The astrologers answered the king, “There is no one on earth who can do what the king asks! No king, however great and mighty, has ever asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or astrologer. What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods, and they do not live among humans.”
Daniel 1:10-11
He was at the height of his power and reign. As king of the greatest empire on earth at the time, the world was at his feet and there was no enemy, no military, no political power that he feared. Yet all was not well. This powerful man – who controlled everything and feared no one – couldn’t sleep. Night after night these bizarre dreams would come, controlling his every awakening thought. He was terrified.
When he summoned his magicians, enchanters and astrologers to interpret his dreams, he refused to give them any details about them. Maybe he couldn’t remember them well enough to explain them, or perhaps he was so frightened by them that he had to know for sure that their interpretation was precise and reliable.
But either way, their collective response terrified the king even more. “What the king asks is too difficult! There is no one on earth who can do what the king asks. Only the gods can reveal such things and they don’t live among humans.”
In other words, “Your royal majesty, do you believe that we are God?”
Nebuchadnezzar’s fear of the unknown was so powerful and irrational that he ordered all of the magicians, enchanters, and astrologers in the kingdom to be put to death. Of course, as we read further along we learn that God certainly could and would interpret Nebuchadnezzar’s dream through His prophet Daniel. And in doing so, God would spare not only Daniel’s life, but also the lives of all the “wisest” men in the kingdom.
But there’s something more going on here in these passages than nightmares and irrational fear. God is clearly communicating something to us: Man’s earthly wisdom has its limitations. In fact, as it relates to matters of Divine Importance, earthly wisdom is utterly useless.
When Solomon became King of Israel roughly 365 years earlier, he too would have a dream as he slept. In his vision, however, God spoke to Solomon, saying, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you” (1 Kings 3:5). Solomon’s reply? “Give your servant a discerning heart so that he may govern your people and distinguish between right and wrong” (3:9).
Solomon knew straightaway the folly of man’s earthly wisdom, recognizing that there was no way he could be an effective leader of God’s people without His divine help. But Solomon asked God for more than just head knowledge; he knew that the source of true wisdom began with the heart.
“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” – Prov. 4:23
So today’s thought is this: To whom are we seeking wisdom and discernment? The answer to that can only be found where only God can see. God knows our hearts. But do our hearts know Him? For that is the true beginning of wisdom.
Former Blackout Artist 