There is something tremendous in this statement. So often, we see darkness around us. Daniel was living in dark days. He and his friends had been taken into captivity, forced to learn the foreign ways, and even had their Hebrew names changed. There was much darkness in their world, but they were learning that their God was faithful, even in dark times.
“He knows what is in the darkness” (Daniel 2:22b).
Humankind does not like darkness. We were not created for darkness. Our eyes, unlike those of many animals, were not made for the dark. Many of us, as children, were afraid of the dark. As adults, we still do not like complete darkness. It only takes stepping on a stray Lego in the middle of the night to remind us of the dangers that lurk where we cannot see. Before the advent of street lights, the night could be a dangerous place due to the darkness of the roads and alleys. The darkness gave camouflage to the thieves and highwaymen who lay in ambush for travelers. So whether it is childlike fear of monsters under the bed or a more serious concern like criminals on the road, darkness brings fear to the hearts of men.
Daniel, here, has broken out in praise to God. King Nebuchadnezzar had ordered the destruction of Babylon’s wise men unless they could both tell him his dream and interpret it. None of the men of Babylon had been able to do what the king commanded. However, Daniel and his friends had sought mercy from the Lord, and the Lord gave to Daniel both the dream and its interpretation. Now He breaks out in praise to God!
This statement in Daniel 2:22 gave me pause. There is something tremendous in this statement. So often, we see darkness around us. Daniel was living in dark days. He and his friends had been taken into captivity, forced to learn the foreign ways, and even had their Hebrew names changed. There was much darkness in their world, but they were learning that their God was faithful, even in dark times.
