counsel and edict,
through Arioch, the king’s provost-marshal.
II. Daniel knew how by prayer to converse with God, and he found favour
with him, both in petition and in thanksgiving, which are the two
principal parts of prayer. Observe,
1. His humble petition for this mercy, that God would discover to him
what was the king’s dream, and the interpretation of it. When he had
gained time he did not go to consult with the rest of the wise men
whether there was anything in their art, in their books, that might be
of use in this matter, but went to his house, there to be alone
with God, for from him alone, who is the Father of lights, he expected
this great gift. Observe,
(1.) He did not only pray for this discovery himself, but he engaged
his companions to pray for it too. He made the thing known to
those who had been all along his bosom-friends and associates,
requesting that they would desire mercy of God concerning this
secret,
v. 17, 18.
Though Daniel was probably their senior, and every way excelled them,
yet he engaged them as partners with him in this matter, Vis unita
fortior–The union of forces produces greater force. See
Note, Praying friends are valuable friends; it is good to have an
intimacy with and an interest in those that have fellowship with God
and an interest at the throne of grace; and it well becomes the
greatest and best of men to desire the assistance of the prayers of
others for them. St. Paul often entreats his friends to pray for him.
Thus we must show that we put a value upon our friends, upon prayer,
upon their prayers.
(2.) He was particular in this prayer, but had an eye to, and a
dependence upon, the general mercy of God: That they would desire
the mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret,
v. 18.
We ought in prayer to look up to God as the God of heaven, a God
above us, and who has dominion over us, to whom we owe adoration and
allegiance, a God of power, who can do everything. Our savior has
taught us to pray to God as our Father in heaven. And, whatever
good we pray for, our dependence must be upon the mercies of God
for it, and an interest in those mercies we must desire; we can expect
nothing by way of recompence for our merits, but all as the gift of
God’s mercies. They desired mercy concerning this secret. Note,
Whatever is the matter of our care must be the matter of our prayer; we
must desire mercy of God concerning this thing and the other thing that
occasions us trouble and fear. God gives us leave to be humbly free
with him, and in prayer to enter into the detail of our wants and
burdens. Secret things belong to the Lord our God, and
therefore, if there be any mercy we stand in need of that concerns a
secret, to him we must apply; and, though we cannot in faith pray for
miracles, yet we may in faith pray to him who has all hearts in his
hand, and who in his providence does wonders without miracles, for the
discovery of that which is out of our view and the obtaining of that
which is out of our reach, as far as is for his glory and our good,
believing that to him nothing is hidden, nothing is hard.
(3.) Their plea with God was the imminent peril they were in; they
desired mercy of God in this matter, that so Daniel and his fellows
might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon, that the
righteous might not be destroyed with the wicked. Note, When the lives
of good and useful men are in danger it is time to be earnest with God
for mercy for them, as for Peter in prison,
(4.) The mercy which Daniel and his fellows prayed for was bestowed.
The secret was revealed unto Daniel in a night-vision,
v. 19.
Some think he dreamed the same dream, when he was asleep, that
Nebuchadnezzar had dreamed; it should rather seem that when he was
awake, and continuing instant in prayer, and watching in the
same, the dream itself, and the interpretation of it, were
communicated to him by the ministry of an angel, abundantly to his
satisfaction. Note, The effectual fervent prayer of righteous men
avails much. There are mysteries and secrets which by prayer we are
let into; with that key the cabinets of heaven are unlocked, for Christ
has said, Thus knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
2. His grateful thanksgiving for this mercy when he had received it:
Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven,
v. 19.
He did not stay till he had told it to the king, and seen whether he
would own it to be his dream or no, but was confident that it was so,
and that he had gained his point, and therefore he immediately turned
his prayers into praises. As he had prayed in a full assurance that God
would do this for him, so he gave thanks in a full assurance that he
had done it; and in both he had an eye to God as the God of
heaven. His prayer was not recorded, but his thanksgiving is.
Observe,
(1.) The honour he gives to God in this thanksgiving, which he studies
to do in a great variety and copiousness of expression: Blessed be
the name of God for ever and ever. There is that for ever in
God which is to be blessed and praised; it is unchangeably and
eternally in him. And it is to be blessed for ever and ever; as
the matter of praise is God’s eternal perfection, so the work of praise
shall be everlastingly in the doing.
[1.] He gives to God the glory of what he is in himself: Wisdom and
might are his, wisdom and courage (so some); whatever is fit to be
done he will do; whatever he will do he can do, he dares do, and he
will be sure to do it in the best manner, for he has infinite wisdom to
design and contrive and infinite power to execute and accomplish.
With him are strength and wisdom, which in men are often parted.
[2.] He gives him the glory of what he is to the world of mankind. He
has a universal influence and agency upon all the children of men, and
all their actions and affairs. Are the times changed? Is the posture
of affairs altered? Does every thing lie open to mutability? It is God
that changes the times and the seasons, and the face of them. No
change comes to pass by chance, but according to the will and counsel
of God. Are those that were kings removed and deposed? Do they
abdicate? Are they laid aside? It is God that removes kings.
Are the poor raised out of the dust, to be set among
princes? It is God that sets up kings; and the making and
unmaking of kings is a flower of his crown who is the fountain of all
power, King of kings and Lord of lords. Are there men that excel
others in wisdom, philosophers and statesmen, that think above the
common rate, contemplative penetrating men? It is God that gives
wisdom to the wise, whether they be so wise as to acknowledge it or
no; they have it not of themselves, but it is he that gives
knowledge to those that know understanding, which is a good reason
why we should not be proud of our knowledge, and why we should serve
and honour God with it and make it our business to know him.
[3.] He gives him the glory of this particular discovery. He praises
him, First, For that he could make such a discovery
(v. 22):
He reveals the deep and secret things which are hidden from the
eyes of all living. It was he that revealed to man what is true wisdom
when none else could
it is he that reveals things to come to his servants and prophets. He
does himself perfectly discern and distinguish that which is most
closely and most industriously concealed, for he will bring into
judgment every secret thing; the truth will be evident in the great
day. He knows what is in the darkness, and what is done in the
darkness, for that hides not from him,
Ps. cxxxix. 11, 12.
The light dwells with him, and he dwells in the light
and yet, as to us, he makes darkness his pavilion. Some
understand it of the light of prophecy and divine revelation, which
dwells with God and is derived from him; for he is the Father of
lights, of all lights; they are all at home in him.
Secondly, For that he had made this discovery to him. Here he
has an eye to God as the God of his fathers; for, though the
Jews were now captives in Babylon, yet they were beloved for their
father’s sake. He praises God, who is the fountain of wisdom and
might, for the wisdom and might he had given him, wisdom to know this
great secret and might to bear the discovery. Note, What wisdom and
might we have we must acknowledge to be God’s gift. Thou hast made
this known to me,
v. 23.
What was hidden from the celebrated Chaldeans, who made the
interpreting of dreams their profession, is revealed to Daniel, a
captive-Jew, a babe, much their junior. God would hereby put honour
upon the Spirit of prophecy just when he was putting contempt
upon the spirit of divination. Was Daniel thus thankful to God
for making known that to him which was the saving of the lives of him
and his fellows? Much more reason have we to be thankful to him for
making known to us the great salvation of the soul, to us and not to
the world, to us and not to the wise and prudent.
(2.) The respect he puts upon his companions in this thanksgiving.
Though it was by his prayers principally that this discovery was
obtained, and to him that it was made, yet he owns their partnership
with him, both in praying for it (it is what we desired of thee)
and in enjoying it–Thou hast made known unto us the king’s
matter. Either they were present with Daniel when the discovery was
made to him, or as soon as he knew it he told it them (heureka,
heureka—I have found it, I have found it), that those
who had assisted him with their prayers might assist him in their
praises; his joining them with him is an instance of his humility and
modesty, which well become those that are taken into communion with
God. Thus St. Paul sometimes joins Sylvanus, Timotheus, or some other
minister, with himself in the inscriptions to many of his epistles.
Note, What honour God puts upon us we should be willing that our
brethren may share with us in.
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24 Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king had
ordained to destroy the wise men of Babylon: he went and said
thus unto him; Destroy not the wise men of Babylon: bring me in
before the king, and I will show unto the king the
interpretation.
25 Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste, and
said thus unto him, I have found a man of the captives of Judah,
that will make known unto the king the interpretation.
26 The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was
Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which
I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?
27 Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The
secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the
astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, show unto the king;
28 But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and
maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the
latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed,
are these;
29 As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon
thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that
revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass.
30 But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any
wisdom that I have more than any living, but for their sakes
that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that
thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart.
We have here the introduction to Daniel’s declaring the dream, and the
interpretation of it.
I. He immediately bespoke the reversing of the sentence against the
wise men of Babylon,
He went with all speed to Arioch, to tell him that his commission was
now superseded: Destroy not the wise men of Babylon. Though
there were those of them perhaps that deserved to die, as magicians, by
the law of God, yet here that which they stood condemned for was not a
crime worth of death or of bonds, and therefore let them not die, and
be unjustly destroyed, but let them live, and be justly shamed,
as having been nonplussed and unable to do that which a prophet of the
Lord could do. Note, Since God shows common kindness to the evil and
good, we should do so too, and be ready to save the lives of even bad
men,
A good man is a common good. To Paul in the ship God gave the souls of
all that sailed with him; they were saved for his sake. To Daniel was
owing the preservation of all the wise men, who yet rendered not
according to the benefit done to them,
II. He offered his service, with great assurance, to go to the king,
and tell him his dream and the interpretation of it, and was admitted
accordingly,
Arioch brought him in haste to the king, hoping to ingratiate himself
by introducing Daniel; he pretends he had sought him to interpret the
king’s dream, whereas really it was to execute upon him the king’s
sentence that he sought him. But courtiers’ business is every way to
humour the prince and make their own services acceptable.
III. He contrived as much as might be to reflect shame upon the
magicians, and to give honour to God, upon this occasion. The king
owned that it was a bold undertaking, and questioned whether he could
make it good
(v. 26):
Art thou able to make known unto me the dream? What! Such a babe
in this knowledge, such a stripling as thou are, wilt thou undertake
that which thy seniors despair of doing? The less likely it appeared
to the king that Daniel should do this the more God was glorified in
enabling him to do it. Note, In transmitting divine revelation to the
children of men it has been God’s usual way to make use of the weak
and foolish things and persons of the world, and such as
were despised and despaired of, to confound the wise and
mighty, that the excellency of the power might be of him,
Daniel from this takes occasion,
1. To put the king out of conceit with his magicians and soothsayers,
whom he had such great expectations from
(v. 27):
“This secret they cannot show to the king; it is out of their
power; the rules of their art will not reach to it. Therefore let not
the king be angry with them for not doing that which they cannot do;
but rather despise them, and cast them off, because they cannot do it.”
Broughton reads it generally: “This secret no sages, astrologers,
enchanters, or entrail-cookers, can show unto the king; let not the
king therefore consult them any more.” Note, The experience we have of
the inability of all creatures to give us satisfaction should lessen
our esteem of them, and lower our expectations from them. They are
baffled in their pretensions; we are baffled in our hopes from them.
Hitherto they come, and no further; let us therefore say to them, as
Job to his friends, Now you are nothing; miserable comforters are
you all.
2. To bring him to the knowledge of the one only living and true God,
the God whom Daniel worshipped: “Though they cannot find out the
secret, let not the king despair of having it found out, for there
is a God in heaven that reveals secrets,”
Note, The insufficiency of creatures should drive us to the
all-sufficiency of the Creator. There is a God in heaven (and it
is well for us there is) who can do that for us, and make known that to
us, which none on earth can, particularly the secret history of the
work of redemption and the secret designs of God’s love to us therein,
the mystery which was hidden from ages and generations; divine
revelation helps us out where human reason leaves us quite at a loss,
and makes known that, not only to kings, but to the poor of this world,
which none of the philosophers or politicians of the heathens, with all
their oracles and arts of divination to help them, could ever pretend
to give us any light into,
IV. He confirmed the king in his opinion that the dream he was thus
solicitous to recover the idea of was really well worth enquiring
after, that it was of great value and of vast consequence, not a common
dream, the idle disport of a ludicrous and luxuriant fancy, which was
not worth remembering or telling again, but that it was a divine
discovery, a ray of light darted into his mind from the upper world,
relating to the great affairs and revolutions of this lower world. God
in it made known to the king what should be in the latter days
(v. 28),
that is, in the times that were to come, reaching as far as the setting
up of Christ’s kingdom in the world, which was to be in the latter
days,
Heb. i. 1.
And again
(v. 29):
“The thoughts which came into thy mind were not the repetitions
of what had been before, as our dreams usually are”–
| Omnia quæ sensu volvuntur vota diurno
Tempore sopito reddit amica quies– The sentiments which we indulge throughout the day often mingle with the grateful slumbers of the night. |
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CLAUDIAN. |
“But they were predictions of what should come to pass
hereafter, which he that reveals secrets makes known unto
thee; and therefore thou art in the right in taking the hint and
pursuing it thus.” Note, Things that are to come to pass hereafter are
secret things, which God only can reveal; and what he has revealed of
those things, especially with reference to the last days of all, to the
end of time, ought to be very seriously and diligently enquired into
and considered by every one of us. Some think that the thoughts
which are said to have come into the king’s mind upon his bed, what
should come to pass hereafter, were his own thoughts when he was awake.
Just before he fell asleep, and dreamed this dream, he was musing in
his own mind what would be the issue of his growing greatness, what his
kingdom would hereafter come to; and so the dream was an answer to
those thoughts. What discoveries God intends to make he thus prepares
men for.
V. He solemnly professes that he could not pretend to have merited from
God the favour of this discovery, or to have obtained it by any
sagacity of his own
(v. 30):
“But, as for me, this secret is not found out by me, but is
revealed to me, and that not for any wisdom that I have more
than any living, to qualify me for the receiving of such a
discovery.” Note, It well becomes those whom God has highly favoured
and honoured to be very humble and low in their own eyes, to lay aside
all opinion of their own wisdom and worthiness, that God alone may have
all the praise of the good they are, and have, and do, and that all may
be attributed to the freeness of his good-will towards them and the
fulness of his good work in them. The secret was made known to him not
for his own sake, but,
1. For the sake of his people, for their sakes that shall make known
the interpretation to the king, that is, for the sake of his
brethren and companions in tribulation, who had by their prayers helped
him to obtain this discovery, and so might be said to make known the
interpretation–that their lives might be spared, that they might come
into favour and be preferred, and all the people of the Jews might fare
the better, in their captivity, for their sakes. Note, Humble men will
be always ready to think that what God does for them and by them is
more for the sake of others than for their own.
2. For the sake of his prince; and some read the former clause
in this sense, “Not for any wisdom of mine, but that the king may
know the interpretation, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of
thy heart, that thou mightest have satisfaction given thee as to
what thou wast before considering, and thereby instruction given thee
how to behave towards the church of God.” God revealed this thing to
Daniel that he might make it known to the king. Prophets receive that
they may give, that the discoveries made to them may not be lodged with
themselves, but communicated to the persons that are concerned.
| Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream Interpreted. | B. C. 603. |
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31 Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great
image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and
the form thereof was terrible.
32 This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his
arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass,
33 His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.
34 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands,
which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay,
and brake them to pieces.
35 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the
gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the
summer threshing-floors; and the wind carried them away, that no
place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image
became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.
36 This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation
thereof before the king.
37 Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven
hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.
38 And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the
field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand,
and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of
gold.
39 And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee,
and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over
all the earth.
40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as
iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron
that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.
41 And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’
clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there
shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou
sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.
42 And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part
of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly
broken.
43 And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they
shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not
cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.
44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set
up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom
shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces
and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the
mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the
brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath
made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the
dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.
Daniel here gives full satisfaction to Nebuchadnezzar concerning his
dream and the interpretation of it. That great prince had been kind to
this poor prophet in his maintenance and education; he had been brought
up at the king’s cost, preferred at court, and the land of his
captivity had hereby been made much easier to him than to others of his
brethren. And now the king is abundantly repaid for all the expense he
had been at upon him; and for receiving this prophet, though not in the
name of a prophet, he had a prophet’s reward, such a reward as a
prophet only could give, and for which that wealthy mighty prince was
now glad to be beholden to him. Here is,
I. The dream itself,
Nebuchadnezzar perhaps was an admirer of statues, and had his palace
and gardens adorned with them; however, he was a worshipper of images,
and now behold a great image is set before him in a dream, which
might intimate to him what the images were which he bestowed so much
cost upon, and paid such respect to; they were mere dreams. The
creatures of fancy might do as well to please the fancy. By the power
of imagination he might shut his eyes, and represent to himself what
forms he thought fit, and beautify them at his pleasure, without the
expense and trouble of sculpture. This was the image of a man erect:
It stood before him, as a living man; and, because those
monarchies which were designed to be represented by it were admirable
in the eyes of their friends, the brightness of this image
was excellent; and because they were formidable to their
enemies, and dreaded by all about them, the form of this image
is said to be terrible; both the features of the face and the
postures of the body made it so. But that which was most remarkable in
this image was the different metals of which it was composed–the
head of gold (the richest and most durable metal), the breast
and arms of silver (the next to it in worth), the belly and
sides (or thighs) of brass, the legs of iron (still baser
metals), and lastly the feet part of iron and part of clay. See
what the things of this world are; the further we go in them the less
valuable they appear. In the life of a man youth is a head of gold, but
it grows less and less worthy of our esteem; and old age is half clay;
a man is then as good as dead. It is so with the world; later
ages degenerate. The first age of the Christian church, of the
reformation, was a head of gold; but we live in an age that is iron and
clay. Some allude to this in the description of a hypocrite, whose
practice is not agreeable to his knowledge. He has a head of gold, but
feet of iron and clay: he knows his duty, but does it not. Some observe
that in Daniel’s visions the monarchies were represented by four beasts
(ch. vii.),
for he looked upon that wisdom from beneath, by which they were turned
to be earthly and sensual, and a tyrannical power, to have more in it
of the beast than of the man, and so the vision agreed with his notions
of the thing. But to Nebuchadnezzar, a heathen prince, they were
represented by a gay and pompous image of a man, for he was an admirer
of the kingdoms of this world and the glory of them. To him the
sight was so charming that he was impatient to see it again. But what
became of this image? The next part of the dream shows it to us
calcined, and brought to nothing. He saw a stone cut out of the quarry
by an unseen power, without hands, and this stone fell upon the feet
of the image, that were of iron and clay, and broke them
to pieces; and then the image must fall of course, and so the gold,
and silver, and brass, and iron, were all broken to pieces together,
and beaten so small that they became like the chaff of the summer
threshing-floors, and there were not to be found any the least
remains of them; but the stone cut out of the mountain became
itself a great mountain, and filled the earth. See how God can
bring about great effects by weak and unlikely causes; when he pleases
a little one shall become a thousand. Perhaps the destruction of
this image of gold, and silver, and brass, and iron, might be intended
to signify the abolishing of idolatry out of the world in due time. The
idols of the heathen are silver and gold, as this image was, and
they shall perish from off the earth and from under these
heavens,
Jer. x. 11; Isa. ii. 18.
And whatever power destroys idolatry is in the ready way to magnify and
exalt itself, as this stone, when it had broken the image to pieces,
became a great mountain.
II. The interpretation of this dream. Let us now see what is the
meaning of this. It was from God, and therefore from him it is fit that
we take the explication of it. It should seem, Daniel had his fellows
with him, and speaks for them as well as for himself, when he says,
We will tell the interpretation,
v. 36.
Now,
1. This image represented the kingdoms of the earth that should
successively bear rule among the nations and have influence on the
affairs of the Jewish church. The four monarchies were not represented
by four distinct statues, but by one image, because they were all of
one and the same spirit and genius, and all more or less against the
church. It was the same power, only lodged in four different nations,
the two former lying eastward of Judea, the two latter westward.
(1.) The head of gold signified the Chaldean monarchy, which was
now in being
(v. 37, 38):
Thou, O king! art (or rather, shalt be) a king of
kings, a universal monarch, to whom many kings and kingdoms shall
be tributaries; or, Thou art the highest of kings on earth at
this time (as a servant of servants is the meanest servant);
thou dost outshine all other kings. But let him not attribute his
elevation to his own politics or fortitude. No; it is the God of
heaven that has given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and
glory, a kingdom that exercises great authority, stands firmly, and
shines brightly, acts by a puissant army with an arbitrary power. Note,
The greatest of princes have no power but what is given them from
above. The extent of his dominion is set forth
(v. 38),
that wheresoever the children of men dwell, in all the nations
of that part of the world, he was ruler over them all, over them
and all that belonged to them, all their cattle, not only those which
they had a property in, but those that were feræ
naturæ—wild, the beasts of the field and
the fowls of the heaven. He was lord of all the woods, forests,
and chases, and none were allowed to hunt or fowl without his leave.
Thus “thou art the head of gold; thou, and thy son, and thy
son’s son, for seventy years.” Compare this with
especially
There were other powerful kingdoms in the world at this time, as that
of the Scythians; but it was the kingdom of Babylon that reigned over
the Jews, and that began the government which continued in the
succession here described till Christ’s time. It is called a
head, for its wisdom, eminency, and absolute power, a head of
gold for its wealth
(Isa. xiv. 4);
it was a golden city. Some make this monarchy to begin in Nimrod, and
so bring into it all the Assyrian kings, about fifty monarchs in all,
and compute that it lasted above 1600 years. But it had not been so
long a monarchy of such vast extent and power as is here described, nor
any thing like it; therefore others make only Nebuchadnezzar,
Evil-merodach, and Belshazzar, to belong to this head of gold;
and a glorious high throne they had, and perhaps exercised a more
despotic power than any of the kings that went before them.
Nebuchadnezzar reigned forty-five years current, Evil-merodach
twenty-three years current, and Belshazzar three. Babylon was their
metropolis, and Daniel was with them upon the spot during the seventy
years.
(2.) The breast and arms of silver signified the monarchy of the
Medes and Persians, of which the king is told no more than this,
There shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee
(v. 39),
not so rich, powerful, or victorious. This kingdom was founded by
Darius the Mede and Cyrus the Persian, in alliance with each other, and
therefore represented by two arms, meeting in the breast. Cyrus was
himself a Persian by his father, a Mede by his mother. Some reckon that
this second monarchy lasted 130 years, others 204 years. The former
computation agrees best with the scripture chronology.
(3.) The belly and thighs of brass signified the monarchy of the
Grecians, founded by Alexander, who conquered Darius Codomannus, the
last of the Persian emperors. This is the third kingdom, of
brass, inferior in wealth and extent of dominion to the Persian
monarchy, but in Alexander himself it shall by the power of the sword
bear rule over all the earth; for Alexander boasted that he had
conquered the world, and then sat down and wept because he had not
another world to conquer.
(4.) The legs and feet of iron signified the Roman monarchy.
Some make this to signify the latter part of the Grecian monarchy, the
two empires of Syria and Egypt, the former governed by the family of
the Seleucidæ, from Seleucus, the latter by that of the
Lagidæ, from Ptolemæus Lagus; these they make the two legs
and feet of this image: Grotius, and Junius, and Broughton, go this
way. But it has been the more received opinion that it is the Roman
monarchy that is here intended, because it was in the time of that
monarchy, and when it was at its height, that the kingdom of Christ was
set up in the world by the preaching of the everlasting gospel. The
Roman kingdom was strong as iron
(v. 40),
witness the prevalency of that kingdom against all that contended with
it for many ages. That kingdom broke in pieces the Grecian
empire and afterwards quite destroyed the nation of the Jews. Towards
the latter end of the Roman monarchy it grew very weak, and branched
into ten kingdoms, which were as the toes of these feet. Some of these
were weak as clay, others strong as iron,
Endeavours were used to unite and cement them for the strengthening of
the empire, but in vain: They shall not cleave one to another,
v. 43.
This empire divided the government for a long time between the senate
and the people, the nobles and the commons, but they did not entirely
coalesce. There were civil wars between Marius and Sylla, Cæsar
and Pompey, whose parties were as iron and clay. Some refer this to the
declining times of that empire, when, for the strengthening of the
empire against the irruptions of the barbarous nations, the branches of
the royal family intermarried; but the politics had not the desired
effect, when the day of the fall of that empire came.
2. The stone cut out without hands represented the kingdom of
Jesus Christ, which should be set up in the world in the time of the
Roman empire, and upon the ruins of Satan’s kingdom in the kingdoms
of the world. This is the stone cut out of the mountain without
hands, for it should be neither raised nor supported by human power
or policy; no visible hand should act in the setting of it up, but it
should be done invisibly the Spirit of the Lord of hosts. This
was the stone which the builders refused, because it was not cut
out by their hands, but it has now become the head-stone of the
corner.
(1.) The gospel-church is a kingdom, which Christ is the sole and
sovereign monarch of, in which he rules by his word and Spirit, to
which he gives protection and law, and from which he receives homage
and tribute. It is a kingdom not of this world, and yet set up
in it; it is the kingdom of God among men.
(2.) The God of heaven was to set up this kingdom, to give
authority to Christ to execute judgment, to set him as King upon his
holy hill of Zion, and to bring into obedience to him a willing
people. Being set up by the God of heaven, it is often in the New
Testament called the kingdom of heaven, for its original is
from above and its tendency is upwards.
(3.) It was to be set up in the days of these kings, the kings
of the fourth monarchy, of which particular notice is taken
(Luke ii. 1),
That Christ was born when, by the decree of the emperor of Rome, all
the world was taxed, which was a plain indication that that empire
had become as universal as any earthly empire ever was. When these
kings are contesting with each other, and in all the struggles each of
the contending parties hopes to find its own account, God will do his
own work and fulfil his own counsels. These kings are all
enemies to Christ’s kingdom, and yet it shall be set up in defiance of
them.
(4.) It is a kingdom that knows no decay, is in no danger of
destruction, and will not admit any succession or revolution. It shall
never be destroyed by any foreign force invading it, as many
other kingdoms are; fire and sword cannot waste it; the combined powers
of earth and hell cannot deprive either the subjects of their prince or
the prince of his subjects; nor shall this kingdom be left to other
people, as the kingdoms of the earth are. As Christ is a monarch
that has no successor (for he himself shall reign for ever), so his
kingdom is a monarchy that has no revolution. The kingdom of God was
indeed taken from the Jews and given to the Gentiles
but still it was Christianity that ruled, the kingdom of the Messiah.
The Christian church is still the same; it is fixed on a rock, much
fought against, but never to be prevailed against, by the gates of
hell.
(5.) It is a kingdom that shall be victorious over all opposition. It
shall break in pieces and consume all those kingdoms, as the
stone cut out of the mountain without hands broke in pieces the
image,
The kingdom of Christ shall wear out all other kingdoms, shall
outlive them, and flourish when they are sunk with their own weight,
and so wasted that their place knows them no more. All the
kingdoms that appear against the kingdom of Christ shall be broken with
a rod of iron, as a potter’s vessel,
Ps. ii. 9.
And in the kingdoms that submit to the kingdom of Christ tyranny, and
idolatry, and every thing that is their reproach, shall, as far as the
gospel of Christ gets ground, be broken. The day is coming when Jesus
Christ shall have put down all rule, principality, and power,
and have made all his enemies his footstool; and then this
prophecy will have its full accomplishment, and not till then,
Our savior seems to refer to this
when, speaking of himself as the stone set at nought by the Jewish
builders, he says, On whomsoever this stone shall fall, it
will grind him to powder.
(6.) It shall be an everlasting kingdom. Those kingdoms of the earth
that had broken in pieces all about them at length came, in
their turn, to be in like manner broken; but the kingdom of Christ
shall break other kingdoms in pieces and shall itself stand for
ever. His throne shall be as the days of heaven, his seed, his
subjects, as the stars of heaven, not only so innumerable, but so
immutable. Of the increase of Christ’s government and
peace there shall be no end. The Lord shall reign for ever,
not only to the end of time, but when time and days shall be no more,
and God shall be all in all to eternity.
III. Daniel having thus interpreted the dream, to the satisfaction of
Nebuchadnezzar, who gave him no interruption, so full was the
interpretation that he had no question to ask, and so plain that he had
no objection to make, he closes all with a solemn assertion,
1. Of the divine original of this dream: The great God (so he
calls him, to express his own high thoughts of him, and to beget the
like in the mind of this great king) has made known to the king what
shall come to pass hereafter, which the gods of the magicians could
not do. And thus a full confirmation was given to that great argument
which Isaiah had long before urged against idolaters, and particularly
the idolaters of Babylon, when he challenged the gods they worshipped
to show things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that you
are gods
(Isa. xli. 23),
and by this proved the God of Israel to be the true God, that he
declares the end from the beginning,
Isa. xlvi. 10.
2. Of the undoubted certainty of the things foretold by this dream. He
who makes known these things is the same that has himself designed and
determined them, and will by his providence effect them; and we are
sure that his counsel shall stand, and cannot be altered, and
therefore the dream is certain and the interpretation thereof
sure. Note, Whatever God has made known we may depend upon.
| Nebuchadnezzar’s Honours Daniel. | B. C. 603. |
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46 Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and
worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an
oblation and sweet odours unto him.
47 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, and a
revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret.
48 Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many
great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of
Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of
Babylon.
49 Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego, over the affairs of the province of
Babylon: but Daniel sat in the gate of the king.
One might have expected that when Nebuchadnezzar was contriving to make
his own kingdom everlasting he would be enraged at Daniel, who foretold
the fall of it and that another kingdom of another nature should be the
everlasting kingdom; but, instead of resenting it as an affront, he
received it as an oracle, and here we are told what the expressions
were of the impressions it made upon him.
1. He was ready to look upon Daniel as a little god. Though he saw him
to be a man, yet from this wonderful discovery which he had made both
of his secret thoughts, in telling him the dream, and of things to
come, in telling him the interpretation of it, he concluded that he had
certainly a divinity lodged in him, worthy his adoration; and therefore
he fell upon his face and worshipped Daniel,
v. 46.
It was the custom of the country by prostration to give honour to
kings, because they have something of a divine power in them (I have
said, You are gods); and therefore this king, who had often
received such veneration from others, now paid the like to Daniel, whom
he supposed to have in him a divine knowledge, which he was so struck
with an admiration of that he could not contain himself, but forgot
both that Daniel was a man and that himself was a king. Thus did God
magnify divine revelation and make it honourable, extorting from
a proud potentate such a veneration but for one glimpse of it. He
worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an
oblation to him, and burn incense. Herein he cannot be justified,
but may in some measure be excused, when Cornelius was thus ready to
worship Peter, and John the angel, who both knew better. But, though it
is not here mentioned, yet we have reason to think that Daniel refused
these honours that he paid him, and said, as Peter to Cornelius,
Stand up, I myself also am a man, or, as the angel to St. John,
See thou do it not; for it is not said that the oblation was
offered unto him, though the king commanded it, or rather said
it, for so the word is. He said, in his haste, Let an oblation
be offered to him. And that Daniel did say something to him which
turned his eyes and thoughts another way is intimated in what follows
(v. 47),
The king answered Daniel. Note, It is possible for those to
express a great honour for the ministers of God’s word who yet have no
true love for the word. Herod feared John, and heard him
gladly, and yet went on in his sins,
2. He readily acknowledged the God of Daniel to be the great God, the
true God, the only living and true God. If Daniel will not suffer
himself to be worshipped, he will (as Daniel, it is likely, directed
him) worship God, by confessing
(v. 47),
Of a truth your God is a God of gods, such a God as there is no
other, above all gods in dignity, over all gods in dominion. He is a
Lord of kings, from whom they derive their power and to whom
they are accountable; and he is both a discoverer and a revealer of
secrets; what is most secret he sees and can reveal, and what he
has revealed is what was secret and which none but himself could
reveal,
3. He preferred Daniel, made him a great man,
God made him a great man indeed when he took him into communion with
himself, a greater man than Nebuchadnezzar could make him; but, because
God had magnified him, therefore the king magnified him. Does wealth
make men great? The king gave him many great gifts; and he had
no reason to refuse them, when they all put him into so much the
greater capacity of doing good to his brethren in captivity. These
gifts were grateful returns for the good services he had done, and not
aimed at, nor bargained for, by him, as the rewards of divination were
by Balaam. Does power make a man great? He made him ruler over the
whole province of Babylon, which no doubt had great influence upon
the other provinces; he made him likewise chancellor of the university,
chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon, to
instruct those whom he had thus outdone; and, since they could not do
what the king would have them do, they shall be obliged to do what
Daniel would have them do. Thus it is fit that the fool should be
servant to the wise in heart. Seeing Daniel could reveal this
secret
(v. 47),
the king thus advanced him. Note, It is the wisdom of princes to
advance and employ those who receive divine revelation, and are much
conversant with it, who, as Daniel here, show themselves to be well
acquainted with the kingdom of heaven. Joseph, like Daniel here, was
advanced in the court of the king of Egypt for his interpreting his
dreams; and he called him Zaphnath-paaneah–a revealer of
secrets, as the king of Babylon here calls Daniel; so that the
preambles to their patents of honour are the same–for, and in
consideration of, their good services done to the crown in revealing
secrets.
4. He preferred his companions for his sake, and upon his special
instance and request,
Daniel himself sat in the gate of the king, as president of the
council, chief-justice, or prime-minister of state, or perhaps
chamberlain of the household; but he used his interest for his friends
as became a good man, and procured places in the government for
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Those that helped him with their
prayers shall share with him in his honours, such a grateful sense had
he even of that service. The preferring of them would be a great stay
and help to Daniel in his place and business. And these pious Jews,
being thus preferred in Babylon, had great opportunity of serving their
brethren in captivity, and of doing them many good offices, which no
doubt they were ready to do. Thus, sometimes, before God brings his
people into trouble, he prepares it, that it may be easy to them.
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