Study 19
by Charles Tan
Text: Daniel 4:19-37
Dear Brethren,
SPEAKING THE TRUTH WISELY
How did Daniel manage to avert the anger of King Nebuchadnezzar? How did he manage to tell the truth and still not incur the wrath of the king?
Daniel learned to tell the truth gently. Very carefully, he said,
“My lord, may the dream concern those who hate you,
and its interpretation concern your enemies!”
Daniel 4:19
We all need to learn to speak truth in its entirety. That would take courage. We also need to learn how to speak “the whole truth and nothing but the truth”. That would take wisdom.
Daniel obviously had both. Through speaking carefully and gently, he managed to communicate to the king that he cared for him.
SPEAKING THE TRUTH POSITIVELY
As Daniel presented the interpretation of the dream to Nebuchadnezzar, he also sought to speak in the most positive of terms.
Thus he divided the interpretation of the dream into three portions.
1. The first part would refer to the glorious years of the King. His efforts in establishing a great kingdom had been successful. He had every reason to feel happy and satisfied that he had been a very successful king.
2. The second part of the interpretation would see God cutting Nebuchadnezzar down to size! In this part of the interpretation, Daniel mentioned the Divine Hand of God! Since it was the Divine Hand of God, no one could be blamed! One cannot defy the will of God!
3. The third part of the interpretation had to do with the possibility of restoration of the kingdom. Daniel held out the hope that should King Nebuchadnezzar be humble before The Most High, he could be fully restored!
“And inasmuch as they gave the command
to leave the stump and roots of the tree,
your kingdom shall be assured to you,
after you come to know that Heaven rules.”
Daniel 4:26
A CHALLENGE TO LEARN HOW TO SPEAK WELL
How important it is to learn how to well! Daniel has given us a wonderful example of how to speak well. Speaking well means speaking courageously, wisely and positively!
How do you rate the way you speak? Is there room for improvement? Let us take definite steps to improve our ability to speak better.