The Pulpit Commentary — Daniel — Section 121

HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vere. l-13.-2'V!e revelation lost. "My spirit was troubled to know the dream" (ver. 3), Since the word "and," at the beginning of this chapter, links it with eh. i. 21, i.e. Daniel's public life with Daniel's preparation, it may be well here to notice what his preparation had been. 1. At home, and the associations of Jerusalem. 2. Knowledge of previous revelations (see eh. ix:, 2). 3. Moral victory at a crisis of history. 4. Experience of life at one of its great centres-Babylon-the court. As indicating the difference between Ezekiel's standpoint and that of Daniel, note Ezekiel dates from the years of the Captivity-for him, in comparative obscurity, the years dragged on wearily-Daniel, by the reigns of kings in whose court he was. Daniel's experience grew with the years, and he became increasingly fit to receive political revelations- revelations as to the rise and fall of empires. I. THE DIBCBEPANOY, Between eh. i. 5 and eh. ii. 1. Occasion might well be taken from this to insist upon one or two wholesome truths in reference to Biblical interpretation. I. The discrepancy look, at first sight glaring enough; i.e. as to the dates. Still, with our idea of the sacred writings, we should be justified in believing: 2. That some explanation would beforthcoming, if we knew all the facts. Of the pro- priety of this assumption, we shall have a striking illustration in the recent clearing up of the special critical difficulty of eh. v. 3. One might fairly conclude that Daniel is q'/J,ite as reliable an historian as any other author. 4. The seeming discrepancy is clear evidence that Daniel, and none other, is the writer; for these two dates would never have been admitted in a form apparently contradictory, coming so close to each other as to challenge attention, if the author had been an impostor. Daniel writes straightforwardly the truth, unconscious of the possible misconstruction of his words, This unguardecu,.ess of style is a sure sign of the credibility of a living witness, and of the genuineness of any book. 5. 2'Viere are several explanationsforthcominr;, one specially credible (see Exposition). 6. Our feeling in relation to discrepancies real or apparent, will depend entirely on our moral attitude in relation to revelation. 'l'he believer will treat them lightly; the captious and unbelieving will make the very most of them (see Alford on receipt of one of Colenso's volumes, in 'Alford's Life'). II. THE PREPARATION. 'l'here were subjective conditions of the dream wbich argue a certain nobility in Nebuchadnezzar. Dreams grow out of waking thought; and, though this dream was supernatural, we may wtll believe it was naturally conditioned. 'l'he mood of the king created a certain receptivity for Divine revelation (ver. 29). 1, 2'Vie cares of empire weighted Ms soul. 2, His mind projected itself into the far future. (Ver. 29.) 3. 'l'houghts of present responsibility and visions of the future 1cere enter- tained. 'l'o all, such high thoughts come 11t some tin10 or other; buL not all etJ tt'rtaio MW~ a  'l'HE BOOK OF DANIEL. [en, 11. 1-49,