“Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.” – Proverbs 29:25
As we continue to look at the courageous life of Daniel, we see that Daniel was able to remain courageous because God always kept him safe.
Chapters 2 and 5 describe two different situations where Daniel was called upon to interpret the dream of a king. In chapter 2, none of the king’s astrologers and wise men could interpret the dream. As a result, they were put to death. So now it is Daniel’s turn. No pressure right? I’d call that a pretty intimidating position to be in.
In chapter 5, King Belshazzar was throwing a party for a thousand of his nobles, when all of a sudden, a hand appeared and wrote several words on a wall. Again, no one could interpret the meaning, and Daniel was summoned to interpret.
In Daniel 5:11-12, the queen basically tells the king about Daniel. She says, “There is a man in your kingdom who has a spirit of the holy gods in him.” She went on to say, “he was found to have insight, intelligence, and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods.” She told the king of a previous king who had appointed Daniel chief of all his nobles because of his ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve problems.
The king offered Daniel greater status, wealth, and a promotion if he could correctly interpret the words. But Daniel declined the gifts, which would have also been insulting to the king.
But here is what you need to see: Daniel didn’t fear the king. He feared God. And that is pretty clear despite the fact that the king had a history of killing people that gave bad interpretations. Daniel went on to interpret the words on the wall, and he delivered some really bad news to the king in doing so.
The message said: the king’s days are numbered; the king has been weighed on a scale and found wanting, and the king’s kingdom will be divided. The king knew the interpretation was correct, but he chose to promote Daniel anyway. Probably to appease Daniel’s God and spare his own life, but the king died that same night.
Daniel was not afraid because he knew who was protecting him. Is God calling you to be courageous? What must you do that will require an act of courage? God shows us time and time again that when we are obedient, He will always keep us safe! What then is there to truly be afraid of?