Jesus throughout the Scriptures: Exilic Prophets (1) (6)
Pray Psalm 72.8-11.
He shall have dominion also from sea to sea,
And from the River to the ends of the earth.
Those who dwell in the wilderness will bow before Him,
And His enemies will lick the dust.
The kings of Tarshish and of the isles
Will bring presents;
The kings of Sheba and Seba
Will offer gifts.
Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him;
All nations shall serve Him.
Sing 72.8-11.
(Martyrdom: Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed)
And let the Righteous rule the earth, and let His foes bow low;
let nations praise His matchless worth, and all His bidding do.
Read Daniel 2.24-45; meditate on verses 44, 45.
Preparation
1. What did Daniel do for the king?
2. What did he see in the king’s vision?
Meditation
Daniel understood Nebuchadnezzar’s dream to relate to a specific time, namely, that of a mighty empire that would overwhelm and “break in pieces and crush all the others.” This is certainly a prophecy concerning the Roman Empire—a vast, multi-ethnic empire made up of smaller “republics” all subservient to Rome. Hence, the observation that this kingdom would be of varied composition but exceedingly strong.
At that time, Daniel understood, during the period of the Roman Empire, God Himself would set up a Kingdom on earth, an eternal Kingdom “which shall never be destroyed”. That Kingdom would “break in pieces and consume” all other kingdoms. Its origin would be “the stone cut out of the mountain without hands”, that is, the Lord Jesus Christ. His coming to earth heralded the nearness of the Kingdom of God, and, with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the first Christian Pentecost, that Kingdom arrived in power.
Since then the Kingdom of God—the rule of King Jesus unto righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit on earth as it is in heaven—has continued to grow and expand. Nothing has ever stopped it, and nothing ever will. And we are heirs of that Kingdom and servants of its King. Our calling is to seek, realize, expand, and advance His rule into every area of life, banishing the kingdom of darkness and restoring all other kingdoms to their proper place before Jesus.
Do we think, plan, pray, and live like citizens of this Kingdom? Servants of this King? Heirs of this eternal domain? Daniel and his friends did, as we shall see. We are called to the Kingdom and glory of God (1 Thess. 2.12) and commanded to seek it as the defining priority of our lives (Matt. 6.33). If Christians did these things, all resistance, all other kingdoms, would melt away and be replaced by His glorious rule. And that day is coming. For now, we must live and work toward that coming day in all we are and do.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162.Since we are the “heirs of that Kingdom and servants of its King; [and] our calling is to seek, realize, expand, and advance His rule into every area of life, banishing the kingdom of darkness and restoring all other kingdoms to their proper place before Jesus”, wouldn’t it make sense if we, like Daniel, were hearers of God’s secrets (Matt. 4.10, 11)?
Much credibility is given today to scientists, actors, athletes, politicians, pundits, and influencers—the au courant “wise men, astrologers, magicians, and soothsayers” (Dan. 2.27)—but we as God’s followers know what He thinks about a lot of things because He tells us in His Word. Plus, we have some special promises regarding understanding His wisdom:
“For the perverse person is an abomination to the LORD,
but His secret counsel is with the upright” (Prov. 3.32).
“The secret things belong to the LORD our God,
but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever,
that we may do all the words of this law” (Deut. 29.29).
“There is a God in heaven Who reveals secrets” (Dan. 2.28) and He has made known to us Jesus—the King Whose “Kingdom shall never be destroyed…it shall stand forever” (Dan. 2.44).
We, as participating citizens of His Kingdom, revel in the secret that has been revealed to us:
“…the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily” (Col. 1.26-29).
“Then the secret was revealed to Daniel…so Daniel blessed the God of heaven” (Dan. 2.19).
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge…” (Prov. 1.7).
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Prov. 9.10).
“Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor. 1.24).
“…in Whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col. 2.3).
This is Jesus. Our Savior. Our King. The Secret Revealed.
“Of Him you are in Christ Jesus,
Who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—that,
as it is written, ‘He who glories, let him glory in the LORD” (1 Cor. 1.30, 31).
We know the secret. We can tell the secret. Therefore:
Our joy is found in thinking, planning, praying, and living as citizens of this glorious Kingdom.
Servants of this King and heirs of this eternal domain—the triumphant Kingdom—glorying only in Him.
Reflection
1. Jesus said that the secrets (“mysteries”) of the Kingdom have been given to us who believe. What are those secrets?
2. How should knowing these secrets bolster our work in our Personal Mission Field?
3. Whom will you encourage today in the secrets of the Kingdom of God?
Most do understand this of Christ himself, who is signified by this stone, of which opinion are the ancient writers Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Cyprian, Augustine and Lyra. And of the recent writers, Bullinger by this stone would have Christ understood: as Psalm 118:22, the stone that the builders refused has become the head stone of the corner, and Isaiah 28:16, Behold, I will lay in Sion a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation. Andrew Willet (1562-1621), Sixfold Commentary upon Daniel
Pray Psalm 72.15-19.
Pray that Jesus will use you to increase the reach and impact of His Kingdom. Pray that nations everywhere will recognized His rule and fall down before Him.
Sing 72.15-19.
(Martyrdom: Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed)
Let Christ be praised and all the gold of Sheba be His right;
let blessings to His Name be told, and prayers made both day and night.
And let the earth abound with grain, let fields His fame proclaim;
and may our King forever reign and nations bless His great Name.
Now bless the God of Israel Who wondrous works performs.
And bless His Name, His glory tell both now and forevermore!
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest this week: We continue reading excerpts from the book, Revived! in our Read Moore column. Why not listen in? Check the website to learn more about our Celtic Christian heritage from the Crosfigell teaching letter, or how you can pray more effectively for your church from our ReVision teaching letter. And new in our bookstore, Let God Be True and Enjoying God, both free to download and share, and Ecclesiastes: A Matter of Perspective, also in free PDF format.
Support for Scriptorium comes from our faithful and generous God, who moves our readers to share financially in our work. If this article was helpful, please give Him thanks and praise. And please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe with your prayers and gifts. You can contribute online, via PayPal or Anedot, or by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
