#mike daniel

Mike Daniel South Carolina - A Governor of South Carolina

Daniel 10

Michael

"Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words.” V12

Daniel 6 / Michael

In GOT, traditionally the king appoints 4 Wardens - Warden of the North, East, South, and West to control vast territories and armies all at once. Daniel was a Warden of sorts. He was one of three high officials set over the entire nation. But the king then decided to create an even higher position for him and have him rule over everyone else including the other 2 high officials. In good old fashioned GOT style, of course, several leaders object and plan to have him killed.

Things that stuck out to me:

The way Daniel had impacted the king caused the king to love and respect him. The moment Darius found out Daniel had broken the law, he V14 set his mind to deliver him. And he labored till the sun went down to rescue him. Later that night he couldn’t sleep. And the next morning, V19 at the break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions. The language used to describe Darius’s actions showed a preference and an emotional attachment toward Daniel. I’m not perfect but God has allowed me to find favor among many of my clients. It feels so good to have a CEO or other high ranking person back you up and applaud you for your work.

Daniel had a crucial and consistent prayer life. V10 doesn’t say that after Daniel found out the document had been signed, he did something he had never done before and went up to pray in front of others to spite them. Instead it says, He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God as he had done previously. Him having a consistent prayer life helped him to pray when he could’ve been killed for it. I wonder why we don’t hear that much about the personal prayer lives of the prophets, it feels refreshing to get to look into Daniel’s life. It’s so different from the Pharisees who would pray loudly standing in synagogues and street corners to be seen my others. I like that we see Daniel’s pattern and posture of prayer too. He prayed on his knees and prayed at least 3 times a day. If Daniel had an excellent spirit in him and was one of a nation’s highest ranking officials and yet he had to pray, then who do I think I am? Me not praying consistently reveals my heart. I don’t need God and don’t desire to be used by him on a daily basis. I live to build my own kingdom than His.

Daniel 5 / Michael

Reflections:

When I read this passage of how people were partying in the middle of a war and right before their death, indulging in luxury living, drinking and eating, and mocking the true God while praising false gods, I can’t help but think of how it also reflects the spirit of our age. (Reminds me of the Britney Spears song ’Till The World Ends’ where people are literally dancing until the world ends: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3Lqg-46mDo). People who say in their heart, ‘let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die.’ They know death is coming and they want to go out with a bang. If they can only have the world for one more hour, then, they’ll embrace all of it. I imagine they might even think that it’s too late to repent and turn to the Lord. I wonder if the king in this passage had repented, if God would’ve saved his life. I’m then drawn to Revelation 18 where God compares the fall of Babylon in this passage to the fall of a future Mystery Babylon. God’s judgement against this future Babylon is severe and His command to believers is clear. ‘Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues; for her sins are heaped high as heaven.’…As she glorified herself and lived in luxury.’ People debate over what this future Babylon represents but at its simplest, I think it’s a call for us believers to examine whether we love the world or whether we live a life that has been called out of the world. Daniel was not found indulging and partying with the rest of Babylon. He resolutely speaks of her judgement. V23 “The God who holds your breath and owns all your ways, you have not glorified.”

Observations:

This party was most likely going in in the middle of a siege. The Medo-Persian army was most likely right outside Babylon’s walls about to break in. Perhaps the King was confident that they could not be defeated or he wanted one last hooray before he died.

'His carefree party was so shallow that it turned from merry to terrified in a moment.’ -Enduring Word

“The writing on the wall he could not understand nor read; but his conscience had written bitter things against him, which now being held in God’s wrath become legible.” -Trapp

Daniel was not partying with the rest of the people while during the ‘end of the world.’

V23 “The God who holds your breath and owns all your ways, you have not glorified.”

"If God held Belshazzar responsible, my friend, for the ray of light which shone across his pathway, what will He say to men living in the blaze of light which illuminates the world today? Every unconverted man in this country has more light than Belshazzar had.” (Talbot)

Daniel 4 / Michael

A Poem:

One of the most moving stanzas by one of Britain’s greatest poets (Hopkins) was an unconventional hymn of praise to God who is both shocking like a bolt of lightning in a stormy sky but who is also at the same time tender and nurturing like an infatuated lover. This poem reminds me of something King Neb might have written about his own testimony of who God was. So much of these words must’ve struck a chord with him.

Man’s malice, with wrecking and storm.

Beyond saying sweet, past telling of tongue,

Thou art lightning and love, I found it, a winter and warm;

Father and fondler of heart thou hast wrung;

Hast thy dark descending and most art merciful then.

-Hopkins

Through King Neb’s testimony, we see a glimpse into our own testimonies of how God wrecks and wrestles with our sin, pride, and self dependency. And then in due time, after repentance, restores us.

Observations:

'Malice, wrecking, storm, lightning, winter, wrung hearts' describe a relentless God who is bent on receiving the glory due to His name. God wrecked King Neb’s comfortable life one night in V4, I was at ease in my house and prospering in my palace. I saw a dream that made me afraid. God disrupts the comfortable life he had set up with a horrifying vision. In V13, it says he saw ‘a holy one, came down from Heaven. He proclaimed out loud…chop down the tree.’ God’s plan was to wrestle the pride out of his heart by making him lowly. The preceding verse talk about giving him the mind of a beast of the field. All the splendor and power he had was taken away in an instance and the king becomes a beast. (Disney must’ve ripped off their idea for beauty and the beast from the bible). 

‘Sweet, past telling of tongue, love, warm, merciful’ are also words used to describe God in the poem. We see God’s love and mercy through King Neb’s life. He chases after sinners rather than leaves them on their path to destruction. He values him too much to let King Neb destroy himself with pride but instead forges Christ-like characteristics in him. He doesn’t destroy him right away after the king built the statue of himself but gives him a second dream. He sends Daniel to interpret it for him, uses Daniel to call him to repentance, V27 'break off your sins by practicing righteousness.’ His Kingdom isn’t removed completely but the root of the tree is left in the ground. He is also given a full 12 months to repent before this judgement comes to pass. Lastly, God finally restores him and his kingdom after he repents. God does all this because of King Neb’s pride and his disbelief in the Lord. (In V8, we see that he still does not consider the LORD his God).

Reflections:

V34 At the end of the days, I lifted my eyes to Heaven, and my reason returned to me. What a poignant ending to the long suffering King Neb endured. I imagine him in the dirt, with grass covering his body, mud between his toes, stomach groaning, barely recognizable as hair covered his body, at last looking upward toward Heaven after 7 long ‘periods of time’ - and the clouds finally part and like in Shawshank Redemption - the rain pours down and he is vindicated. Suffering is hard but there is such beauty when a stubborn heart is broken down. It takes the power of God to humble a person to depend on Him. Like King Neb says, V37 ‘those who walk in pride, he is able to humble. And his response after all that suffering is incredible. He says in V35 ‘none can stay his hand or say to him What have you done?’ God could just humble the proud and that’d be just but He also exalts the humble. There is always mercy to be found when I lift up my eye to the hills.

V28 Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty. Living for self glory was enough for God to turn the king into a beast.

Daniel 3 / Michael

V18 Let it be known to you O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up

There are so many excuses they could’ve given to themselves to bow down to the image. Here are a few I feel like I might’ve done.

I’ll just bow down out of honor to my King as a good citizen. When in rome, be like the Romans.

God only cares about my heart and in my heart He knows that I worship Him and not the king. I can bow down with my body but in my heart I will never bow down.

I’m in such a powerful position of political influence, I don’t think God would want me to die and lose that influence. I could do so much more for God alive than dead.

I’ve already obeyed God once by not eating food from the King’s table, therefore I can let this one slip.

Everyone around me - my friends, coworkers, the king, people from all tribes and nations are doing it, why insult those who I have been called to witness to?

God has already abandoned us and left us to die in this foreign nation, our people are scattered, our temple is destroyed, God has taken so much away from me so why would I care about serving Him?

Bowing down only takes a couple of seconds. No one really pays attention or cares or even notices.

The book of Daniel shows us how to live faithful lives while living in a foreign nation that opposes God. Daniel and his 3 friends are only able to obey God in ‘big’ ways because they were faithful in the small things. These 3 friends could resist bowing down to the image only because they had resisted from eating the King’s food. If they had compromised at first, then it would’ve been much harder not to compromise again. And there’s so many excuses they could’ve given but their speech to the King is firm. Let it be known to you O king that we do not serve your gods. 

Daniel 2 / Michael

Observations:

King Neb had dreams. More like nightmares. They lasted a long time - it says during the second year of his reign. They were troubling him. We usually dream about familiar people or familiar events but these dreams were strange and foreign.

They must’ve had dream interpreters back then. They were superstitious. God can speak to us through dreams.

God gave these dreams to a non believing Gentile and not to His own people. Why not give them to Daniel? Do I believe God gives spiritual dreams of significance to nonbelievers today?

Interpreting the dream was a high risk situation. There were severe consequences for misinterpreting the dream. King Neb promised to kill them and destroy their homes/families? There was also great reward in interpreting it.

V9. King Neb would not be fooled. He knew how easy it was to BS dream interpretation so he calls them to tell him what his dream was.

The power of all their enchanters and sorcerers is completely powerless in this situation. They admit their weakness and say only God could answer him - which also means that God was not with the Chaldeans.

V11. No one can show it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh. God is about to show the kingdom of Babylon that the God of the Israelites does chose to pour out His spirit and pursue a relationship with mankind through Daniel. And then in the NT, it says "the word became flesh and dwelt among us". And then at Pentecost, He gives us the indwelling holy spirit - the very spirit of God which lives in us. Crazy.

Daniel and his friends gets caught up in the consequences of the sorcerers failings. They are going to kill him too. He is considered a wise men of Babylon.

V14 Daniel replied with prudence and discretion. I would’ve freaked out. Maybe ran away. But I imagine Daniel being calm as he asks for the reason of this.

It’s interesting that Daniel wasn’t brought to the King’s court first. Daniel was not yet known as being capable of dream interpretation. Perhaps Daniel didn’t know of his gift yet either. But if he did know, he must’ve not showed it off and flaunted it.

Daniel, not even knowing King Neb’s dream, boldly makes an appointment with him and tell him his dream. He places himself in a situation where God needs to come through else he dies and everyone else too.

V17, Daniel made the matter known to…his companions and told them to seek mercy from God of heaven concerning this mystery. In this dire situation, Daniel immediately tells his friends and tells them to pray.

Daniel, Hannaniah, Mishael, and Azariah must’ve had such a close friendship. I imagine that they shared everything together and kept one another accountable and prayed for each other constantly.

God shows up and reveals the dream and the meaning of the dream of Daniel. This must’ve happened immediately because the situation was so dire. In V25, it says Daniel was brought before the king in haste.

Dang this is like real dream interpretation. It’s not hey tell me your dream then I’ll interpret it. But God actually gives both the interpretation as well as the dream itself to Daniel. This is definitely a step up from the Chaldeans.

Can you imagine receiving a dream like his where you are taken deep into the future and see a succession of Kingdoms which eventually lead to the Kingdom of God being established? Daniels’ prayer in verse 20-23 gives us insight to how he must’ve felt. I really like V22, where it says, “he reveals deep and hide things”.

What a scary and somewhat offensive dream to tell King Neb. It must’ve been not easy. It wasn’t a dream about how Babylon will prosper but how it will be destroyed and every other kingdom until God’s Kingdom is established. Imagine being invited to the President of China’s court and telling him that his kingdom will not last and that it would be destroyed until eventually the kingdom of the God that I serve completely overtakes yours and every other kingdom. China to this day prevents pastors from preaching the end times particularly for this reason.

V24. Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon. Daniel’s first response is to look after the welfare of other wise men. Perhaps he was thinking about his friends. For me, I would’ve welcomed the destruction of those false sorcerers. I would’ve been like, you have no power, your work is all a scam, stop what you’re doing or die. But Daniel must’ve felt so humbled since God was the one who gave him this ability.

V26 Daniel gives God all the credit. When King Neb asks, are you able to make known to me this dream, Daniel responds by saying no one can [including himself], but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. Then in V30, he says, this mystery has been revealed to me not because of any wisdom that I have more than all of the living.

V46 is so moving. I imagine the moment Daniel began to speak about the dream, King Neb got goosebumps…like oh my God, he knew exactly what I dream of. Then King Neb fell upon his face. The king of the greatest empire on earth at the time, gets down on his face and bows down to one man and to His God. Such is the power of my God! Kings will bow before him. And I get to be used by God as his messenger!? I imagine how sad Daniel must’ve been thinking that while Gentile kings are worshiping the Lord, his own people, the Israelites, his own family perhaps, were rebelling against him.

Daniel looks out for his friends and wisely also appoints them to leadership positions.

Personal Reflections/Applications:

Though in chapter 1 it says Daniel was given understanding in dreams and visions, and also that he was wiser than all the king’s wise men, Daniel’s heart is still in a posture of dependence. He doesn’t let his gifting cause him to depend on the Lord any less. He could’ve just been like, I know I’m the smartest and the best so I’ll just do it myself but instead he goes to his friends and asks for prayer. I think asking for others for help is a very humbling thing. Each of us in our accountability group is talented in various ways, but do we still go to the Lord in dependence? I remember when I got my very first freelance video project. It was a music video for Jaeson Ma. I remember just being wholly and completely dependent on God and immediately got to praying. How will I chose to depend on either myself or God for future projects?

I love that God provided Daniel with friends who also loved the Lord. I imagine the profession of a prophet being very lonely as most are. I see most of them serving alone. But God was so gracious to give Daniel his 3 friends. And we see that Daniel has a close relationship with them and goes to them to share secret inside stuff and asks for prayer. God placed friends around each of us for a reason. When we come together to advance God’s kingdom, and pray for one another, there is synergy! 1+1=3! We are surrounded by brothers and friends every day. Do we take advantage of this?