THOUGHTS ON THE BOOK OF DANIEL.
VERSE 46. Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshiped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odors 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 Abed-nego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon: but Daniel sat in the gate of the king. We have dwelt quite at length on the interpretation of the dream, which Daniel made known to the Chaldean monarch. From this we must now recall our minds to the palace of Nebuchadnezzar, and to Daniel as he stands in the presence of the king, having made known to him the dream and the interpretation thereof, while the courtiers, and the baffled soothsayers, and astrologers, wait around in silent awe and wonder. It might be expected that a youthful monarch, raised to the highest earthly throne, and in the full flush of uninterrupted success, would scarcely brook to be told that his kingdom, which he designed to last forever, and doubtless fondly hoped would so last, was to be overthrown by another people. Yet Daniel plainly and boldly made known this fact to the king; and the king so far from being offended, fell upon his face before the prophet of God, and offered him worship. Daniel doubtless immediately countermanded the orders which the king issued to pay him divine honors. That Daniel had some communication with the king which is not here recorded is evident from verse 47: “The king answered unto Daniel,” &c. And it may be still further inferred that Daniel labored to turn the king’s feelings of reverence from himself to the God of Heaven, inasmuch as the king replies, “Of a truth it is that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings.” Then the king made Daniel a great man. There are two things which in this life are specially considered to make a man great, and both these Daniel received from the king. 1. Riches. A man is considered great if he is a man of wealth; and we read that the king gave him many and great gifts. 2. Power. If in conjunction with riches, a man has power, certainly in popular estimation he is considered a great man; and this was bestowed upon Daniel in abundant measure. He was made ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon. Thus speedily and abundantly did Daniel begin to be rewarded for his fidelity to his own conscience, and the requirements of God. So great was Balaam’s desire for the presents of a certain heathen king, that he endeavored to obtain them in spite of the Lord’s expressed will to the contrary, and thus signally failed. Daniel did not act with a view to obtaining these presents; yet by maintaining his integrity with the Lord, they were given abundantly into his hands. His advancement, both with respect to wealth and power, was a matter of no small moment with him, as it enabled him to be of benefit to his fellow-countrymen less favored than himself in their long captivity. Daniel did not become bewildered nor intoxicated by his signal victory and his wonderful advancement. He first remembers the three who were companions with him in anxiety respecting the king’s matter; and as they had helped him with their prayers, he determines that they shall share with him in his honors. At his request, they were placed over the affairs of Babylon; while Daniel himself sat in the gate of the king. The gate was the place where councils were held, and matters of chief moment were deliberated upon. The record is a simple declaration that Daniel became chief counselor to the king.