Page 72 - Daniel

Daniel, now fully in command of the situation, told Arioch not to
destroy the wise men of Babylon. This is another confirmation of the fact
that the decree had not been executed and the potential victims were
only in the process of being rounded up. In support of his request Daniel
declared, “I will show the king the interpretation.” Daniel’s poise reveals

that he fully understood that God’s hand was upon him.
Arioch saw at once the importance of what had happened and, using

his office to introduce Daniel to the king, attempted to get as much
credit as he could under the circumstances for discovering a man who
could reveal the secret. His statement “I have found” was obviously
designed to help him participate in the reward. It is understandable that
Arioch would not give God the credit for the interpretation.

The introduction of Daniel also served to disassociate him from the
wise men who had previously incurred the king’s wrath. Although there
is no mention of Daniel’s previous audience with the king that probably
at the time had only the king’s briefest attention, now the eager king

immediately asked Daniel, “Are you able to make known to me the
dream that I have seen and its interpretation?” The form of the sentence
makes the knowledge of the dream the prominent part of the question.
Daniel’s Babylonian name, Belteshazzar, was understandably inserted
here as a means of proper identification.

Daniel’s answer is a masterpiece of setting the matter in its proper
light and giving God the glory. Although the temptation to imagine that
he had supernatural powers was possibly present, Daniel immediately
declared that what had been revealed to him was a secret that no wise

men of Babylonia could have discovered (cf. Gen. 41:16). The repetition
of all classes of the wise men is an indication that no branch of
Babylonian religious superstition could possibly have met the king’s
need.

In describing the wise men, Daniel used a word to describe the
“astrologers” with reference to the idea that astrologers believe various
parts of the heavens have particular significance or power. By using this
specific word, Daniel was preparing the way to introduce his God as the
God of the whole heavens. By stating that the wise men could not be
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expected to reveal the secret, Daniel was, in effect, defending them
somewhat from the king’s wrath while at the same time affirming their