I rarely lose things, except my memory. When I forget a person’s name or misplace my keys, I am grateful for the times when God answers my prayers and reminds me of a name or shows me the lost object. God longs to show us greater things. Like Daniel, we are in relationship with the revealer of mysteries and He wants to involve us in revealing those mysteries to others.

Daniel faced a nightmare situation. King Nebuchadnezzar had lost a night’s sleep. A bad dream had left him anxious and confused. Unless someone interpreted the dream, the king would tear every advisor in Babylon limb from limb. To make matters worse, the king refused to tell anyone what the dream was. The wise men were stumped; only their gods could know, and they didn’t live nearby (Dan. 2:11).

Quickly, Daniel told his three friends and they did classic intercession. They were among the wise men of Babylon who would be destroyed by the frustrated king. However, because of their relationship with the God of heaven, they could petition Him on behalf of the whole group (Dan. 2:17-18). Like them, our privileged access to the Lord is meant to benefit everyone, even people cut off from God.

The truly wise are humble and give glory to God (Dan. 2:27, 30). When God answered Daniel in a night vision, he immediately praised God for making the dream and its interpretation known. Daniel was granted an audience with Nebuchadnezzar. The king remarked on Daniel’s insight, but Daniel pointed to the God of heaven as the revealer of mysteries.

The king said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen and its interpretation?” Daniel answered before the king and said, “As for the mystery about which the king has inquired, neither wise men, conjurers, magicians nor diviners are able to declare it to the king. However, there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will take place in the latter days. (Dan. 2:26-28)

Daniel proceeded to tell the dream and give its interpretation. It concerned a statue made of four materials: gold, silver, bronze, and a mixture of iron and clay. A stone struck the statue and crushed it. Then the stone grew into a mountain filling the earth. Nebuchadnezzar was duly impressed. He gave Daniel lavish presents and a promotion. The king also acknowledged God as the revealer of mysteries1.

This story sets the stage for understanding biblical mysteries and our part in them.

• By definition, the mysteries of God are beyond natural human comprehension. Only the wisdom of God can reveal them. However, God has no interest in establishing a secret society of special initiates who learn complex code and never share what they know. On the contrary, biblical mysteries are revealed to anyone with access to God through Jesus.

• Revealed mysteries will not sit comfortably with everyone. The gold head represented Nebuchadnezzar. The rest of the statue symbolized the dynasties that would follow his kingdom. Although the dream pointed beyond Nebuchadnezzar’s life, the prediction about his legacy was not encouraging. The kingdoms of the world would depreciate and eventually be shattered and displaced by a rock-solid heavenly kingdom. Like Nebuchadnezzar, we have to bow to the truth that our lives apart from God have little and temporary significance.

• Like the dream, most biblical mysteries concern the eternal kingdom of God: its establishment by Jesus Christ, our entry into it by faith, and how it will one day envelop all human affairs. We are not excluded from the mystery of His will; rather, we are encouraged to take our place in it and find significance and a lasting legacy there.

Ask God to show you the keys to the mysteries of His kingdom, and make it your life work to share them with others.

The goal of Bible Maturity is to promote spiritual growth and faith in God. Please share these short Bible devotions with your friends and family and pray for revival.

1. Dan. 2:47. See also Job Dan. 2:21-22, 29; 12:22. [↩]