Dan 2:17-18 | KingComments | STEP | When Daniel hears about the threat to be killed, he does not shy away from the problem. He first asks what is going on, why there is such a hurry. Daniel does not allow himself to be tempted to act hastily. He goes to the king and asks for time. That is courageous, because the king has already given the order that the wise men should be killed. The way Daniel addresses the king is a testimony of faith. He promises the king that he will give him the explanation. In , he testifies that the explanation does not come from himself, but that God has revealed the explanation. Here, however, Daniel does not yet know anything about the dream, but he is aware that there is a God who reveals “profound and hidden things” ( ). Because Daniel has a living faith in God and trusts Him unconditionally, he can speak to the king in this way. In his speech, no pretention can be heard. He is not self-assured, but asks for time. He asks no delay to explore all kinds of clever possibilities and to plan to escape the imminent danger. He uses the postponement to share his needs with his friends and pray together for the situation (cf. ). Faith leads to dependence on God. In this prayer, a common prayer, they pray to “the God of heaven”. They approach God in the right attitude, without the pretention of being His people. They ask mercy from Him, that they may not be put to death.

‏ Daniel 2:17-18

Reaction of Daniel

When Daniel hears about the threat to be killed, he does not shy away from the problem. He first asks what is going on, why there is such a hurry. Daniel does not allow himself to be tempted to act hastily. He goes to the king and asks for time. That is courageous, because the king has already given the order that the wise men should be killed.

The way Daniel addresses the king is a testimony of faith. He promises the king that he will give him the explanation. In Dan 2:28, he testifies that the explanation does not come from himself, but that God has revealed the explanation. Here, however, Daniel does not yet know anything about the dream, but he is aware that there is a God who reveals “profound and hidden things” (Dan 2:22). Because Daniel has a living faith in God and trusts Him unconditionally, he can speak to the king in this way.

In his speech, no pretention can be heard. He is not self-assured, but asks for time. He asks no delay to explore all kinds of clever possibilities and to plan to escape the imminent danger. He uses the postponement to share his needs with his friends and pray together for the situation (cf. Acts 4:23-31). Faith leads to dependence on God. In this prayer, a common prayer, they pray to “the God of heaven”. They approach God in the right attitude, without the pretention of being His people. They ask mercy from Him, that they may not be put to death.