The Book of Daniel by Editor

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jul 30, 1908

The Book of Daniel

By Editor

The Reward of Faithfulness

THE EDITOR

Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshiped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odors unto him. The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth your God is the God of gods, and the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou hast been able to reveal this secret. Then the king made Daniel great, and gave him many great gifts, and made him to rule over the whole province of Babylon, and to be chief governor over all the wise men of Babylon. And Daniel requested of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon: but Daniel was in the gate of the king. Dan. 2: 46-49.

The Testimony of Josephus

THERE is an interesting passage in the writings of Josephus relating to the dream of Nebuchadnezzar and its interpretation, with a clear intimation as to the application of the symbol of the stone “cut out without hands.” From his chapter, “Concerning Daniel, and What Befell Him at Babylon,” the following quotation is taken:—

“Wherefore as thou [Nebuchadnezzar] in thy sleep wast solicitous concerning those that should succeed thee in the government of the whole world, God was desirous to show thee all those that should reign after thee; and to that end exhibited to thee the following dream: Thou seemedst to see a great image standing before thee; the head of which was of gold, the shoulders and arms of silver, the belly and the thighs of brass; but the legs and feet of iron. Thou then sawest a stone broken off from a mountain, which fell upon the image, and threw it down, and brake it to pieces, and did not permit any part of it to remain whole; but the gold, the silver, the iron, and the brass, became smaller than meal; which, upon the blast of a violent wind, was forcibly carried away, and scattered abroad; but the stone increased to such a degree that the whole earth beneath it seemed to be filled therewith. This is the dream which thou sawest, and its interpretation is as follows: The head of gold denotes thee, and the kings of Babylon that have been before thee. But the two hands and arms signify that thy government shall be dissolved by two kings. But another king that shall come from the west, armed with brass, shall destroy that government. And another government that shall be like unto iron, shall put an end to the power of the former, and shall have dominion over all the earth; on account of the nature of iron which is stronger than that of gold, or silver, or brass.” Daniel also declared the meaning of the stone to the king; but I do not think it proper to relate it; since I have only undertaken to describe things past, or things present; and not the things that are future. Yet if any one be so desirous of knowing truth, as not to waive such points of curiosity, and can not curb his inclination for understanding the uncertainties of futurity, and whether they will happen or not, let him diligently read the book of Daniel, which he will find among the sacred writings.”—Antiquities of The Jews, Book 10, Chapter X, paragraph 4.

From this quotation it is evident that Josephus understood that in his time the dream had been fulfilled so far as the four earthly kingdoms were concerned, and it seems altogether likely that he regarded the stone as the symbol of the Messiah, whose coming was still future according to the belief of the Jews.

History in Advance

The whole course of history from the time of Nebuchadnezzar until the present bears unimpeachable testimony to the truthfulness of the simple statement made by the youthful captive in Babylon: “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.” But this revelation was not given for the benefit of Nebuchadnezzar alone. The events of more than twenty-five centuries have been filling in the details of this brief outline of the world’s history, until, according to the clear fulfilment of other prophecies, the time is just at hand for the setting up of the fifth kingdom.

What an opening up of the future to the mind of the king of Babylon! What a strange providence that such a foreview should be given, not to some representative of the chosen people but to a heathen king. The purpose, however, is clear. The chosen people had failed to communicate to the world that gospel of the kingdom which had been committed unto them. But the purpose of God was not thus to be frustrated. Having given into his hands all the nations of the earth, the God of heaven now made himself known to Nebuchadnezzar, in order that the heaven-sent message might thus reach all peoples. The method employed was a most convincing one. The dream which the king could not recall, and which the wise men of Babylon were unable to make known to him, was related by Daniel, who took no credit to himself for his ability to do this, but repeatedly pointed out that the God of heaven was dealing with Nebuchadnezzar. The dream was doubtless recognized by Nebuchadnezzar as being the very one which troubled his sleep, and thus was furnished a basis of confidence in the truthfulness of the interpretation.

God Acknowledged

That the God of heaven, who had thus made himself known, was far superior to all the gods of Babylon was at once recognized by Nebuchadnezzar, who paid special honors to Daniel as the instrument used, but recognized Daniel’s God as the one who had made known to him the mysteries of the future and as worthy of all exaltation. “The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth your God is the God of gods, and the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou hast been able to reveal this secret.” Although this acknowledgment of God is not sufficient evidence that the heart of Nebuchadnezzar was converted, and that he yielded himself as a servant of the Most High, yet it was a great step for the Babylonian monarch to take in the face of all the traditions of his realm, and, as the sequel proves, was one of the experiences which contributed directly to his complete conversion.

Personal Religion

The experience of Daniel is a notable illustration of the principle that a right personal relation with God is of the first consideration, and that such an experience is the best preparation for discharging the highest responsibilities of life. The unswerving loyalty of Daniel to the King of heaven, and the unbroken fellowship maintained with him, which prepared the way for the revelation in himself

of the mystery of the kingdom, and that through him this mystery should be made known to Nebuchadnezzar and the world, brought to the young Hebrew captive the first position of influence in the greatest kingdom of earth, and furnished him with that wisdom which enabled him to discharge his important duties with credit to himself and satisfaction to the king.

A Great Empire

The responsibilities which rested upon Daniel as ruler “over the whole province of Babylon” may be more fully appreciated by noting the extent of territory included in this expression. Of this Rawlinson says:—

“From these sources [the books of Jeremiah, Daniel, Kings, and Chronicles] we learn that the Babylonian empire of this time embraced on the one hand the important country of Susiana or Elymais (Elam), while on the other it ran up the Euphrates at least as high as Carchemish, from thence extending westward to the Mediterranean, and southward to, or rather perhaps into, Egypt. The Apocryphal book of Judith enlarges these limits in every direction. That the Nabuchodonosor of that work is the reminiscence of the real Nebuchadnezzar there can be no doubt. The territories of that monarch are made to extend eastward, beyond Susiana, into Persia; northward to Nineveh; westward to Cilicia in Asia Minor; and southward to the very borders of Ethiopia. Among the countries under his sway are enumerated Elam, Persia, Assyria, Cilicia, Cœle-Syria, Syria of Damascus, Phenicia, Galilee, Gilead, Bashan, Judea, Philistia, Goshen, and Egypt generally. The passage of Berosus is of a more partial character. It has no bearing on the general question of the extent of the Babylonian empire, but, incidentally, it confirms the statements of our other authorities as to the influence of Babylon in the West. It tells us that Cœle-Syria, Phenicia, and Egypt, were subject to Nabopolasar, and that Nebuchadnezzar ruled, not only over these countries, but also over some portion of Arabia.”—Seven Great Monarchies, Three Volume Edition, Vol. II, pages 123, 124.

Daniel and Joseph

The remarkable change from Daniel the captive in Babylon, to Daniel the ruler “over the whole province of Babylon,” and the “chief governor over all the wise men of Babylon,” can perhaps be paralleled only by the experience of Joseph, who was taken from the prison to be chief ruler over Egypt, and in both cases the ability to tell and to interpret a dream was the direct cause of the promotion.

Witnesses in Babylon

Although thus suddenly elevated to high position, Daniel did not forget his companions who had united with him in prayer to the God of heaven, and at his request the king “appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon.” Thus these four young men whose loyalty to principle had prevented them from defiling themselves “with the king’s dainties,” and “with the wine which he drank,” occupied leading positions in the administration of the government of Babylon, and had the widest opportunity afforded to them to reveal in the practical affairs of life the superiority of that wisdom which is imparted through personal fellowship with the God of heaven. Although these young men were in Babylon, they were not of Babylon, and thus were they fitted to proclaim in Babylon the principles of the kingdom of heaven. The influential positions which they occupied did not lead them to exalt themselves, but rather to make known in all the province of Babylon the meekness and righteousness of a true servant of the living God.