Daniel’s Dozen, Part 5: Bold

It was made of glazed brick and opened the entrance to the one half mile long Processional Way through ancient Babylon. Prominent on this gate was a profile view of a massive, magnificent lion in all his glory. The mouth is open in a roar, the long teeth showing, his tail is up and he’s striding forward. King Nebuchadnezzar certainly put it there to represent himself and the Babylonian empire, conquering all the known world, striding forward in confidence and boldness.

Yet the young teenager Daniel likely saw this glazed lion on the day of his arrival as one of the first exiles to Babylon from Judah. He would have seen it many more times in his life. I wonder if it represented something else for Daniel. I wonder if it backfired on the kingdom of darkness and called Daniel to our eighth item on the list of Daniel’s Dozen – boldness. Two scenes depict for us a man with the heart of a lion in the face of danger.

Nebuchadnezzar had a dream of a huge, glorious tree that reaches to the heavens and provides food and shade for the whole world it seems. Suddenly a holy, angelic watcher comes down from heaven and shouts, “Chop it down, strip the branches, leave the stump and let him be soaked in the dew of heaven like a beast so that the living may know that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind” (my abbreviated paraphrase of 4:14-17).

The king tells the wise men the dream and wants to know the interpretation. Come on now, isn’t it obvious? Ole Neb had to know it had to do with him and it was not good. These wise men had to know the same, yet they will not even suggest a negative outcome. They are well aware of the king’s propensity to snap and for heads to roll.

Their mouths are muted because they are cowards! The feel the risk is too great. And since they have no allegiance to the God of heaven, their primary goal in life is pleasure, comfort and keep the good gig going, not unlike many pastors and politicians in our land.

But Daniel is of another sort. Starting in 4:24, he unloads both barrels on the king. He tells him the whole truth and nothing but the truth and does so because of boldness. (Stop now to read Daniel 4:24-27). Wow, that took guts! Daniel could have been instantly killed or worse. The king was sovereign – there was not court of appeals, no judicial process. If he wanted Daniel imprisoned, tortured, starved or executed, it would happen apart from divine intervention.

But Daniel is no coward. His calling was to be bold where he was planted by the hand of God and tell this pagan king the truth. If only our president had a Daniel in his cabinet!

The next scene finds Daniel around 80 years old, but hardly frail of spirit. The new king Belshazzar, the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar, holds a feast. God sends a hand to write His judicial sentence of condemnation of Belshazzar on the wall, for God has already passed judgment.
A man’s hand comes out of nowhere, writing away and it just ruined the party. Every one was creeped out of course but no one could read it. Eventually, they bring in Daniel.

This king entices Daniel with a massive three fold reward – royal treatment, kingly riches of gold and great authority.

Many before and since in politics and religion have been swayed to adjust their message in face of such power, popularity and wealth. Fallen man is unable to handle money, power and fame. His track record speaks for itself.

But what would Daniel do? “Then Daniel answered and said before the king, ‘Keep your gifts for yourself or give your rewards to someone else; however, I will read the inscription to the king and make the interpretation known to him” (5:17). After a reminder of what happened to granddad because of his pride, he lays into Belshazzar like a lion pouncing on its prey. “Yet you, his descendent, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this, but you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven …But the God in whose hand are your life-breath and your ways, you have not glorified” (5:22-23).

How is boldness like Christ? How is it not like Christ! The first words of His first sermon were, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” He said once, ““Follow Me and allow the dead to bury their dead.” He pronounced woe on unrepenting cities. He rebuked the Pharisees, scribes and Sadducees, pronouncing damnation upon them.

To Peter, He said, “Get behind me Satan.” He was bold enough to cleanse the Court of the Gentiles in the Temple grounds, not once but twice, serving as fitting bookends on His three years of bold public ministry.

To one audience He said, “You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good?” He spoke more of eternal hell and judgment than of heaven.

The Lord Jesus fails all our 21st century tests for politeness, tact and genteelness. There has never been a man as bold as Jesus Christ. Daniel came close. Both are examples to us.

Cowardice is a sin. It comes from the fear of man and the desire to please man. Boldness, out of love and grace, comes from the fear of God and the desire to please Him.

Where in your life are you tip toeing around like a kitty cat instead of a roaring lion? Where are you trying to be popular instead of bold? What circumstance or relationship are you showing a back bone of jello instead of steel? If you are in ministry, are you seeking to please men or God, seeking to entertain or sanctify? Where are you merely keeping the peace instead of speaking the truth in love?

If we are to be like Jesus, we must be bold.