Daniel 2:14
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: 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:
Daniel calmly met the king's executioner with wise and prudent counsel, asking why the death decree was so hasty and urgent when he and his fellows were sought to be slain. The crisis came because Nebuchadnezzar demanded that Babylon's wise men reveal both his forgotten, troubling dream and its meaning under threat of death and promise of reward, which they could not do. Having learned the cause, Daniel boldly sought the king to ask for time in faith that his God would give the interpretation, then joined Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah in earnest prayer until God revealed the secret in a night vision. God thereby enabled him to make known and explain the dream and save the wise men of Babylon, proving that heaven-given understanding succeeds where the magicians and astrologers failed. His wisdom came from close connection with God crowning diligent training and education, showing that living faith united with thorough preparation fits God's people to stand in strait places.
Crisis and Calm Response
The verse belongs to the crisis over Nebuchadnezzar's troubling dream, which he could not remember or understand. He demanded that Babylon's wise men reveal both the dream itself and its interpretation, threatening them with death if they failed and promising rewards and honor if they succeeded. They were unable to do it, and asked him to tell them the dream first.
In his anger the king ordered the destruction of all the wise men of Babylon. Arioch the captain of the king's guard went forth to carry out the order to kill them. Daniel and his fellows were therefore sought to be slain and faced the threat of death.
Daniel met that deadly crisis by answering Arioch with counsel and wisdom rather than retaliation. Calmly and wisely he asked why the king's decree was so urgent and hasty. After learning the cause, that the king was troubled by a dream his trusted advisers could not explain, Daniel risked presenting himself before the king to request time. Declaring in faith in the God he served, he promised to bring the matter before God and show the interpretation.
He then united with Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah in prayer to the God of heaven for mercies, wisdom, power and deliverance from the decree. They prayed together until the secret of the forgotten dream and its interpretation was revealed in a night vision. God thus enabled Daniel to understand the dream so he could make it known and explain it, making the image's meaning clear. By this he helped save the wise men of Babylon from death. What he did for Nebuchadnezzar in making known the forgotten dream and its interpretation took place many years before Belshazzar's feast, and that deed is why the queen-mother remembered him at that feast.
Divine Wisdom and Example
The happenings gathered around this verse laid open the power and faithfulness of the God of Israel. When Nebuchadnezzar's decree went forth to destroy Babylon's wise men, Daniel met the deadly crisis with counsel and wisdom, asked the king for time, and called his companions to seek God's mercy, and God revealed the secret to him, proving that divine wisdom succeeds where the court's claimed wisdom fails. His God-given understanding surpassed that of Babylon's magicians and astrologers, and God thereby exposed their inability to recover the king's forgotten dream.
God gives heavenly understanding to those who depend on Him rather than being captivated by Babylon's splendor, and He can make human wisdom and scientific power appear inadequate so that His superior wisdom is recognized. Daniel's wise conduct grew out of close connection with God and diligent application in obtaining an education, with heavenly wisdom crowning human effort by giving understanding in all learning and wisdom and in visions and dreams.
His history proves that thorough training united with living faith prepares God's people to stand the test in strait places, while God will not supply deficiencies caused by mental and spiritual indolence. It stands as admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come. The chapter to which the verse belongs is a fitting subject for public Bible teaching and exposition of prophecy.