Read Daniel 2

The Kingdom That Shall Stand Forever

The power of the Babylonians was unmatched in their day. The king, Nebuchadnezzar, had a dream that troubled him, and no man seemed to be able to interpret the dream for him. Angry with their incompetence, Nebuchadnezzar put to death many of the wise men, and sought to execute Daniel and his companions as well. Daniel, however, stepped up and told the king the meaning of his dream.

Nebuchadnezzar dreamed of a great image with a head of fine gold, a chest and arms of silver, belly and thighs of bronze, legs of iron and feet of iron mixed with clay. The image was then destroyed by a stone, and that stone because a great mountain.

Daniel explained to the king that the head of gold is Babylon; the power that Nebuchadnezzar enjoyed was given to him by God. Another kingdom would come after Babylon, inferior to Babylon, then another, and another.

We can now look back through history and identify these kingdoms that followed Babylon. The chest and arms of silver represented the Medo-Persian Empire, in power from 539-330 BC. The belly and thighs of bronze prefigured the Greeks, in power from 330-63 BC, initially led by Alexander the Great. The legs of iron and feet of iron mixed with clay represented the Roman Empire.

Daniel explains that during the days of that fourth kingdom, that is the Roman Empire, another kingdom would arise. “And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever” (Daniel 2:44).

We are now many years removed from the Roman Empire, but that kingdom that God set up, prophesied by Daniel, still exists. Jesus, who lived during the time of the Caesars, told His disciples that upon their confession of Him as the Son of God, He would build His church, “and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:13ff). In that same passage, Jesus equated the church to the kingdom.

Are you in God’s kingdom, the church? It is the only kingdom that will stand forever.

Read Daniel 1

What Do You Purpose In Your Heart?

The Babylonian captivity was predicted by Jeremiah, and Daniel was one of the young men who was carried away at the beginning of the captivity. He was among the youths “in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand, who had ability to serve in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the language and literature of the Chaldeans” (Daniel 1:4).

There was something different about Daniel, though. The Scriptures state that this young man “purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank” (Daniel 1:8). He requested an exemption from the customary diet of the eunuchs.

The chief of the eunuchs was leery about the request, as it could endanger his own life if the young men who ate differently became unhealthy because of their diet. Daniel issued a ten-day challenge and told the chief of the eunuchs that if their appearance was worse than the others, “as you see fit, so deal with your servants” (Daniel 1:13).

Daniel was not just trying to be difficult. He was well-liked by the man in charge, as the Scriptures say, “Now God had brought Daniel into the favor and goodwill of the chief of the eunuchs” (Daniel 1:9). The young man likely did as he was told without complaint, and thus the chief of the eunuchs was more willing to listen to his request.

As children of God, should we not try to get along with those around us, and with those over us? If we behave in a reasonable manner as employees, would our employers not deal more reasonably with us? If a situation arises at work that might cause us to compromise our Christian walk, and we have behaved properly in the past, our employers are more likely to listen to our concerns than if we were always difficult and always complaining.

Daniel was well-liked because his heart was in the right place. He “purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself.” Do we do the same? Are we so committed to the Lord that we make a conscious decision that no matter what, we will not stray from His command?

Consider your goals, your dreams, and your desires. What do you purpose in your heart?