Daniel obviously knew his priority in life. God always came first. His primary objective in every challenge was to keep his relationship with God intact. Hence, his first thought when he faced every challenge was God. We saw how he purposed not to indulge in the king's rich food to live a consecrated life to God.
When faced with the potential of
losing his life, he again made God central in his approach to the challenge.
When Arioch came with the death sentence for him, the first thing he did was to
gather his friends and seek God together.
His first thought was to praise and thank God when he was given the mystery in a night vision. He praised, blessed, and thanked God for His revelation instead of dashing out to save his life. He only approached Arioch to ensure that the latter stayed the execution.
Daniel's sense of priority was again displayed in how he made the revelation known to the king. He did not think of taking advantage of the situation to highlight himself. Instead, he emphasized what the Babylonian sages had already told the king. He wanted the king to know that no human, "neither wise men, conjurers, magicians nor diviners," could make known the king's demand. He was setting up the stage in his approach to talk about the God of Heaven.
He always downplayed his importance and seized every moment to direct the king's attention toward God. He wanted Nebuchadnezzar to know that it was not him but God who alone could reveal the mystery of his dream and its interpretation.
Daniel implied to Nebuchadnezzar that God had designed his whole experience to let him know what would happen in the future. Verse 28 indicates that the king was thinking about his future while turning to bed. The future was something neither he nor anyone could possibly know. But God, the revealer of mysteries, the One who controls history, chose to make it known to him.
In verse 30, he once again downplayed his importance and demonstrated humility. He saw himself chosen not because he was wiser than any living human being. But he was God's chosen instrument to help the king understand the mystery God had shown him.
Our priority always determines our actions in life. When God is first in our lives, we will make decisions around our relationship with Him. We do everything to please Him and honor His name. He will be the first we consider in our lives and the first we will approach when we meet with an obstacle. To Him, we will offer ceaseless praise. We will praise Him for Who He is and thank Him for His actions. God must come first in life!
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