Hinge Verses: Daniel 2:27-28
When King Nebuchadnezzar attacked Jerusalem in approximately 605 BC, he took King Jehoiakim captive, as well as Israelites from the royal and noble families. The young men among the captives were meant to be trained for three years in language and literature of the Babylonians/Chaldeans. Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, and Daniel were among the captives. After going through rigorous training detailed in Daniel 1, this was said of them--
"God gave these four young men knowledge and understanding in every kind of literature and wisdom. Daniel also understood visions and dreams of every kind." Daniel 1:17
The king who had orchestrated the attack on Jerusalem suffered from troubling, sleep-depriving dreams. (Much like Pharaoh in Joseph's account.) The confusing dreams filled the king with much anxiety, so he called up every type of fortune teller, wizard, diviner, enchanter, and astrologer at his disposal. The men come to the king and ask for the dream so they can interpret it. The king insists that if the "wise men" have they power they say they do, they will be able to divine both the dream AND the interpretation. At the threat of violent death if they fail and great rewards if they succeed, the men concede that this is an impossible ask. The order went out to kill the wise men, and while they were at it, randomly kill Daniel and his friends, too. 😟 Daniel stopped the executioner in his tracks with some quick thinking, and was granted an audience with the king. The 4 friends used their time granted from the king to
"ask the God of the heavens for mercy concerning this mystery, so Daniel and his friends would not be destroyed with the rest of Babylon's wise men."
God came to Daniel in a vision at night, revealing the mystery, and Daniel returned praise to God. So Daniel went back to his contact within the king's court and, before asking for his promised audience with the king, he pleaded for the lives of the wise men.
The king asked if Daniel had figured out the dream and its interpretation. Daniel said no because, like all the men called before him, he had no more wisdom than anyone living. BUT there is a GOD in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has deemed it appropriate to both describe the dream and give it's interpretation. The gift of comfort was not necessarily for King Nebuchadnezzar, although he benefited from it; but for Daniel and his 3 friends, who escaped death and were promoted because God revealed the vision needed from heaven.
Spiritualism has been around since the beginning of time. But America saw it grow by leaps and bounds during the Civil War, the bloodiest war in American history. So many families experienced so much death. Often when a loved one (or several loved ones sadly), the families were not able to have closure because their bodies were never recovered, or were unable to be identified due to extent of injuries, or just lost to the distance from home. This led to desperate grievers looking to mediums for a chance to be in touch beyond the grave with their lost loved one.
A most famous grieving mother who turned to spiritualism was Mary Todd Lincoln, wife of President Abraham Lincoln. Mrs. Lincoln lost her mother at a young age. Her first son, Eddie, died at 4 years old of tuberculosis. Her second son, Willie, died at age 11 of typhoid fever. Her third son, Tad,died at age 18. It was Willie's death, while Lincoln was president, that sent Mrs. Lincoln into an unbearable grief. She sounght the help of some well-known mediums, attending seances to help her process her losses. She was so comforted by the seances that she hosted several in the White House, with President Lincoln in attendance at some. She claimed to see the ghosts of Eddie and Willie, which seemed to bring her comfort.
But God...President and Mrs. Lincoln had several trustworthy pastors in their lives that helped steer her away from her growing dependence on mediums. Scripture clearly teaches in Deuteronomy 18:10-12 that consulting with the spirit world is "detestable to the LORD."
Rev. Dr. James Smith was one such trustworthy pastor of the Presbyterian church in Springfield, IL. He counseled the Lincolns, helped to ground them in their faith, and guided Mrs. Lincoln away from spiritualism.
Another pastor is Rev. Dr. Phineas D. Gurley, of the Presbyterian church in Washington, DC. Pastor Gurley countered Mrs. Lincoln's practice with the occult, and guided her toward traditional Christian hope.
Why does this matter so much to God? Why didn't he leave an evil, conniving king to be comforted with whatever his so-called wise men said? Why didn't he let Mary Todd Lincoln process her grief by whatever means she decided? Is He afraid that the comfort He offers will be inferior? No, He's not afraid. He made us and He knows that true comfort comes from Him, The God in Heaven. His Name that Daniel spoke in 2:28 is "Elah", the Aramaic equivalent of Elohim--one God with many attributes. Gracious, holy, eternal, faithful, just, wise, sovereign. The proof is in His Name that He is willing to go to any length to comfort His creation. His children. To draw them to Him. We look for answers in the wrong places. Oh, But God.
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