◄ Daniel 2:18 ►
urging them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his friends would not be killed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
Study Bible
urging them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven
Daniel, along with his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, is in a dire situation due to King Nebuchadnezzar's decree to execute all the wise men of Babylon. The phrase highlights the importance of intercessory prayer and reliance on divine intervention. The "God of heaven" is a title emphasizing God's sovereignty and authority over all creation, contrasting with the Babylonian gods. This reflects the biblical theme of God's supremacy over earthly powers, as seen in other scriptures like Psalm 115:3 and Isaiah 40:22. The plea for mercy underscores the belief in God's compassion and willingness to reveal mysteries to those who seek Him earnestly.

concerning this mystery
The "mystery" refers to King Nebuchadnezzar's dream, which none of the Babylonian wise men could interpret. In biblical terms, a mystery is a divine truth that is hidden until God chooses to reveal it. This concept is echoed in the New Testament, where mysteries are often associated with God's redemptive plan (e.g., Ephesians 3:3-5). The inability of the Babylonian magicians to interpret the dream highlights the limitations of human wisdom and the necessity of divine revelation, a theme that runs throughout the book of Daniel.

so that Daniel and his friends would not be killed
The urgency of the situation is clear, as Daniel and his friends face execution along with the other wise men. This reflects the harsh realities of life in the Babylonian court, where the king's word was law. The narrative demonstrates God's protection over His faithful servants, a recurring theme in Daniel's life (e.g., the fiery furnace in Daniel 3 and the lions' den in Daniel 6). It also foreshadows the deliverance and salvation themes found throughout the Bible, pointing to God's ultimate deliverance through Jesus Christ.

with the rest of the wise men of Babylon
The inclusion of Daniel and his friends among the "wise men of Babylon" shows their integration into Babylonian society while maintaining their distinct identity as followers of the God of Israel. This situation illustrates the tension between living in a pagan culture and remaining faithful to God, a challenge faced by believers throughout history. The narrative sets the stage for God's power to be demonstrated over the wisdom of the world, as seen in 1 Corinthians 1:20-25, where God's wisdom is contrasted with human wisdom.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Daniel
A young Hebrew man taken into Babylonian captivity, known for his wisdom and faithfulness to God. He is the central figure in this passage, seeking divine intervention.

2. Daniel's Friends
Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, also known by their Babylonian names Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They are fellow captives and companions of Daniel, sharing in his faith and trials.

3. The God of Heaven
The one true God whom Daniel and his friends worship. This title emphasizes God's sovereignty and authority over all earthly powers.

4. The Mystery
Refers to King Nebuchadnezzar's dream, which none of the Babylonian wise men could interpret. It symbolizes divine revelation that requires God's intervention to understand.

5. Babylon
The empire where Daniel and his friends are held captive. It represents a place of testing and challenge for the faithful.
Teaching Points
The Power of Prayer
Daniel 2:18 highlights the importance of seeking God's mercy through prayer in times of crisis. Believers are encouraged to turn to God first when faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges.

Community in Faith
Daniel's inclusion of his friends in prayer emphasizes the strength found in communal faith and support. Christians are reminded of the value of praying together and supporting one another.

Dependence on God for Wisdom
The passage underscores the necessity of divine wisdom to navigate life's mysteries. Believers should consistently seek God's guidance in decision-making.

God's Sovereignty
By referring to God as "the God of heaven," the text reminds us of His ultimate authority over earthly matters. Trusting in God's sovereignty provides peace amidst uncertainty.

Courage in Adversity
Daniel and his friends faced potential execution, yet they responded with faith rather than fear. This teaches believers to stand firm in their faith, even when facing dire circumstances.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does Daniel 2:18 demonstrate the importance of prayer in times of crisis, and how can this be applied to your current life situation?

2. In what ways does the communal prayer of Daniel and his friends serve as a model for Christian fellowship and support today?

3. Reflect on a time when you needed divine wisdom. How did you seek God's guidance, and what was the outcome?

4. How does acknowledging God's sovereignty, as seen in Daniel 2:18, help you trust Him more fully in your daily life?

5. What practical steps can you take to cultivate courage and faith like Daniel and his friends when facing challenges or uncertainties?
Connections to Other Scriptures
James 1:5
This verse encourages believers to ask God for wisdom, which connects to Daniel's plea for divine insight into the king's dream.

Philippians 4:6-7
These verses speak about presenting requests to God with thanksgiving, paralleling Daniel's approach of seeking God's mercy through prayer.

Acts 4:24-31
The early church's prayer for boldness and divine intervention mirrors Daniel's reliance on God for deliverance and revelation.
Sermons
Affliction Teaches Men to PrayDaniel 2:18
Companions in PrayerW. H. Rule, D.D.Daniel 2:18
Nebuchadnezzar's DreamOriginal Secession MagazineDaniel 2:18
Power of PrayerDaniel 2:18
Prayer Cultures CharacterWilliam White.Daniel 2:18
The Advantages of United PrayerExpository TimesDaniel 2:18
A Specific Remedy for Human DistressJ.D. Davies Daniel 2:14-23
The Dream FoundH.T. Robjohns Daniel 2:14-30
People
Abednego, Arioch, Azariah, Belteshazzar, Daniel, Hananiah, Meshach, Mishael, Nebuchadnezzar, Shadrach
Places
Babylon, Shinar
Topics
Babylon, Companions, Compassion, Daniel, Desire, Destroy, Destroyed, Destruction, Executed, Fellows, Friends, Heaven, Heavens, Mercies, Mercy, Mystery, Perish, Plead, Question, Request, Rest, Secret, Seek, Wise
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Daniel 2:18

     8415   encouragement, examples

Daniel 2:17-18

     8610   prayer, asking God

Daniel 2:17-23

     8160   seeking God

Daniel 2:17-49

     6694   mystery

Library
The Image and the Stone
'This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king. 37. Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. 38. And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath He given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold. 39. And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Book and Tract Catalogue.
THE PLAN OF REDEMPTION. BY I. C. WELLCOME AND C. GOUD. "The Plan of Redemption is an earnest book, evidently prepared after no little study, and with a conscientious desire to advance the cause of Christ. The Bible is made the basis of argument; it contains many fresh and well considered suggestions. The careful reader will find much that is valuable."--Watchman and Reflector. "This treatise aims to serve up the gospel scheme in a compact form. It states the plan and work well, and usually correctly. …
Dwight L. Moody—That Gospel Sermon on the Blessed Hope

Editor's Preface
Professor Maspero does not need to be introduced to us. His name is well known in England and America as that of one of the chief masters of Egyptian science as well as of ancient Oriental history and archaeology. Alike as a philologist, a historian, and an archaeologist, he occupies a foremost place in the annals of modern knowledge and research. He possesses that quick apprehension and fertility of resource without which the decipherment of ancient texts is impossible, and he also possesses a sympathy …
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 1

The Scattering of the People
[Illustration: (drop cap A) The Fish-god of Assyria and Babylonia] At last the full punishment for their many sins fell upon God's chosen people. The words of warning written in the fifth book of Moses had told them plainly that if they turned aside and worshipped the wicked idol-gods of Canaan, the Lord would take their country from them and drive them out into strange lands. Yet again and again they had yielded to temptation. And now the day of reckoning had come. Nebuchadnezzar, the great king …
Mildred Duff—The Bible in its Making

That Gospel Sermon on the Blessed Hope
In 2 Timothy, 3:16, Paul declares: "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness;" but there are some people who tell us when we take up prophecy that it is all very well to be believed, but that there is no use in one trying to understand it; these future events are things that the church does not agree about, and it is better to let them alone, and deal only with those prophecies which have already been …
Dwight L. Moody—That Gospel Sermon on the Blessed Hope

Epistle Xliii. To Eulogius and Anastasius, Bishops.
To Eulogius and Anastasius, Bishops. Gregory to Eulogius, Bishop of Alexandria, and Anastasius, Bishop of Antioch. When the excellent preacher says, As long as I am the apostle of the Gentiles I will honour my ministry (Rom. xi. 13); saying again in another place, We became as babes among you (1 Thess. ii. 7), he undoubtedly shews an example to us who come after him, that we should retain humility in our minds, and yet keep in honour the dignity of our order, so that neither should our humility be …
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

A Description of Heart-Purity
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Matthew 5:8 The holy God, who is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity' calls here for heart-purity, and to such as are adorned with this jewel, he promises a glorious and beatifical vision of himself: they shall see God'. Two things are to be explained the nature of purity; the subject of purity. 1 The nature of purity. Purity is a sacred refined thing. It stands diametrically opposed to whatsoever defiles. We must distinguish the various kinds …
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12

The Wisdom of God
The next attribute is God's wisdom, which is one of the brightest beams of the Godhead. He is wise in heart.' Job 9:9. The heart is the seat of wisdom. Cor in Hebraeo sumitur pro judicio. Pineda. Among the Hebrews, the heart is put for wisdom.' Let men of understanding tell me:' Job 34:44: in the Hebrew, Let men of heart tell me.' God is wise in heart, that is, he is most wise. God only is wise; he solely and wholly possesses all wisdom; therefore he is called, the only wise God.' I Tim 1:17. All …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

The Wicked Husbandmen.
"Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country: and when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto …
William Arnot—The Parables of Our Lord

The First Great Group of Parables.
(Beside the Sea of Galilee.) Subdivision B. Parable of the Sower. ^A Matt. XIII. 3-23; ^B Mark IV. 3-25; ^C Luke VIII. 5-18. ^a Behold, ^c 5 The sower went forth to sow his seed [Orientals live in cities and towns. Isolated farmhouses are practically unknown. A farmer may therefore live several miles from his field, in which case he literally "goes forth" to it]: ^b 4 And it came to pass, as he sowed, some seed { ^a seeds } fell by the way side, ^c and it was trodden under foot, and the birds of …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Necessity of Regeneration, Argued from the Immutable Constitution of God.
John III. 3. John III. 3. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. WHILE the ministers of Christ are discoursing of such a subject, as I have before me in the course of these Lectures, and particularly in this branch of them which I am now entering upon, we may surely, with the utmost reason, address our hearers in those words of Moses to Israel, in the conclusion of his dying discourse: Set your hearts unto all …
Philip Doddridge—Practical Discourses on Regeneration

Letters of St. Bernard
I To Malachy. 1141.[924] (Epistle 341.) To the venerable lord and most blessed father, Malachy, by the grace of God archbishop of the Irish, legate of the Apostolic See, Brother Bernard called to be abbot of Clairvaux, [desiring] to find grace with the Lord. 1. Amid the manifold anxieties and cares of my heart,[925] by the multitude of which my soul is sore vexed,[926] the brothers coming from a far country[927] that they may serve the Lord,[928] thy letter, and thy staff, they comfort …
H. J. Lawlor—St. Bernard of Clairvaux's Life of St. Malachy of Armagh

Lii. Concerning Hypocrisy, Worldly Anxiety, Watchfulness, and his Approaching Passion.
(Galilee.) ^C Luke XII. 1-59. ^c 1 In the meantime [that is, while these things were occurring in the Pharisee's house], when the many thousands of the multitude were gathered together, insomuch that they trod one upon another [in their eagerness to get near enough to Jesus to see and hear] , he began to say unto his disciples first of all [that is, as the first or most appropriate lesson], Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. [This admonition is the key to the understanding …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Annunciation of the Birth of Jesus.
(at Nazareth, b.c. 5.) ^C Luke I. 26-38. ^c 26 Now in the sixth month [this is the passage from which we learn that John was six months older than Jesus] the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth [Luke alone tells us where Mary lived before the birth of Jesus. That Nazareth was an unimportant town is shown by the fact that it is mentioned nowhere in the Old Testament, nor in the Talmud, nor in Josephus, who mentions two hundred four towns and cities of Galilee. The …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The First Sayings of Jesus --His Ideas of a Divine Father and of a Pure Religion --First Disciples.
Joseph died before his son had taken any public part. Mary remained, in a manner, the head of the family, and this explains why her son, when it was wished to distinguish him from others of the same name, was most frequently called the "son of Mary."[1] It seems that having, by the death of her husband, been left friendless at Nazareth, she withdrew to Cana,[2] from which she may have come originally. Cana[3] was a little town at from two to two and a half hours' journey from Nazareth, at the foot …
Ernest Renan—The Life of Jesus

The Gospel of the Kingdom.
"This is He whom Seers in old time Chanted of with one accord; Whom the voices of the Prophets Promised in their faithful word." We have seen that, in the providence of God, John the Baptist was sent to proclaim to the world that "The Kingdom of Heaven" was at hand, and to point out the King. And as soon as the Herald had raised the expectation of men by the proclamation of the coming Kingdom, our Lord began His public ministry, the great object of which was the founding of His Kingdom for the salvation …
Edward Burbidge—The Kingdom of Heaven; What is it?

Daniel
Daniel is called a prophet in the New Testament (Matt. xxiv. 15). In the Hebrew Bible, however, the book called by his name appears not among the prophets, but among "the writings," between Esther and Ezra. The Greek version placed it between the major and the minor prophets, and this has determined its position in modern versions. The book is both like and unlike the prophetic books. It is like them in its passionate belief in the overruling Providence of God and in the sure consummation of His …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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