GOD’S WORD FOR YOU
DANIEL 1:17
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17 The God of these four young men gave them knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand every vision and all dreams.
God gave them knowledge. This is madda‘ (מַדָּע), “science” or “learning” of almost any kind. It can be given or taught in the open, such as in a classroom or by a teacher who walks with his students and lectures them or teaches by parables or other illustrations. This is of course how Jesus taught his disciples (Mark 4:2; 9:30). But the giving of knowledge can also reflect what the student does in private in his deepest thoughts. Solomon uses this word when he says, “Do not revile the king even in your thoughts (plural of madda‘), because a little bird may carry your words on the wing and report what you say” (Ecclesiastes 10:20).
God gave them understanding. This is sakal (שָׂכַל) which here appears as an infinitive verb, but infinitives are “strictly speaking, independent nouns” which emphasize the activity of the root word: to understand or to act on one’s understanding. Sakal involves the thinker in what he or she considers or studies, such as the needy who ponder (“consider and understand”) that the Lord is the one who helps them (Isaiah 41:20). The leaders of the exiles “gathered around Ezra the scribe to ‘give attention’ to the words of the Law” (Nehemiah 8:13).
Some of the specific understanding God gave the young men was in literature. This is the word sepher (סֵפֶר), “books, scrolls; things written down.” Beyond the basics of grammar and word-definitions, this means reading and understanding the literature of the Babylonians, just as Moses was educated in the scholarship of Egypt: “Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was powerful in his words and in his actions” (Acts 7:22).
God also gave them understanding of learning (wisdom). This is the word hokma (חָכְמָה), which can be any mastery of a subject in “the whole gamut of human experience.” It can be shrewdness like that of the woman of Tekoa (2 Samuel 20:22), prudence like those who use their words or time carefully (Proverbs 10:31; Psalm 90:12), technical skill in tailoring or dressmaking (Exodus 28:3), craftsmanship (Exodus 31:3), or brilliance in tactics (Isaiah 10:13). The Messiah has divine wisdom, especially as the spiritual leader and teacher of the holy Christian Church (Isaiah 11:2). Godly wisdom is equated with faith; this is especially the point of the great poem about wisdom in Job 28: “Where does wisdom come from? Where does understanding dwell? God said to man: ‘The fear of the Lord– that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding” (Job 28:20, 28). The sceptic and the mocker “seek wisdom and find none, but knowledge comes easily to the discerning” (Proverbs 14:6).
“And Daniel could understand every vision and all dreams.” The difference between a vision (hazon) and a dream (halom) is really just that someone who has a dream is asleep, and someone who has a vision is awake. The process of coming out a dream is usually waking up, and this can be disorienting because it involves regaining one’s consciousness and coming to terms with one’s surroundings. But the process of coming out of a vision is different. One is simply still where one was, and the vision is over. There might be a sense of thinking, “Did that really just happen?” After that, the two are handled in the same way: the one who saw (the seer, as Scripture sometimes calls them, 1 Samuel 9:9; 2 Samuel 24:11) recalls the details, sometimes in the same order, sometimes not. Often the details will only become clear in the retelling.
Yet again, Daniel’s account touches that of Joseph. Joseph, too, had dreams (Genesis 37:5, 9), and he had the ability to interpret other people’s dreams. Yet both Joseph and Daniel recognized that their special ability came from God. “Do not interpretations belong to God?” (Genesis 40:8).
In Greek mythology, there is a woman named Cassandra who was said to have insight into the future, but she was cursed, for her visions were always correct, but she was doomed never to have anyone believe her. But Daniel, in this true account and no myth, will be believed. Daniel will be right about everything he says, but he will be believed– although sometimes, as with the handwriting on the wall, it will be too late. Luther says:
“God showed Daniel great mercy, first highly honoring him in things of the spirit by granting him wisdom and understanding beyond that of other men, and then by elevating him also in worldly affairs and doing nothing but great and mighty deeds and miracles through him. God did this to show us all how much he loves and cherishes those who fear and trust in him; with such an impressive example he prods us in a kindly way to faith and the fear of God” (Preface to the Prophet Daniel, LW 35:294-295).
God speaks to us most clearly in his holy Scriptures. We don’t need to yearn for special dreams or visions from the Lord to understand him, or to be able to serve him. God’s will for us may not involve dreams and visions at all, or even that we would be brilliant theologians or have great insight into the literature of our age. But God’s will for every one of us is certainly and truly that we would fear, love, and trust in him above all things.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
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Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, New Ulm, Minnesota
God’s Word for You – Daniel 1:17 Dreams and visions