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Prepared By God

Pastor Bill Farrow

Daniel 1:17

17  As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.

(Verse 17) - As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill - See the notes at Dan. 1:9. There is no reason to suppose that in the "knowledge and skill" here referred to, it is meant to be implied that there was anything miraculous, or that there was any direct inspiration in all of the youth. Inspiration was evidently confined to Daniel, and pertained to what is spoken of under the head of "visions and dreams." The fact that "all" this was to be attributed to God as his gift, is in accordance with the common method of speaking in the Scriptures; and it is also in accordance with "fact," that "all" knowledge is to be traced to God. Once again we are reminded of the contrast between godly Daniel and many of our teachers and leaders of religion today.  All too often they take credit for that which God is solely responsible for.  The failure to give God glory for such gifts is the same as the active taking of that credit.  We live in a bold and arrogant time!

We are reminded here of Exod. 31:2-3. God formed the intellect; he preserves the exercise of reason; he furnishes us instructors; he gives us clearness of perception; he enables us to take advantage of bright thoughts and happy suggestions which occur in our own minds, as much as he sends rain, and dew, and sunshine on the fields of the farmer, and endows him with skill. Compare Isa. 28:26, "For his God doth instruct him." The knowledge and skill which we may acquire, therefore, should be as much attributed to God as the success of the farmer should. Compare Job 32:8, "For there is a spirit in man, and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding." In the case before us, there is no reason to doubt that the natural powers of these young men had been diligently applied during the three years of their trial (Dan. 1:5), and under the advantages of a strict course of temperance; and that the knowledge here spoken of was the result of such an application to their studies.

And Daniel had understanding - Showing that in that respect there was a special endowment in his case; a kind of knowledge imparted which could be communicated only by special inspiration. The margin is, "he made Daniel understand." The margin is in accordance with the Hebrew, but the sense is the same. Daniels’ case was special in that he was gifted by God above and beyond the natural attainment of the four of them.  He was superior and it was a marked superiority.

In all visions – Daniel was also gifted in special areas, that the others apparently were not.  The term “visions” was frequently employed in reference to prophecy, and designates the usual method by which future events were made known. The prophet was permitted to see those events "as if" they were made to pass before the eye, and to describe them "as if" they were objects of sight. Here the word seems to be used to denote all supernatural appearances; all that God permitted him to see that in any way shadowed forth the future. It would seem that men who were not inspired were permitted occasionally to behold such supernatural appearances, though they were not able to interpret them. Thus their attention would be particularly called to them, and they would be prepared to admit the truth of what the interpreter communicated to them. (Compare Dan. 4; 5:5-6; Gen. 40:5; 41:1-7). Daniel was so endowed that he could interpret the meaning of these mysterious appearances, and thus convey important messages to men. This is a marvelous and special gift indeed that could only have come from God.  The same endowment had been conferred on Joseph when in Egypt.  There it is used in like fashion and to the same ends.

And dreams – Dreams were one of the ways by which the will of God was anciently communicated to men. Daniel, like Joseph before him, was supernaturally endowed to explain these messages which God sent to men, or to unfold these preintimations of coming events. This was a kind of knowledge which the Chaldeans particularly sought, and on which they especially prided themselves; and it was important, in order to "stain the pride of all human glory," and to make "the wisdom of the wise" in Babylon to be seen to be comparative "folly," to endow one man from the land of the prophets in the most ample manner with this knowledge, as it was important to do the same thing at the court of Pharaoh by the superior endowments of Joseph (Gen. 41:8).

Daniel proceeds through the three years of the preparation phase of his life as all of the others do, and he is prepared by God to undertake the ministry that God had for him there in Babylon.  A part of this preparation was by means of the normal events of his life, and a part of it was by means of the special gifting and enablement of God .  the normal events prepared him in general, and the special gifting prepared him for the particular ministry God would have for him to Nebuchadnezzar, and to you and I by means of the recording of his visions, dreams, and the interpretation of such in the Bible.

God still prepares men in such fashion.  He uses the every day experiences of life to prepare us in general for His service, and He gifts us specially and spiritually to equip us to serve Him in the special manner to which He calls us each.  We may not be called to such prominent and impactful ministry as Daniel was called, but we are all gifted, prepared and called to do some work for God.  God is every bit a diligent in preparing us as He was in preparing Daniel – it is to be hoped that we are as diligent in submitting to that preparation and facilitating its success as he was!

I need to be sure that I am making full use of the opportunities for preparation for future ministry as Daniel did.  I further need to be sure that I am using my gifts to their fullest extent!