Good News in Daniel!

An alert pastor in Montana has written us a helpful thought about our recent look at Daniel 2. You remember, when the king was so exasperated at the false pretensions of his so-called "wise men" that he ordered their destruction, young Daniel "saved" them. He sent word to the king, "Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon. . . I will tell the king the interpretation" (2:24). (Incidentally, this unselfish love on the part of Daniel marks this book as genuine; no ordinary "novelist" making up this story in pre-Christian times would have "invented" such an attitude of "grace" toward totally undeserving people).

Daniel and his three Israelite companions were corporately one with the group of doomed "wise men" ("Arioch, the captain of the king's guard" was getting ready to execute them too, vs. 15). The pagan "wise men" did not ask Daniel to save them; their salvation was totally due to his initiative. They knew nothing of Daniel's plan or purpose and had no appreciation of his unselfish act or his character. There is no record that even one said "Thanks."

The genuineness of one person meant redemption for every other scoundrel in the corporate group. In a real sense, before the eyes of the king of Babylon Daniel "justified" them; his righteousness was accepted for the unrighteous ones - before they knew anything about it. And instead of manifesting heart-felt gratitude, the same "wise men" later tried maliciously to have Daniel destroyed in the lion's den (ch 6).

The alert Montana pastor rightly sees here a type of Christ:
(1) We, "the world," were doomed to perish.
(2) "We" did not ask to be saved.
(3) "We" did not deserve to be saved.
(4) "We" knew nothing of the divine plan instituted to save us.
(5) "We" had no appreciation of the act or the character of our Savior.
(6) One Person's righteous act (Christ's cross) brought to "all men" "the free gift of many offences unto justification" (Rom 3:16, 18).
(7) "We" the world live today because One died for us, yet it was "we" who maliciously crucified Him, and the world doesn't know nor appreciate Him.

Someone must tell them! Thanks, David Wilson.

Have you been blessed/challenged?