THE MAN HIGHLY ESTEEMED BY GOD

(A) 5 July
“Again the one who looked like a man touched me and gave me strength. ‘Do not be afraid, you who are highly esteemed,’ he said. ‘Peace! Be strong now, be strong.’ (Daniel 10:18)

Daniel had a vision of God, and as a result, he was extremely weakened. He had to be strengthened before he could be strong enough to receive the word from the Lord. But what ‘stands out’ is the address to Daniel: “You are highly esteemed”. God has a high regard for Daniel. It may be helpful to ponder on why God has such a view of Daniel, and to emulate the example and life of Daniel if we seek to have God’s approval also in our lives.

Daniel and his 3 friends were among the young men chosen from the royal family and nobility who were deported to Babylon after king Jehoakim was defeated by the Babylonians. These young men showed good aptitude for learning and understanding and were chosen to serve in the palace of the king of Babylon. (Daniel chapter 1)
The first positive trait we see in Daniel’s life was that he refused to be defiled with the royal food and wine and asked to be given vegetables instead. This reflects his devotion to God and his desire to be kept ‘pure’ before the Lord. Given his background from a noble family and royalty, one would expect a young man to live ‘frivolously’, especially as he lived among those who were pronounced to be displeasing and defiled before God, and were the cause that incurred God’s judgment on the nation. It is uncommon for a young man in the midst of luxury and plenty to develop purity and holiness of life.

What is even more commendable in Daniel’s response was that even though he was just a young man, taken away from home and family, with his nation in disarray and under the judgment of God, he could still hold on to his walk with God and even refuse to compromise God’s standards for his life.
Many of us in such a difficult and ‘distressed’ state would be ‘complaining’ against God and wondering why God has ‘abandoned’ us and delivered us into the hands of the ‘enemy’. Loneliness, away from friends and fellowship; uncertainty about the future; thrown into a ‘pagan’ culture and environment – it is not easy to ‘survive’, not to say anything about being ‘victorious’ for God and his people. Is it not true that we so often grumble and complain when the situations in our life become inconvenient, stressful, and God seems so far and does not seem to care? We yearn for comfort and encouragement and there was none, even among believers and in the church; those around us are instead unfriendly, even antagonistic against our values and outworking. Remember Daniel and his example and do not lose sight of God in such circumstances.

Daniel did not forget God’s teachings in his young days; he took God’s word and teachings seriously – and this in no small way was contributory to his positive response subsequently. Learning from the Old Testament and Torah was not just listening to biblical stories; Daniel assimilated the word of God in his life – although he was young, he developed convictions which stood him in good stead subsequently. Does this describe our approach and attitude towards the teaching and learning of God’s Word? Are our understanding and learning of the Bible just intellectual knowledge and not applicable to real situations of life? Not so for Daniel.

We need to learn from Daniel to develop right perspectives and convictions in our lives. Let us not just be fair-weathered Christians who crumble at the slightest pressure from our environment and people of the world, and even uncommitted believers.
Many Christians, it seems, do not appreciate what has happened to them in their new birth and are careless about obeying and pleasing God; many more have desperate struggles against long-standing sinful habits that in effect have become addictions to unrighteousness, and they often lose the battles they fight; and there are many who evidently think that it does not matter whether or not one strives to perfect holiness of life. But it does matter! For without a purpose of holiness (purity of heart), there can be no authentic Christian living that is pleasing to God. Daniel demonstrated for us what it means to pursue after God and purity of life, even in difficult and trying circumstances, away from fellowship and encouragement (many of us feel so alone as we seek to be true to God), without any visible development that things would get better, and also facing the possibility of rejection and persecution from those who do not believe in God. May Daniel, who subsequently became one highly esteemed by God, be our example and inspiration as we seek to live authentic lives of radical discipleship and true worship.

(B)
The king asked Daniel, ‘Are you able to tell me what I saw in my dreams and interpret it?’ Daniel replied, ‘No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come.” (Daniel 2:26-28a)

Prior to this incident, the king had insisted that the wise men and magicians in his kingdom tell him what was his dream, and gave him the interpretation.They replied to the king, saying, ‘There is not a person on earth who can do what the king asked…What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods, and they do not live among human beings’ (Daniel 2:10-11).
Following this, the king was so enraged that he sought to kill all the wise men of Babylon; however, Daniel, on hearing this, requested for time to pray to God and to ask God for mercy for him and his three friends. And God revealed the dream to Daniel in a vision during the night.

Note Daniel’s response:
“Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him. I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors: you have given me wisdom and power, you have made known to me what we asked of you, you have made known to us the dream of the king.”

We need to recall the serious and precarious state Daniel and his three friends were in – they were on the verge of being put to death by the king because they were among the wise men of Babylon. Instead of panic, anger and despair, Daniel and his three friends acted wisely and sought time to pray to God for mercy. And when God did respond positively, Daniel’s response was one of praise, thanksgivings, and he extolled God for his greatness, wisdom, power, knowledge, and sovereignty over kings and lords of the earth. Even when he was given the opportunity by the king of Babylon to claim his own wisdom in being able to know what the other wise men could not, Daniel immediately referred the king to the reality of the God in heaven who revealed mysteries. Daniel was in effect saying that the revelation came from God and not from himself, and that God is the one who deserves all the glory.

The response of Daniel to the king, and his praise and honour given to God for answering his prayer – it revealed the heart and humility of this young man. He affirmed that he knew God in an intimate way, and he knew his proper place before the almighty. There was no attempt to claim credit for himself; no indication of pride and self-centredness. Certainly, this is outstanding to be seen in a man who was relatively young in age. His immediate reaction to pray to God as he faced a crisis, and his positive influence on his three friends, clearly showed his practical outworking of godliness and dependence on God.

Humility, giving glory to God, praising God and extolling Him, a prayerful spirit, and boldness before the king (this will be seen again subsequently) – all these are characteristics of godliness and spiritual maturity. No wonder he later earned the description ‘highly esteemed by God’.
Let us look to God to help us nurture such qualities in our lives, if not from a young age like Daniel’s, but even now for those of us who are old and apparently have been ‘going to church and reading the Bible’ for so many years of our lives. The reality of these qualities would be tested in times of crisis and in times when we are at our ‘wits’ end’. Will we go through them and come out from them with God pronouncing approval for our response?

(C) 6 July
“But you,Belshazzar, his son, ‘have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this. Instead you have set yourself up against the Lord of heaven. You had the goblets from his temple brought to you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand. But you did not honour the God who holds in his hand your life and your ways”. (Daniel 5:22-23)

The context is the appearance of the writing on the walls which terrified king Belshazzar during his banquet, and Daniel was called to interpret the writing.
Contrast this with: “At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezza, raised my eyes towards heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honoured and glorified him who lives for ever”. (Daniel 4:34a)

When Daniel referred to the fact that king Belshazzar knew how the great king Nebuchadnezza was humbled by God and was ‘insane’ for some time, eating grass like the ox, and his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird, yet Belshazzar did not acknowledge the God of heaven like his predecessor. It was pride and self-glory that led God to humble Nebuchadnezza, one who was ruler of a vast great empire, and eventually he learned to humble himself before God. But Belshazzar prided himself before his wives, noblemen, and praised the gods of Babylon instead of praising God who holds his life in his hands.
Here is a sober reminder that pride is very odious before God; it was pride that led Satan to rebel against God and seek to be god himself; and it continues to be pride that leads to the downfall of many, including those in the church. Pride does not allow the one who is proud to acknowledge God, to honour him, and to give him all the glory that he rightly deserves.

But we want to focus on the statements and stance of Daniel before king Belshazzar. Firstly, notice the boldness and courage of Daniel – he was not afraid to rebuke the king – and the kings of Babylon were well known for killing anyone they disliked – yet Daniel stood for God’s honour and glory in the face of someone who had the authority to punish him or dispose of him.
Earlier on, when Daniel was promised a reward by the king if he could interpret the writing on the wall, Daniel replied, “You may keep your gifts for yourself and give your rewards to someone else. Nevertheless, I will read the writing for the king and tell him what it means” (Daniel 5:17).
To respond in this manner to an ungodly cruel pagan king was unheard of; it borders on ‘rudeness’ and being dismissive – yet Daniel was demonstrating that he did not look for reward or approval in doing God’s will – all he wanted was to do what God directed him to do. How different this is, even for believers, who seek man’s approval and also yearn for rewards of various kinds in doing what is needful in God’s kingdom! But also notice again the boldness and courage of Daniel as a true and faithful servant of God.

Faith fosters courage and endurance by inducing purity of heart in those who are under pressure and suffering distress. As one theologian said, “purity of heart is to will one thing” – that one thing being the command and glory of God. This purity is advanced by the experience of suffering, as Christians grow in awareness that the life God is leading them into is lined with “blood, toil, tears, and sweat.”
The world’s allurements become much less alluring, and Christians know with great clarity of mind that a close walk with the Father and the Son, leaning hard on them and drawing strength from them through the Holy Spirit, is both what they need and what they want. God, in his faithfulness, allows afflictions in our lives to make us lean harder on him, that his purpose of drawing us into closest fellowship with him may be fulfilled. We constantly need to be asking God to enable us to do the right things in the right way (with love and hope and zeal and courage) and only the Holy Spirit who indwells us can bring that about.
But Daniel, many years back, demonstrated that zeal and courage for the glory of God, despite the dangers to his own well-being and life.

Years later, when Darius the Mede was ruling the kingdom, the chief ministers and satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel because of envy and jealousy. To his credit, Daniel was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent in his duty before the king; they finally concluded that the only way to have a basis to press false charges against him was to do it with the law of Daniel’s God. What a testimony Daniel manifested! Can this be said of our life – that we are trustworthy, dependent and not negligent in our duties wherever God places us?? Note also the ugliness and evil of envy and jealousy.
We know the rest of the ‘story’; they caused Daniel to be thrown into the lions’ den because Daniel continued to pray to God despite the edict (deceitfully effected by the evil individuals) of the king.
What needs to be noticed is that the king himself sought every means to rescue Daniel and he was distressed that there was no way out because the edict could not be changed. The king himself refused food and could not sleep after Daniel was thrown into the lions’ den. Here again, we see the positive impact of Daniel’s life and testimony that even a pagan king appreciated him and cared for his welfare.

We see the faithfulness of Daniel in his devotion to God, and he continued to be faithful to God even knowing full well that his life would be in danger if he continued his times of devotion before God; his faithfulness to God and his devotion to God was coupled with his courage and zeal for the Lord God.
To be persecuted and wronged for the sake of God is to be expected by those who genuinely follow Him in the path of radical discipleship and true worship. Let us not suffer for doing wrong; instead let us rejoice at the privilege of suffering for the Master who gave his life for us. Such was the example and testimony of Daniel, the man highly esteemed by God.

(D) 8 July
“In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom – in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.” (Daniel 9:1-3)

As we ponder on the life of Daniel and God’s pronouncement on him as the man esteemed by God, we note that Daniel was one who understood the Scripture. In this case, he understood the word of the Lord given to prophet Jeremiah that the captivity and exile of the people of God will last 70 years. When the 70th year arrived, Daniel turned to God and pleaded with him in prayer, petition, fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.

Daniel was one who understood the Scripture, implying that he must have spent much time reading, meditating and studying God’s word. And Daniel was not just doing this for intellectual knowledge; he sought to understand God’s teachings and God’s will, not only for himself, but also for all the people of God. And this led him to intense prayer – it includes petition, fasting and pleading with God – he knew that although God had predicted through Jeremiah that the exile and captivity of God’s people will last 70 years, Daniel realised his need to plead with God to fulfil this intention, and not to remain passive and conclude that he had no part in seeking God’s will in this matter.

The characteristic of the man esteemed by God is his life of radical discipleship and worship; this can be seen in his prayer life, his dependence on God, his understanding and knowledge of God and his will (albeit also in his diligence in studying and appreciating the Scripture). Such an individual longs for God’s will, God’s glory and honour, not only for his own life, but also for the collective life of God’s people.

From verse 4 onwards, we see Daniel identifying himself with the people of God; he acknowledged the sin and failure of God’s people and he included himself among them. Daniel pleaded with God for forgiveness and mercy for him and his people; he acknowledged God’s holiness and that God’s judgment on his people was not only in order, but also in line with God’s faithfulness and righteousness. There was no excuse on the part of the people; Daniel knew that God was acting in accordance to who He is, and his only plea is to cry for mercy and forgiveness from the Lord God.
We need to note also that Daniel’s prayer and petition was for God’s sake; he was dismayed that God’s name and glory would be tarnished when God’s people were looked upon with disdain when they dwelt in shame and captivity.
In other words, Daniel was jealous for God’s glory and God’s name; he was one who felt together with God and cared for the honour of his Lord and King.

As Christians today, how do we fare in comparison to Daniel in the areas of our prayer-life, our knowledge and application of Scripture, our concern for God’s glory and honour and our concern also for the spiritual state of God’s people?
Are we just preoccupied with our own lives, and just resigned with the poor spiritual state of other believers, not realising deeply that we belong to the same body? As a local church, are we just preoccupied that our church is doing well, and not concerned for other churches that are struggling and doing poorly in God’s eyes?
Not so with Daniel. It is no wonder that God highly esteemed Daniel, who was a man after God’s heart!

(E) 9 July
“While I was still praying, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. He instructed and said to me, ‘Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding. As soon as you began to pray, a word went out, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed. Therefore, consider the word and understand the vision:” (Daniel 9:20-23)

Notice that Daniel’s prayer for understanding was answered very swiftly. Consider this: Daniel was given an insight and understanding about the future; not just the near future but the distant future, about God’s eternal plan of salvation for his people, what will take place subsequently, until the consummation at the end.

Note:
“..Go your way, Daniel, because the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end. Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand but those who are wise will understand…..As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance.” (Daniel 12:9,11)

These words to Daniel were in response to the earlier communication between the Lord and Daniel.
“,,,There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people – everyone whose name is found written in the book – will be delivered. Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever…”(12:1b-3)
Following this and further communication, Daniel responded:
“I heard but I did not understand. So I asked, ‘My Lord, what will the outcome of all this be?” (12:8)

Daniel was given an insight into the future of God’s eternal plan; in this case, because Daniel was so concerned for the people of God (to whom he belonged) in his intense prayer, petition and intercession, that God, in his high esteem of Daniel, decided to respond and give him a glimpse of his eternal plan, not only for Daniel’s people, but also for all the people of all nations.

Daniel, because of his uncompromising devotion to God, understood the past of his nation and how the people had sinned against God despite their being chosen to be a people who would reach out to the rest of the world. Hence, even at a young age, Daniel resolved not to fail like his own people; that explains his desire to be undefiled and holy for God, his boldness for God, even before a pagan king, his beautiful prayer-life, his living knowledge of Scripture, his love for God, and his people, such that he included himself among the nation as those who had sinned against God, and his uncorrupted and responsible ways in fulfilling his duties even in a pagan world, such that his enemies could not find any ‘fault’ in him, and even king Darius cared so much for this young Jewish captive.
But Daniel did not only understand the past; because he was highly esteemed, he was given a significant glimpse of the future (although the details were still sealed). God counted him worthy to see the future in some details.
In our current context, in our study of Revelation, we are also seeing what Daniel saw, but Daniel saw this many many years back.

When God revealed to Daniel the end of the wicked and the future of those whose name is written in the book (of Salvation), this is also the focus in the book of Revelation, and it is a reference to all the nations, not just Daniel and his people.
Interestingly, God also revealed the concept of the “resurrection” to Daniel – multitudes who died will arise (be resurrected) but note particularly – some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. In Revelation, those who remain loyal to God will be resurrected to everlasting life; those who follow antichrist and Satan to everlasting condemnation (hell).
The outcome is already decided for many after death; before death, God is given us an opportunity to repent, to believe in Christ, who is the life and resurrection, the way to God, and the truth. There is no other way!
Daniel was given the assurance that he will take his allotted portion before God when he is resurrected after his death (rest) at the end of the days, at the end, when all will be resurrected, all those from all generations from the beginning of creation until the end.
We need to take heed to God’s revelation through Daniel, the man highly esteemed by God, for he was one among very few, who was given such an insight and instruction of God’s eternal purpose.